Saturday, 22 February 2025 15:35
Review: ‘Hedda Gabler’ at The Artistic Home at The Den Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
‘Hedda Gabler’ has mystified audiences for generations, as this was certainly Ibsen’s intention when creating this endlessly fascinating character. The Artistic Home transforms the Den Theatre into 1890s Norway for their production of Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe’s 2015 adaptation of ‘Hedda Gabler’. Under Monica Payne’s direction, this contemporary-voiced retelling is…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 22 February 2025 10:59
Get It While It’s Hot: Waitress now serving at Paramount Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
Sugar, butter, flour…beneath the flaky layers and buttery crusts of pies lay these three simple ingredients. They’re mixed and blended together to form the foundation of endless possibilities to what it could become, pecan, blueberry, or apple pies, cutie pies, sweetie pies, or humble pies. It’s nice to remember that…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 February 2025 15:24
A new "cult" classic: Missy Mazzoli's The Listeners comes to Lyric Opera, Mar 30
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Do you hear it? The haunting hum of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's The Listeners will transfix audiences at Lyric Opera of Chicago from March 30 to April 11, 2025. Conducted by Music Director Enrique Mazzola and presented in the world-premiere production of Lileana Blain-Cruz revived by Mikhaela Mahony, The Listeners is a theatrical…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 20 February 2025 12:57
'Clue' The Hilarious Whodunit Brings Mystery Mayhem to CIBC Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
I’m not a fan of board games. I’ve never finished a full game of Monopoly. Risk? No, thanks. But Clue? I’ve loved it since I saw the ‘80s film version as a kid. And ever since, the movie and the game have been inseparable and intertwined in my mind. The…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 February 2025 16:04
Reaching New Heights: Radvanovsky is Radiant at the Lyric Opera
Written by Kendall Royzen
Do not believe the hype. AI will not replace the arts. By its very definition it is artificial, the antithesis of reality; false, an illusion, an imitator. Every day we are inundated with the advent of AI, how it will not only automate manual tasks, but how it will soon…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 13:10
Delightful ‘Circus Quixote’ Marks Lookingglass Triumphant Return to Water Tower
Written by Bill Esler
“Don Quixote of La Mancha” is considered the oldest European novel, but it gets a fresh and exciting new treatment in “Circus Quixote." This is Lookingglass Theatre’s inaugural reopening after a year off while it retooled its much loved Water Tower Pumping Station location at Michigan and Pearson in Chicago.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 15 February 2025 00:43
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - How a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn gave us the songs that defined a generation
Written by Kimberly Katz
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a captivating tribute to the extraordinary journey of Carole King, tracing her path from a teenage songwriter to an iconic solo artist. The production delves into her personal and professional evolution, highlighting the creation of timeless classics like "It Might As Well Rain Until…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
- Beautiful
- Carole King
- Drury Lane
- Samantha Gershman
- Alex Benoit
- Alexandra Palkovic
- Andrew MacNaughton
- Rebekah Ward
- Michael Lawrence Brown
- Jane Lanier
- Gerry McIntyre
- Carolyn Brady
- Alana Lovely
- Maxwell J DeTogne
- Lydia Burke
- Ryan Michael Armstrong
- THe Monkees
- The Shirelles
- The Righteous Brothers
Monday, 10 February 2025 10:04
Court Theatre’s "A Raisin in the Sun": Bold Choices, Timeless Struggles
Written by Wesley David
Like the dream deferred in Langston Hughes' poem that inspired its title, Court Theatre's latest production of "A Raisin in the Sun" simmers, sags, and occasionally explodes with raw intensity. Director Gabrielle Randel-Bent's contemporary vision crackles with urgency, even as it wrestles with the delicate balance between modern resonance and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 10 February 2025 10:53
Review: 'Fool for Love' at Steppenwolf Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Love is often jokingly referred to as a socially acceptable form of insanity, but in Sam Shepard’s ‘Fool for Love’ – social acceptability is an afterthought. Steppenwolf is especially known for their revivals of Shepard’s plays, and under Jeremy Herrin’s direction, their revival of ‘Fool for Love’ is as good…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 06 February 2025 12:55
Northlight Theatre’s production of 'The Heart Sellers' is Charming and Heartfelt
Written by Lauren Katz
It’s still fairly early in the evening. At this point, the turkey is in the oven, and Jane and Luna are each a couple sips into their bottle of wine. Conversation is nervous. The two women still do not know each other too well, and while Luna is ready with…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 04 February 2025 00:15
'Mr. Parker' at Open Space Arts: A Thoroughly Outstanding Theatrical Journey
Sarz Maxwell
Open Space Arts presents a premiere performance of Michael McKeever’s MR PARKER. Like everything I’ve seen at Open Space Arts (OSA), the acting was superlative: kudos to Andrew Kain Miller (Terry), Riley Capp (Justin), and Mary Ann Bowman (Cassie)! and their maneuverability in the confined space displayed expert blocking by…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 03 February 2025 20:51
Baldwin Vs. Buckley: How Have We Changed in 60 Years?
Written by Bill Esler
Some 60 years ago black intellectual and littérateur James Baldwin met with the leading conservative spokesman and author of his day, William F. Buckley, Jr., to debate what seemed a startling proposition in 1965: “Is the American Dream at the Expense of the American Negro?” Held at the University of Cambridge…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 02 February 2025 00:26
Petal-powered Feud: When Shrubs and Sass Collide in Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's 'Native Gardens'
Written by Kimberly Katz
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble’s latest offering, Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias, is a riotous comedy that delves into the quirky world of suburban gardening and neighborly tiffs. The plot blossoms around two neighboring couples in Washington D.C. On one side, there's Pablo, a high-powered lawyer from Chile with a wealthy background,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Gusto Performances in ‘Spring Awakening,’ Vibrant Staging of 1906 Basis of Broadway Musical
Written by Bill Esler“Spring Awakenings,” now playing at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater Center, is not the Tony-winning 2006 Broadway musical “Spring Awakening,” but an adaptation of its original basis, an 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind that was first performed in 1906. Translated by… -
BrightSide Theatre announces cast and production team for season finale PIPPIN, June 13-29
Written by Buzz Center StageBrightSide Theatre, Naperville’s professional theatre company, has announced the cast for the final show of its 13th season – the Stephen Schwartz/Roger O. Hirson musical PIPPIN. This tale of a prince who learns the true meaning of glory, love, and… -
Chicago Puppet Lab Showcase culminates eight-month residency with experimental live shows by emerging puppet artists, May 31-June 1 at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
Written by Buzz Center StageEight Chicago artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines have spent the last eight months in residence at the Chicago Puppet Lab, a program of the Chicago Puppet International Puppet Theater Festival, where they have been expanding their skill sets by…
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A Half-Century in Harmony: Ryan Opera Center Shines in ‘Rising Stars in Concert’
Written by Bree SamaniIt was a night of celebration, reflection, and breathtaking talent at the Civic Opera House. Fifty years of song echoed through the hall, but it was the future of opera that took center stage. On Friday, April 25, Ryan Opera…
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