Review: The Notebook, a Sentimental Tale, Arrives Refurbished With Song and Dance at Chicago Shakespeare
The Notebook is a love story, told over three stages of the lifetime of its lovers, Allie and Noah. The…
On the Road: Like Autumn Leaves, Some Shows Are Falling From Broadway
There’s a hint of coolness in the New York air, suggesting an imminent change of seasons. Some Broadway shows are…
Review: Ensemble Espaňol Brings the Heat to the Auditorium Theatre with Flamenco Passion
I reviewed Ensemble Español back in June at the North Shore Center for the Arts and it was thrilling to…
Review: Noel Coward’s Wit Retains Its Flavor in Updated Private Lives at Raven Theatre
Two newly wed couples arrive for their honeymoons at a swank resort hotel in France. Unbeknownst to both couples, the…
Review: Unapologetic and in Your Face, Congo Square Theatre’s What to Send Up When It Goes Down Starts the Healing
I wish that I could say that What to Send Up When It Goes Down was a flashback to earlier…
Review: Wicked Returns and Thrills Its Exuberant Chicago Fans
I’m pretty sure I was the only person in the Nederlander Theatre who had never seen Wicked before. Most audience…
Review: A Cultural Treasure in Exile, Kyiv City Ballet Triumphs at the Auditorium Theatre
The Kyiv City Ballet was starting a world tour and were stranded in Paris when the Russian invasion began in…
Review: Trap Door’s The Ugly One Is a Brilliant and Delirious Take on the Construct of Beauty
I always get to shows early. I consider that to be a virtue and also very helpful in getting the…
Review: Much More Than Sandwiches Are Being Served in Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s at Goodman Theatre
Clyde’s is a truck stop diner somewhere on the highway. We meet and learn the skills and stories of the…
Review: Anastasia Aims for a Fairy Tale, Misses with a Clunky Script and Phoned-In Staging
First released in 1997, the animated feature film Anastasia quickly earned a recognition among the widely popular Disney princesses of…
Review: Wonder of Wonders—Fiddler on the Roof at the Lyric Opera
Last year, the Lyric Opera presented a dazzling production of The Magic Flute originally conceived for Berlin’s Komische Oper by…
Review: In Time for Halloween, Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Arrives with Strong Vocals, Clever Staging
As we left the Chopin Theatre Friday night, after an appropriately spooky and decidedly well-sung performance of Sweeney Todd: The…
