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BWW Review: Lyric's WOZZECK Stirs the Brain in Cracking Production
Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck is not the first to swirl with immortal themes like power play, lust, betrayal, and death (far, far from it), but thanks to the circumstances of its composition - further emphasized by Sir David McVicar's new production at the Lyric Opera - it is prominent in its search to...
BWW Review: Timeline Theatre Company's Chicago Premiere SPILL Drills Into the Human Story Behind 2010 BP Oil Disaster
Timeline Theatre Company's Chicago premiere of Leigh Fondakowski's documentary-style SPILL aims to show audiences the untold side of the story surrounding the April 2010 blowout and subsequent explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, a BP oil rig, in the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting oil spill was the wo...
BWW Review: Steppenwolf for Young Adults 1984 Presents A Bold, Clear Take on Orwell's Classic Novel
Steppenwolf for Young Adults' production of 1984 opens on Collette Pollard's stark, barren set. No objects are present onstage, except for plain wooden sets of drawers on the perimeter and two prison cell-like spaces up above. The stage itself sets the tone for the narrative of what has been describ...
BWW Review: Lookingglass Theatre Company's TREASURE ISLAND Charts an Imaginative Course on the Stage
In Lookingglass Theatre Company's TREASURE ISLAND, young protagonist Jim Hawkins sails across the stage on Todd Rosenthal's cleverly crafted and all-encompassing Hispaniola. But instead of being propelled by a body of water below him, Jim stands centerstage as the show's ensemble of actors use manu...
BWW Review: A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE Slays 'Em On Tour
Equal parts Gilbert and Sullivan and Edward Gorey, the Tony award winning musical A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER finally hits Chicago for a limited engagement through Oct. 11 and it was worth the wait....
BWW Review: SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM!
David Cerda, the crown prince of Chicago Camp, is back and in top form with his latest queer take on horror anthologies, SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM! Cerda, the artistic director of Hell in a Handbag Productions, wrote the show and also stars in one of the trilogy of stories. It runs through Oct. 31 at Ma...
BWW Review: Theo Ubique Scores Again With Riveting BLOOD BROTHERS
One of Chicago's best storefronts (and quite possibly one of the country's) Theo Ubique production of BLOOD BROTHERS gets to the heart (and relevance) of the show like nobody else can. The end results are heartfelt and engaging....
BWW Review: TRIASSIC PARQ is T-Rex Size Fun
Circle Theatre knocks it out of the Parq with TRIASSIC PARQ...
BWW Review: Porchlight Music Theatre's Intimate, Entertaining SIDE SHOW Brings Sideline Attractions Center Stage
The opening number of the newly revised SIDE SHOW invites audiences to 'Come Look at the Freaks.' In doing so, however, the musical really prepares spectators to look upon the circus attractions in the show with empathy rather than alienation and astonishment. With this intimate production from Porc...
BWW Review: BoHo's DOGFIGHT Hits All the Right Notes
At a time in theatre where shows are all-too-often injected with extreme concepts or 'themes' outside of the originally written text (sometimes successful, sometimes not), it's a remarkable breath of fresh air to see a production where the script is trusted to stand on its own without a director's o...
BWW Review: The Hypocrites' AMERICAN IDIOT
The Hypocrites score with a raw and energetic punk rock version of AMERICAN IDIOT...
BWW Review: Chicago Premiere of GLORY DAYS Captures Sweet Agony of Adolescent Friendship
Refuge Theatre Project's production of contemporary musical GLORY DAYS may be the only show I ever see that features four male actors drinking Natty Ice onstage. And yet in a musical about four best high school friends who reunite for the first time after their freshman year away at college, this se...
BWW Review: World Premiere OCTOBER SKY Gets Off the Ground
Based on the 1999 Universal film, this new musical flies, and will surely fly again soon....
BWW Review: Mercury Theater Chicago's RING OF FIRE Blazes With Talent
Mercury Theater Chicago's RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH celebrates Cash's life and music, and as performed by the production's cast of immensely talented actor/musicians, it is a celebration, indeed....
BWW Reviews: A Divine BETTE LIVE AT THE CONTINENTAL BATHS
Caitlin Jackson gives a Jeff-worthy performance as Bette Midler in BETTE LIVE AT THE CONTINENTAL BATHS...
BWW Reviews: GRAND CONCOURSE Makes Chicago Debut in Sublime Steppenwolf Production
In Grand Concourse, playwright Heidi Schreck has skillfully crafted a narrative about what it means to give back- not only in the sense of performing acts of charity but also in the sense of forgiveness. Now in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an accomplished cast of four actors ...
BWW Reviews: A Joyous, Crowd-Pleasing KINKY BOOTS
The national tour of KINKY BOOTS returns to Chicago with all the energy, heart and soul of the original pre-Broadway tryout in tact....
BWW Reviews: 2nd Annual Chicago Musical Theatre Festival Kicks Off
Underscore Theatre's Musical Theatre Festival is back with a bumper crop of new and original musicals. What's chaff and what's wheat? Read on!...
BWW Reviews: Goodman's VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
Laughs abound in the Goodman's production of the 2013 Tony award-winning play by Christopher Durang...
BWW Reviews: ON YOUR FEET! Musical Gloriously Dances Forward In World-Premiere Production
In an artful blend of musical theater glamour and Latin grooves, the world-premiere musical 'On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan' brings that duo to the stage in a colorful and immensely entertaining production. This catchy jukebox musical manages to accomplish that rare feat of incor...
BWW Reviews: The Second City's ITHAMAR HAS NOTHING TO SAY Provides Silent, Sly Amusement
While 'Ithamar Has Nothing to Say' is a silent solo sketch show - and the only show of this kind I have seen - I nevertheless must use the written word to describe the happenings therein. Directed by Frank Caeti, Mainstage alum Ithamar Enriquez takes the stage in a one-man show that harkens back to ...
BWW Reviews: Theo Ubique's Crazy Good Hamlisch Songbook
Hits keep coming at Theo Ubique's latest revue honoring the late composer Marvin Hamlisch...
BWW Reviews: ONCE Captivates Audience Opening Night in Chicago
It's no surprise that “Once” opened to a standing ovation Tuesday night at the Cadillac Palace in Chicago. The show has a successful track record both on screen and on Broadway. “Once” is the winner of eight Tony Awards and the winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. ...
BWW Reviews: Court Stages a Regal SECRET GARDEN Revival
The Court Theatre ends its 60th with the extraordinary revival of THE SECRET GARDEN...
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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Annie The Little Theatre On The Square (7/16-7/26) |
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James and the Giant Peach North Shore Center for the Performing Arts - North Theatre (4/22-5/14) PHOTOS |
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Bride To Be Newport Theater (6/05-6/05) |
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Broadway in Your Backyard Porchlight Music Theatre (7/06-9/19) |
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The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical North Shore Center for the Performing Arts - North Theatre (6/01-8/31) PHOTOS |
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UB40 Auditorium Theatre (10/08-10/08) |
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Good People By David Lindsay-Abaire 4 Chairs Theatre (7/17-8/23) PHOTOS |
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& Juliet The Auditorium (7/22-8/02) |
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