Review, Stages, Theater

Review: Falsettos Is Plenty of Fun, Proves Timeless Testament to Love, Family

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The mile-a-minute lyrics, the ever-changing building-block scenery and the cliché-heavy characters of Falsettos give the impression at first glance that William Finn’s two-act musical is a screwball sex comedy about who […]

Lisa Trifone /
Comedy, Film, Film & TV, Interview, Interviews, Lit, Stages

Review: Author, Auteur John Waters and the Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder

Iconoclastic film- and filth-maker John Waters told interviewer Michael Phillips that the first time he came to Chicago was with a “drive-away” car. He couldn’t believe a stranger trusted him […]

Karin McKie /
Review, Stages

Review: Jackalope Theatre’s Life On Paper Asks What a Life Is Worth

If you were asked to put a dollar value on a human life, what you would say? You might say that it’s not something that you can quantify, that you […]

James Brod /
Stages, Theater

Review: Six at Chicago Shakes Boasts a Show-Stopping Cast

Six

Hamilton has spoiled us. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece of music and lyrics has taken pop-centric historic adaptations to new heights, and any that may come after it have large shoes to […]

Lisa Trifone /
Stages, Theater

Review: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at Lookingglass Tells a Dazzling Creature Origin Story

Last year was the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s landmark horror novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which explains why we have been able to see four different […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Stages, Theater

Review: Vaclav Havel’s The Memo at Organic Theater Portrays Government as Farce With Fedoras

The overture begins: It’s the March of the File Folders, which might be titled the Office Supply Hustle. The cast of 11, smartly dressed in varieties of business garb, march […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Stages, Theater

Review: Remy Bumppo’s Bloomsday Celebrates the Past and Future, Complete with Pints of Regret

It’s early June in Dublin—almost Bloomsday. The time is today and 35 years ago. But whatever year it is, Bloomsday, celebrated on June 16, is a reason to lift a […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Stages, Theater

Review: Saul Bellow Would Approve of Court Theatre’s Exhilarating Production of The Adventures of Augie March

If you believe in heaven or hell, then perhaps I can persuade you that Saul Bellow is viewing the current events at Court Theatre with approval. David Auburn’s adaptation of […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Circus, Stages, Theater Festival

Physical Theater Festival Chicago Opens Up to Circus Programming in 2019

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It will be the 6th year for Physical Theater Festival Chicago (May 31–June 8, 2019), and as in previous years, they are bringing acclaimed international shows to Chicago stages, but […]

Kim Campbell /
Stages, Theater

Review: Killing Game at Red Orchid Is Thrilling, Creative … and Bizarre

Eugene Ionesco’s Killing Game is a thrilling and creative piece of staging and performance at A Red Orchid Theatre. Directed by Dado and featuring 13 formidable actors playing 108 parts, Killing Game takes […]

Nancy S Bishop /
Stages, Theater

Review: Spanning Tragedy, Comedy and Several Years, The Winter’s Tale Proves to be Enduring Shakespeare

Winter's Tale

You read Romeo & Juliet in high school. You saw Much Ado About Nothing one summer at the park. Even if you’ve never seen (or read) them, cultural references to Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello […]

Lisa Trifone /
Stages, Theater

Review: The Mushroom Cure, a One-Man Show Exploring a Psychotropic Cure for OCD

Adam Strauss sits on an empty stage next to a table loaded with glasses of water. He speaks plaintively to us about his ongoing internal monologue about which MP3 player […]

Kim Campbell /