J.R.R. Tolkien often railed against the supernatural in Shakespeare despite appropriating many of the tropes in his own work (the Lord of the Rings’ Ents were a counterpunch referencing Birnam […]
The retelling of classics, especially Greek fables and tragedies, is going through a revival in the contemporary arts and theater world. But what the makers of Prometheus Bound have that […]
Columbinus, directed by Mechelle Moe as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut series, is a must-see production, insomuch as words on the internet cannot do it justice. I read this script a […]
As a diehard rock ‘n’ roll fan, I’ve always thought that February 3 should be a national holiday—the day of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly at the age […]
To Catch a Fish, according to the supplemental program notes, was inspired by Chauncey Wright, a Milwaukee native unknowingly caught up in a web of illegal activity. Written by Chicago […]
Goodman Theatre’s 2016 production of Roberto Bolaño‘s masterpiece novel, 2666, has been filmed and is now streaming worldwide—you can view it free. The original 15-member all-Chicago cast plays 80 roles. […]
In 2014, unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown was shot at least six times by a white police officer. His body remained on the street for four hours in Ferguson, Missouri, […]
Perhaps the best compliment I can pay to Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical now on at Porchlight Music Theater (directed by Daryl Brooks), is that in the […]
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s new production, Last Stop on Market Street, is a sunny, colorful collage of music and dancing with some serious messages for kids and their adults. Director Henry […]
Reality Is an Activity is not a typical theatrical production. It’s short on plot and character development. But it’s a symphony of humorous word play and a love song to poetry, […]
Della’s Sweets is an adorable little cake shop somewhere in North Carolina. Winston is mentioned, which is what locals call Winston-Salem. The shop is pink and white, filled with cakes, […]
A middle-aged woman, her boyfriend and her teenaged son—all in one small apartment. That sounds like a formula for trouble and so it proves to be in William Inge’s Natural […]