In the madness of our daily lives, we may wish that we could abandon our devices and spend a week meditating in the woods and getting high on nature. We would return […]
Silence Is Worth a Thousand Words in Small Mouth Sounds at A Red Orchid Theatre
Review: Maria Callas Comes to Life in Timeline’s Impressive Master Class
It’s not likely (though perhaps possible) that director Nick Bowling and music director Doug Peck knew when they selected Terrence McNally’s Master Class for Bowling’s 30th production at Timeline Theatre Company that Magnolia […]
Review: In the Canyon by Calamity West Is a Complex, Careful Picture of a Nightmare Future
For me, the worst nightmares have always been the ones closest to reality. Aliens, ghosts, and monsters don’t scare me as much as thinking about someone waiting in the bushes outside my window […]
There’s Little Brotherly Love But Plenty of Poteen in The Lonesome West by AstonRep
The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh is a story of two Irish brothers, locked in a codependent relationship of affection and hatred (mostly the latter). Throughout the course of the 100-minute play by […]
Chicago Ideas Week in Review: Radical Creators and Tackling Taboos
If you haven’t been to Chicago Ideas Week yet, you’re missing out. I’ve been lucky enough to attend for the last four years, and I’ve been inspired by some of the most […]
Stage Shorts: Three New York Plays Celebrating Solo Performers
The three plays I saw last weekend in New York provided insights into how theater works, and emphasized language and physicality. Two are one-person performances and the third strongly highlights a single […]
Review: Weird and Wonderful, Witch at Writers is an Intellectual Halloween Treat
I really like Jen Silverman. Steppenwolf just premiered her strange buddy comedy The Roommate after a successful run at the Humana Festival. It was touching and surprising, with outstanding performances from Ora Jones and […]
Rock Music Means Freedom in Artistic Home’s Stirring Rock and Roll by Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard stirs up his personal brew of European political ideology, love, death and pop culture in his 2006 play, Rock and Roll, now on stage in a stirring production at the […]
Review: Lyric Opera Launches a Strong 64th Season with Moving, Minimalist La Bohème
There are certain experiences, certain accomplishments that, understandably, pop up on most people’s Bucket Lists, those to-do lists of what we’d all like to check off before we leave this life. Travel […]
Tension Builds in Luxury Hotel Room(s) in Zurich at Steep Theatre
Zürich by Amelia Roper at Steep Theatre is a tantalizing 105 minutes of tension, laced with some smart dialogue. Directed by Brad DeFabo Akin, the play’s five scenes are so cleverly constructed and interrelated […]
Review: Nell Gwynn at Chicago Shakes Delivers Laughs and a Lush Production
About 20 minutes into Nell Gwynn, the American premiere of Jessica Swale’s comedy now on at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, it’s possible to wonder just exactly what we’re all doing here. This story […]
Macbeth as You Will Never See It Again: An Earthy Mendoza by Los Colochos Teatro at Goodman Theatre
Mendoza, a thrillingly raw and earthy adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is being presented this week at Goodman Theatre in collaboration with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance. This very graphic and bloody production […]
