Liz Lauren News

Stage and screen veteran Stacy Keach is Ernest Hemingway in Pamplona by Jim McGrath, directed by Robert Falls-now appearing in the Owen Theatre through August 19. Originally scheduled for spring 2017, Pamplona appeared for 11 preview performances, but never opened: Goodman Theatre canceled the run after Keach suffered a mild heart attack and doctors ordered recuperation. 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's summer family musical PETER PAN is chock full of dazzling moments that will delight children and adults alike. With music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe with a new book by Elliot Davis (based upon the book by Willis Hall), this production captures all the magic of the classic story of the boy who refuses to grow up in just 75 minutes. Adult audience members who are fans of J.M. Barrie's original novel or the iconic Disney animated film will find this PETER PAN a refreshing mix of the familiar and the new. And of course, young audiences seeing the story of PETER PAN for the first time will be altogether surprised and amazed by this telling.

Combining the perfect mix of music, mayhem and murder, comes the hit musical comedy, Murder for Two, beginning July 3 through August 26, with a press opening on Wednesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Featuring two powerhouse actors performing 13 roles and the piano throughout, Murder for Two is a modern twist to the classic whodunit, directed by Jeff Award-winner Scott Weinstein (Ragtime; Equity National Tour, Las Vegas and Chicago productions of Million Dollar Quartet; world premiere of Baristas at the New York International Fringe Festival), with Music Direction by Matt Deitchman. 

Ellen Fairey's SUPPORT GROUP FOR MEN, now in a world premiere at Goodman Theatre, finds that sweet spot between hilarious and gently critical of modern society. As might be presumed from the title, Fairey's play concerns a gathering of four Chicago men who come together on Thursday nights in an apartment that borders on the edge of Wrigleyville and Boystown. Fairey's exploration of gender roles and the increasing need to become more open and embracing of those outside the binary means that the play's locale is particularly central to its narrative. And while some of the characters in SUPPORT GROUP seem rather set in their ways, Fairey is careful to never point fingers in a mean-spirited way. The play succeeds in large part because Fairey displays such a great deal of empathy for each of her characters.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces the cast and creative team for the summer family musical production of Peter Pan - A Musical Adventure at the Theater's home on Navy Pier, June 27-August 19, 2018. Based on J.M. Barrie's beloved tale about the boy who wouldn't grow up, this heartwarming musical dazzles with a score written by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe-the award-winning songwriting duo behind Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's smash hit Mary Poppins and the Olivier Award-winning Honk! Amber Mak takes the helm as the production's director and choreographer in this newly updated version by Elliot Davis based on the book by Willis Hall.

'We are brothers, we are men. We do not give advice or comment on other people's feelings or situations. We only talk when we have the stick.' These are the rules of Support Group for Men, a new comedy by Ellen Fairey (Graceland, TV's Nurse Jackie, Masters of Sex, The Sinner) about what it means to be a man in today's America.

In FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks draws on Homeric tradition to spin an epic of the American Civil War. Intended as the first three parts of nine, an episodic structure ties loosely together the narrative of Hero (Kamal Angelo Bolden), a Texas slave who must decide whether or not to join the Confederate army under his master's promise that fighting will earn his freedom.

Lookingglass Theatre Company concludes its 30th Anniversary season with the world premiere of 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas adapted by David Kersnar and Althos Low, from the books by Jules Verne, directed by Ensemble Member David Kersnar. 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas runs May 23 - August 19, 2018 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Niegel Smith. Parks, in her 'finest work yet' (New York Times), serves up 'an American story as much about our present as it is about our past' (Los Angeles Times).

Victory Gardens Theater concludes its 43rd season with Mies Julie, written by Yael Farber, directed by Dexter Bullard, and adapted from August Strindberg's Miss Julie. Mies Julie runs May 25 - June 24, 2018, with the press performance on Friday, June 1, 2018 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Goodman Theatre's revival of HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST 100 YEARS feels less like an evening in the theater than time whiled away in the company of two delightful women. Based on the 1993 New York Times bestselling memoir of the same title, this play shares the oral history of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African American sisters who were born in 1889 and 1891, respectively.

The Greenhouse Theater Center is pleased to conclude its 2017-18 season with the Chicago premiere of Marc Acito's touching and humorous play BIRDS OF A FEATHER, directed by Artistic Director Jacob Harvey. Based on one of America's most banned books, Acito's hit comedy brings to life the story of the Central Park Zoo's gay penguins to tell a truly hilarious human story. BIRDS OF A FEATHER will play April 27 - June 17, 2018 at Greenhouse Theater Center (Upstairs Main Stage), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336. 

Chicago Shakespeare culminates the 2017/18 season with Macbeth, adapted and directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (of Penn & Teller)-the celebrated creative duo behind CST's The Tempest, winner of the Jeff Award for Best Production in 2015.

The Marriott Theatre marks the 75th anniversary of OKLAHOMA! with a production that celebrates the best of Rodgers and Hammerstein - delightful dance numbers, impressive vocals and eminently hummable tunes - while offering a fresh take on a beloved classic.

From the sun baked Oklahoma Territory at the turn of the 20th century comes the Broadway classic, Oklahoma!, beginning April 11 with an opening on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire.

Boo Killebrew's world premiere play LETTIE is profoundly heartbreaking and brilliantly conceived. Under the direction of Artistic Director Chay Yew, the production devastatingly unfolds the narrative of the titular working class ex-convict Lettie. Both Killebrew's masterful, raw writing and Yew's superlative ensemble-with Caroline Neff in the title role and doing some of the best work so far of her career-bring immense pathos and a swirl of shifting emotions upon the audience.

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 43rd season with the World Premiere of Lettie, written by Boo Killebrew and directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew. Lettie runs April 6 - May 6, 2018, with the press performance on Friday, April 13, 2018 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

With his use of phrases such as 'fake facts' and 'drain the swamp', Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls overtly speaks to the current political climate in his new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. The audience's audible reactions to particularly searing lines prove that this 19th-century classic remains as relevant as ever, and Falls' thoughtful direction presents nuanced characters and ideas which defy simplistic analysis.

Andrew Hinderaker's THE MAGIC PLAY, now running at Portland Center Stage, combines some truly impressive sleight of hand with achingly raw emotion into a show that is the antidote to cynicism and could touch even the most jaded of hearts.

BoHo Theatre opens its 2018 season with the Chicago premiere of CYRANO, adapted by Michael Hollinger and Aaron Posner, based on the play by Edmond Rostand, and directed by BoHo Artistic Affiliate Steve O'Connell. This sharp, lean, nine-person translation of the classic French love story keeps the poetry, but ditches the pretension to create a work full of energy, passion, and theatrical artistry.