2019 in Review: Our Favorite Nights at the Theater
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, all with other gigs, and […]
Review: The Raw World of 13-Year-Olds Comes Alive in Steppenwolf’s Dance Nation
There is dancing in Dance Nation, now at Steppenwolf Theatre. It’s sometimes clumsy, sometimes graceful, and generally amateurish. Clare Barron’s play is about a crew of 13-year-old girls (and a […]
Review: Theo Ubique’s Working Is a Musical Homage to the “Extraordinary Dreams of Ordinary People”
Working transforms Studs Terkel’s iconic 1974 book of interviews with American workers of all stripes into a musical revue that pays homage to the value of work and the pride […]
Review: Chicago’s History Flames Again in Burning Bluebeard by the Ruffians
As part of its 25th anniversary season, Porchlight Music Theatre is presenting the Ruffians’ indispensable Christmas show Burning Bluebeard. Inspired by the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire, Burning Bluebeard is hardly typical Christmas […]
Review: Should We Fear Disease or Demagogues in Trap Door’s The White Plague?
The White Plague or a new form of leprosy is what everyone fears in the new play at Trap Door Theatre. However, the disease described in Czech playwright Karel Čapek’s […]
Review: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Deliciously Performed in a Garden by Midsommer Flight
When you go to see Twelfth Night at the Lincoln Park Conservatory (and you definitely should) be sure to get there early. By 7:15pm, a group of musician/actors will be […]
Review: See A Q Brothers Christmas Carol to Avoid Holiday Treacle
I have a confession, I try to avoid theater this time of year because I don’t like the treacly sentimentality and predictability of most holiday plays. (It’s a good season […]
Review: Much the Same, Goodman’s A Christmas Carol Remains a Treat, If Ready for Change
Now in its 42nd year (a bit of a miracle, no?), Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol remains a steadfastly satisfying holiday tradition, even as this latest edition sees little change year […]
Review: Ladysmith Black Mambazo Propels Lovely Lyrical Lindiwe
Chicago and Durban, South Africa, have been Sister Cities since 1997, and spiritual siblings for far longer, as explored in the joyful world premiere of Lindiwe, written by Eric Simonson, […]
Review: Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them Is Smart Nonsense by Eclipse Theatre
If you need a respite from the depressing politics of today, I recommend an evening of topsy-turvy politics and zaniness by Eclipse Theatre. They’re the company that specializes in one […]
Review: It’s a Wonderful Life As a Radio Play Remains a Holiday Must-See
Like putting up a tree and lights or baking sweet holiday treats, the holiday season in Chicago wouldn’t be the holiday season without American Blues Theater’s It’s a Wonderful Life: Live […]
Review: Timeline’s Rutherford and Son, an Early Feminist Play, Lacks Bite and Energy
Rutherford and Son, a 1912 play about power and family dynamics in northern England, is distinguished partly because it’s written by a female playwright. The production of the Githa Sowerby […]