Our Chicago Critics
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Review: AMERICAN PSYCHO: The Musical at Kokandy Productions
Kokandy Productions’ Chicago premiere of AMERICAN PSYCHO: The Musical is a delectable, campy romp. Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham’s production is a mainly bloodless vision for the bloody tale of serial killer finance bro Patrick Bateman — and it’s an approach that works incredi...
Review: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at TimeLine Theatre Company/Broadway In Chicago
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is a sweeping play that covers 164 years of history as it weaves together fact and fiction to chart the rise and fall of Lehman Brothers. The play’s title mirrors the ambition of the piece: It has a run-time of over three hours that unfolds in three acts — all performed by onl...
Review: THE NACIREMA SOCIETY at Goodman Theatre
It seems fitting that Goodman Theatre opens new Artistic Director Susan V. Booth’s inaugural season with THE NACIREMA SOCIETY, a play that’s about coming out to society. This Chicago premiere marks a continuation of Booth’s long-standing relationship with celebrated Black playwright Pearl Cl...
Review: BAKED! THE MUSICAL at Theo Ubique
What did our critic think of REVIEW: BAKED! THE MUSICAL at Theo Ubique?...
Review: SANCTUARY CITY at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
What did our critic think of SANCTUARY CITY at Steppenwolf Theatre Company? In Martyna Majok’s SANCTUARY CITY, two teenagers in Newark, New Jersey — named only B and G (presumably standing for Boy and Girl) — must contemplate the complexity of their simultaneous youthfulness and the need to ma...
Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
The Addams Family is the current production at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights and runs through October 8. The musical, written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, is the first time the familiar characters created by Charles Addams ap...
Review: HAMILTON at James M. Nederlander Theatre
What did our critic think of Hamilton, currently running at the James M. Nederlander Theatre until December 30? Experience the incredible performances and storytelling that have captivated audiences worldwide....
Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL
What did our critic think of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Paramount Theatre?...
Review: GYPSY A MUSICAL FABLE at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
What did our critic think of GYPSY A MUSICAL FABLE at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL?...
Review: THE PRODUCERS at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts, Skokie, IL
What did our critic think of THE PRODUCERS at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts, Skokie, IL?...
Review: MJ THE MUSICAL First National Tour Presented By Broadway In Chicago
Is MJ a fun and entertaining musical that treats audiences to many of Michael Jackson’s iconic hits? Yes. Does MJ also demonstrate why bio jukebox musicals are tricky? Yes. In the musical, MJ emphatically tells fictional MTV reporter Rachel that he wants to be remembered for his music. But can the...
Review: NEXT TO NORMAL at Copley Theatre, Aurora IL
What did our critic think of NEXT TO NORMAL at Copley Theatre, Aurora IL? The production runs through September 3. This is the story of any suburban family dealing with bi-polar disorder, the consequences, the treatments and the after effects. ...
Review: ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S 'WE ARE IN A PLAY' at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
What did our critic think of ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S 'WE ARE IN A PLAY' at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL?...
Review: NO MAN'S LAND at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
It’s easy to see why Harold Pinter’s NO MAN’S LAND has been categorized as Theater of the Absurd: The play focuses on four male characters in a nebulous space, debating nothing and everything all at the same time. Les Waters directs a game ensemble of actors who wholeheartedly embrace the true...
Review: BUDDY THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
What did our critic think of BUDDY THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL? The current production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire is Buddy the Buddy Holly Story. It was the first of the jukebox musicals premiering in 1989. It’s not just the story of the short-lived li...
Review: THE 39 STEPS: A Hysterical Thriller at Drury Lane Theatre
What did our critic think of THE 39 STEPS at Drury Lane Theatre?...
Review: ANOTHER MARRIAGE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
ANOTHER MARRIAGE is the most interesting when it does precisely what it sets out to do: Show us scenes from yet another marriage and the other human relationships branching out from it....
Review: THE WHO'S TOMMY Ignites the Goodman's Stage Like Never Before
A sensational and sumptuous feast for both the eyes and ears, you can’t help but fall under the spell of the pinball wizard TOMMY....
Review: PASSING STRANGE at Theo Ubique Cabaret
What did our critic think of PASSING STRANGE at Theo Ubique Cabaret? Originally premiering in 2006, Passing Strange is a rock musical that pushes the boundaries of Broadway storytelling and delves into themes of identity, love, and artistic rebellion. The main character, The Youth, embarks on a jour...
Review: LUCY AND CHARLIE'S HONEYMOON at Lookingglass Theatre Company
Lucy and Charlie are Asian American newlyweds on that “Vigilante Sh*t” (to borrow from Taylor Swift) in Matthew C. Yee’s premiere musical LUCY AND CHARLIE’S HONEYMOON....
Review: DON'T QUIT YOUR DAYDREAM at The Second City
The Second City’s 111th Mainstage revue DON’T QUIT YOUR DAYDREAM has a slightly existential air to it as the name suggests. In one of the revue’s most effective sketches, ensemble member Evan Mills breaks into song as he muses about the questions that keep him up at night—they range from the...
Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at TimeLine Theatre Company
I’m not exaggerating when I say that WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME is the kind of play that reminds me why I love theater....
Review: THE WHISTLEBLOWER at Theater Wit
It’s ironic that THE WHISTLEBLOWER begins with a meta pitch of the play’s concept. While the idea is witty, Moses’s concept loses steam in this full-length play. Though it’s billed as a comedy, THE WHISTLEBLOWER is mildly amusing rather than uproariously funny....
Review: ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME at Porchlight Music Theatre
I didn't think I'd ever see a singing Antarctic explorer in a musical, but that's exactly what ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME delivers. This quirky but conventionally structured two-hander introduces audiences to Kat, a struggling experimental musician with a newborn baby and a deadbeat, absent boyfrien...
Review: ANTONIO'S SONG/I WAS DREAMING OF A SON at Goodman Theatre
“Stop trying to be what everyone else wants you to be, man. Just be you.” Antonio Edwards Suarez recounts that his childhood best friend, Curtis, said to him growing up. This sentiment becomes in many ways the mantra for ANTONIO’S SONG: It’s a deeply human exploration of identity — and spe...
Videos
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South Pacific Paramount Arts Centre (4/29-6/14) |
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Windfall Steppenwolf Theatre Company (4/09-5/31) |
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Lucy Dacus With The Chicago Philharmonic Jay Pritzker Pavilion (7/19-7/19) |
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As You Like It Winnemac Park (7/24-7/26) |
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& Juliet The Auditorium (7/22-8/02) |
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THE BEYOND: The Vision of Georgia O'Keeffe Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts (5/29-5/31) |
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Maybe Tomorrow Wild Door Theater (4/13-5/24) |
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Guys and Dolls The Little Theatre On The Square (6/04-6/14) |
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Sordid Lives Riverfront Playhouse (5/22-6/20) |
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The Producers Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College (6/12-6/28) |
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