Monday, 08 October 2018 01:36
Overlit 'Boheme' fails to illuminate
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2018-19 season with Puccini’s beloved “La Boheme” last Saturday evening. Essential to any Puccini production, more than most other composers, is a faithful rendition of the specific intentions of the composer, whose theatrical instincts were equal to if not better than his musical gifts.…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 08 October 2018 11:04
Steep Theatre’s ‘Zürich’ provokes and entertains
Written by Vika Lvova
If shock is the intent, then the opening scene of ‘Zürich’ is right on. The set: a hotel room, cleverly separated from the audience by a glass wall, furnished with a bed, a couple of tables and a mini-fridge. In the first scene it’s a couple of complete strangers who…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Ask yourself, do you have hope that things can get better? The word itself certainly echoes back to a different political climate in America. Now it seems the very word has been replaced with fear. Jen Silverman’s new play ‘Witch’ is holding its world premiere at Writers Theatre in Glencoe.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 30 September 2018 17:44
Review: 'Indecent' at Victory Gardens Theater
Written by John Accrocco
“A blink in time.” is a phrase repeatedly projected throughout Paula Vogel’s play ‘Indecent’ now running at Victory Gardens. The line could have many interpretations but perhaps it means that the nature of theatre is but a blink in time. Plays are ephemeral, especially where fickle Broadway audiences are concerned.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 September 2018 17:39
"Sweet Charity" is Full of Great Dancing, Humor and Positive Messages for #MeToo Generation
Written by Kimberly Katz
I was so excited to see this production of " Sweet Charity" partly because I remember Shirley MacLaine’s spectacular dancing in the film version of this very funny Neil Simon hit play. The main character Charity Hope Valentine, played with pizzazz by Anne Horak, is a dance hall girl who…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 15 September 2018 20:15
Drury Lane's "Little Shop of Horrors" everything you'd want in a man-eating plant musical
Written by Ken Payne
Catchy songs, hilarious characters and a man-eating plant. Little Shop of Horrors now playing at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook has it all. With music by Alan Menken that fall in the style of 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and Motown, we get a soundtrack that helps deliver this humorous…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 14 September 2018 18:03
Review: ‘The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?’ at Rivendell Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Has there ever been a more capable playwright to handle bestiality than Edward Albee? ‘The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?’ is probably Albee’s last great play after a decade-spanning career that garnered handfuls of Tonys and Pulitzers. ‘The Goat’ was shortlisted for the 2003 Pulitzer and the original Broadway production…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 15 September 2018 17:53
You will believe - Communion: An Evening of Magic
Written by Vika Lvova
Who doesn’t like magic? I love to be fooled just as much as the person next to me. Make me believe in supernatural powers and I’ll admire everything that’s dished out, even if some of it is a little loose and perhaps lacks a certain showmanship. Well, magician Brett Schneider…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 11 September 2018 16:25
America’s Corporate Culture is Laughing Matter in "Borealis"
Written by Vika Lvova
There’s something so effortlessly optimistic in the way the old meets the new in the charmingly vintage Chopin Theater. And it’s just the perfect fit for The House Theatre of Chicago that calls Chopin Theatre home. The House Theatre’s 17th season opens with a brand-new work written by guest artist…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 11 September 2018 16:09
Review: Shattered Globe's "Crime and Punishment"
Written by John Accrocco
Literary adaptation for the stage can be tricky. Even trickier is bringing the complex work of Dostoyevsky from the page to the stage. Shattered Globe opens its season with Chris Hannan’s 2013 version of ‘Crime and Punishment’. Under the direction of Louis Contey, this unique production is fresh and exciting.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 10 September 2018 18:16
"Radio Golf" Scores a Hole-in-One in Powerful and Compassionate Production
Kerstin Broockmann
Common sense dictates doing the right thing. On the surface, that seems obvious, but in August Wilson’s final play, Radio Golf, which premiered in 2005 and is receiving a timely and propulsive revival at Court Theatre, this is not at all clear. Though the characters are archetypal, and the situations…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 09 September 2018 23:20
Her Story Theatre's "Monger" will awaken more than J.B. Benton
Written by Ron Reis
I had asked to cover this play. “Monger: The Awakening of J.B. Benton” is Her Story Theatre’s fourth play in their “Chicago Sex Trafficking Cycle” series. It is an important topic that needs far more attention than it receives and playwright Mary Bonnett’s play helps in bringing this serious problem…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 04 September 2018 21:51
Witty, Incisive Vietgone Tells True Tale of New Americans with Rap and Dance
Written by Bill Esler
The story of the aftermath of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War has been told and retold, but never in such a lively and colorful manner as Vietgone, now playing at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe. Written with the insight and perspective of a first-generation millennial, the play by…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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