Review: Griffin Theatre’s Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle Presents a Charming May-December Romance With a Headscratching Title
Georgie and Alex aren’t exactly a matched pair. She’s American, a bit loud and aggressive; she swears a lot and doesn’t seem to be able to tell the truth about […]
Review: At the Factory Theater, The Kelly Girls Become IRA Warriors During the Troubles in Northern Ireland
Fianna and Regan Kelly are The Kelly Girls, teenagers living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1960s. But don’t confuse them with the “Derry Girls,” who are happily obsessed with teenaged […]
Essay: Divine Decadence—A Look Back at Porchlight’s I Am a Camera and Cabaret
Cabaret has always been about pushing boundaries. But it also has a rich and complicated past. This month Porchlight Music Theatre at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts offered not only […]
Review: Tolstoy in a Cigar Factory—The Sensual Story of Anna in the Tropics by Remy Bumppo Theatre
Desire is a theme of Anna in the Tropics, the so-very-sensual play that won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for playwright Nilo Cruz. The new production by Remy Bumppo Theatre, […]
Review: Villette at Lookingglass Theatre Tells a Young Woman’s 19th Century Story With 21st Century Flair
Villette is an 19th century tale played on an strikingly modern stage set. The playing area is bounded by two walls of sliding screens and a few pieces of period furniture […]
Review: Right to Be Forgotten at Raven Theatre Tells a Compelling Human Story But Neglects the Backstory
“. . . in the real world, when a minor commits a crime, his record is sealed. When a businessman fails, he can claim bankruptcy and start over. But on the […]
Review: En Pointe and En Travesti With Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Brave drag queens and cowardly Russian oligarchs dominate the news these days. These fabulous queens are often incorrectly labeled as subversive while the Slavic autocrats aren’t receiving enough comeuppance for […]
Review: Lyric Opera’s Hip-Hopera The Factotum Is a Cut Above
Barbershops and beauty salons are important cultural hubs for communities of color. “In my day, a barber was more than just somebody who sit around in a FUBU shirt with […]
Review: Witnessing the Swan Song of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Quite a few people say they love the music of Billie Holiday, having heard only God Bless the Child or—the song controversial in its time—Strange Fruit. Those songs cannot come […]
Review: Wuthering Heights at Chicago Shakes Deftly Adapts Brontë’s Dense Novel with Innovation, Palpable Passion
Since its publication in 1847, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has been adapted into numerous film versions, but only a few brave souls have tried to wrangle her complicated, multi-generational story […]
Review: At Porchlight, an Entertaining Cabaret Features Plenty of Talent but Not the Seriousness the Show Requires
Every season on Broadway, new American musicals premiere in the hopes of entering the country’s long and storied canon of productions that can be revisited and revived for decades to […]
Dispatch: Puppet Fest Wraps Up With Shows Garish, Gorgeous and Grand Guignol
Chicago’s 5th annual International Puppet Theater Festival wrapped up this weekend after presenting more than 100 puppet productions and events around the city. The final production was an inventive staging […]