Raven’s House of Blue Leaves Is Retro Nonsense with Tragic Notes
The day that the Pope came to New York. The day that the Pope came to New York. It really was comical. The Pope wore a yarmulke. The day that […]
Promethean Theatre’s The Lion in Winter Is Seriously Comic and Tragic
Slashing, witty and tragic. The Promethean Theatre Ensemble’s minimalist production of James Goldman’s contemporary take on legacy and love, The Lion in Winter, is comic and tragic at the same […]
Step One: Go see Mercury Theater’s The Producers. Step Two: Thank me!
It’s difficult to pinpoint my favorite part of Mercury Theater’s production of The Producers. From a pitch perfect portrayal of a flamboyant Hitler complete with a bedazzled swastika, to the […]
Steppenwolf’s Mary Page Marlowe: A Life in 11 Scenes, or, the Parts Are Greater Than the Whole
Mary Page Marlowe is an ordinary woman, living in US flyover country. (How I hate that term.) She has a couple of failed marriages, loses her job as a […]
CST’s Othello: The Remix Spins Tale of Jealousy, Hip-Hop
One of the most anticipated productions in Chicago Shakespeare Theatre‘s impressive lineup of programming for Shakespeare 400 Chicago, Othello: The Remix reframes Shakespeare’s Othello as a 90-minute tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge infused with […]
Hillary Still Wins New Hampshire in Victory Gardens’ Hillary and Clinton But Not Much Else
What if we lived in a world where presidential elections weren’t such shit shows? Hear me out. Imagine there were many worlds very different from our own – even civil, perhaps […]
A Number Really Does One on Us @ Royal George
On the surface, playwright Caryl Churchill has written a timely play about a controversial topic, cloning. But underneath that, there is a deep dive into more timeless concerns, such as what […]
Mosque Alert Takes a Thoughtful Look at Prejudice in a Small Town
Mosque Alert is a new play that focuses on three families in Naperville as the city decides whether a mosque may be built downtown on the site of a landmark. […]
Stage 773’s Artist’s Lab Offers Emerging Artists More than Just a Credit
Now in its third year (and shedding its previously cumbersome, albeit whimsical title, “Scribble Bibble”), Stage 773’s Artist’s Lab offers emerging artists the opportunity to grow, connect, and collaborate in […]
Halcyon Theatre’s Penny Gods Fails to Cash In on Promise
Halcyon Theatre’s world premiere of Callie Kimball’s play, Dreams of the Penny Gods, begins with a promising image. Thirteen-year-old Bug stands illuminated in candlelight, tying herself up in preparation for […]
Thoughts of a Black Republican in the New Play Carlyle— an Interview with Director Benjamin Kamine
A new play written by playwright Thomas Bradshaw about an African American Republican lawyer, and how he came to be so, is set to open next week at Goodman Theatre. […]
Re-Joyce in The Plagiarists’ Ulysses
On the surface, Ulysses follows a day in the life of two Dubliners, Leopold Bloom and Stephen Daedalus, but truly covers the entire range of human experience: life, love, grief, […]