Review: 16th Street Theater’s The Billboard Gives Authenticity to the Subject of Abortion
It has been a minute since I have covered a play that hits home in as many ways as The Billboard, now being staged by 16th Street Theater at Northwestern […]
Review: In a Storm of Silliness, Theater Wit’s Hurricane Diane Demands That We Care About Climate Change
Dionysus/Diane has messages for us. The messages we continue to ignore about the serious dangers that climate change portends for our future—and more importantly, for the futures of our children […]
Preview: Let’s Get Physical at the 9th Annual Physical Theater Festival July 16-24
Chicago’s Physical Theater Festival returns for the ninth year with in-person, indoor and outdoor performances, plus four workshops by festival artists, July 16-24, following the 2020 virtual festival. The week features performances by […]
Review: Pride Arts’ Tommy on Top Has the Recipe for Farce—But It’s Slightly Undercooked
I am a big fan of British comedy and in particular, one master of the genre—John Cleese in Fawlty Towers. That show is an example of farce, done brilliantly. Basil […]
Review: Goodman Theatre’s Life After Has None
I’ll keep this short – but it won’t be sweet. The Goodman Theatre’s production of Toronto playwright Britta Johnson’s freshman musical Life After starts promisingly, with an absolutely spectacular set […]
Review: Kokandy Productions Presents Scandalous Teens and Schemes in Cruel Intentions: the ’90s Musical
What says snobby teens with step-sibling issues and boy band music cruising the airwaves better than the movie Cruel Intentions? It was a movie made for the’90s. It was a […]
Review: Steep Theatre’s Paris Is a Workplace Tragicomedy With a Family Feeling
Paris is a workplace comedy or more accurately, a tragicomedy. It’s tinged with sadness, tainted with racism and with the despair of workers in low-paying, dead-end jobs. It’s set during Christmas […]
Review: Ensemble Español Brings Andalusian Rhythm and Soul with Flamenco Passion
Review of a flamenco performance based in Spanish history.
Review: Giordano Dance Chicago—Exuberant, Urban and Avant Garde
When I think of modern or jazz-inspired dance, a few people come to mind. Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Katherine Dunham. Giordano Dance Chicago has established itself in my Hall […]
Review: Get a Cortisol Correction from Second City’s New Mainstage Revue, Do the Right Thing, But No Worries If Not
Politics are exhausting, but inevitable and important. People are exhausted, but continue to seek normalcy via social interactions. The Second City’s 110th mainstage show’s bifurcated title reflects those two realities: Do […]
Review: Hercule Poirot Unravels Murder Scheme Aboard Milwaukee Rep’s Orient Express
Agatha Christie mystery fans will want to climb aboard Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of Murder On the Orient Express, which opened last weekend in the largest of the Rep’s three stages. Orient Express closes […]
Review: Eclectic Full Contact Theatre’s Blithe Spirit Is a Frothy Comedy for a Summer Outing
Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, a story of ghosts and seances set in a posh English home.