CHICAGO THEATER REVIEWS

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines cleverly marries play and production concept in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS for her final production....

What did our critic think of TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at James M. Nederlander Theatre?...

Martin Yousif Zebari’s LAYALINA is a heartwarming multigenerational family play that spans from Baghdad to Skokie. While Zebari doesn’t shy away from portraying the family’s trauma and the challenges of their immigrant experiences, LAYALINA is the opposite of many other family plays. It’s ab...

Rajiv Joseph’s DESCRIBE THE NIGHT, now in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, is a sprawling exploration of the blurring of fiction and fact, censorship, and the quest to preserve truth....

What did our critic think of CARMEN at Lyric Opera Of Chicago?...

What did our critic think of ANNIE at Cadillac Palace? The new national tour of Annie is the current offering at Chicago's Cadillac Palace. Hard to believe Annie has been entertaining audiences since it opened on Broadway in 1977. The book was written by Thomas Meehan with lyrics by Charles Strouse ...

What did our critic think of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL?...

What did our critic think of INTO THE WOODS at Paramount Theatre?...

What did our critic think of TONI STONE at Goodman Theatre? TONI STONE is a memory play-in more ways than one. Lydia R. Diamond's play is indeed structured in non-linear (and yet, still mostly chronological order) as the titular Toni Stone recounts her memories as the first woman to regularly play p...

What did our critic think of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL at Mercury Theater Chicago? To say Alexis J. Roston's performance as Billie Holiday in LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL is a masterclass in acting and singing is no exaggeration. Roston gives the kind of lived-in, seamless perform...

What did our critic think of A CHORUS LINE at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL? A Chorus Line, Michael Bennett's iconic love letter to performers on the line anywhere, opened last night at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. How do I write about this show which holds a special place in my...

What did our critic think of Big Fish? The new theater season has begun. The current production at Marriott Theatre is Big Fish which is based upon the novel by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Motion Picture written by John August. The book is by John August and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Und...

In the ripple, the wave that carried me home, protagonist Janice must metaphorically reckon with her homecoming and her childhood in the fictional Beacon, Kansas....

What did our critic think of CABARET at Porchlight Music Theatre? Porchlight invites audiences into the glittering, gritty world of early 1930s Berlin with John Kander and Fred Ebb’s iconic musical CABARET. Under the direction of Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber and with associate direct...

What did our critic think of LITTLE WOMEN at First Folio Theatre, Oak Brook IL? The current production at First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic coming of age story during the Civil War of the four March sisters - Little Women. Most of us of a certain age re...

What did our critic think of BALD SISTERS at Steppenwolf Theatre Company? Steppenwolf presents a new twist on the well-trod territory of the dysfunctional family drama with Vichet Chum’s BALD SISTERS. As far as dysfunctional families go, too, the family in BALD SISTERS doesn’t have the most bagg...

Porchlight Music Theatre invited audiences to take another bite of musical theater history with Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s THE APPLE TREE. The musical, composed of three one-acts centered on the theme of temptation, was the season opener for the Porchlight Revisits series. As usual, Porchigh...

What did our critic think of THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES -THE OBLIGATORY HOLIDAY SHOW at Hell In A Handbag Productions?...

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Goodman Theatre, Chicago?...

What did our critic think of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL?...

What did our critic think of ELF THE MUSICAL at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL? Drury Lane Theatre's holiday production is Elf. From the opening number until the final curtain, Elf will make you feel the joy of Christmas as a child again. That's the beauty of Buddy the Elf and in large part...

What did our critic think of LE COMTE ORY at Lyric Opera House Chicago?...

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL?...

What did our critic think of TROUBLE IN MIND at TimeLine Theatre Company? TROUBLE IN MIND is a blistering portrait of racial and gender politics on Broadway....

What did our critic think of RENT at Porchlight Music Theatre? Jonathan Larson’s 1996 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT comes to life in a Porchlight production that captures the ethos of the original Broadway production. It also reinvigorates the fresh energy of the musical’s m...