Chicago Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 32

'FUERZA BRUTA:' A Theatrical Rave
by William Panek - May 26, 2010

Without getting into the nitty gritties, you've never seen the Auditorium Theatre like this before. All you need to know is 'FUERZA BRUTA' is an interactive theatrical experience, the likes of which are few and far between here in Chicago....

That Marriott Magic Continues With A Snappy, Stylish 'Chaperone'
by Paul W. Thompson - May 10, 2010

The Marriott Theatre has done it again! This north suburban theater in the round (well, square, really) has a long history of producing the first Chicago area version of Broadway musicals newly released for licensing, usually soon after the end of a national tour. And so it is with the light-as-a-fe...

BWW Reviews: Flashes of Drama Illuminate Suburban I DO I DO
by Paul W. Thompson - April 29, 2010

A very fine revival of the first two-person Broadway musical opened out in Munster, Indiana, on Sunday night. "I Do! I Do!," the show crafted by the "fanstastick" team of Tom Jomes (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (music).......

Non-Musical "Spring Awakening" Is A Classic, Yet Oh, So Relevant
by Paul W. Thompson - April 20, 2010

The Artistic Home, near the corner of Byron and Clark on the outskirts of Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, is directly across the street from a cemetery. Well, three cemeteries, I think. And that is so appropriate, because, as you may know, that's where you end up at the end of this 1891 German ...

Redtwist's 'PILLOWMAN' Embodies Everything Good Theatre Should Be
by William Panek - April 18, 2010

While its strong language and sometimes disturbing subject matter may not be for everyone, I cannot recommend this production enough. It's raw, it's edgy, and its sentiment towards the responsibility of art makes 'The Pillowman' an enthralling watch....

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble Offers Up A Sexy And Sad "Hello Again"
by Paul W. Thompson - April 14, 2010

Playing each Thursday through Sunday from now until May 1, 2010, the 1993 off-Broadway musical "Hello Again" is on the boards at the Heartland Studio space on Glenwood Avenue, courtesy of the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. With book, music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa..... ...

Striving for the Epic, 'The Hiding Place' Just Might Make It
by Paul W. Thompson - April 14, 2010

Last Saturday night, April 10, 2010, Chicago's Provision Theater Company presented the world premiere dramatic adaptation of the book 'The Hiding Place,' the real-life story of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutchwoman arrested by the Nazis who survived life in a concentration camp....

'The Lost Boys of Sudan:' a Lyrical, Insightful Journey at Victory Gardens Theater
by Paul W. Thompson - March 30, 2010

Now through April 25, 2010, on the mainstage of the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, is the premiere of "The Lost Boys of Sudan," the play by VG ensemble playwright Lonnie Carter that has "changed enormously" since its 2007 world premiere at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis..... ...

BWW Reviews: Oakbrook Terrace Produces a Wonderful, World-Class RAGTIME
by Paul W. Thompson - March 26, 2010

Is "Ragtime" the Great American Musical? Certainly a grand argument in favor of that statement is now on display at the Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago's western suburb of Oakbrook Terrace, where one of the strongest home-grown musical productions in recent memory very nearly floored the opening night...

Small Space, 'EPIC' Laughs for Project 891
by William Panek - March 16, 2010

While there's nothing ultimately life-changing about the Hollywood spoof, 'EPIC PROPORTIONS,' Project 891 has assembled a hard-working and joke-selling troupe of performers who nail their occasionally generic material....

'Show Us Your Love' Is A Tasty And Rewarding Sampler Of American Musical Theater
by Paul W. Thompson - March 09, 2010

Playing on Sunday nights in February and March in Mary's Attic, that casual and funky space above Hamburger Mary's restaurant in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, is the equally casual and funky "Show Us Your Love," a fundraiser cum audience development activity cum consumer survey vehicle that ...

'THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY' a Refreshing Theatrical Promenade
by William Panek - March 10, 2010

To say Dog & Pony's 'THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY' is a theatrically refreshing 60 minutes would be an understatement. Playwrights Seth Bockley and Devon de Mayo have chosen an intriguing tale to bring to Steppenwolf's Garage Rep: a pair of twins who made a pact not to speak to anyone beside the othe...

Patterless LuPone & Patinkin Still Wow 'em
by William Panek - March 03, 2010

With the help of the likes of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sondheim, Harburg, and Kander & Ebb, 'An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin' is a master class in staying on the top of one's game...no matter the set list omission....

Lincolnshire's 'Fiddler': A Must-See, With Quibbles
by Paul W. Thompson - March 01, 2010

Now through April 25, 2010, at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, is a 'Fiddler On The Roof' for our time. It is true that we still have fresh memories of the not-quite ageless actor Topol as Tevye the dairyman, appearing in productions of this Bock-Harnick-Stein musical for almost 45 y...

Joffrey 'Cinderella' A Marvelous Mix of Music, Theater and Dance
by Paul W. Thompson - February 21, 2010

On view this weekend and next (through February 28, 2010) at the landmark Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt Unversity (in downtown Chicago) is an impressive, lovely, and sweetly moving mounting of Sir Frederick Ashton's 1948 choreography for Sergei Prokofiev's "Cinderella." ...

'101 DALMATIANS:' Sit. Stay. Smile.
by William Panek - February 21, 2010

'101 DALMATIANS' not baby enough to be considered children's theatre, nor polished or bulky enough to be a typical flashy Loop arrival, but BT McNicholl and Dennis DeYoung's show is a perfect family outing. ...

BWW.com Chicago is Looking for a New Contributor
by William Panek - March 11, 2010

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'Annie' Thrives, Even In A Non-Equity Tour With Wrinkled Scenery
by Paul W. Thompson - January 22, 2010

Boy, this one was a struggle to write! Tuesday night's opening performance of the weeklong stand of the now and forever "Tomorrow" musical, "Annie," still on a national tour that dates back to 2005, was enough to make this reviewer take a very deep breath. On the one hand were the direction, choreog...

Age Cannot Wither Her: 'MAMMA MIA!' Tour's Still Got It
by William Panek - January 20, 2010

The National Tour of 'MAMMA MIA!' is full of saucy Spandex'd fluff, achy back gags, and boob-grabbing, but what more could one ask for on a musical trip down memory lane?...

Sara Sheperd, Star, Lights Up Oakbrook's 'Funny Girl'
by Paul W. Thompson - January 17, 2010

Chills. I got chills! When Sara Sheperd as Fanny Brice let loose the other night with her remarkable voice at the end of those legendary Brice/Barbra standards "I'm The Greatest Star," "Don't Rain On My Parade" and (even) "The Music That Makes Me Dance" ........

Marriott Theatre Mounts An Unusual And Loverly 'My Fair Lady'
by Paul W. Thompson - December 19, 2009

At the "theater-in-the-round" Marriott Theatre in Chicago's northern suburb of Lincolnshire, for the next two months or so, theatergoers will find a different sort of "My Fair Lady" than the one they might expect to find. Now, it is hilarious, very truthful and detailed, and its leading performances...

BWW REVIEWS: IN THE HEIGHTS Tour Really Heats Up Chicago's Winter
by Paul W. Thompson - December 18, 2009

Those folks you will see sweating in Chicago's Loop for the next three weeks won't be working too hard, wearing too many clothes or worrying about the local real estate market. They will merely be lucky Chicago theatergoers, responding to the warmth, light and fire of the very first touring producti...

'THE ADDAMS FAMILY' Has a Kooky Feel & Fresh Broadway Look
by William Panek - December 10, 2009

From now until January 10, 2010, The Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre hosts a near-perfect pre-Broadway premiere of 'THE ADDAMS FAMILY.'...

BWW REVIEW: 'Oh Coward!' A Delectable Gift from the Gods at Writers’ Theatre
by Paul W. Thompson - December 04, 2009

In this, its 18th season of award-winning and insightful professional theater, Writers' Theatre, 'focusing on the word and the artist,' has decided to bless us all with only its second musical offering ever--and what a production!.......

Clowning Around Doesn't (entirely) Slip Up Cirque's 'BANANA SHPEEL'
by William Panek - December 05, 2009

'BANANA SHPEEL's' script is wonky and often unfunny, but for an evening of phenomenal dance numbers, thrilling acrobatics, and electrifying big-band-esque music, 'SHPEEL' is worth a looksee....