Review: Raw and Emotional Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Haven Chicago
This is a love letter. To Stephen Trask’s brilliant music and lyrics and John Cameron Mitchell’s searing wit. To one of the best musicals to ever come out of New […]
Review: Goodman Theatre’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Needs Pruning
The new and eagerly awaited production of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at Goodman Theatre fails to present a unified story and collapses under its own weight […]
Preview: The Underground Society for Music Portrays a World Where Music Is Banned
“The Underground Society for Music is a play with music about a group of musicians fighting to keep their artform alive. In spite of constant threats from government actors to stop […]
Review: Laurie Metcalf Stars in Little Bear Ridge Road, a Powerful Comedy-Drama With Some Things To Say
In Chicago theater, the return of a great—not to mention famous—ensemble actor to the Steppenwolf Theatre Company is an event exciting enough to register on the Richter scale. Particularly when […]
Review: Purple Onyx Productions Celebrates Prince’s Purple Rain at Funky 40
Next week is the 40th anniversary of the date that Prince’s album, Purple Rain, hit the airwaves; the film appeared in movie theaters a month later. I did not have […]
Review: Black Ensemble Theater Gives the People What They Want in The Salon
Black Ensemble Theater (BET) has been a mainstay of Black theater for almost 50 years. That takes grit which is a step above determination. It takes vision, talent, and fearlessness—the […]
Review: The Kite Runner Reveals Complex Story of Guilt and Redemption
The Kite Runner is a contemplative play that spans decades, continents and various aspects of the human heart. The national tour production is currently playing at the CIBC Theatre through […]
On the Road: A Look at Some Tony Award Contenders
On the eve of Sunday’s Tony Awards broadcast, here’s a look at four productions that will be vying for recognition in various categories. All four of them are musicals, and […]
Dialogs: Reggie Watts Celebrates Glorious Black Nerds at the Old Town School
Reggie Watts is far more than James Corden’s bandleader on the former The Late Late Show. He’s an innovative musician (keyboard, looping machine, beatboxer), dry comedian, wearer of cool geometric […]
Review: A Few Bad Apples Can’t Sour Three Sisters, Chekhov’s Masterwork, Presented by Invictus Theatre Company
Melodrama gets a bum rap. It’s silly, the cynics say, unrealistic, it’s too much. But when melodrama is done well there’s nothing else like it. The genre appeals to the […]
Review: Trap Door Theatre’s Must-See Production of Antigonick Takes on a Bittersweet Classic
The Trap Open Series is designed to bring non-traditional dramatic takes to Trap Door Theatre’s stage for short runs. The latest in the series is Antigonick, translated and adapted by […]
Preview: Classics, Contemporary Plays and a World Premiere at Wisconsin’s American Players Theatre
With summer temperatures beckoning us, Chicago theatergoers may start thinking about an escape to the lush, green countryside of Spring Green, Wisconsin, home of American Players Theatre. For nearly half […]