The latest reviews and critic recommendations from Chicago.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines has staged a HAMLET that captures both the universality of Shakespeare's language and the equally universal-but also profoundly personal-experience of grief for the title character.
A thought-provoking blend of philosophy, politics, and personal ethics, Kate Fodor's HANNAH AND MARTIN explores the fall-out of one German intellectual's entanglement with the Nazi party.
Under the direction of Brenda Didier and with show-stopping choreography from Christopher Chase Carter, Porchlight's A CHORUS LINE captures the emotional heart at the center of this classic musical and has plenty of pizzazz.
BWW Review: A Country's Soul Beats in CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND
It seems only fitting that Ike Holter would conclude his seven-play "Rightlynd Saga," set in the fictional 51st Ward of Chicago, by literally sending it off with a party.
If you're feeling nostalgic for the catchy pop hits of the '90s, CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE '90S MUSICAL is just the ticket.
Now in its Chicago debut at Theater Wit under the direction of Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, Joshua Harmon's ADMISSIONS is entirely prescient.
In true science fiction fashion, British playwright Caryl Churchill's gripping two-hander, A NUMBER, raises more questions than it answers.
Hell in a Handbag's parody of the classic 1972 disaster film, is in top ship-shape and worthy of you booking a passage.
Launching BoHo Theatre's fifteenth season, Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's BRIGHT STAR is an earnest and charming show that wears its heart proudly on its musical sleeve.
Lynn Nottage's 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning SWEAT, now in its Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre under the direction of Ron OJ Parson, focuses on a group of blue-collar factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania.
In HANDS ON A HARDBODY, now making its Chicago premiere with Refuge Theatre Project, the mobility offered by that titular hardbody truck is not just of the wheeled variety.
It's in the moments of high energy and pure entertainment that A BRONX TALE succeeds the most, and the company finds all the joy in Alan Menken's reliably tuneful score.
Jackie Sibblies Drury's WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION…, currently onstage as the second production in Steppenwolf for Young Adults' season, opens up challenging questions about history, who has the right to tell what story, and how best we can represent critical moments from the past with
AN INSPECTOR CALLS is a gripping theatrical experience from start-to-finish.
TWILIGHT BOWL is a thoughtful and delicate examination of what it means for the young women in the play to find their places in the world, and the fact that 'making it' in life might look quite different for all of them.
As with most tales of doomed romance, Giuseppe Verdi's LA TRAVIATA highlights the contrasts between two social spheres and the difficulties faced by lovers who try to bridge this chasm.
As with THE MADRES, Walker has once again constructed a devastating and empowering portrait of strong women facing unbearably tragic circumstances in THE ABUELAS.
Before attending THE PRODUCERS at Paramount Theatre, I had a disturbing dream in which this production cut everything deemed offensive or politically incorrect from the original: tap-dancing Nazis, sex-crazed old ladies, grossly stereotyped portrayals of, well, everyone.
Both profoundly moving and profoundly disturbing, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is one of the most deeply troubling musicals I've seen.
The Midwest premiere of Stew and Heidi Rodewald's THE TOTAL BENT is a meditation on self-expression and the oppressive forces that can stand in the way of that expression.
A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2, now in its world premiere at Steppenwolf, explores the gap between society's expectations for the central character Nora and how she perceives herself.
In PIPELINE, playwright Dominique Morisseau reflects on the cracks in the inner-city public-school system, and the ways in which it often functions as a school to prison pipeline for young black men, without vilifying the system's participants.
Like a car in a drag race, Steven Dietz's theatrical thriller ON CLOVER ROAD goes from zero to 100 within the first few seconds and doesn't shift down for 85 minutes.
In HOW TO CATCH CREATION, a world premiere at Goodman Theatre, playwright Christina Anderson tackles universal themes: the desire for human connection, the pursuit of creative and intellectual passions, and the longing to leave a meaningful legacy.
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Disney's The Little Mermaid The Performing Arts Center (7/18-8/02) |
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EWP presents Robbie Fulks & Griffin William Sherry Showcase Raue Center For The Arts (8/07-8/07) |
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch Catalyst Ranch (7/09-7/26) |
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UB40 Auditorium Theatre (10/08-10/08) |
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Anthem's Grand Illusion: A Tribute to the Music of Styx Raue Center For The Arts (10/30-10/30) |
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OUTDOOR SHOW- The Morgan Wallen Experience BaseCamp Pub (8/22-8/22) |
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Greenroom Improv Raue Center For The Arts (10/10-10/10) |
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Legally Blonde The Musical Madison Street Theater (7/17-7/19) |
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Hello Weekend - Free Summer Dance Party Fox Pointe (7/15-7/15) |
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Elgin Symphony Orchestra Raue Center For The Arts (12/11-12/11) |
