On the surface, playwright Caryl Churchill has written a timely play about a controversial topic, cloning. But underneath that, there is a deep dive into more timeless concerns, such as what does it […]
A Number Really Does One on Us @ Royal George
Mosque Alert Takes a Thoughtful Look at Prejudice in a Small Town
Mosque Alert is a new play that focuses on three families in Naperville as the city decides whether a mosque may be built downtown on the site of a landmark. Author Jamil […]
Stage 773’s Artist’s Lab Offers Emerging Artists More than Just a Credit
Now in its third year (and shedding its previously cumbersome, albeit whimsical title, “Scribble Bibble”), Stage 773’s Artist’s Lab offers emerging artists the opportunity to grow, connect, and collaborate in a creative […]
Halcyon Theatre’s Penny Gods Fails to Cash In on Promise
Halcyon Theatre’s world premiere of Callie Kimball’s play, Dreams of the Penny Gods, begins with a promising image. Thirteen-year-old Bug stands illuminated in candlelight, tying herself up in preparation for the Armageddon she’s […]
Thoughts of a Black Republican in the New Play Carlyle— an Interview with Director Benjamin Kamine
A new play written by playwright Thomas Bradshaw about an African American Republican lawyer, and how he came to be so, is set to open next week at Goodman Theatre. Bradshaw is […]
Re-Joyce in The Plagiarists’ Ulysses
On the surface, Ulysses follows a day in the life of two Dubliners, Leopold Bloom and Stephen Daedalus, but truly covers the entire range of human experience: life, love, grief, drinking, faith, […]
Remy Bumppo’s Life of Galileo Dramatizes Science vs. Faith Conflict
Remy Bumppo Theatre calls itself “think theatre.” And there couldn’t be a better tagline for this company, which takes on some of the most intellectually intriguing scripts in the theatrical library. Their […]
weAREproductions Damns Love, Lies in Fleetwood Macbeth at Public House Theatre
Writer/director and weAREproductions co-founder Ricky W. Glore has set the Scottish play in a 70s radio station. King (Duncan, played by lanky Aaron Sarka) is the reigning disc jockey with a penchant […]
Sparse, Specific Kill Floor at ATC a Thrilling Character Study
American Theater Company‘s Midwest premiere of playwright Abe Koogler’s contemporary drama Kill Floor is a searing character study in desperation and the search for meaningful connection. Set in a small town in the early […]
The Hypocrites’ Adding Machine Anything But Mediocre
Amidst a cloud of haze and the repeated plunking of a piano key, a nondescript man hunches over his desk, writing feverishly. By the time everyone has found their seats, the monotonous note has […]
Court’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night: Dysfunctional Family Masterpiece
Photos by Michael Brosilow. A friend says that all great stories are about dysfunctional families. Certainly much of the best modern theater is about dysfunctional families. You have Sam Shepard (True West, […]
Matilda, a Musical Bookworms Can Rejoice To
I had to borrow a kid to go see Matilda. I also had to put aside my usual prejudice towards musicals. But no one was forcing Matilda on me. It was […]
