Picture of the author

Matthew Nerber

ARTICLES: 58
Review, Stages, Theater

Review: A Bronx Tale Recreates the Classic Gangster Story With Music by Alan Menken

A Bronx Tale, based on the play by Chazz Palminteri, is the story of Calogero Anello (Joey Barreiro), his childhood growing up in the titular borough, and his coming of […]

Matthew Nerber /
Film, Film & TV

Review: Transit is a Nazi-Era Thriller Updated to Modern Times

Transit

Georg (Franz Rogowski) is caught between a rock and a hard place. He has no papers, can’t secure a visa, and is running out of contacts in an increasingly hostile […]

Matthew Nerber /
Stages, Theater

Review: Dutch Masters Is a Gripping Two Hander at Jackalope Theatre Company

Dutch Masters, Greg Keller’s superbly taut two-hander receiving a gutsy Midwest premiere at Jackalope Theatre, is a play of mounting tension and slow reveals–the piece demands that the duo of […]

Matthew Nerber /
Stages, Theater

Review: I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart Is a Friendship Laid Bare at Rivendell

I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart is a sometimes raunchy, sometimes enlightening look at relationships and co-dependence, offering a twist on the traditional romantic dynamics; our main focus is not […]

Matthew Nerber /
Music, Reviews

Review: Welles at Schubas is a Classic Rock Fan’s Wet Dream

“I rode in on a river of codeine” howled singer Jehsea Welles to a modest crowd at Schubas on Wednesday night; gripping his guitar like a life-preserver, peering through a […]

Matthew Nerber /
Stages, Theater

Review: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, August Wilson’s Essential Chicago Masterpiece, Sings at Writers Theatre

August Wilson famously tackled the entirety of the 20th century with his poetic works of human tragedy and mythic resilience. Wilson’s plays like to live in the same Pittsburgh neighborhood […]

Matthew Nerber /
Music, Reviews

Review: Great Lake Swimmers Bring Canadian Made Folk to Evanston SPACE

Great Lake Swimmers debuted their first, self-titled record in 2003. Since then, the Canadian band, fronted by singer/songwriter Tony Dekker, has developed their signature sound of contemplative folk balladry across […]

Matthew Nerber /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Rendezvous In Chicago Is a Blurry Snapshot of Love in the Windy City

Rendezvous in Chicago

Rendezvous in Chicago, the new film by Chicago-based filmmaker Michael Glover Smith, promises to be a set of comedic vignettes about love and life in the Windy City, but it […]

Matthew Nerber /
Stages, Theater

Review: Artists Grapple With Legacy of Children and Art in How to Catch Creation at Goodman Theatre

How to Catch Creation, a new play by Christina Anderson receiving a vibrant world premiere production at the Goodman Theatre, is a funny, oftentimes very moving play about the universal […]

Matthew Nerber /
Lit, Reviews, Stages

Review: Hamilton Is the Star in Tribune Critic Chris Jones’ Broadway Book Rise Up!

Picture of the author

The Capitol building in Washington DC is sometimes referred to as the People’s House, a great gathering place where the exchange of ideas (some new, some radical, some contradictory) is […]

Matthew Nerber /
Music, Reviews

Review: Bad Bad Hats Bring Indie Magic to Tomorrow Never Knows at Schuba’s

Tomorrow Never Knows brought the festival vibes to a bitter January night at Schuba‘s, sporting a mostly midwestern line-up (retro synth outfit Video Age joined from Louisiana) for an evening […]

Matthew Nerber /
Film, Film & TV, Music, Video

Review: In Springsteen On Broadway, the Boss Tells His Life Story in Words and Music

In early 1978, Bruce Springsteen embarked on the Darkness on the Edge of Town tour, in what would become a new benchmark for his brand of stadium epics. The Boss […]

Matthew Nerber /