Review: Midwestern Sensibilities Drive Jim Gaffigan’s The Fun Tour
Full disclosure: I listen to standup to help me sleep. During these dystopian times, when I’m frequently unable to catch some ZZZs, I’ll play a comedy special on the bedroom […]
Review: “The Chevalier” Staged Concert Shines a Light on an Unfairly Forgotten Black Genius
Joseph Bologne was a singular figure in the annals of music. Born in 1745 to a French plantation owner and a slave mother on the Caribbean island colony of Guadeloupe […]
Review: West Side Story at Marriott Lincolnshire Features a Formidable Cast and a Few Missteps
I love a good evening out at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. For years now, they’ve put on top notch shows that aren’t just good ‘for the suburbs,’ but are […]
Review: Black Women’s Work Underpins Goodman Theatre’s Gem of the Ocean
Black history is continuously under attack, even during Black History Month. Some jurisdictions and politicians are busily banning books and curriculums that even mention America’s original sin of slavery. Playwright […]
Review: New Musical Paradise Square Aims for Lofty Themes, Gets Lost in an Unfocused Narrative
Chicago has long been a proving ground for new stage productions bound for Broadway, and the shows that head east from here go on to varying degrees of success on […]
Review: Lyric Opera’s The Magic Flute Is a Contemporary, Inventive Adaptation That Lets the Music Shine
The Magic Flute, a German opera by Mozart, first premiered in Vienna in 1791; Mozart himself conducted the orchestra that night. In the more than 200 years since, the show […]
Review: Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s As You Like It Combines the Bard and the Beatles to Surprising, Engaging Results
Over the centuries, Shakespeare has been adapted in countless ways. It’s the appeal of his work, after all: universal in its appeal, timeless in its messages, and just as entertaining […]
Review: Lyric Uncorks the Charm with The Elixir of Love
The two works that began Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2021-22 season could hardly contrast more. The first opening, on September 17, was Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth: Dark, brutal, gory, filled with lust for power, rage […]
Review: Music of the Baroque Ends Live-Streamed Season With Sacred Music and an Allelujah
Music of the Baroque‘s COVID-shortened season of six monthly live-streamed concerts ended this month with its Musica Sacra – Bach & Purcell concert. The most important thing to note […]
Review: Joffrey’s World Premiere Boléro Shines on the Small Screen, Despite Technical Missteps
In this brave new normal, ballet premieres come while you’re sitting alone on your couch, instead of in a glittering theater gathered with hundreds of other balletomanes breathlessly awaiting. Perhaps nowadays you […]
Review: Robert O’Hara’s Barbecue, Newly Cooked Up for Our Virtual World
Robert O’Hara’s funny, snarky familyish drama Barbecue was staged by Strawdog Theatre in 2017 in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre. It’s set in a public park where four siblings, led by one […]
Your #StaytheFHome Chicago Curated Weekend: 7/30 and Beyond
Chicago has been letting businesses reopen their doors for quite a while now. So if you’re going to a drive-in movie (like Chicago Drive In, Drive-in at Lincoln Yards Lot, […]