Review: Rivendell Theatre’s Pivot Tells a Tragicomic Story of Life, Love and Farming
It’s a few days before the wedding of Kara and Levi and in the small town of Milton, Nebraska, that’s a big event. As the play opens, we meet Levi […]
Review: Provocative and Risky, Ego Death Collective Doesn’t Shy Away from Heavy Subject Matter in Red Light Winter
Ego Death Collective invites the audience to take a leap of faith and step into an extremely intimate blackbox theater for a show filled with deeply flawed characters, exposing the […]
Review: Raven Theatre Stages a Fast-Paced and Timely Top Girls
It’s a Saturday night at an upscale restaurant. Marlene (Claire Kaplan) has arrived and it’s clear she is here to celebrate. She has many guests attending, and she wants the […]
Review: Come Back, Little Sheba at American Blues Theater Is a Clear‑Eyed, Intimate Staging with Exceptional Lead Performances
When “off-loop” Chicago theater hits on all cylinders, it packs an artistic punch that transcends limited budgets and reminds you why this city’s small stages matter. Come Back, Little Sheba, […]
Review: Free Street’s Rupture and Repair Is More Tutorial Than Theater
The first time I saw a Free Street Theater performance was back in the ’70s. I was on a school field trip, and the performance was an unexpected highlight. I […]
Review: At Young People’s Theatre, The Hobbit Entertains an Audience Both Adult and Young (But Not Too Young)
I saw the morning performance of The Hobbit by Young People’s Theatre Saturday, expecting the house to be full of squealy kids with parents. I was only slightly surprised to […]
Review: Gwydion Theatre Company’s The Lower Depths Hits the Head and the Heart
Over the last few years, Chicago’s young Gwydion Theatre Company has proven itself a reliable protectorate of great literature. In October, I favorably reviewed its production of Death of a […]
Review: Royal Shakespeare’s Hamnet at Chicago Shakespeare Recreates the Drama With Pure Emotion
You may appreciate the play Hamnet because you loved Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel or the 2025 film directed by Chloé Zhao. In either case, your view of the Hamnet story […]
Review: Teen Angst Hits a Boiling Point in The Outsiders on Its Broadway Tour
The Outsiders, a 2024 musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton novel about coming-of-age in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, returns to Chicago in its first national Broadway tour. The word “returns” […]
Review: In Hedda Gabler, Remy Bumppo Theatre Portrays Hedda as a Fascinating, Immoral Woman Desperate for Freedom
Hedda and Nora. A 19th century Norwegian playwright created two female protagonists that resonate with us strongly today. Nora, in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879) reminds us of the […]
Review: Holiday at Goodman Theatre—A Smart New Adaptation That Deserves a Sharper Production
There is so much good about the Goodman Theatre’s current production of Holiday that I wish it were better. It’s an understatement to say that the play arrives with some […]
Preview: Acclaimed Hamnet Moves From Page to Screen to Stage in U.S. Debut at Chicago Shakespeare
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamnet makes its U.S. premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this week—but the title is already a familiar one. Book lovers know that Hamnet originated […]