With direction by Michael Weber, Porchlight Music Theatre's production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's SUNSET BOULEVARD provides one wild ride of a musical evening. The musical's storyline itself vacillates between the predictable and the shockingly dark and twisted. It chronicles the story of former silent... (more...)
Olivier Award-winning British playwright Lucy Kirkwood pulls no punches when it comes to examining family dysfunction on stage. Her 2017 play MOSQUITOES, which premiered at the National Theatre of Great Britain, features three generations of family members who are so fundamentally disconnected from ... (more...)
THE BROTHERS SIZE is an artful exploration of the obligations put upon its characters. McCraney beautifully reflects on both the societal systems that oppress these three black men, while also deepening the exploration of the personal obligations they feel to one another-and the question of what it ... (more...)
A MAN OF GOOD HOPE reflects the resiliency and creativity of the human spirit at every turn, while giving audiences a taste of Isango Ensemble's original methods of theatrical storytelling.... (more...)
Lyric Opera of Chicago opens its 65th season with Gioachino's Rossini's romantic comedy, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. Tara Faircloth directs this exuberant revival of Lyric's 2013/14 production, originally directed by Rob Ashford, while Sir Andrew Davis conducts the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Michael Black... (more...)
A perfect night of theatre it ain't, but for Meghan Murphy's powerhouse diva and a communal bout of well-earned chuckles, SPAMALOT will leave you choosing wisely.... (more...)
Terri McMahon's performance and Theresa Rebeck's script demonstrate that Sarah Bernhardt was not one to back down from a challenge, either on the stage or in life.... (more...)
Chicago Shakespeare Theater's North American premiere of THE KING'S SPEECH is a wholly delightful theatrical affair, rife with British charm.... (more...)
The first hints of autumn weather have barely touched Chicago, but with its season opener, Lifeline Theatre turns to that coziest of genres: the classic British murder mystery. Jess Hutchinson directs a revival of WHOSE BODY?, adapted by Frances Limoncelli from the 1923 novel by Dorothy Sayers. Thou... (more...)
Lucas Hnath's DANA H., now in its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre, recounts a harrowing trauma experienced by the playwright's mother, Dana Higginbotham. In 1997, she was working as a hospice chaplain in Florida when a former patient, a mentally ill ex-convict, kidnapped her for five months. H... (more...)
Steppenwolf Theatre Company's season opening production of Lauren Yee's THE GREAT LEAP combines the energy of the final moments of a major sporting event alongside moments of great intimacy and intensity for which the company is largely known.... (more...)
Paramount Theatre's production of DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL, directed by Jim Corti, offers a spirited, heartfelt take on the popular Tony Award winner. Originally a 1992 Disney movie musical, the cult favorite has attracted a whole new fandom since the stage adaptation opened on Broadway in 2012,... (more...)
On Midsummer's Eve, two 35-year-olds drink alone in an Edinburgh dive bar. Helena, a well-dressed divorce lawyer, sips a £40 bottle of wine while waiting for her married lover to arrive. Bob, a petty criminal, waits for a colleague to transfer the keys of a stolen car. When Helena's date stands her ... (more...)
Chicagoans, lend me your ears: SOMETHING ROTTEN! has landed in Lincolnshire (the one due north of Chicago, not the one due east of Liverpool), and Marriott Theatre's regional premiere is a must-see for fans of musicals, Shakespeare, and comedy. Nominated for ten Tony Awards when it opened on Broadwa... (more...)
THE BAND'S VISIT feels like an homage to the fleeting nature of live theater itself: a moment in time in which performers and audience are brought together to share a collective experience, all-encompassing yet passing swiftly and never to be created again. So too goes the narrative of the two chara... (more...)
Writers Theatre opens its 2019/20 season with INTO THE WOODS, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved fairy tale mash-up, directed by Olivier Award-winning Sondheim interpreter Gary Griffin. Staged in the round in the larger of the Glencoe theater's two venues, Griffin makes the most of the inti... (more...)
Agatha Christie, the a?oeQueen of Mystery.a?? The numbers speak for themselves: best-selling novelist of all time (more than two billion sold), most-translated author (more than 100 languages), and author of the world's longest running play (THE MOUSETRAP has played in the West End since the year Qu... (more...)
The Seattle-based circus, comedy, and cabaret spectacle Teatro ZinZanni has arrived in Chicago with the hybrid show LOVE, CHAOS AND DINNER. And ZinZanni serves up entertainment with a capital a?oeEa?? in this production. The evening alternates between decidedly low-brow slapstick comedy scenes, musi... (more...)
Dave Malloy's staged song cycle GHOST QUARTET is a madcap romp through seven centuries of mythology, folk tales, gothic horror stories, murder ballads, and more. Described in the lyrics as a 'circular story,' the nonlinear plot follows four friends through interweaving stories that include two siste... (more...)
Daniel Zaitchik's new musical DARLING GRENADINE delicately balances sentimentality and realism in a heartfelt look at one man's struggle with addiction and its effect on those who love him. In its Midwest premiere at Marriott Theatre, Aaron Thielen directs a stellar cast who do equal justice to Zait... (more...)
The newly opened production of TRUE WEST is a quintessentially Steppenwolf show in the best way possible: it's a fresh staging of a gritty American drama with a first-rate cast and production values.... (more...)
Upon arrival at Windy City Playhouse's flagship venue in Irving Park, audience members are handed an acceptance letter welcoming them to Brown University's class of 2011. Thus begins an intimate journey through the world of THE RECOMMENDATION, written by Jonathan Caren and directed by Jonathan Wilso... (more...)
Director Mary Zimmerman lends her whimsy to THE MUSIC MAN at Goodman Theatre in a production that pays homage to the small-town charm and iconic score of Meredith Willson's classic musical. Under Zimmerman's direction, this MUSIC MAN becomes a joyful company piece showcasing, in particular, the tale... (more...)
BWW Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD at Porchlight Music Theatre
BWW Review: Science Meets Family Dysfunction in MOSQUITOES at Steep Theatre
BWW Review: THE BROTHERS SIZE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
BWW Review: Isango Ensemble's A MAN OF GOOD HOPE at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
BWW Review: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE at Lyric Opera Of Chicago
BWW Review: SPAMALOT at Mercury Theater Chicago
BWW Review: BERNHARDT/HAMLET at Goodman Theatre
BWW Review: THE KING'S SPEECH at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
BWW Review: WHOSE BODY? at Lifeline Theatre
BWW Review: TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS at Victory Gardens Theater
BWW Review: DANA H. at Goodman Theatre
BWW Review: THE GREAT LEAP at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
BWW Review: NEWSIES at Paramount Theatre
BWW Review: MIDSUMMER (A PLAY WITH SONGS) at Greenhouse Theater Center
BWW Review: Get Thee to SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Marriott Theatre
BWW Review: THE BAND'S VISIT National Tour Comes to Chicago
BWW Review: Gary Griffin's Enchanting INTO THE WOODS at Writers Theatre
BWW Review: Hell in a Handbag's Timely and Topical THE DRAG SEED
BWW Review: Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE Thrills at Drury Lane Theatre
BWW Review: Teatro ZinZanni's LOVE, CHAOS AND DINNER Provides Old-Fashioned Circus and Comedy Entertainment
BWW Review: Dave Malloy's GHOST QUARTET with Black Button Eyes Productions at Stage 773
BWW Review: Marriott Theatre's DARLING GRENADINE a Bittersweet Reflection of Life's Complicated Realities
BWW Review: TRUE WEST Proves A Remarkable, Quintessentially Steppenwolf Production
BWW Review: THE RECOMMENDATION at Windy City Playhouse
BWW Review: THE MUSIC MAN at Goodman Theatre
