2022 in Review: Our Favorite Theater Productions of the Year
This isn’t a “best theater of the year” list. As we’ve noted about past lists, we don’t see everything. Most of our writers are freelancers, business owners or employed with […]
On the Road: Broadway Prepares to Freeze Out Some Popular Shows in January
Going to watch a Broadway show during the holiday months of late November through December is a rite of passage for some individuals, friends and families. What better time to […]
Review: It’s a Theo Ubique Cabaret Hootenanny with The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Theo Ubique’s Evanston home is a great place to stage The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The show is skillfully directed by Landree Fleming with music direction by Isabella Sherwood, […]
Review: Strawdog’s Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins Is Great Fun for All Ages
Strawdog Theatre is giving Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins a spin during the holiday season for all children and grownups to enjoy. This show directed by Hannah Todd is from […]
Review: One Bad Apple Tree Spoils the Bunch in Porchlight Revisits
Musical theater nerds in Chicago are lucky to have Porchlight Theatre—if the venerable company (now in its 27th year) didn’t exist, we’d have to invent it. Besides mounting full productions […]
Review: Misery Takes Audiences on a Thrill Ride at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
A most unusual “holiday” production has popped up at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, one of Milwaukee’s longest-running local theaters. While other local theaters are dramatizing Dickens, bringing a nutcracker to life […]
On the Road: Broadway Up Close—One of the Best Shows on Broadway Isn’t a Musical
Tim Dolan is an actor—occasionally. But his regular gig is as a Broadway tour guide and entrepreneur. He’s owner of Broadway Up Close, which offers walking tours of the Broadway/Times […]
Review: Gender Bends in Midsommer Flight’s Twelfth Night
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a mistaken-identity rom-com designed as a frolic to entertain at the end of the holiday season (there is nothing about Christmas in this play itself). […]
Review: The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque—Here to Make Christmas Cheer Queer
The Buttcracker (playing at the Greenhouse Theater Center through December 31) is a Nutcracker Burlesque, a Yule pantomime with elements of comedy, magic and circus that blends all the qualities […]
Review: This Year at the Chopin Theatre, It’s A Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! Is as Enjoyable, Moving as Ever
I had to check the archives to be sure, but I can now say with certainty I’ve seen American Blues Theater’s It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! no fewer […]
Review: In Its 45th Christmas Carol, Goodman Theatre Roasts an Old Chestnut with New Seasoning and Traditional Charm
A fair number of children and teens attended opening night of Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. Director Jessica Thebus and her creative team brought new life to this 45th edition […]
Review: Lookingglass Theatre Returns with The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a Weighty Holiday Fable Filled with Wonder
For all the theater I’ve attended in Chicago—since childhood, really—I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that this weekend marked my first visit to Michigan Avenue’s Lookingglass Theatre, the 35-year-old ensemble company […]