Saturday, 24 December 2016 13:04
Astounding Shadow Animations in Amazing Mr & Mrs Pennyworth
Written by Bill Esler
Just two actors share the credits, yet the stage is crowded with characters in Lookingglass Theatre’s Mr. & Mrs. Pennyworth. This fabulist romp is delightful and fully satisfying, conjuring up characters with artful stagecraft and puppetry that remind us of Red Moon Theatre when it was really cranking. The puppetry…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 16 December 2016 17:42
Pigpen's "The Hunter and the Bear" One of this Year's Best
Written by Ken Payne
PigPen’s “The Hunter and the Bear” is one of the best theatre productions of 2016. It’s really that simple. Staged at the state of the art, newly constructed, Writers Theatre in Glencoe, audience members are in for a unique experience that is as haunting as it is moving. The story…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 16 December 2016 17:06
Mega-church Pastor Calls Down a Rain of Destruction on The Christians
Written by Bill Esler
A tragedy is unfolding at Steppenwolf Theatre, a good thing for audiences, less so for the denizens of Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. In this show, with powerful performances by Glenn Davis, Shannon Cochran, Tom Irwin and Robert Brueler, the show stopper is Jacqueline Williams’ marvelous turn in the role of…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 12 December 2016 14:22
Lyric Opera of Chicago's "The Magic Flute" An Enchanting Experience
Written by Michaelle Bradford
Mozart’s The Magic Flute, now playing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is an enchanting and charming performance - a perfect family outing especially for the holiday season. Based on Mozart’s final and majestic opera, The Magic Flute is a timeless tale of good versus evil, perseverance, and love conquering…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 09 December 2016 10:42
“This Way Outta Santaland (and other Xmas miracles)" Is a Miracle All It's own
Written by Kimberly Katz
When Mitchell Fain, the star of David Sedaris's eight year long run of "Santaland Diaries" about a broke actor who lands a gig as a Macy's elf first begins his play with the opening lines of said show on a beautifully decked out and magically lit Christmas set - I…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 09 December 2016 13:48
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Unique Experience
Written by Michelle Reidy
What makes theater so great is its ability to transport you to different worlds. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time opened on Wednesday night at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago and it successfully does just that, although where it transports you is not where you may have…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 10 December 2016 13:38
The RosenKranz Mysteries An Evening Full of Suspense and The Impossible
Written by Ken Payne
Richly set in the intimate Royal Cabaret Theatre, The Rosenkranz Mysteries: An Evening of Magic to Lift the Spirits is a magic show with its own unique twist, separating itself from the others with its unusual theme and creative adaptations of age old illusions and tricks. Dining tables surround the…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 03 December 2016 10:30
Underscore Theatre's Fun New Musical - Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera
Written by John Accrocco
Underscore Theatre and Harborside Films hearkens back to a simpler time, when the biggest national tragedy was a young Olympic figure skater getting clubbed in the knees. The year was 1994 and the world couldn't get enough of Tonya Harding versus Nancy Kerrigan. Some twenty-two years later, this scandal is…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 04 December 2016 20:16
Real Theater: See Why Winterset Won Best Play in 1935
Written by Bill Esler
Serious theatergoers may well want to see Maxwell Anderson’s Winterset, which in 1935 won the first New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play. Specializing in mining historic gems, Griffin Theatre Company’s production at The Den Theatre gives it the full Monty. Though Winterset is a period piece, unlike…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 29 November 2016 13:13
The Rip Nelson Holiday Spectacular Will Get You through the Holidays with Laughs and Compassion
Written by Kimberly Katz
Do you remember the holiday spectacular TV specials in the early 1980's? I do. They were a wacko mix of old timey singing groups mixed with the “hottest” stars of the day and all were decked out stage-wise in cheerful, colorful and yet, in retrospect, disturbing fake Christmas sets. Just…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 27 November 2016 16:11
The Fundamentals Takes Aim at What Ails America’s Service Workers and Their Bosses
Written by Bill Esler
Erika Sheffer’s The Fundamentals is a powerful tale of the struggles of a service industry worker. It is also a parable for our times. Director Yasen Peyankov has taken what we see all the time, and really shows it to us. The Fundamentals (at Steppenwolf Theatre) tells the story of…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 22 November 2016 08:03
Lyric Opera's "Don Quichotte": An Eccentric and Endearing Opera
Written by Michelle Reidy
Opening in the town square of a small town in Spain, Don Quichotte by Jules Massenet tells the story of a somewhat delusional knight errant, his squire Sancho and their quest to retrieve the stolen necklace of Dulcinée in an effort to win her love and affection. Adventures with the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 22 November 2016 23:19
A Truth Soon To Be Universally Known: Miss Bennet Is Very Funny
Written by Bill Esler
Northlight Theatre’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is deftly crafted, a thoroughly engaging comedic riff on Pride & Predjudice, Jane Austen’s early 19th century classic. It is also a refreshing antidote to a truth universally known: that Chicago stages yield slim pickin’s for legitimate drama this time of year. Nothing…
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Theatre in Review
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