Review: Titus Andronicus Up Close and Intense at Redtwist Theatre
The last time I saw Titus Andronicus, it was promenade-style, staged in the attic of an old Gilded Age mansion in Morgan Park. The audience walked through the play as […]
Review: At the Artistic Home, Hedda Gabler Tells the Story of a Flamboyant 19th Century Proto-Feminist
Was the heroine of Hedda Gabler an early feminist or just a spoiled brat? In the new production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1890 play, Brookelyn Hebert plays her as a bit of both. […]
Review: Gwydion Theatre Revisits Ibsen’s Ghosts With an Uneven Production
One of the great things about plays from past centuries is that they can be restaged or updated in different eras, with different genders and colorblind casting. Shakespeare’s work lends […]
Review: In Trap Door’s The Mannequins’ Ball, Mannequins Are the Movers in a Story That Combines Politics and Partying
The new production of The Mannequins’ Ball at Trap Door Theatre is a whole lot of 1930s agitprop choreographed with music, singing and dancing. Nicole Weisner and Miguel Long direct 90 minutes […]
Review: City Lit’s Glassheart Reimagines Beauty and the Beast Set in a Chicago Apartment
Glassheart is a show bursting with quirky charm, memorable performances and perhaps one too many ideas. This reimagining of Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day Chicago—helmed by newly minted […]
Review: The Berlin Diaries at Open Space Arts Explores a Search for Family History in Pre-War Berlin
Playwright Andrea Stolowitz’s extended Jewish family lived in Berlin in the 1930s during the rise of the Nazi party; they emigrated to New York City in 1939. Stolowitz’s parents believed […]
Review: If May Only Be High School, But The Totality of All Things Dives Into Issues That Divide Us All
A story about truth, censorship and identity and a small-town high school newspaper manages to address—sometimes obliquely, sometimes directly—issues that divide us today. Despite its abstract title, Eric Gernard’s new […]
Review: In Blank Theatre’s A Bright Room Called Day, Artists Face Exile as Danger Looms in Nazi-Era Berlin
It’s only December 13 and I’ve had enough holiday hilarity and jolly-holly spirit. For a little bah humbug, let’s talk about the rise of fascism in 1932 Germany. Fortunately Blank […]
Review: Blake Montgomery Becomes the Exhausted But Charming Author for Charles Dickens Begrudgingly Performs ‘A Christmas Carol’ Again
Now through December 22, one small corner of the Den Theatre, that bustling venue in Wicker Park, is home to Charles Dickens Begrudgingly Performs ‘A Christmas Carol’ Again, a cumbersome […]
Review< At Theater Wit, Who’s Holiday Will Melt Your Frozen Heart With Laughter
It wouldn’t be a holiday season without the Whos of Whoville, but who would have thought that the Whos could be so judgy and mean when it comes to affairs […]
Review: In Their New, Permanent Home, American Blues Theater’s It’s a Wonderful Life! Live in Chicago Is More Festive Than Ever
Now through December 31, Third Coast Review is raising money to support the diverse roster of writers you know and appreciate for their thoughtful, insightful arts and culture coverage in Chicago and […]
Review: Griffin Theatre’s The House Without a Christmas Tree Portrays Nostalgia in Nebraska
Sam Hook, Andrew Greiche, Julia Limoncelli and Molly Clemente. Photo by Michael Brosilow