Review: Hamilton Returns to Remind Us That Today’s Politics Is History
Hamilton has landed in Chicago and I was not prepared for the mania that was opening night. The line wound down State Street from the Nederlander on Randolph for people […]
Review: Broadway in Chicago’s Into the Woods Casts Its Splendid Magic
The latest incarnation of Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s storied musical fable, Into the Woods, is making a magical appearance at the Nederlander Theatre through May 7. Brought to town […]
Review: A Soldier’s Play, a Murder Mystery, Explores Racism Among the Military Yesterday….and Today
Near the end of A Soldier’s Play, set on a segregated Army base in the Jim Crow South in 1944, a white captain says to his Black counterpart, “I was wrong […]
Review: A High Energy and Ebullient Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
I grew up watching shows like Ed Sullivan and American Bandstand. The most memorable act was the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The Ikettes formed a backdrop to the long-legged […]
Review: To Kill a Mockingbird Isn’t Your Parents’ Mockingbird, But It Tells a Powerful Story
Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird is not the same story you read in high school or reread last year. It’s not the award-winning film you saw many years ago. In adapting Mockingbird for the […]
Review: Far From Being Forgotten, Six Returns as an International Sensation
Guest review by Anne Siegel. Make no mistake; while most of the real-life wives of Henry VIII ended their days in misery (or worse), their 21st century counterparts are wiser, […]
Review: Hadestown Celebrates Human Love and Tragedy Against a Joyous Jazzy Musical Backdrop
Hadestown is a tragedy of human love and suffering and it will make you happy with its joyous, percussive music and slick dance performances. The musical production, based on the […]
Review: Come from Away Takes a Heartwarming Look at the Helpers
When asked how to talk about scary news with small children, Fred Rogers famously repeated his mother’s advice: “look for the helpers.” Come from Away, the Tony-nominated musical that opened […]
Review: What the Constitution Means to Me Sheds Light on the Penumbra of Law and the Lives of Women
What the Constitution Means to Me is partly a lesson in the glories of the 14th Amendment and partly the personal story of domestic abuse against women by the men […]
Review: Timeline’s Oslo, a Peace Process Built on the Personal as Well as the Political
The play is all talk. Talk with a global purpose among ancient enemies, who manage to find common ground. Even though you know the outcome and future impact, J.T. Rogers’ […]
Review: A Bronx Tale Recreates the Classic Gangster Story With Music by Alan Menken
A Bronx Tale, based on the play by Chazz Palminteri, is the story of Calogero Anello (Joey Barreiro), his childhood growing up in the titular borough, and his coming of […]
Review: Despite Hiccups, Touring Fiddler on the Roof Remains Poignant, Relevant
Fiddler on the Roof premiered on Broadway in 1964, and it was a smash hit. It ran for more than 3,000 performances (a record at the time) and won […]