Song, dance and history lessons are in store for audiences of Schoolhouse Rock Live! The beloved 1970s cartoon series comes to life at theMarriott Theatre for Young Audiences with a spirited production that pays homage to learning through music. Directed by George Keating (one of the original co-creators of the show), the musical tells the story […]
One can hardly glance at his or her Facebook news feed without being cleverly implored a time or eight to “Dream BIG!” Perhaps Tony Award-winner Andy Blankenbuehlerisn’t on Facebook. Because the director of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” playing Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre through March 30, only offers audiences a peek […]
I’ll admit it—I’m a huge Sondheim fan. But even so, I never saw his “Road Show” (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman) in any of its previous iterations, and there have been a few. The first workshop production in New York was titled “Gold!” and later “Wise Guys;” it opened in […]
March’s local stage highlights include the return of “Cats” and a play about an Irish cat lady. And if felines aren’t your thing, witty words should be plentiful in new plays at the Goodman and Piven. Chapatti March 7–April 13 American theaters have imported many great plays from Ireland over the past couple of decades, […]
Anyone using a cell phone today, which is pretty much everyone, knows texting in ALL CAPS indicates the texter is shouting. So unsuspecting potential patrons of Broadway in Chicago’s “Rock of Ages” should know first, this hit musical is REALLY LOUD. This second national tour, from producer Phoenix Entertainment, is also REALLY GOOD. It’s a […]
The characters in “Russian Transport” sprinkle their conversations with Russian phrases. Sometimes, they switch over to the language of their motherland for a whole sentence or two. But you don’t need to be fluent in Russian to understand what they’re talking about. The Slavic accents—and the way these émigrés fluidly move back and forth between […]
In-the-know patrons of Chicagoland musical theater would pay good money to hear Jeff Award-winnerCory Goodrich sing the alphabet. Through March 30, they should do just that as she lends her formidable vocal and instrumental talents to an A to Z hootenanny of Johnny Cash hits in Theatre at the Center’s staging of the jukebox musical […]
Often referred to as one of the great American musicals, “Gypsy” is brought to new life onstage in celebrated director Gary Griffin’s current production at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. With music by Jules Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents, the musical grabs you from the gorgeous Overture—filled with snippets of one […]
The promo materials tout six current productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” around the world. This includes flagship London West End’s production (27 years and counting) and the Broadway staging at New York’s Majestic Theater (approaching 26 years). Producer Cameron Mackintosh’s reimagined North American tour, gracing Chicago’s Cadillac Palace through March […]
Powerhouse Broadway veterans and an ensemble of sexy dancers barely pause this week to genuflect to the city lending its name to their marquee. Their pause is well worth planning around. Because this national tour of the John Kander/Fred Ebb musical “Chicago,” at the Bank of America Theatre through March 2, may be the only […]
