CHICAGO THEATER REVIEWS

Premiering at Rivendell Theatre under the inventive direction of Tara Mallen, WIPEOUT gifts audiences a hilarious exploration of aging, friendship, and womanhood that's as fun as a day at the beach and as bittersweet as a setting sun....

This is the description of Ira Levin’s comedic-thriller Deathrap. It is running through March 24 at BrightSide Theatre in Naperville. It ran on Broadway for 4 years and was made into a successful film starring Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon. ...

The semi-improvised, fourth-wall-breaking musical now receives a delightful production at Music Theater Works that's heavy on humor if occasionally light on heart. It runs through March 31 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie....

MRS. DOUBTFIRE is escapist musical theater fun with tremendous character actor Rob McClure (reprising the role from Broadway) carrying on Robin Williams’s immense legacy from the 1993 film in the lead role....

Director Mary Zimmerman returns to the Goodman with the whimsical and inventive THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE. Zimmerman’s adaptation of Mozart’s iconic opera is lively and accessible; this would be a great introduction for those new to the opera. ...

Invictus Theatre Company's production of the Pulitzer Prize-winner TOPDOG/UNDERDOG has moments of comedic entertainment and dramatic import, but it struggles to live up to the play's substantial reputation. It runs through March 31....

Director Zi Alikhan has gifted Chicago audiences with a production of THE BAND'S VISIT whose talent and creative execution equal---and may even exceed---those of the Broadway and touring productions. It runs through March 17 at Writers Theatre in Glencoe....

That was my feeling after seeing this new production of Billy Elliot at the Paramount Theatre. It runs through March 24. The book and lyrics were written by Lee Hall. The amazing score was written by Sir Elton John. The original 2005 stage musical was inspired by the 2000 film....

Alex Edelman's newest solo show JUST FOR US is a riotously hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt meditation on internet culture, Jewish identity, and the limits of radical empathy. It runs through February 25 at Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater. Critic's recommendation: get your tickets immediately....

“Like a Rolling Stone,” the Bob Dylan jukebox musical GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY rolls along at an erratic pace with haphazard direction....

Paul Michael Thomson's newest dramedy BROTHER SISTER CYBORG SPACE, now receiving its world premiere at Raven Theatre, occasionally loses itself in a flood of introspection. But it's buoyed along by a cast of thoughtful and charismatic performers....

Receiving its world premiere as part of Steppenwolf for Young Adults programming, Matthew Paul Olmos's A HOME WHAT HOWLS features moving performances and a haunting creative vision that make the most of an often frustrating script. It runs through March 2 at Steppenwolf's in-the-round Ensemble Theat...

If new Artistic Director Edward Hall's RICHARD III is any indication of what Chicago audiences can come to expect during his tenure, they would do well to cheer, 'Long live the king.' The darkly comic historical thriller runs through March 3 at CST's Courtyard Theater....

With NOTES FROM THE FIELD, playwright Anna Deavere Smith once again proves she’s a master of her genre of theatrical storytelling. Known for her documentary (or verbatim) plays, Smith presents monologues from 19 different interviews in this exploration of the school-to-prison pipeline in America. ...

ILLINOISE is a journey through our great state of Illinois using movement. Directed and choreographed by Justin Peck and featuring music and lyrics from Sufjan Stevens’s ILLINOIS album, the show uses dance as its primary narrative language. Peck collaborated with playwright Jacke Sibblies Drury on...

Northlight Theatre's production movingly captures the pessimistic practicality and undying hope that still plagues those most affected by a conflict that never really ended. The play runs through February 25....

The new production at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace is Fiddler on the Roof.  Under the direction of Elizabeth Margolius, this is a different looking production. It works. The scenic design is subtle but very powerful....

The new production at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire is In The Heights. The music and lyrics are by Lin-Manuel Miranda (pre-Hamilton) and the book is by Quiara Alegria Hudes.  Washington Heights in New York City is the setting. This is a story about hope, love but mostly family. ...

HIGHWAY PATROL has refreshing bravery and honesty; it’s an intriguing exploration of online identity and the connections that might be found, or that we seek to find, on our social media profiles and in our DMs....

It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely...it’s ANYTHING GOES at Porchlight Music Theatre. Artistic Director Michael Weber’s production captures all the joy and laughs in Cole Porter’s 1934 classic musical comedy. Thanks to the new 2022 book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman, it�...

Teatro ZinZanni is back inside the spiegeltent nestled on the fourteenth floor of the Cambria Hotel on Randolph to delight audiences with its latest edition: LOVE, CHAOS, AND DINNER. The creative team has brought back the title from the first iteration of the show in Chicago for this engagement. It�...

Northlight Theatre's DIAL M FOR MURDER is a breathtaking, pulse-pounding, and even mordantly witty production that has already been extended through January 7 due to popular demand....

Betty Boop is making her stage debut...and thanks to Jasmine Amy Rogers in the role, she’s making a real star turn. I truly didn’t know what to expect when BOOP! THE MUSICAL was announced. How would a cartoon character featured primarily in animated shorts from 1930-1939 make her way into a 2023...

As sweet as a slice of cheesecake and as spicy as a raunchy joke shared between friends, THE GOLDEN GIRLS SAVE XMAS is a delightfully queer comedy that celebrates friends and family with holiday cheer....

It’s a “brand new day” for THE WIZ with new material from Amber Ruffin in this Broadway-bound engagement, but the production is well-trod territory. ...