Monday, 08 November 2021 21:31
Pump Boys & Dinettes Gets Spiced Up Revival at Porchlight Theatre
Written by Wesley David
It was 1982 in America, and premiering on Broadway was "Pump Boys & Dinettes," a show recalling the "good ole days" of the South (for some). While it doesn' have much of a plot, if you enjoy escapist theatre with a country and western feel, this is the show for…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 07 November 2021 22:46
Porchlight Theatre Spices Up “Pump Boys and Dinettes”
Written by Wesley David
It was 1982 in America when “Pump Boys and Dinettes” first premiered on Broadway. Developed by a band whose members worked at the nearby Cattleman Restaurant, the show is based on their experiences working there, but trasposed to a setting recalling the "good ole days" of the South (for some),…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 04 November 2021 21:20
Moments of Glory in 'Paradise Square' at Nederlander Chicago
Written by Bill Esler
It’s hard to cheer and yell with a mask on. But that I did right along with the entire crowd at “Paradise Square,” as Joaquina Kalukango delivered a shatteringly powerful show-stopper, “Let It Burn,” holding the audience in her thrall for every second. This was the best but not the…
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Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 30 October 2021 17:27
Hurt People, Hurt People: Invictus Theatre's Hamlet is Stunning
Written by Wesley David
Before entering Invictus Theatre's storefront on Thorndale Avenue, you are asked for your vaccination card. But they may just as well have asked for your passport. Once you pass through the curtains on your way to your seat, you know quickly “something is rotten in the state of Denmark." There’s…
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Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 30 October 2021 22:12
The Rocks Are Star Performers in Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice
Written by Bill Esler
The Artistic Home chose a sure-fire winner for its return to in-person productions, with a creative staging and knock-out cast in Eurydice by celebrated playwright Sarah Ruhl. The "press night" show October 28 at the Den Theatre found a well-oiled machine delivering flawless performances. The joy of sitting in a sold-out…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 12 September 2021 21:25
An Electrifying Surprise: Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play
Written by Bill Esler
Theater Wit has mounted an unexpectedly spellbinding show for its return to live productions: Anne Washburn’s “Mr. Burns, a post-electric play.” What an amazing fever-dream has flowed from Washburn’s imaginative pen, brought to life at Theater Wit. Originally mounted in 2015, it is clear why this was one of the…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 23 July 2021 11:51
The Tempest Taps Magical Realism of Marvel and DC Comics
Written by Bill Esler
Live, in-person theater performances have returned! And on Saturday, July 17, the Oak Park Festival Theater players took to the stage at their Austin Gardens home, mounting an inventive and engaging production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest - the Equity company’s first post-pandemic production, and among the first live professional…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 18 March 2021 15:02
Are You Happy: Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! at Steppenwolf NOW evokes Sci-Fi Themes
Written by Kendall Royzen
The royal family is all over media channels these days. From endless documentaries and exposes of the late Princess Diana, to Netflix’s The Crown, to the recent scandalous Meghan Markle interview. Like them or not, the royal family continues to inspire intrigue and satire. Playwright Vivian J.O. Barnes became inspired…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Some of us may remember the old turntable on a cart your teacher would use to present an aged recording of a Shakespeare play so they could get some grading done. Theatre in the Dark’s unique approach to live, digital theatre is the complete opposite of that. It’s exactly what…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 16 February 2021 22:48
Hell in A Handbag's Tyler Anthony Smith Breaks New Creative Ground with "Out Darn Spot!"
Written by Kimberly Katz
I was really impressed by the new Shakespearean send-up Out, Darn Spot! starring Tyler Anthony Smith as Lady Marcia Macbeth. Smith is a very talented actor and writer to have pulled off what is essentially a one-man show that never fails to elicit all kinds of emotions, from the deepest, darkest…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 08 December 2020 17:26
‘The Rip Nelson Holiday Quarantine Special’ succeeds in making the "weirdness" of Christmas 2020 a whole lot “funnier"!
Written by Kimberly Katz
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 07 December 2020 13:59
'Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins' Reaches Out to Virtual Audience
Kerstin Broockmann
This is the third year that Strawdog Theatre Company is presenting its adaptation of Eric Kimmel’s children’s book Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins, but this is 2020 and a pandemic has forced the performance to go online. The outlines are still there: a traveling troupe of vaudevillian players fallen on…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Every December the Chicago theater community goes into full holiday mode, producing a wide array of favorites for reliably sold out houses. COVID obviously has altered many traditions, and theatrical performances have been forced to digitize operations or simply skip this year. Manuel cinema hadn’t planned on doing a holiday…
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Theatre in Review
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