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Chicago Theater Reviews

View the latest BroadwayWorld reviews of live + streaming theatre in Chicago.

Review: THE PENELOPIAD at Goodman Theatre Photo Review: THE PENELOPIAD at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - March 17, 2024

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth puts her own spin on Margaret Atwood’s decidedly feminist tale THE PENELOPIAD. As with her famous novel THE HANDMAID’S TALE, Atwood uses THE PENELOPIAD as a device to convey the horrors and abuse committed against women. Atwood’s points are valid and ...

Review: WIPEOUT at Rivendell Theatre Photo Review: WIPEOUT at Rivendell Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - March 12, 2024

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....

Review: DEATHTRAP at BrightSide Theatre Photo Review: DEATHTRAP at BrightSide Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - March 11, 2024

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. ...

Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Music Theater Works Photo Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Music Theater Works
by Zac Thriffiley - March 10, 2024

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....

Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago Photo Review: MRS. DOUBTFIRE National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - February 29, 2024

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....

Review: THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE at Goodman Theatre Photo Review: THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - February 28, 2024

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. ...

Review: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Invictus Theatre Company Photo Review: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Invictus Theatre Company
by Zac Thriffiley - February 20, 2024

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....

Review: THE BAND'S VISIT at Writers Theatre Photo Review: THE BAND'S VISIT at Writers Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - February 18, 2024

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....

Review: BILLY ELLIOT at Paramount Theatre Aurora IL Photo Review: BILLY ELLIOT at Paramount Theatre Aurora IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - February 19, 2024

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....

Review: ALEX EDELMAN'S JUST FOR US at Steppenwolf Theatre Photo Review: ALEX EDELMAN'S JUST FOR US at Steppenwolf Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - February 17, 2024

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....

Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago Photo Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - February 15, 2024

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

Review: BROTHER SISTER CYBORG SPACE at Raven Theatre Photo Review: BROTHER SISTER CYBORG SPACE at Raven Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - February 13, 2024

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....

Review: A HOME WHAT HOWLS (OR THE HOUSE WHAT WAS RAVINE) at Steppenwolf Theatre Photo Review: A HOME WHAT HOWLS (OR THE HOUSE WHAT WAS RAVINE) at Steppenwolf Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - February 11, 2024

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...

Review: RICHARD III at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Photo Review: RICHARD III at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Zac Thriffiley - February 10, 2024

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....

Review: NOTES FROM THE FIELD At TimeLine Theatre Company Photo Review: NOTES FROM THE FIELD At TimeLine Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - February 09, 2024

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. By...

Review: ILLINOISE at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Photo Review: ILLINOISE at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - February 05, 2024

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 a...

Review: SELLING KABUL at Northlight Theatre Photo Review: SELLING KABUL at Northlight Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - February 04, 2024

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....

Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL Photo Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - February 02, 2024

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....

Review: IN THE HEIGHTS at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL Photo Review: IN THE HEIGHTS at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - February 01, 2024

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. ...

Review: HIGHWAY PATROL at Goodman Theatre Photo Review: HIGHWAY PATROL at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - January 31, 2024

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....

Review: ANYTHING GOES at Porchlight Music Theatre Photo Review: ANYTHING GOES at Porchlight Music Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - January 19, 2024

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’s also a tig...

Review: Teatro ZinZanni Chicago Photo Review: Teatro ZinZanni Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - January 15, 2024

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’...

Review: DIAL M FOR MURDER at Northlight Theatre Photo Review: DIAL M FOR MURDER at Northlight Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - December 10, 2023

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....

Review: BOOP! THE MUSICAL Pre-Broadway World Premiere Presented By Broadway In Chicag Photo Review: BOOP! THE MUSICAL Pre-Broadway World Premiere Presented By Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - December 07, 2023

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 mus...

Review: THE GOLDEN GIRLS SAVE XMAS at Hell In A Handbag Productions Photo Review: THE GOLDEN GIRLS SAVE XMAS at Hell In A Handbag Productions
by Zac Thriffiley - December 04, 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....



Videos


Jersey Boys in Chicago Jersey Boys
Mercury Theater Chicago (3/15 - 5/19)
English in Chicago English
Goodman Theatre - Owen Theatre (5/10 - 6/9)
Purpose in Chicago Purpose
Downstairs Theater At Steppenwolf Theatre (3/14 - 4/21)
The Hatmaker's Wife in Chicago The Hatmaker's Wife
Theatre EVOLVE (4/12 - 5/4)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Chicago Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
James M. Nederlander Theater (9/10 - 2/1)
Drunk Shakespeare Chicago in Chicago Drunk Shakespeare Chicago
The Lounge at The Lion Theatre (5/2 - 4/30)
Misfit Variety Show in Chicago Misfit Variety Show
Lincoln Lodge (4/11 - 4/11)
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