“Water is a complicated element. It heals, destroys, rescues, erases. It drowns. It saves. It holds memory. It washes away pain….” That statement by Janice, the narrator in the ripple, the wave that carried me home, is a dramatic summary…
Princess Ivona inspires Trap Door Theatre to show us what it does best: Take a clever script and turn it into a carnival with exaggerated style and physical performance, while remaining true to the playwright’s original concept. In this case,…
In Saint Omer, filmmaker Alice Diop applies her documentary skills to her first narrative film, based on an actual event that gripped France in 2016. Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a young Senegalese immigrant, is accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by leaving…
The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, begins next Wednesday, January 18, and runs through Sunday, January 29, at venues large and small throughout the city. More than 100 performances and events…
I suspect that for Cambodians and Cambodian Americans, the racist and genocidal history of the Khmer Rouge is a stain on their history just as slavery, racism and the Civil War are for Americans. A history that cannot—and should not—ever…
How do we know if the First Amendment is working? Karen Tumulty, deputy editorial page editor for the Washington Post answers, “If it makes us uncomfortable—and more importantly, if it makes us think.” A new book by a First Amendment…
Tim Dolan is an actor—occasionally. But his regular gig is as a Broadway tour guide and entrepreneur. He’s owner of Broadway Up Close, which offers walking tours of the Broadway/Times Square area and the interior of a Broadway theater. Next…
A fair number of children and teens attended opening night of Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. Director Jessica Thebus and her creative team brought new life to this 45th edition of Goodman’s holiday story in ways that surely kept the…
Two compelling exhibits are on display at Wrightwood 659, the Lincoln Park gallery dedicated to exhibiting socially engaged art and architecture. Michiko Itatani: Celestial Stage celebrates the work of the Chicago painter and her fascination with science and culture. The…
The opening scene of this Charlie Trotter documentary is a bit of a giveaway about the man whose food we loved (if we could afford it). During the sound check for an interview, he says, “My name is Charlie Trotter…
Leopoldstadt is a place, a Jewish section of old Vienna. It’s also an imagined history of how two intermarried Jewish families lived (or didn’t live) through six decades of the 20th century, as war and fascism overtook Europe. Most of…
“I’m an immigrant and an exile,” Gabriel Byrne begins his autobiographical solo show at the century-old Music Box Theatre on Broadway. For two hours-plus, the legendary Irish actor tells stories of his childhood, growing up in a poor Dublin family,…
Home is where the heart is, the proverb says—and home is the heart of the story in Routes, a British play now being staged by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. The play is a US premiere, directed by Mikael Burke, written…
Director Henry Godinez sets up his Havana-set Measure for Measure with a colorful nightclub scene, including singers and chorus girls, and closes it with a nod to the Cuban revolution in the air. But the play is still Measure for…
There’s nothing more satisfying than a sharply directed and well-acted production of a Sam Shepard play. Shepard’s America is middle America at its seamy, seedy worst with family secrets, lies and sometimes even murder. No room for cheery optimism or…
The 58th Chicago International Film Festival ls history now with winners announced and Closing Night over. Last night’s closing feature at the Music Box Theatre was Noel Baumbach’s White Noise, based on Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel, which won the National…
Swing State is playwright Rebecca Gilman’s latest effort in asking us to understand the lives of 20 percent of the US population—those who do not live in major metropolitan areas. Even though their numbers may be smaller than those of…
This is a business story. Like many members of CIMA (the Chicago Independent Media Alliance), Third Coast Review is a very small business; other members are small nonprofits. This fundraising drive, supported by several amazing Chicago foundations, is our primary…
The Chicago International Film Festival—the 58th edition of North America’s longest-running competitive international film festival—opens tomorrow night with The Compassionate Spy, a new documentary by renowned local filmmaker Steve James at the Music Box Theatre plus a block party on…
The Notebook is a love story, told over three stages of the lifetime of its lovers, Allie and Noah. The beloved book by Nicholas Sparks was turned into a 2004 film and now has been recreated as a musical play.…
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