Liz Lauren News

In honor of last night's Chicago Cubs victory over the Washington Nationals, Goodman Theatre offers fans $20.17 tickets to extension week performances of View From the Bridge-Ivo van Hove's 'remarkable re-imagining of Arthur Miller's play' (Daily Herald), which concludes its run on October 22.

Lookingglass Theatre Company opens its 30th Anniversary Season with the return of the award-winning, circus-infused Hard Times, adapted and directed by Artistic Director and Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman from the book by Charles Dickens and in association with The Actors Gymnasium. Hard Times runs now through January 14, 2018 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N Michigan Ave at Pearson. The Press Opening is this Saturday, October 14, 2017, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

In light of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, the Marriott Theatre will be collecting donations this weekend after all five performances of HONEYMOON IN VEGAS. Those donations will help provide financial support to the victims and families of the shooting.

Seven more performances have been added to Tony Award winner Ivo van Hove's re-imagining of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge at Goodman Theatre.

Victory Gardens Theater begins its 43rd season with Fun Home, with music written by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics written by Lisa Kron and directed by Gary Griffin. Fun Home runs now through November 12, 2017, with the press performance on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, at 7:30 pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) Artistic Director Barbara Gaines stages Shakespeare's raucous comedy The Taming of the Shrew with a powerhouse, all-woman cast setting up a witty and thought-provoking debate on politics, power, and love. Framed as a performance by a band of Suffragettes with additional dialogue by Second City's Ron West, The Taming of the Shrew launches Chicago Shakespeare's 2017/18 Season in the Courtyard Theater, now through November 12, 2017.

Paramount Theatre is tuned up for its rollicking 2017-18 BroadwaySeries opener Million Dollar Quartet, the wildly popular rock and roll musical that played more than 2,500 performances in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Led by the original Broadway powerhouse team, including ten-time Jeff Award-winning director Gary Griffin, Tony Award-nominated choreographer Denis Jones, and Emmy Award-winning costume designer Brian Hemesath (PBS's 'Sesame Street', NBC's 'SNL'), HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, a loving throwback to the classic American musical, makes its Regional Premiere at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire, currently in previews for an opening August 30, and running through October 15. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Led by the original Broadway powerhouse team, including ten-time Jeff Award-winning director Gary Griffin, Tony Award-nominated choreographer Denis Jones, and Emmy Award-winning costume designer Brian Hemesath (PBS's 'Sesame Street', NBC's 'SNL'), HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, a loving throwback to the classic American musical, makes its Regional Premiere at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire, currently in previews for an opening August 30, and running through October 15. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents the summer family musical production Madagascar - A Musical Adventure, directed and choreographed by Rachel Rockwell, at the Theater's home on Navy Pier, July 13-August 27, 2017. Based on the DreamWorks Animation motion picture, this wild and wacky musical is written by Kevin Del Aguila-the Emmy Award-winning writer of the animated PBS hit Peg Cat-with original music and lyrics by creative duo George Noriega and Joel Someillan, who have developed music for popular children's series, including Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go.

Following a successful 2015 run, that great white whale MOBY DICK has returned to Lookingglass in a highly physical, inventive, and visually compelling production that's fully in keeping with the company's aesthetic. David Catlin's adaptation of Herman Meville's sprawling novel surrounds audiences in the universe of those whalers on board the Pequod in search of that elusive creature. With Courtney O'Neill's artful and hand-crafted set design, the stage and audience reside in a whale 'skeleton,' which cleverly also becomes the structure of the ship. As is common with Lookingglass productions, MOBY DICK also makes use of some talented, athletic performers who take on stunning acrobatic feats (choreography by The Actors Gymnasium's Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi). But like any voyage, Catlin's script has a number of slower, narration-heavy moments that lack much action. MOBY DICK vacillates between moments of captivating artistry combined with heightened physicality and lengthy stretches of pure narration.

Lookingglass Theatre Company concludes its 29th Season with its award-winning production of Moby Dick, adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin, from the book by Herman Melville, in association with The Actors Gymnasium. Moby Dick runs June 7 - September 3, 2017 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 17, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

The world premiere of Karen Zacarias's NATIVE GARDENS at Victory Gardens Theater provides ample humor and wit-even if the playwright's neighborly metaphor sometimes feels too on the nose.

Center Theatre Group has announced the casting for the world premiere production of "King of the Yees" by Lauren Yee. Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody and produced in association with Goodman Theatre, "King of the Yees" begins previews July 9, opens July 16 and continues through August 6, 2017, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

It has been confirmed that Stacy Keach suffered a heart attack onstage during the opening night performance of PAMPLONA at the Goodman Theatre, prompting the organization to cancel the rest of the show's run to allow him to recover. Today, Keach took a moment to describe the experience to The Chicago Tribune.

Victory Gardens Theater closes its 42nd season with the Chicago Premiere of Native Gardens, written by Karen Zacarias and directed by Marti Lyons. Native Gardens runs now through July 2, 2017 at Victory GardensTheater, 2433 N Lincoln Avenue. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

UPDATE: According to the Chicago Tribune, Goodman Theatre has cancelled the rest of its run of PAMPLONA, starring Stacy Keach, who fell ill during the opening night performance and has since been receiving medical attention.

Tonight, May 30, marks the opening of Pamplona, Jim McGrath's newest work, featuring stage and screen star Stacy Keach as Ernest Hemingway. As previously announced, the world premiere production has been extended for one week, now closing on Sunday, June 25. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces today the extension of Shakespeare in Love staged by acclaimed director Rachel Rockwell-now playing through June 18, 2017.

'It was in the 'hell' of a refugee camp in the African republic of Guinea that Shedrick Yarkpai first dreamed about a career as an actor' (The Australian) - a path that eventually acquainted him with Chicago native playwright Charles Smith, who has now chronicled the Liberian refugee's gripping story in his newest play, Objects in the Mirror. The world premiere of Objects in the Mirror, which was developed through the Goodman's New Stages Festival, appears now through June 4 (opening night is May 8) in the 856-seat Albert Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!