You got trouble, my friends, if you’re going to put on Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. If you’re going to stage a show that’s been staged ten thousand times since its 1957 Broadway debut—from Hugh Jackman on the stage to Matthew Broderick on the screen to every doggone high school…
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Theatre in Review
If you appreciate classical music and captivating stories about brilliant artists from the past, Hershey Felder’s one-man show, Monsieur Chopin: A Play with Music, is an absolute delight. Felder, an accomplished pianist and composer, has previously wowed audiences with his portrayals of the magnificent music and talents of Irving Berlin…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 15 April 2024 15:47
Emile Zola Adaptation 'Nana' Is a Triumph at Magical Trap Door Theater
Written by Bill Esler
For the final show of its 30th anniversary season, Trap Door Theatre—the little company that could—has selected a sure-fire hit with a production of “Nana,” a play based on the 19th century melodrama about an actress and bordello courtesan, Nana, by French author Emile Zola. Adapted for the stage by…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 15 April 2024 10:45
Chicago Writers' Bloc Announces 2024 New Play Festival May 5 - 19 at Theater Wit
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Chicago Writers' Bloc has announced the lineup of plays and musicals for its biennial festival of new plays, to be held this year from May 5 to 19 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The 2024 festival will feature five new plays and five new musicals from 14…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 09 April 2024 18:00
Court Theatre’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Features Fabulous Ensemble with Striking Design
Written by Lauren Katz
The Player (Lorenze Rush Jr) has just run into Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with his troupe of players. As he explains how the players operate, he announces: “Every exit is an entrance someplace else.” As soon as he recites the line, his troupe jumps into action. They move with quickness as…
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Theatre in Review
Those were my first words when I left the performance of COCK to David Zak, producer and resident wizard of Open Space Arts, and he dared me to say it in my review so—here you go, DZ! But COCK truly is. F***king amazing, I mean. Really. I’ll introduce the venue…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 07 April 2024 22:35
Enchanting Feats: A glowing review of ‘Look Closer with Joshua Jay’
Written by Kimberly Katz
If you’re a magic enthusiast, Joshua Jay’s captivating new show, Look Closer, is currently enchanting audiences at the Rhapsody Theater. But even if you’re not a seasoned magic fan, this show promises to leave you spellbound. Joshua Jay, the Society of Magicians’ 2020 Magician of the Year, has recently concluded a successful New…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 01 April 2024 11:12
'American Fiction' Oscar Boosts Percival Everett's Latest Work, 'James,' at 'Authors on Tap'
Written by Bill Esler
Author Percival Everett is having his moment, and Exile in Bookville gave us a chance to meet him up close and personal, part of the bookstore’s ongoing Authors on Tap series at the lovely Studebaker Theater in Chicago. Everett is the author of “Erasure,” which was adapted for the Oscar winning…
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Theatre in Review
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‘Jersey Boys’ is back in Chicago, bringing with it a little East Coast to the Third Coast. The hit Broadway musical about the lives of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons played for over two years in the mid-00s at the CIBC Theater and helped establish Broadway in Chicago as…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 28 March 2024 15:11
Take Flight and Feel the Magic with ‘Peter Pan: The Hit Broadway Musical'
Written by Bree Samani
After many years without seeing the movie or reading the story of Peter Pan, the moment I learned that Peter Pan: The Hit Broadway Musical was coming to Chicago, my inner child couldn’t contain its excitement. I arrived at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, quickly found my seat, and noticed joyful children…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:16
“Navigating Family, Truth, and Legacy: A Must-See Journey in ‘Purpose’”
Written by Wesley David
The expansive, opulent home exudes an air of solid middle-class comfort, boasting a formal dining area, an upright piano, and multiple doors leading to various sections of the house. A bay window graces an alcove, while a grand staircase ascends to the sleeping quarters on the second floor. Adorning the…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:32
Review: Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's "Love Song' at Theater Wit
Written by Susan Lieberman
When a play’s opening moment is mystifying and its closing moment is satisfying, the stuff in between must be doing its job. John Kolvenbach’s Love Song presents us with a young man in a spartan room, silently observing a lamp that seems to have a mind of its own. Love?…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:12
Eddie Izzard performs Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" in limited engagement, April 19–May 4
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces today a thrilling addition to the season: Tony Award-nominated actor Eddie Izzard brings her celebrated solo theatrical performance of Hamlet to Chicago, direct from a triple-extended New York run at the Orpheum and Greenwich House Theaters and prior to launching a highly anticipated London transfer at Riverside Studios. Izzard portrays 23…
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Theatre in Review
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Midsommer Flight to present free production of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET, June 28 – August 4 in six Chicago parks
Written by Buzz Center StageMidsommer Flight, a company that has brought free performances of Shakespeare's plays to Chicago Park District parks since 2012, will present a fully staged ROMEO AND JULIET - one of the Bard's most popular tragedies - as its 2024 free Shakespeare… -
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Review: Murder in the Cathedral at City Lit Theater
Written by Sarz MaxwellI arrived at City Lit Theater’s MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL expecting a heavy, serious, doubtless thought-provoking but rather intimidating major work of literature. By the end of the performance, I wanted to rush out, buy the book and read it…
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