Wednesday, 18 July 2018 19:35
Elvis fans get ready: "Heartbreak Hotel" an exciting journey through the birth of rock and roll
Written by Ken Payne
When Million Dollar Quartet hit Chicago, it was only scheduled for a month-long trial run at the Apollo Theatre. MDQ was the fascinating story about that historic night when Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis met together at Sun Records Studio, the place where they all…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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- Heartbreak Hotel
- Broadway Playhouse
- Eddie Clendening
- Floyd Mutrux
- Matt McKenzie
- Jerry Kernion
- Matt Codina
- Zach Lentino
- Geno Henderson
- Katherine Lee Bourne
- Erin Burniston
- Andrea Collier
- Elvis Presley
- Million Dollar Quartet
- Colonel Tom Parker
- Sam Phillips
- Sun Records
- Rock and Roll
- Chicago
- Musical
- theatre
- Ken Payne
- Buzz Center Stage
Sunday, 22 July 2018 14:08
Alone on Stage an Acclaimed Writer Confronts His Demons in Riveting Hemingway
Written by Bill Esler
Stacy Keach storms the stage for one of the best performances ever, as he takes on the role of author Earnest Hemingway in Pamplona at Goodman Theatre. This world premier at Goodman was originally planned for Spring 2017, but Keach fell ill opening night and the full run was suspended…
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Theatre in Review
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Penelope Skinner’s latest play, Linda, now receiving its United States Premiere at Steep Theatre, begins with the title character’s plea that attention must be paid…to women of a certain age. The seemingly inconsequential references to King Lear, Death of a Salesman and other tragic male protagonists become progressively more resonant…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Everybody dies. In fact, Somebody will die very soon. That is not only reality, but also the premise of Everybody, a contemporary take on the Medieval morality play, Everyman. Each night, Somebody will be chosen randomly from the cast to go on the final journey. According to the press materials,…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 16 July 2018 20:59
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof " a feminist view of women's financial inequity in family life
Written by Kimberly Katz
"Like a cat on a hot tin roof” in English. UK old-fashioned “like a cat on hot bricks”. The phrase is used to describe someone who is in a state of EXTREME nervous worry. Think about the above definition of the saying "cat on a hot tin roof". It really…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 16 July 2018 04:12
Michael Shannon Returns to Front Powerful Cast in "Victims of Duty"
Written by Ken Payne
“Victims of Duty” starts with Madeleine (Karen Aldridge) sitting aside a clawfoot tub where she knits silently as her husband, Choubert (Guy Van Swearingen), reads the newspaper from his chair. Breaking the silence, she finally asks if there is anything knew in the news. There is not. Same old, same…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 06 July 2018 21:49
Waitress is a Perfectly Refreshing Summer Confection
Written by Bill Esler
Two kinds of people are loving the Broadway musical roadshow Waitress: fans of Sara Bareilles, the multi-platinum singer-songwriter who created the songs and lyrics; and fans of the 2007 Sundance sleeper hit film, Waitress. That right there is a big built-in audience, and Broadway in Chicago is drawing them in…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 12 July 2018 18:00
"Murder for Two" at Marriott Theatre a perfect blend of suspense and comedy
Written by Ken Payne
When we think of traditional whodunits, we think of a carefully plotted murder, a list of suspects, and an inquisitive detective who gradually pieces new clues together until the crime is solved. Marriott Theatre’s “Murder for Two” is just that, albeit a musical-comedy that stars just two actors taking on…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 19:30
Reclaimed Gem Gives Unforgettable Voice - “The Csardas Princess” at Stage 773
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Margaret and I have had to wait nearly thirty years to enjoy another production of Emerich Kalman’s “Die Csardasfurstin”, often translated as “The Csardas Princess” or “The Gypsy Princess”, and Folks Operetta’s production running at Stage 773 through July 22 was well worth the wait. The Csardas, or Czardas, is…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 02 July 2018 17:06
Review: ‘Support Group for Men’ at Goodman Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
It’s a tough time to be a straight white male. Playwright Ellen Fairey returns to Chicago with a new play called ‘Support Group for Men’ now running at Goodman Theatre. Fairey’s work was last seen in Chicago when the now defunct Profiles Theatre produced her smash hit ‘Graceland’ in the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Written by Abbey Fenbert and directed by Elizabeth Lovelady, Red Theater’s new play Sickle takes on the very little-known subject of Holodomor (or “Golodomor”, Famine-genocide, or “death by hunger”). The story takes place in 1932-33, in a Ukrainian village, one of many Ukrainian villages sacrificed by Stalin to advance his…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 05 July 2018 18:33
In Tilikum, Suffering Seen Through the Eyes of the Killer Whale
Written by Bill Esler
Tilikum, by Kristiana Rae Colon, is based on the real-life tale of four killer whales – technically orca whales - held captive at an aquatic park in Florida. It is drawn from a 2016 incident at SeaWorld Orlando, in which an orca whale named Tilikum killed its trainer, Dawn Brancheau.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 28 June 2018 18:19
"Thank You For Being Our Friend!" David Cerda's "Golden Girls Vol. 2" Brings Laughter to Women of a Certain Age Just in Time!"
Written by Kimberly Katz
Hell in a Handbag is at it again, this time following up last summer’s smash hit The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes with a Volume 2 that might even be funnier than its predecessor, if that’s even possible. Last year, Handbag’s Golden Girls was so successful it added a second…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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