Review: Ava: The Secret Conversations Is Gossipy Fun and a Disjointed Jumble
Elizabeth McGovern. Photo by Jeff Lorch
Review: Carla Gordon and Friends Round Up the Fun at the CheckOut Festival of Music
The art of cabaret has always been a vital part of the musical world in Chicago, and Carla Gordon is a headliner on that scene. Cabaret is more than singing; […]
Review: TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix at Theo Ubique Queers a Classic for Niche Fan Service
From the writing team of EllaRose Chary and Brandon James, TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix premiered in 2024 at Diversionary Theatre in San Diego. This fall, the rock musical is […]
Review: Black Oak Ensemble Brings A Musical Dimension to Studs Terkel’s Working
The opening festival of the CheckOut continues, featuring a diverse array of Chicago composers, musicians, and those who have documented the inner life of the citizens who live in this […]
Review: How Did the Plays of Shakespeare Survive for Four Centuries? The Book of Will by Promethean Theatre Tells the Story
Lauren Gunderson’s 2017 play, The Book of Will, is a Shakespearean tale that takes place after the Bard dies. It would have been a tragedy if the King’s Men had […]
Review: Burning Passion and Untamed Hearts in New Production of Carmen by Joffrey Ballet
There are not many names that bring such vivid memories as Carmen. Georges Bizet’s scandalous and groundbreaking opera marked the beginning of a movement in opera that emphasized realism. The […]
Review: In Ashland Avenue at Goodman Theatre, We Relive the 1980s at Pete’s TV and Video Store
Goodman Theatre’s new play, Ashland Avenue, is a love letter to 1980s Chicago. The character who epitomizes that era is Pete, proprietor of Pete’s TV and Video, who founded and […]
Review: Two Sisters Search for Joy Through Improv and a Little Magic in Rabbits in Their Pockets at Lifeline Theatre
Two sisters. Ash, the elder, has a professional job with a good income. Harley, the younger sister, inherits the family home when their father dies. “Probably because he thought I’d […]
Review: The First Lady of Television at Northlight Theatre Is Sitcom History and the Story of the Mid-Century Red Scare
If you have tickets for Northlight Theatre’s The First Lady of Television, you may think you are going to see a comedy about the beloved Molly Goldberg and her 1950s […]
Review: Fall in Love with the Cosmic Romantics at the Den Theatre
When Elizabeth Messick, the more attractive half of the magical duo the Cosmic Romantics—that’s straight out of her partner Eric Thirstin’s introduction, not my own editorializing—first appears on stage during […]
Review: American Blues Theater’s Things With Friends Is an Irritating Mess
Things With Friends, the newest play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz, directed by Dexter Bullard, makes its debut at American Blues Theater. It’s a surrealist, climate anxiety comedy of […]
Review: Eclectic Full Contact Theatre’s Refracted Light Tackles Mental Health in Family Drama
“Whenever I walk down a street, I find myself fascinated by the glow of windows and the curtains drawn across them, knowing that behind each one lives a world of […]