Tuesday, 03 November 2026 17:09
Steppenwolf's Adirondack Chair Circle: The Joke Lands. Then What?
Written by Maddie Burroughs
I went into Adirondack Chair Circle wondering what a new play about book bans could add to a conversation whose arguments most of its audience could probably already recite. A world premiere at Steppenwolf seemed worth giving the benefit of the doubt; perhaps it would serve as an accessible way…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 02 November 2026 11:10
Remarkable Production Makes 'The Royale" a Knockout Show
Written by Bill Esler
Writers Theatre scores a knockout production with Marco Ramirez’s 2013 play, The Royale. Under the direction of Tyrone Phillips, we see this widely-produced script (it played New York’s Lincoln Center a decade ago) executed to perfection. Centered on boxing legend Jack Johnson, it follows a fictionalized version of his story.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 30 October 2026 11:16
A Mystery of Mysteries : David Parr: Time Traveler Transcends Logic at Chicago Magic Lounge
Written by Kendall Royzen
It wouldn’t be Chicago history without a few mysteries nestled amongst the ivy and six cornered paths. For every historical site or fact about the windy city is a stranger truth than any books or historians can truly capture. That’s one the magical things about this biggest small town, there…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 30 October 2026 21:41
A Call You Want To Answer: Jerker, Or The Helping Hand speaks volumes in Uptown
Written by Kendall Royzen
There are no shortage of stories to be told in Chicago. Whether you’re visiting a museum, riding the L, or simply sitting on a lakeshore bench, you can find a story in every person you encounter, every landmark you see, even the very ground holds stories in Chicago. For every…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 29 October 2026 12:50
A Masterwork Reanimated: Manual Cinema's Frankenstein Still Inspires Awe
Written by Ken Payne
Since premiering at Court Theatre in 2018, Manual Cinema's Frankenstein has stood as one of Chicago's most remarkable theatrical achievements. Returning for just five performances at the Studebaker Theater, the work remains every bit as mesmerizing today as when theatergoers first encountered it. More than an adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 20 October 2026 14:18
The Gift Theatre's Hayward: A Floridian-Style Shiva
Written by Wesley David
There are funerals where grief brings a family together, and then there are funerals where grief opens the door to everything a family has spent years trying to keep buried. In Hayward, playwright Netta Walker turns a father’s funeral into a reckoning with family secrets, unresolved pain, and the ghosts…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 19 October 2026 12:52
Music Theater Works Pours a Beachy Cocktail with Escape to Margaritaville
Written by Kimberly Katz
A gentle, tide‑easy current settles in right from the start, immediately signaling the kind of story this musical wants to tell. Rather than relying on big, splashy moments, it settles into a warm, beach-side rhythm, inviting the audience into a world where the pace is slower, the mood is lighter,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Music Theater Works
- Escape to Margaritaville
- Jimmy Buffet
- Parrotheads
- Brenda Didier
- Sarafina Vecchio
- Brian Acker
- Kate McQuillan
- Khaki Pixley
- Chase Grabowski
- North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
- Margaritavilleming Arts
- Lets Get Drunk Screw
- Cheeseburger in Paradise
- musical comedy
- Jukebox music
- live theatre
- chicago theatre
- Chicago events
- on stage
- Skokie
Tuesday, 20 October 2026 13:59
Chicago Shakespeare Makes Winter’s Tale a Story Worth Telling
Written by Angelo Campos
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of The Winter’s Tale delivers a compelling evening of theater, showcasing an exceptional company of actors working at the top of their craft. Under the direction of Artistic Director Edward Hall, this staging marks an exciting experiment for the theater as the troupe performs in repertoire,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 20 October 2026 12:05
Remy Bumppo’s Mud Row: A Family Haunted by the Past
Written by Wesley David
Remy Bumppo opens its 30th anniversary season with Mud Row, a play by Tony Award nominee and MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Dominique Morisseau. Expertly directed by Malkia Stampley, this production is a sublime examination of family, inheritance, and the difficult choices that determine what we pass on to the next…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 17 October 2026 10:00
“A Strange Loop” Lets the Intrusive Thoughts Win at Raven Theatre in partnership with About Face Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
A musical, but it’s just the voices in your head. Sounds just crazy enough to win the 2020 Pulitzer for Drama. “A Strange Loop” by Michael R. Jackson finally makes its Chicago premiere at Raven Theatre in a co-production with About Face Theatre. Mikael Burke directs a fantastic production with…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 11 October 2026 14:31
Robert Falls Directs a Sinfully Satisfying Don Giovanni at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
Let he without sin cast the first stone, Lyric’s “Don Giovanni” seemingly says when they bring up the house lights while the cast cheerfully sing about sinners being smote. Lyric Opera of Chicago kicks off the season with a thrilling revival of their 2014 collaboration with former Goodman artistic director…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 13 October 2026 12:05
Inside Six Strange Worlds: Exquisite Corpse VI: LULLABIES
Written by Maddie Burroughs
For its sixth Halloween season, Rough House Theater Co. has transformed Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage into a spectacular puppet haunted house. Last year I visted House of the Exquisite Corpse V: BLOOD & PUPPETS, and this year’s installment feels familiar in form but distinct in approach. The experience unfolds across…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 13 October 2026 12:59
'Sanctuary Stories' Ventures Into Emotional Drama Behind the News on Immigration
Written by Bill Esler
Sanctuary Stories plumbs the line between theater and journalism, and the powerful human dramas both can depict. Funded by a Northwestern Medill School of Journalism grant to create a verbatim-based theatrical documentary, it is produced, directed and narrated by Craig Duff, a professor there. Duff’s background as a video journalist includes…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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