Review: Pinter’s Triangle Gets a Brisk Portrayal in Betrayal at Goodman Theatre
A triangle has three sides. But the three sides are not always equal, as we learn in maths. Or geometry, if you’re an American. And so it is in Betrayal, the […]
Nancy S. Bishop is publisher and Stages editor of Third Coast Review. She’s a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and a 2014 Fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. You can read her personal writing on pop culture at nancybishopsjournal.com, and follow her on Twitter @nsbishop. She also writes about film, books, art, architecture and design.
Review: In Trap Door’s The Mannequins’ Ball, Mannequins Are the Movers in a Story That Combines Politics and Partying
The new production of The Mannequins’ Ball at Trap Door Theatre is a whole lot of 1930s agitprop choreographed with music, singing and dancing. Nicole Weisner and Miguel Long direct 90 minutes […]
Review: Who’s the Hero in Shattered Globe’s Lobby Hero? All Four Characters Face Ethical Choices
Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero blends working relationships tested by an ethical dilemma in this comedic drama that gets a timely staging by Shattered Globe Theatre. Is the titular Lobby Hero the loopy […]
Review: Fat Ham at Goodman Theatre Transports the Gloomy Dane to a Lively Southern Backyard Barbecue
Fat Ham, the prize-winning play by James Ijames, is now on stage at Goodman Theatre in a co-production with Definition Theatre. Ijames’ script was inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and incorporates some of the original’s […]
Preview: The Puppets Are Coming to Tell Their Stories at the 7th Chicago Puppet Theater Festival
It’s time for the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival! Every year, the puppets brighten our January and remind us of the amazing joy and ingenuity of puppetry storytelling. The performers […]
Review: The Berlin Diaries at Open Space Arts Explores a Search for Family History in Pre-War Berlin
Playwright Andrea Stolowitz’s extended Jewish family lived in Berlin in the 1930s during the rise of the Nazi party; they emigrated to New York City in 1939. Stolowitz’s parents believed […]
Review: If May Only Be High School, But The Totality of All Things Dives Into Issues That Divide Us All
A story about truth, censorship and identity and a small-town high school newspaper manages to address—sometimes obliquely, sometimes directly—issues that divide us today. Despite its abstract title, Eric Gernard’s new […]
Review: In Blank Theatre’s A Bright Room Called Day, Artists Face Exile as Danger Looms in Nazi-Era Berlin
It’s only December 13 and I’ve had enough holiday hilarity and jolly-holly spirit. For a little bah humbug, let’s talk about the rise of fascism in 1932 Germany. Fortunately Blank […]
Essay: Reading in Public and My Review of The Vegetarian, a Book That Started Conversations
Now through December 31, Third Coast Review is raising money to support the diverse roster of writers you know and appreciate for their thoughtful, insightful arts and culture coverage in Chicago and beyond. […]
Review: At Raven Theatre, The Comedians Tells a Love Story and More—Through Standup Acts
We want to hear from you! Take our brief reader survey now and share your feedback on what you love at Third Coast Review—and what we could be doing better! Plus, everyone […]
Feature: The Booker Prize Brings Together Book Lovers Worldwide in a Virtual Book Club
Tuesday, November 12, was an exciting day—it was Oscars night for book nerds. That was the day the Booker Prize, the most prestigious literary prize in the world, was awarded. […]
Review: DOGS by Red Theater Portrays Five Women in Red-Hot Competition
We want to hear from you! Take our brief reader survey now and share your feedback on what you love at Third Coast Review—and what we could be doing better! Plus, everyone […]