Goodman Theatre’s Father Comes Home from the Wars: an American Epic
Inspired by the tales of Homer, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, and 3) explores issues of loyalty and freedom during the Civil War. The […]
AstonRep’s The Laramie Project Is a Stirring 20th Anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s Death
This is the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death at the hands of two young thugs in Laramie, Wyoming. There was a great outpouring of sympathy and support for Shepard […]
Guards at the Taj Remounts Acclaimed New York Production for Steppenwolf Theatre
Amy Morton, the legendary Steppenwolf Ensemble member known for her work as both actor and director, brings her staging of Rajiv Joseph’s off-Broadway smash hit to Chicago, complete with original […]
20,000 Leagues Under the Seas Adapts the Classic Tale for the Lookingglass Stage
Professor Arronax (Kasey Foster), expert of all things oceanic, has been brought aboard a US Naval Vessel to aide in the search for an elusive killer of ships– is it […]
Review: Burnham’s Dream Never Takes Flight at Theater Wit
Burnham’s Dream by Lost and Found Productions is a musical about one of the most iconic times in Chicago history. Only 22 years after the Chicago Fire, the city was on […]
At Victory Gardens, Mies Julie Scorches With the Tensions of Another Racist Culture
Mies Julie is a scorchingly sexy, shockingly violent adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, transported from 1888 Sweden to 2012 South Africa. Incidents that may or may not happen offstage […]
The Wizard of Oz at Chicago Theatre Can’t Quite Catch Movie Magic
Based on the 1939 MGM Classic of the same name, The Wizard of Oz attempts to adapt the tale of one Kansas kid’s quest to find the titular mage for the […]
Chicago Shakespeare Brings Proper Prestidigitation to Macbeth
J.R.R. Tolkien often railed against the supernatural in Shakespeare despite appropriating many of the tropes in his own work (the Lord of the Rings’ Ents were a counterpunch referencing Birnam […]
In Wake of Recent Tragedies, The Yard Shines With Brutal, Brilliant Columbinus
Columbinus, directed by Mechelle Moe as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut series, is a must-see production, insomuch as words on the internet cannot do it justice. I read this script a […]
God Is in the Details of Lyric Opera’s Jesus Christ Superstar
I don’t like musicals. I’m an atheist. I love Jesus Christ Superstar. I was a budding theater nerd when my cool uncle Tommy turned me on to The Who’s Tommy […]
Ferguson, Missouri, Matters in Solo Show Until the Flood
In 2014, unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown was shot at least six times by a white police officer. His body remained on the street for four hours in Ferguson, Missouri, […]
Review: Take a Trip to Memphis in Porchlight’s Latest Hit
Perhaps the best compliment I can pay to Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical now on at Porchlight Music Theater (directed by Daryl Brooks), is that in the […]