Review: Theatre L’Acadie’s Rising Water Is a Slow Stream
Rising Water is one of a trilogy of plays by John Biguenet about Hurricane Katrina; the other two plays are Shotgun and Mold. It has been 20 years since America […]
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: Salome at the Lyric Opera Melts the Chicago Deep Freeze With Strauss and Suspense
In the Bible, the name of the Princess of Judea is never mentioned. In his 1893 play, Oscar Wilde gave the teenage seductress a name: Salome. In 1905, Richard Strauss completed […]
Review: Chicago Opera Theater Performs the Music of Immigrant Composers in a Rousing In America’s Embrace
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America’s declaration as a sovereign democracy. The Declaration of Independence guaranteed the citizenry the right to life, liberty, and […]
Review: Taiko Legacy 22 Adds a Groove to the Message of Peace in Yoko Ono’s Skylanding
In 2016, legendary avant-garde artist and musician Yoko Ono presented Chicago with a sculpture called Skylanding. It stands in Jackson Park on the same site where the Japanese Pavilion stood […]
Review: A Concert to Remember by Bella Voce and the Madison Bach Musicians
Some of the best Christmas music I have ever heard has come from churches of every denomination. On December 14, I ventured out on a frigid 5° afternoon to St. […]
Review: Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol Is Hilarious, Brilliant and Moving
I was not quite sure what to expect from the Manual Cinema adaptation of A Christmas Carol. I have seen countless versions, including one rated TV-MA on cable television that […]
Review: Wizard of Oz Rarities Are Still Magical Off Screen in The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page at the Driehaus Museum
The Richard Driehaus Museum is a repository of decorative arts and Gilded Age treasures. I covered A Nativity Tribute last year at the Murphy Auditorium, featuring stained-glass windows and throne […]
Review: Chicago Opera Theater Delves Into Salieri’s Falstaff With a White Lotus Vibe
The Chicago Opera Theater, a much-enjoyed cultural institution, performs works from the corners of history that have been forgotten or have not received their due recognition. COT commissions and stages […]
Review: South Chicago Dance Theatre Exopresses the Raw Emotions of Loss Through Lamentations of Peace
South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT) is in season 9 and continues to dance close to the edge. Founder Kia S. Smith choreographed Lamentations of Peace with a narrative of the […]
Review: Joffrey’s Sparkling Nutcracker Delivers Sugar Plums, Magic, and Spectacle
Let us now consider the sugar plum. For years, I thought it was an artisan plum rolled in silver sugar. I was this many years old when I discovered that […]
Review:The Catalyst Quartet’s Against All Odds Is Flawless at Nova Linea Musica
One of my favorite things about reviewing music, arts, and culture in Chicago is being in the audience to experience artists in their habitat. That could be a big stage […]
Review: A More Dickensian Approach to A Christmas Carol for the Goodman Theatre’s Centennial
Several versions of A Christmas Carol are familiar on television, in the movies, and, specifically, live at the Goodman Theatre. It’s a start to the holiday season in Chicago, usually coinciding […]