Review: Controlled Burn–Raks Inferno Makes a Safe but Sizzling Return to In Person Shows
It’s been a long while since things were “normal.” And the last time we set foot in the Newport Theater, it was over a year ago and cold out. Very […]
Dialogs: Architecture Collides With Theater in Steppenwolf Podcast, “Collision,” Featuring AS+GG’s Gordon Gill
Theater and architecture share a creative bond in this edition of Steppenwolf Theatre’s Half Hour podcast series. The podcast features Gordon Gill, the architect for Steppenwolf’s new Arts and Education […]
Review: Physical Fest Serves Up Al Fresco Family Fun—Circus, Clowning and Dance in a City Park
Physical Fest has wooed Chicago for eight years now, introducing wonderful international physical theater and circus works, but this year Physical Fest has had to adapt to pandemic restrictions like […]
Review: Trap Door Theatre Devises And Away We Stared for Livestream and Recorded Viewing
Trap Door Theatre’s new production, And Away We Stared, is an example of “devised theater,” a mode of expression that’s been popular in the theater community for years. It‘s a […]
Her Honor, Jane Byrne and Two Other Chicago Plays Win 2021 Steinberg-ATCA Awards
Chicago playwright J. Nicole Brooks has won the 2021 Harold and Mimi Steinberg / American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award for the play Her Honor, Jane Byrne. The Steinberg/ATCA Award, which carries […]
Review: Teatro Zinzanni Relaunches the Chicago Theater District With Fun, Fantasy and Food
“Of all the Spiegeltents in all the neighborhoods of Chicago, Cleopatra walks into Chef Caesar’s joint…” starts the Teatro Zinzanni program, and I think that statement sets the stage (the […]
Review: Goodman Theatre’s I Hate It Here Lets You Rage Against Your Own 2020 Machine
I Hate It Here: Stories From the End of the Old World is a play performed live and written as a concept album by Chicago’s Ike Holter with snappy direction […]
Review: Goodman’s Ohio State Murders Tells a Story of a Life Haunted by Echoes of Its Past
Author Suzanne Alexander’s life is haunted by her past. With Jacqueline Williams playing Suzanne in this 1992 Adrienne Kennedy play, we get a glimpse of campus life in mid-century America […]
Preview: The Newport Theater’s “Peek-Easy” Debuts a Series of Saucy and Safe Live Mini-Shows Tonight with a Raks Geek Takeover
Today’s a momentous day for Chicago. Stage 5 COVID-19 restrictions officially lift, leaving everyone with more options than ever for things to do with their weekend. It feels a little […]
Dialogs: “Accountability” Has a Special Meaning for Community Journalists in CHF Neighborhood Series
The Chicago Humanities Festival continued its Chicago Neighborhood Series with a panel of three journalists from Chicago’s community media, mainly focusing on the south side. The panel was moderated by […]
Review: Goodman Begins Live Series With Thrilling Drama The Sound Inside
Bella likes her solitude. It’s a familiar feeling for some of us, as the pandemic revealed true differences between introverts and extroverts. Veteran Chicago actor Mary Beth Fisher fully embodies […]
Preview: NERD ALERT!! Bring Your Friends and Your Pets for the Virtual Chicago Nerd Comedy Fest
Way back when, when I was, I guess, a “cub” writer, I was unofficially assigned the “nerd beat.” This was in no small part due to the fact that my […]