The preoccupation with the opioid crisis in our pop culture these days says a lot about the world in which we live. Rivendell Theatre contributes to the national conversation with a new play, “Spay” by local playwright Madison Fiedler. “Spay” is set in Appalachia, the heart of the opioid crisis,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 15 March 2022 11:32
As Good as It Gets: Wife of a Salesman an Instant Classic
Written by Bill Esler
Playwright Eleanor Burgess has delivered one of the best scripts I've read or seen, in ‘Wife of a Salesman.’ While it may be viewed somewhat as a “prequel” to Arthur Miller’s 1949 classic ‘Death of a Salesman,’ it never directly references that play, and is an intriguing and challenging work…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 21 March 2022 15:14
Happily Ever After: Once Upon a Mattress at Theo Ubique
Written by CJ Burroughs
Of all the theaters whose return I’ve been most excited to experience, Theo Ubique was near the top of the list. And, with their current production of Mary Rodgers’ Once Upon a Mattress, directed by Landree Fleming, the Evanston company did not disappoint. While Once Upon a Mattress is a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
It’s hard to imagine a life without late night talk shows. Since the dawn of TV, late night talk shows have been a means for Americans to get to know celebrities better. During the pandemic these nightly comedy hours provided a necessary platform for connection and laughter. We watched the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Sunday, 20 March 2022 08:42
Gaga for Zaza; La Cage aux Folles stuns in Skokie
Written by Kendall Royzen
I remember the first time I saw The Birdcage starting Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. My mother was judged for "exposing" me to such a "mature story." But today it is still one of my favorite films, as is the original play it's based off of "La Cage aux Folles."…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Shakespeare the dramatist is a genius at the craft of theater, and brings a timeless artistry that is unexcelled. So it was with some trepidation that I took my seat at the Edge Off-Broadway Theatre for Idle Muse’s 'Upon This Shore: Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre.' I can report…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 23 February 2022 22:08
Invictus Delivers Exceptional Production of Lynn Nottage's Ruined
Written by Bill Esler
Invictus Theatre delivers the finest acting in Chicago. The current run of Lynn Nottage's 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning play 'Ruined' is no exception. Originally commissioned by Goodman Theater, where Nottage workshopped it in 2007, 'Ruined' is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It tells the story of sexual exploitation…
Published in
Theatre in Review
How well does a three hour Russian science fiction film translate to stage? Surprisingly well. Griffin Theatre gives the North American premiere of David Grieg’s 2019 adaptation of the classic Tarkovsky film. The intimate staging at Raven Theatre gives audiences the same sense of deprivation one might have on a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 19 February 2022 17:29
'Sons of Hollywood' at Windy City Playhouse Balances Tinsel and Truth
Kerstin Broockmann
Sons of Hollywood by Barry Ball and Carl Menninger, now receiving its world premiere at Windy City Playhouse, is both a love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood and an homage to its victims, who survived beyond the ends of their careers, but not without scars. It is also,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
More...
Monday, 14 February 2022 10:06
Great Production Can't Overcome Weak Material in ‘Groundhog Day: The Musical’
Written by Bill Esler
The 1993 Bill Murray movie comedy, Groundhog Day,is one of those cult classics with millions of fans. Like ‘The Big Lebowski,' people love it, or don’t quite see the appeal. I fall in the latter class on both films: appreciating the concept, but not with a lot of fervor. So…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 17:50
Run, don’t walk and get a ticket to Porchlight's “Blues In The Night”
Written by Wesley David
Porchlight’s 'Blues in The Night' Makes for a red hot Chicago evening. A musical revue in the strictest sense, it was conceived by Sheldon Epps in 1980 as a late-night companion piece to a jazz play. It took on a life of its own, and a brief Broadway run followed in…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Friday, 11 February 2022 11:08
'West Side Story' at The Marriott Theatre: A Place for All of Us
Written by CJ Burroughs
I’m not sure how long this honeymoon feeling of returning to life as a theatergoer will last. That butterflies-in-the-belly, waiting-for-the-lights-to-go-out feeling just before the show starts. Right now, I tell myself that it’ll last forever. That I’ll never take for granted what I was—and all of you lovers of a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 13 February 2022 23:08
Trap Door Turns Absurdist Fantasy into Sexy 3-Ring Circus
Written by Bill Esler
Should a tiger take up residence in your bathroom, Trap Door Theater’s new production presents an entertaining selection of likely scenarios to follow. In a fresh translation of an absurdist play by Polish playwright Sɫawomir Mrożek—Poland’s Ionesco—director Nicole Wiesner turns 'The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey' into a highly entertaining, high…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Register
Login
Latest Articles
-
One Fine Show: Beautiful The Carole King Musical dazzles Paramount Theatre
Written by Kendall RoyzenGrowing up our radio dial was tuned to one channel, K-Earth 101. In Southern California that station was the oldies, the classics, belting out hits from the 1950s and 60s; Sam Cooke, Buddy Hall, Mel Carter, Peggy Lee, The Ronettes,… -
Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' at The Edge Innovative… radical… courageous… confusing
Written by Sarz MaxwellBlue in the Right Way audaciously chose for their inaugural production a 400-year-old play, WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, written in 1621 by Thomas Middleton and adapted by the company’s co-founders Kevin Smith (Kevin/Kevin’s, also director) and Daiva Bhandari (she/her, also lead… -
'Judgment Day' a Top-drawer Production That Will Leave You Laughing, and Maybe Changed for the Better
Written by Bill EslerCrowds will flock to see “Judgment Day,” having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. While many will be drawn by its star, Emmy and Tony-winning actor Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” fame (George Costanza), and he is… -
Panther In the Sky – “A Moving Tapestry of Grief and Hope"
Written by Wesley DavidIn "Panther in the Sky," playwright Lani T. Montreal masterfully weaves a tapestry of grief, resilience, and redemption through the intertwined narratives of four culturally diverse mothers who have tragically lost their teenage sons to the relentless grip of gun…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.