The Down Side of Suicide: A Divine Comedy When: Fri 7/16 and Sat 7/31, 9:30 PM, Price: $15 When I heard the title of the newest show offered in Wicker Park’s quaint Gorilla Tango Nation Theatre: The Down Side of Suicide, “comedy” was not the first thing that crossed my…
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Theatre in Review
When I was younger, I thought that plays were these boring events that boring adults went to when they felt like socializing with other boring adults. As I’ve grown older (and wiser?) I have come to learn that sometimes this premise is not too far off from the truth.. but…
Published in
Theatre in Review
There’s good theater and then there’s good attempts at theater. But there are also those rare occasions that a good theater makes a good attempt at a plain bad production; a good example of this is Sex Marks the Spot, a new political comedy by Charles Grippo. The play attempts…
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Theatre in Review
The Drury Lane’s production of ‘Sugar’ can be easily summed up as the musical version of the legendary gender bender film ‘Some Like It Hot.’ The show is a revival of the 1972 Broadway musical with book by Peter Stone, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill with…
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Theatre in Review
The Court Theatre’s revival of Athol Fugard’s classic Apartheid-era polemic Sizwe Banzi is Dead is the culmination of the collaborative Chicago Fugard Festival (other works were performed by the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and TimeLine Theatre). The play is a stark look at the impact of South African Apartheid policies…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 04 June 2010 22:21
You’re So Lucky You’re My Best Friend: The Odd Couple shows that opposites do attract
Written by Kendall Royzen
They say opposites attract. So what do you get when a recently divorced sportswriter and eternal bachelor acquires an uptight, compulsive hypochondriac as a roommate? You get a polarized reaction that is pure comedic gold. Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple comes to life at the Raven Theater with a witty…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 01 June 2010 21:09
Kim Katz Platinum Plus - “Fuerza Bruta” is Sensual, Exciting, and Life Affirming!
Written by Kimberly Katz
“Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” was hands down the most exciting, sensual, life affirming theater piece I have seen in years! From the moment you enter the theater, Fuerza Bruta, which means “Look Up”, takes the "fourth wall" and literally breaks it over the audience's head - explosive! When I…
Published in
Theatre in Review
From the Neo-Futurists website: Do you have what it takes to lord over your employees or are you doomed to a life in the mailroom? Find out in the Neo-Futurists' new interactive live musical game show. CRISIS is modeled after classic game shows of the 70's, 80's and 90's, challenging…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 25 May 2010 08:23
It Was A Momentary Lapse of Judgment: The Gay American at the Side Project Theater
Written by Kendall Royzen
The dimly-lit, small storefront Side Project Theater in Rogers Park lends itself perfectly as the setting of a seedy, closed-door meeting in which a closeted senator and his barely legal boy-toy would rendezvous; combine that with a superb cast and a flawless screenplay and the result is a the perfect-storm…
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Theatre in Review
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Improv. The very word can evoke an immediate response of laughter, or horror. So what a perfect combination it would make to combine Improv with horror? “Slasher” The Improvised Horror Show playing Fridays at 11:30 at the Gorilla Tango Theater combines improve with the classic formula of a horror flick.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 06 May 2010 00:06
Puppets Make Everything in Life Better for Now: A Review of Avenue Q
Kendall Hartenstine
When I heard of a Broadway musical starring foul-mouthed puppets I thought this could just possibly be the best thing ever. Avenue Q did not disappoint. It exceeded all of my expectations and more by delivering hilarious dialogue, witty songs and full frontal puppet nudity (which is always shocking). In…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 19:26
Billy Elliot – Good, but Not the Best Musical Ever
Written by Ken Payne
If you want dancing – amazing dancing, then yes, “Billy Elliot” certainly delivers, and does so with flair, imagination and precision. However, if it’s music you want to take home with you and hum around the house, you might be hard pressed to remember any of it. Despite the fact…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 16 April 2010 16:15
Into The Woods – Porchlight Music Theatre, April 9 – May 30, 2010
Miguel Harvey
Porchlight Music Theatre debuts a revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s modern classic Into The Woods this week at The Theatre Building on Belmont Ave. Though the show still has its kinks, a snappy pace (crucial for most Sondheim musicals), excellent set design, and some good performances make this…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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