Thursday, 01 February 2024 12:38
A Champion’s Struggle: Sexuality and Power Collide in Terence Blanchard’s Opera
Written by Wesley David
Terence Blanchard's "Champion" delivers a powerful blow to the stage, not through physical force but with its emotional resonance. Based on the life of boxer, Emile Griffith, the opera is told through the memories of an older Griffith, (played by Reginald Smith, Jr.) Suffering from dementia and a lifetime of…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 29 January 2024 15:53
Pinteresque Playwright Deen is a Revelation with ‘Flood,’ a Comedy for the End of the World
Written by Bill Esler
Shattered Globe did its dramaturgy research very well, in bringing us the Chicago premiere of “Flood,” Mashuq Mushtaq Deen’s very funny, very fresh and highly relevant script. And boy does he have a gift for dialog. It is good, complex, and funny, and charged with barrels of meaning below that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
From the sunny shores of St. Thomas to the gritty streets of New York, from the violent brutality of the boxing ring to the raucous gay bar scene in the mid-1960s, Lyric Opera’s Champion is a sweeping saga of one man’s search for redemption and his true sexual identity. With…
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Theatre in Review
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"The Broads' Way," written and directed the one and only Ginger Minj herself, is a frolicsome foray through well-known Broadway musicals, from “Hamilton” to “The Sound of Music” (yes, you read that right: what does a drag queen do about Maria?!). In fact, the first piece was Gidget Galore singing…
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Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 20 January 2024 15:29
Trap Door Excels in Skillful Production of Brecht’s 1939 Anti-war Themed ‘Mother Courage and her Children’
Written by Bill Esler
“Mother Courage and her Children,” written in 1939 by German playwright Bertolt Brecht has been a challenging play for me, and having seen it prior to this Trap Door Theatre production, I wondered why, along with “Threepenny Opera” (1928), it is so popular among theater companies and actors. But I…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 19 January 2024 14:28
Porchlight Music Theatre’s 'Anything Goes' Features Standout Cast
Written by Lauren Katz
To those familiar with Cole Porter’s 1930s musical, you may recognize the opening notes as the live orchestra begins to play the title number. Reno Sweeney (played with dazzle by Meghan Murphy) bounds on stage, and the Opening Night crowd erupts in cheers. Sweeney takes in the applause and adoration…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 20 December 2023 17:06
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY is On Sale
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Broadway In Chicago and Runaway Entertainment are pleased to announce that individual tickets for Girl From The North Country will be on sale tomorrow, Friday, December 15. Ticket prices will range from $35 - $119 with a select number of premium tickets available. Girl From The North Country will perform a strictly limited engagement…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 December 2023 14:08
SHREK: THE MUSICAL – lots of jolly and its own shade of green
Written by Susan Lieberman
Sometimes you just need to go green. No, not a vegan diet and compostable paper plates, though a little more of each would help the planet. Go green with Shrek: The Musical, which runs through the end of 2023 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Music Theater Works’…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 27 December 2023 12:08
SHREK: THE MUSICAL—a Holiday Spectacular with a Moral to its Story
Sarz Maxwell
I wasn’t sure what to expect, not being an aficionado of animated / cartoon shows, but I figured hey, what the heck – it’s Christmas! And as it happens I have lots of good things to say about Music Theatre Works’ “Shrek: The Musical.” It fits the bill for a…
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Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 23 December 2023 13:33
“Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker,” is a revelation, an absolutely delightful spectacle
Written by Bill Esler
“Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker,” is a revelation, an absolutely delightful spectacle that may open for you a world of riches in music, choreography, and costumes—it did for me. Just as the 1892 Tchaikovsky “Nutcracker Ballet” is a holiday dream told in dance, so is this new Americanized (and to…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 22 December 2023 21:35
More Conspirators Fun: Ayn Rand's ‘It's a Wonderful Life’ Under the Direction of Diane Feinstein
Written by Bill Esler
You have be on your toes to catch The Conspirators productions, but it’s worth the effort. The troupe’s latest evanescent performance, just three days last week, was a take on holiday shows, actually a remount of the 2019 “Ayn Rand's ‘It's a Wonderful Life’ as Performed by the Conspirators,” but…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 17 December 2023 16:48
STOMP – A DEEP DIVE INTO THE LIFE OF A STOMPER
Written by Wesley David
For three decades, STOMP has captivated crowds with its dynamic percussion beats and mesmerizing performers. The sensational stage show is presently on a National Tour across the United States and has made a stop at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse! By seamlessly combining dance and performance with music generated from ordinary found items…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 13 December 2023 13:12
Review: The Hip Hop Nutcracker at Cadillac Palace
Written by Betsy Schmitt
As someone who has seen Tchaikovsky’s timeless holiday classic, The Nutcracker, performed many times over, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect last night at the Cadillac Palace’s presentation of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. But after experiencing the grandeur and soaring beauty of Tchaikovsky’s magical musical tale of a young…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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