This isn’t a “best theater of 2018” list. We didn’t see everything. Most of our writers are freelancers, all with other gigs, and it’s hard for us to cover the hundreds of […]
2018 in Review: What We Liked on Stage
Review: Be Transported by Chicago Shakes’ Magical, Whimsical A Midsummer Night’s Dream
It is perhaps a sign of programming genius that the team at Chicago Shakespeare Theater slotted the whimsical comedy delight A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the middle of a long, cold, dark Chicago […]
Review: Q Brothers Update Dickens With Rap, Rhymes and Plenty of Heart
For a holiday tradition that’s Lin-Manuel Miranda meets Charles Dickens, look no further than Q Brothers Christmas Carol at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, on through December 30. Presented at The Yard, the theater’s […]
Circolombia’s Acéléré Is in the Room at Chicago Shakespeare Theater–But Only Until November 4
“People, are you ready? Circolombia is in the room!” This was the chant that began slowly and tentatively and built to a full on proclamation complete with fist pumping and other crowd […]
Review: Nell Gwynn at Chicago Shakes Delivers Laughs and a Lush Production
About 20 minutes into Nell Gwynn, the American premiere of Jessica Swale’s comedy now on at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, it’s possible to wonder just exactly what we’re all doing here. This story […]
Persuasive Xenophobia Finds Voice in BigMouth at Chicago Shakes
Critics Kimzyn Campbell and Karin McKie jointly review BigMouth, running at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through September 22. Ticket discounts are available when two or more “Big in Belgium” shows are booked together. […]
Review: Chicago Shakespeare Theater Captures the Magic in Peter Pan–A Musical Adventure
—Last month, I was at Chicago Shakespeare Theater to see Macbeth, a brooding, dark tale produced at the Yard, their newest and most versatile stage. Co-directed by Teller (of Penn & Teller), […]
Chicago Shakes Brings Brilliant Irish Production of Waiting for Godot, a Play About Nothing
You know the scene. “A country road. A tree. Evening” Samuel Beckett couldn’t have been more succinct in the scenic direction for his existential classic, Waiting for Godot. That tree takes on mythic proportions as […]
Chicago Shakespeare Brings Proper Prestidigitation to Macbeth
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 Wood coming […]
Review: (Wo)Mano a (Wo)Mano in Chicago Shakespeare’s Mary Stuart
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Mary Stuart aligns with the zeitgeist of today’s #TimesUp moment, where women seize the front and center, onstage and off, trying to harness and wield what power they have, […]
Red Velvet at Chicago Shakes: In 1833 London, the Actor Is Guilty of Acting While Black
Ira Aldridge is a unique 19th century hero: An African-American actor who gains renown performing all over Europe. He plays iconic Shakespearean roles such as Macbeth, Othello and King Lear. But he […]
CST Channels the Befuddled Busey as the Melancholy Dane in David Carl’s Celebrity One-Man Hamlet
Thick-haired David Carl’s loony yet logical mash-up won the Outstanding Solo Performance Award at the New York Fringe, and adds a splash of pop culture irreverence to the litany of Shakespeare 400 […]
