Tuesday, 20 March 2018 23:38
'An Enemy of the People' not your average period piece
Written by John Accrocco
"In real life, you're exploited by the moneyed class and then you die." says Petra in Robert Falls' new production of 'An Enemy of the People' at Goodman Theatre. His adaptation of Ibsen's 1882 play, spends two and a half hours exploring the theme of freedom. "An Enemy of the…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 14 March 2018 13:08
Comical Moments and Absurdist Riffs Almost Enough To Save Hang Man
Written by Bill Esler
It’s an unsettling opening scene: actor Gregory Fenner silently dons a noose strung from a tree in as he steps into the role of Darnell. When the spotlight hits him, he lifts his head to speak, and Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s Hang Man takes flight as a play. Darnell is hanging from…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 08 March 2018 22:19
Neo Futurist's "Seven Fights": How to Fight Back in the Arts and Win - Without Actually Drawing Blood
Written by Kimberly Katz
I went to see "A Story Told in Seven Fights" at Neo-Futurists Theater on my birthday for two reasons. One, I wanted to have a fun, exciting interactive theater experience and two, because my dear friend and college classmate, actor, comedy writer Phil Riddarelli was one of the original members…
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Theatre in Review
About Face Theatre’s Time Is on Our Side is a wonderful play that carries a LGBTQ theme throughout. This might make some people uncomfortable – and for those it does, this play is a must see. The subject matter is very open. The characters are very open. I found it…
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Theatre in Review
On a beautiful plantation in the modern day South, a mother asks her three daughters what they would change in the world, if they could. After rattling off some Miss America-esque answers – including "giving a croissant to a homeless person" – the girls go back to their own self-interests,…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 08 March 2018 15:20
Why ‘Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea’ Should Become a Hot Ticket
Written by Bill Esler
A stunning production of a striking play at First Floor Theater, Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea, has the hallmarks of a hit in the making for Chicago. This coming-of-age play by Nathan Alan Davis tells the story of a dreamer, the eighteen-year-old Dontrell, in the summer just before college. Dontrell…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 08 March 2018 02:10
The Toddle Whisperer: The Emperor's New Clothes delights children of all ages at Marriott Theater
Written by Kendall Royzen
I love the theater. Having no talent for acting myself, I venture to see skilled thespians bring stories to life on the stage. My love of theater was fostered from an early age and, as an adult, I want to pass that love onto the next generation and help grow…
Published in
Theatre in Review
"Faust" is revered as the world's most popular opera. It was the first opera performed at the Met in New York in 1863. This iconic French opera took Charles Gounod several years and several drafts to complete. Since its debut in Paris in 1859, "Faust" has continued to seduce audiences.…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 28 February 2018 03:01
Powerhouse Cast Highlights Theater at the Center's "Steel Magnolias"
Written by Ken Payne
In a departure to their oft musical-driven productions, Theater at the Center kicks of the 2018 season with the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, Robert Harling’s 1987 play that became a blockbuster film directed by Herbert Ross just two years later. Set in the deep South, in a northwestern Louisiana town, the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 28 February 2018 20:27
In Anna Karenina, Marriages Fail or Succeed, Each in Their Own Way
Written by Bill Esler
Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, said Tolstoy. And Lifeline Theatre artfully explores that famous maxim in Anna Karenina, its colorful and artful adaptation of Tolstoy’s novel. The story of Anna Karenina follows a 19th century woman’s fall from grace. Dutiful but unfulfilled in her marriage to…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 27 February 2018 01:12
That’s Why I Go for That Rock and Roll Music: "Hail, Hail Chuck" at The Black Ensemble Theater
Written by CJ Burroughs
These days, the antihero has become the new hero. Talented, but tortured. Acclaimed, but complicated. We have gotten to a point in culture where those we place upon pedestals are not just allowed to be, but expected to be, both ingenious and imperfect. And I’m fine with that; seeing my…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 25 February 2018 09:27
Review: American Blues Theater's "Six Corners" at Stage 773
Written by Earl Cochran
Having read that Six Corners was the “third in a loose Cop trilogy” by playwright Keith Huff, I was concerned that not seeing the first two stories (A Steady Rain and The Detective’s Wife) would lessen my experience. But from the moment I entered the theatre the stage was set,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 25 February 2018 14:45
The Magic Lounge Brings Back Chicago Magic in the Biggest Way
Written by Ken Payne
When walking past the exterior of the unflattering storefront on Clark Street in Andersonville, a former laundromat, one wouldn’t give it a second glance. Perhaps a handful of classic magic posters littered around the entrance might cause pause for a brief second, but that’s about it. No marquee, no ostentatious…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Latest Articles
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Red Theatre's 'Hamlet' at The Edge Off Broadway - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are… hilarious!
Written by Sarz MaxwellI think my favorite thing – well, one of my favorite things – about Wyatt Kent’s take on HAMLET is imagining just how much fun everyone must have been having with it! everyone except Hamlet, of course, but the entire… -
Review: Joffrey Ballet's 'Midsummer Night’s Dream' at Lyric Opera House
Written by John AccroccoFrolicking season is upon us once again and Joffrey Ballet welcomes summer with the return of Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”. This production was last seen in Chicago in 2018. Told through a mix of ballet and modern dance, this… -
Review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre
Written by John AccroccoDirector Chuck Smith returns to Goodman with another major August Wilson revival–“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”. This is the second play in Wilson’s 10-play “American Century Cycle”. Goodman produced the first play in the series, “Gem of the Ocean” in…
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Eerie, Human Mystery In Captivating ‘Jump’ by Shattered Globe Theatre
Written by Bill EslerAs the audience takes its seats we are greeted by an atmosphere of foreboding, a trestle bridge girder to the left, and in the evening air, foggy wisps drift about the stage. Already something is up, but we don’t know…
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