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 […]
Review: 140 LBS Weighs in on a Family’s Body Dysmorphia
Susan Lieu’s solo show title is 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother, but it’s more a personal story. Directed by Sara Porkalob, the 75-minute story ran November 14-17 at […]
Review: In Dennis Začek’s Waiting for Godot, Two Guys Are Just Hanging Out on a Country Road
Can we agree that Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett’s 1953 play about hope and the will to keep on, belongs in the category of buddy films? Two guys hanging out at […]
Review: A Packet of Holiness and Joy, an Hour of Curious Fun by Curious Theatre Branch
How to describe A Packet of Holiness and Joy Will Come to You? (A Fable)? It’s a funny and curious theater piece being staged by Curious Theatre Branch at its […]
Interview: Larry Neumann Jr. Talks About Beckett, About His Acting Career and Growing Up on the South Side
Larry Neumann Jr. is known as one of Chicago’s finest character actors. I have seen him in a wide variety of roles in the 30-plus years I’ve been a Chicago […]