Stages, Theater

Review: Makes Me Wanna Shout! Court Theatre Presents The Gospel at Colonus—Oedipus Redeemed

Something about the sound of a really good gospel singer makes me want to tap my foot or clap along. The Gospel at Colonus sends adrenaline through me and I […]

Kathy D. Hey /
Stages, Storefront, Theater

Review: In Trap Door’s Dark Comedy, Bowie in Warsaw, a Strangler Prowls the City But the Starman Is Present Only in Spirit

Bowie in Warsaw isn’t really a play for David Bowie fans but it is an example of Trap Door Theatre’s ability to stage the work of Eastern European playwrights with Chicago […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Stages, Storefront, Theater

Review: Arthur Miller’s The Crucible Proves Both Historic and Prescient at Invictus Theatre

Religious and moral hypocrisy is a constant theme in the timeline of American history. There must always be an enemy or a caste created in order to feel superiority. Arthur […]

Kathy D. Hey /
Stages, Theater

Review: A Great Cast Lifts The Whistleblower at Theater Wit

What if you told the truth to everyone—friends, family, people that you screwed over? Playwright Itamar Moses (The Band’s Visit) presents this question in The Whistleblower in a world premiere […]

Kathy D. Hey /
Stages, Storefront, Theater

Review: Teatro Vista’s The Dream King Takes Us on a Magical Musical Silent Adventure

In The Dream King by Teatro Vista, creator Marvin Quijada as Sam performs a magical if familiar story in movement and original music. It’s a “silent musical “ about a man in […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Stages, Storefront, Theater

Review: Lightning Strikes With The October Storm in Raven Theatre’s 40th Season Finale

The October Storm is the second in the Grand Boulevard Trilogy by playwright Joshua Allen. It is rare that I see echoes of my life so beautifully written and acted. […]

Kathy D. Hey /
Stages, Storefront, Theater

Review: Gay Couple With a Son Emigrate to Singapore—With Consequences— in Tango at Pride Arts

Kenneth and Liam are a couple who have been together for years. They have an adopted son, 12-year-old Jayden. And after living in London, they’ve moved to Singapore, to be […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Interviews, Stages, Talk show

Dialogs: The Law, Quantum Computing, and Sarajevo Fiction Highlight CHF’s Spring Lecture Series

Illinois is the first state to end book bans, and the Chicago Humanities Festival is the city’s premiere forum for promoting authors on the vanguard and their timely and riveting […]

Karin McKie /
Stages, Theater

Review: MotherFreakingHood! Is a Smart and Hilarious Musical at the Venus Cabaret Theater

The musical is alive and well and takes aim at millennial motherhood in all of its glory. It is so perfect that I went to see MotherFreakingHood! at the Venus […]

Kathy D. Hey /
Stages, Theater

Review: Stage Left Asks Hard Questions About Work and Pay in World Premiere of In the Back on the Floor

Back in the day, solidarity and unions meant protection and fair wages. A person could own their home, travel, have a new car, and retire comfortably with a pension. I […]

Kathy D. Hey /
Film, Film & TV, Review, Stages, Theater

Review: Stage Adaptation of Spirited Away Brings a Fan Favorite to Life with Innovative Effects and Puppetry

This article was written by Sarah Luyengi. It was 2002 and I was about 10 years-old when I asked my older brother if he could rent this new movie called […]

Sarah Luyengi /
Children's theater, Stages, Theater

Review: Alice Austen’s World Premiere Brings Ancient Greece to Milwaukee in The Gracious Sisters

Wisconsin is in a whirl of new plays and musicals this spring, thanks to a statewide effort called World Premiere Wisconsin. Milwaukee’s First Stage, one of the nation’s leading children’s […]

Anne Siegel /