Chicago Theater Reviews

Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Stolp Island Theatre Aurora
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - July 21, 2024

What did our critic think of Million Dollar Quartet at Stolp Island Theatre?...

Review: MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - July 09, 2024

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL is a sprawling, messy musical that weaves together the threads of several characters in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. Composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown draws on a variety of different musical styles, while Taylor Mac’s book scenes present a series of vignettes f...

Review: AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - July 03, 2024

That is one of the songs written by Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller. Ain’t Misbehavin’, the musical review of his music, is the current production at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. Originally performed on Broadway in 1978, this was not a typical musical even though it won the Tony for best new ...

Review: THE HOT WING KING at Writers Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - July 02, 2024

Writers Theatre’s latest production is an impressive commitment to craft and community that invites audiences to reflect on questions of masculinity, race, and responsibility that stimulate the brain while tickling the funny bone....

Review: BEEHIVE: THE 60'S MUSICAL at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - June 27, 2024

Beehive: The 60's Musical, the current production at Marriott Theatre, brings the decade of the 1960’s and the female musical artists to eye popping, foot stamping, hand clapping and colorful life! This 90 minute (no intermission) trip back in time is simply enjoyable. Interspersed with dialogue ref...

Review: LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - June 24, 2024

In LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD, Samuel D. Hunter has accomplished a rare and magical feat: He’s given us a play that’s mundane and profound at the same time. With Joe Mantello directing, Steppenwolf’s ensemble of Laurie Metcalf, Micah Stock, John Drea, and Meighan Gerachis make the play yet more fascinat...

Review: The Second City's 112th Mainstage Revue
by Rachel Weinberg - June 14, 2024

The Second City’s 112th Mainstage Revue, THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETOURS, promises “weird, sexy comedy” in its opening moments. This ensemble definitely hits on the weird and occasionally hits on the funny. I think this revue, while not always consistently funny, gave this ensemble some real moments to ...

Review: THE KITE RUNNER Presented By Broadway In Chicago
by Zac Thriffiley - June 14, 2024

Fans of the novel may be enthralled at seeing the characters and events of THE KITE RUNNER brought to life before their eyes, largely through moving performances and clever stagecraft. But this dramatization feels unsatisfying, an adaptation that ultimately fails to convince audiences that it is nec...

Review: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at BrightSide Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - June 08, 2024

What did our critic think of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at BrightSide Theatre?...

Review: SIX THE MUSICAL National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - June 06, 2024

The SIX queendom is back in Chicago for a third visit...and this latest group of queens still magnificently bring the house down with Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s clever book and fantastic pop Broadway-style songs. ...

Review: DEATH BECOMES HER at Cadillac Palace
by Misha Davenport - May 20, 2024

Move over Witches of Oz. There’s a new pair of Broadway-Bound divas looking to stage a wicked fight for supremacy eight shows a week. And you better best believe the stage becomes her, er, them....

Review: ON THE 20TH CENTURY at Blank Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - May 16, 2024

Blank Theatre’s ON THE 20TH CENTURY makes for a delightful ride through a farcical facsimile of Broadway’s Silver Age, if one can accommodate a few bumps along the way....

Review: TURRET at A Red Orchid Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - May 13, 2024

Levi Holloway’s dystopian play TURRET introduces audiences to an intimate bunker in a post-apocalyptic world. And notably, the play marks Michael Shannon’s return to A Red Orchid. Shannon plays Green, who presides over this mysterious bunker in which he’s holding captive his trainee, Rabbit (Travis ...

Review: THE THANKSGIVING PLAY at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - May 06, 2024

In THE THANKSGIVING PLAY, four actors’ road to creating an elementary school Thanksgiving performance is paved with good intentions. But good intentions aren’t enough to save them from their “white savior” complexes. ...

Review: BEAUTIFUL THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - May 06, 2024

The earth moved. The current production at the Paramount Theatre is Beautiful, the Carole King Musical. This is more than a jukebox musical. It tells the amazing story of one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century and how her story evolved. ...

Review: JUDGMENT DAY AT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - May 02, 2024

JUDGMENT DAY may be a world premiere comedy, but it trades in old-school jokes. Rob Ulin’s play is relatively simple and wears its moral heart on its sleeve (Main takeaway: Don’t be a jerk), even if lead role Sammy Campo doesn’t have a heart at all. While JUDGMENT DAY pokes some fun at the Catholic ...

Review: JOFFREY BALLET'S MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Lyric Opera House
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - April 28, 2024

What did our critic think of JOFFREY BALLET'S MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Lyric Opera House?...

Review: JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE at Goodman Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - April 25, 2024

Under the meticulous direction of Chuck Smith, the Goodman’s newest revival of JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE emphasizes the play’s continued relevance through masterful performances that find cause for celebration and laughter even in the face of oppression. The production has already been extended thr...

Review: BROOKLYN LAUNDRY at Northlight Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - April 22, 2024

Under the direction of BJ Jones, John Patrick Shanley's newest play boasts a talented cast gifted with good humor and heartfelt emotion, but the uneven script feels as though it shrank in a dryer fed by clichés rather than coins....

Review: GUYS AND DOLLS at Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - April 19, 2024

The number of sinners at the mission impresses General Cartwright (Heidi Kettenring in another comedic gem), especially Big Jule (KC McNeil in his Drury debut).  As Adelaide and Nathan are trying to leave to get married, the mission band arrives with its new leader Sky Masterson. He and Sarah were m...

Review: THE MUSIC MAN at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - April 22, 2024

The newest production at Marriott Lincolnshire is Meredith Willson’s classic and beloved The Music Man. Director/choreographer Katie Spelman has stayed true to the script and has made the fictional town of River City – based on Willson’s hometown of Mason City, Iowa – come to life....

Review: ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD at Court Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - April 09, 2024

Charles Newell's final project as Court Theatre's artistic director offers audiences a hilarious exploration of what makes us human as well as a stunning reminder of his keen dramaturgical instincts. The production has already been extended through April 28 due to critical acclaim and popular demand...

Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN at Apollo Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - April 04, 2024

Raise a glass to THE CHOIR OF MAN, a rollicking good time of a show. The show’s a UK transfer and it transports audiences to the fictitious pub The Jungle, modeled after classic Irish and British pubs. Therein, the eponymous nine man choir serves up pop and rock hits on tap. THE CHOIR OF MAN is all ...

Review: PETER PAN National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Zac Thriffiley - March 29, 2024

This newest adaptation of PETER PAN unquestionably corrects injustices that never should have been committed in the first place. But by flying Peter so enthusiastically into 2024, the creative team has stripped him and his story of some of their magic, making the boy who wouldn't grow up more out of...

Review: JERSEY BOYS at Mercury Theater Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - March 29, 2024

Mercury Theater Chicago has staged a “homegrown” production of JERSEY BOYS full of Chicago heart. The bio jukebox musical has graced Chicago tour stages over the years (in fact, I had a chuckle looking back at the review of the first national tour I wrote for my high school newspaper), but this is t...