Review: Chicago Opera Theater’s Quamino’s Map Pulls the Curtain Back on Black Life in the Georgian Era
Quamino’s Map is the 22nd opera by the Belizean-born composer Errollyn Wallen who trained at the University of London and Cambridge. The libretto is by playwright Deborah Brevoort and the […]
Review: Shana Cooper’s Direction Adds Zest to All’s Well That Ends Well at Chicago Shakespeare
Helen is a bright, attractive young woman, but, sad to say, she’s not royal. So Bertram/Count of Rossillion, the man she loves for reasons not clear, scorns her. The daughter […]
Review: Glad to Have the Time Together—Carol Burnett at the Chicago Theatre
Back in 2020, comedy icon Carol Burnett was scheduled to bring her one-woman show, “An Evening of Reflection and Laughter,” to the equally iconic Chicago Theatre. Then a global pandemic […]
Review: A Taut Drama Unwinds Identity and Power in Rasheeda Speaking by Shattered Globe Theatre
Identity politics have become a big part of our everyday life. There is always a tussle over who can be called a real American. If you act a certain way, […]
Review: Family Dysfunction is Comically Functional In Strawdog’s On the Greenbelt
I had to look up the Greenbelt in Boise, Idaho, to see if it was a real place—it is. There isn’t a lot written about Boise in ways that other […]
Review: Moulin Rouge! The Musical Captures the Bombastic Energy and Tragic Love Story of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Film
Before a certain virus changed everything, I’d gotten into the enviable habit of jetting off to New York whenever a show I really, really wanted to see premiered on Broadway. […]
Review: A Woman’s Worth Revealed in Intimate Apparel at Northlight Theatre
Women in America have long demanded that society appreciate their worth and contributions beyond the confines of a household. Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, directed by Tasia Jones, mines the history […]
Review: Rage Against the Cell Phone Machine With Fran Lebowitz
In the midst of war and plague, a good dose of literate snark is required. Noted curmudgeon and raconteur Fran Lebowitz visited the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, one of only […]
Preview: Joffrey Ballet to Premiere New Work Adapted from Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
The Joffrey Ballet’s spring program will combine an iconic John Steinbeck story transformed into a modern ballet with Serenade, a classic George Balanchine ballet first performed in the 1930s. The program […]
Review: Milwaukee Rep Launches Titanic: The Musical, Its Biggest Show in History
Guest review by Anne Siegel. In 1912, the fabled ocean liner Titanic never made it to its destination in New York City. In 2021, it seemed as though the Milwaukee […]
Review: It’s Magic With Cocktails in Sean Masterson’s Message in a Bottle at Chicago Magic Lounge
To sit in a beautiful, bustling lounge, surrounded by plush art deco fixings and dolled-up people, while sipping a cocktail (called Smoke and Mirrors) is a luxe experience indeed. But […]
Review: Far From Being Forgotten, Six Returns as an International Sensation
Guest review by Anne Siegel. Make no mistake; while most of the real-life wives of Henry VIII ended their days in misery (or worse), their 21st century counterparts are wiser, […]