Sunday, 18 November 2018 17:26
Plainclothes Goes Behind the Scenes To Show How Shoplifters Get Nabbed
Written by Bill Esler
Plainclothes has all the hallmarks of a dynamic show – a parade of interesting and believable characters, fast-paced and witty dialog, even a socially meaningful storyline, and great performances by the cast. Premiering at The Den Theatre and written by Spenser Davis, who also co-directs (with Kanomé Jones) Plainclothes tells…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 12 November 2018 21:08
‘Iolanta’ at Chicago Opera Theater - You See What You Look For Or The Dance of the Sugar Plum Set Pieces
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Chicago Opera Theater opened their 2018-2019 season with the Chicago Premier of Peter Tchaikovsky’s ‘Iolanta’. Since this performance was also the Chicago debut of Lidiya Yankovskaya, COT’s new Stanley Music Director, it was an auspicious occasion for the company embarking on their 45th season. It also marked the first full…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 11 November 2018 19:47
Review: Manuel Cinema's 'Frankenstein' at Court Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
It’s a rare treat to get to experience anything as unique as Manual Cinema’s production of ‘Frankenstein’ at Court Theatre. With several productions of ‘Frankenstein’ going on this year, one might wonder how they’re each distinguishing themselves. Manual Cinema’s original adaptation is just that, a manual cinema. Told with intricate…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 13 November 2018 00:00
Testing the Limits of Dramatic Invention in An Oak Tree
Written by Bill Esler
It’s an intriguing proposition for a play: two actors meet for the first time on stage. One, the First Actor, has rehearsed the play, while the Second Actor has never even read it. In An Oak Tree, this dynamic repeats for each day’s performance – 22 in all by the…
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Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 10 November 2018 21:39
Blue Man Group's Never Ending Invention Brings Us Light-Horns,Spinulum and Twinkies
Written by Bill Esler
Blue Man Group premiered the newest version of its show Thursday night at Briar Street Theater, where it has been ensconced since 1997 – making it the longest running act in Chicago. Wearing shiny blue face paint, skull masks covering hair and ears, and blue rubber gloves, the Blue Men…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 09 November 2018 04:07
The Better Half: A rich, buttery, and zesty new production at Steppenwolf
Written by Kendall Royzen
As the house lights dimmed and the actors took to the stage, an odd play began to unfold at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater. Lights appeared to direct the actors where to go, the actors didn’t act as though they were acting, and perched on my corner aisle seat actresses raced by…
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Theatre in Review
The setting is a drought-stricken Midwest cattle town. Sheriff File (played by Denzel Tsopnang) and the town folk set the mood as they lament that “the earth is burning, crops is bad, and land is dry” in opening number “Another Hot Day” of BoHo Theatre’s presentation of 110 in The…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 07 November 2018 10:25
The Last Session: a Very Musical and Very Personal Take on the AIDS Epidemic
Written by Bill Esler
Refuge Theatre Project likes to pick up what it calls under-appreciated musicals and put them on in non-traditional settings. They hit that mark with The Last Session, an off-off-Broadway musical from 1997 that ran for about 20 weeks off-Broadway. Set in a 1990s Los Angeles recording studio, this production takes…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 05 November 2018 18:19
A Storybook Siegfried Or James Earl Jones Takes Charlie Brown and Corporal Klinger on an Excellent Adventure to Where the Wild Things Are to slay a Dragon and Find the St. Pauli Girl
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Siegfried, the third installment of Richard Wagner’s monumental cycle, The Ring of the Niebelungen, opened in a comic-book fairy tale, if not quite mythical version this past Saturday evening to an enthusiastic full house at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the preceding two seasons, the prologue, Das Rheingold and…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 05 November 2018 23:52
Review: ‘Siegfried’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
Five hours is a long time to do anything. A five-hour German opera loosely based on incest can sound even longer when given the choice on a Saturday night. That said, Lyric Opera’s new production of Wagner’s ‘Siegfried’ feels anything but long. ‘Siegfried’ is the third installment in Wagner’s four-opera…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 01 November 2018 04:21
Russian radio never sounded so good - 'Radio Culture' at TUTA
Written by Ron Reis
This was an interesting production that oddly enough had very little to do with radio. ‘Radio Culture’ is a one act play with a somewhat unique concept where just one actor holds a speaking role. TUTA’s home theatre space (4670 N Manor in Chicago) is a small little place that…
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Theatre in Review
What makes a life extraordinary? Is it the chance meetings with celebrities, surviving world war or is it all the love that surrounds us? ‘Lady in Denmark’ by Dael Orlandersmith makes its world premiere at Goodman Theatre under the direction of Victory Gardens’ Artistic Director, Chay Yew. Orlandersmith is known…
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Theatre in Review
I had high expectations for Cosmologies as I read the promotional material in preparation for attending the show’s opening at The Gift Theatre. The opening scene also gave me hope (briefly) as it was humorous and set the viewer up for the anticipated “existential absurdist comedy.” Instead the audience was…
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Theatre in Review
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