BoHo Theatre's production of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones's 110 IN THE SHADE makes the central, fierce, independent female character of Lizzie Curry take center stage. This is particularly true because Neala Barron's expert performance anchors every moment. Barron mines her character for the maximum... (more...)
Though often described as a 'universal language,' music, perhaps more than any other art form, is intricately linked to the memories and emotions of the individual. LADY IN DENMARK celebrates the power of music to weave together the strands of one life: in this case, the songs of Billie Holiday and ... (more...)
Based on his prior works, Playwright Bruce Norris seemingly relishes nothing more than to push the buttons of the liberal, cultural elite (aka most theatergoers). He is in rare form in DOWNSTATE. The show is well-acted and directed with tact and skill by Pam MacKinnon.... (more...)
In Timeline Theatre Company's MASTER CLASS, Chicago favorite Janet Ulrich Brooks schools the audience with her commanding performance as famous opera singer Maria Callas.... (more...)
The touring production of the 2017 Tony Award-winning revival HELLO, DOLLY! has arrived in Chicago with a jubilant, tuneful, and visually pleasing staging. Jerry Zaks's fast-paced production finds every moment of joy and adventure in Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's classic musical. This bright an... (more...)
Author Michael Morpurgo (of WAR HORSE fame) once interviewed three World War One veterans from rural England and later wrote, 'There was no poetry in their stories, only horror and regret and great sadness for the loss of good friends.' In PRIVATE PEACEFUL, Morpurgo captures this horror, regret, and... (more...)
Here she is, boys. Here she is, world. Here's E. Faye Butler as Mama Rose in GYPSY. Butler commands the Porchlight stage with a presence that's both larger-than-life and also at the same time a deeply revealing character study. To say that Butler's portrayal of Mama Rose is a star turn is almost not... (more...)
Cue the jazz hands--Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson's PIPPIN has arrived at Mercury Theater's Venus Cabaret in an intimate staging that brings the actors and the audience together. Mercury Artistic Director L. Walter Stearns's interprets this cabaret production of PIPPIN in a literal manner: th... (more...)
Under Jonathan Berry's direction, Simon Stephens's THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME has found its emotional center at Steppenwolf. Based upon the novel by Mark Haddon, CURIOUS INCIDENT marks the first Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of this season, and this staging brings th... (more...)
Victory Gardens Theater's Chicago premiere of Paula Vogel's Tony nominated INDECENT weaves a beautiful narrative about the transcendence of art and human resilience. Director Gary Griffin's staging feels both grandiose and intimate at the same time; the play's action spans a time period from 1906-19... (more...)
Firebrand Theatre's second season opens with a poignantly fitting musical choice: composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tony Kushner's CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. In the musical from this renowned writing team, protagonist Caroline Thibodeaux, a black woman working as a maid for a white Jewish family in 1... (more...)
It's not uncommon for artists to create beauty from the pain of their own pasts, but few do it as bravely and poignantly as David Cale in WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. Staged in the Goodman Theatre's largest venue and programmed as the subscription season opener, this 90-minute, one-m... (more...)
Drury Lane Theatre's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS brilliantly captures the dark comedy of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's popular musical, based on the low-budget 1960 horror film. Scott Calcagno directs a cast who masterfully balance the campy humor with genuinely moving performances as the hapless inhab... (more...)
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but in SWEET CHARITY, it's all in the leading lady's name. Charity Hope Valentine: the dance hall hostess who gives away her last dime to those in need, remains boundlessly optimistic no matter what life throws her way, and, above all, believes in findi... (more...)
In true Dostoyevsky fashion, Shattered Globe Theatre's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT examines human depravity and the desperation that can drive people to appalling extremes. And the view is as bleak as a Siberian winter: under the direction of Louis Contey, the ensemble cast fills the intimate space at Thea... (more...)
The best way to frame Brett Schneider's solo show COMMUNION: An Evening of Magic, now playing at The Den Theatre, is with the following scenario: Open the book you're currently reading to a random page. Pick a word, any word on the page, and lock it into your mind's eye. Got it? So does Schneider. A... (more...)
Paramount Theatre's production of LEGALLY BLONDE-THE MUSICAL lands the familiar tale of sorority-girl-turned-lawyer Elle Woods firmly in 2018, and it works well. Based on the 2001 movie, the musical premiered on Broadway in 2007, and, unlike some stage adaptations of beloved chick flicks, still reso... (more...)
TimeLine Theatre Company's season premiere production of A SHAYNA MAIDEL is a beautiful, haunting, and necessary theater experience. Barbara Lebow's play reunites sisters Rose (Bri Sudia) and Lusia (Emily Berman) in 1946 New York City. Though the play was written in 1984 and takes place in the midd... (more...)
In a charming take on Cole Porter's 1930s musical, Music Theater Works' ANYTHING GOES delivers lively big-band music, crowd-pleasing dance numbers, and a hearty dose of nostalgia. Directed by Rudy Hogenmiller and choreographed by Clayton Cross, a strong ensemble cast brings to life an eclectic assor... (more...)
It is no small feat to create a believable portrait of a great artist that pays equal homage to their creative genius and their ordinary hopes, struggles, and failures. Playwright Jim McGrath does exactly this for Ernest Hemingway in PAMPLONA. Under Robert Falls' direction, renowned actor Stacy Keac... (more...)
It's difficult to remember the last show that made me laugh as much as the Marriott Theatre's MURDER FOR TWO. It was probably THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, which is currently reigning as the longest-running play on Broadway and soon to embark on a national tour. Murder mystery farces are clearly in fash... (more...)
The touring production of John Doyle's 2016 Tony Award-winning revival THE COLOR PURPLE has landed at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, where it will make hearts both soar and ache with the blaze of emotion it delivers. Doyle, a director best known for his stripped-down productions of American musicals,... (more...)
As the curtain rises on Drury Lane Theatre's production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, we view a striking image: the interior of a derelict Mississippi mansion, complete with crumbling masonry, mossy growths on the ceiling, and a none-too-sturdy grand staircase. Amid these ruins, each member of the dysfu... (more...)
In the new Elvis musical HEARTBREAK HOTEL, hearts are unfortunately not the only thing that's breaking at the Broadway Playhouse. This show, from MILLION DOLLAR QUARTER co-creator Floyd Mutrux (who also directs), serves up slice-and-dice theater. Watching the musical gave me a feeling of theatrical ... (more...)
BWW Review: 110 IN THE SHADE at BoHo Theatre
BWW Review: LADY IN DENMARK at Goodman Theatre
BWW Review: Sympathy for the Devil in Steppenwolf's DOWNSTATE
BWW Review: MASTER CLASS at Timeline Theatre Company
BWW Review: HELLO, DOLLY! at Broadway In Chicago
BWW Review: PRIVATE PEACEFUL at Greenhouse Theater, starring Shane O'Regan, offers a profound meditation on war through the eyes of youth
BWW Review: GYPSY at Porchlight Music Theatre
BWW Review: PIPPIN at Mercury Theater's Venus Cabaret
BWW Review: CURIOUS INCIDENT at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
BWW Review: INDECENT at Victory Gardens Theater
BWW Review: Firebrand Theatre's CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
BWW Review: WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME at Goodman Theatre
BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Drury Lane Theatre
BWW Review: SWEET CHARITY at Marriott Theatre
BWW Review: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT at Shattered Globe Theatre
BWW Review: THE GOAT OR WHO IS SYLVIA? at Interrobang Theatre Project
BWW Review: COMMUNION: An Evening of Magic
BWW Review: LEGALLY BLONDE at Paramount Theatre
BWW Review: A SHAYNA MAIDEL at Timeline Theatre Company
BWW Review: ANYTHING GOES at Music Theater Works
BWW Review: PAMPLONA at Goodman Theatre
BWW Review: MURDER FOR TWO at Marriott Theatre
BWW Review: Broadway In Chicago Presents THE COLOR PURPLE
BWW Review: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at Drury Lane Theatre
BWW Review: HEARTBREAK HOTEL at Broadway In Chicago
