Review: Passing Strange at Theo Ubique Is a Gorgeous Musical About Identity and Much More
Who decides what is Black enough? That is a Gordian knot that has no solution. Is Blackness in the eye of the beholder or is it an accumulation of cultural […]
Kathy D. Hey writes creative non-fiction essays. A lifelong Chicagoan, she is enjoying life with her husband, daughter and three dogs in the wilds of Edgewater. When she isn’t at her computer, she is in her garden growing vegetables and herbs for kitchen witchery.
Review: Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley Is a Powerful Tribute to the South Side, Then and Now
Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley is a tribute to a decade-plus of people jamming in a garage near 50th and Champlain, created by artistic director and choreographer Kia S. […]
Review: The Memory Place at Pivot Arts Looks at Life Through Different Cultures in a Promenade Performance
The Memory Place is a multidisciplinary collection of vignettes that begins in the lobby of the Edge Theater. The audience is welcomed, asked to turn off their phones, and most […]
Review: Standout Performances in Lyric Opera’s Uneven West Side Story
Choreography by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and music by Leonard Bernstein are the calling cards of West Side Story. This is an energetic and passionate contemporary retelling directed […]
Review: Cirque du Soleil Puts a Life of Wonder Before Our Eyes With Cortéo
Cirque du Soleil is always a treat to watch. There are acrobatics, aerial thrills, and juggling all done with a full serving of whimsy. Cirque is known for tributes and […]
Review: Makes Me Wanna Shout! Court Theatre Presents The Gospel at Colonus—Oedipus Redeemed
Something about the sound of a really good gospel singer makes me want to tap my foot or clap along. The Gospel at Colonus sends adrenaline through me and I […]
Review: Arthur Miller’s The Crucible Proves Both Historic and Prescient at Invictus Theatre
Religious and moral hypocrisy is a constant theme in the timeline of American history. There must always be an enemy or a caste created in order to feel superiority. Arthur […]
Review: A Great Cast Lifts The Whistleblower at Theater Wit
What if you told the truth to everyone—friends, family, people that you screwed over? Playwright Itamar Moses (The Band’s Visit) presents this question in The Whistleblower in a world premiere […]
Review: Lightning Strikes With The October Storm in Raven Theatre’s 40th Season Finale
The October Storm is the second in the Grand Boulevard Trilogy by playwright Joshua Allen. It is rare that I see echoes of my life so beautifully written and acted. […]
Review: MotherFreakingHood! Is a Smart and Hilarious Musical at the Venus Cabaret Theater
The musical is alive and well and takes aim at millennial motherhood in all of its glory. It is so perfect that I went to see MotherFreakingHood! at the Venus […]
Review: Stage Left Asks Hard Questions About Work and Pay in World Premiere of In the Back on the Floor
Back in the day, solidarity and unions meant protection and fair wages. A person could own their home, travel, have a new car, and retire comfortably with a pension. I […]
Review: Definition Theatre Examines Perfection, Black Lives, and the White Gaze in Fairview
Is there much more to be said of the “White gaze” aka how Black people are viewed, accepted into society, or doomed to the systemic spoils of racism? That is […]