The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead: Simply Stunning
One word offered up by my friend summed up our experience at the opening performance of “The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead.”
Summer’s Splendid Theater Fare
Chicago’s summer theater scene runs the gamut—from serious to silly, musical to moving.
In-Jokes for the Musical In-Crowd: “[title of show]” at Northlight
The meta-musical isn’t all that new an idea.
A Mesmerizing New Production of Eric Carle Classics
You’ve never seen a puppet show like this before! Eric Carle’s stories come to life in a magical new performance produced by Chicago Children’s Theatre and the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. The show, “A Brown Bear, a Moon and a Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle,” showcases three of Carle’s time honored classics with […]
Lend Me a Tenor
It feels good to laugh, and Citadel Theatre’s production of the popular farce “Lend Me a Tenor” has everything from chuckles to just plain guffaws. The little stage in the 150-seat theater on the west campus of Lake Forest High School rocks with the antics of overblown characters who find themselves in bizarre situations. And […]
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre: "Timon"
“Timon of Athens” is not among Shakespeare’s greatest hits, but its production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater directed by the company’s founder and artistic director Barbara Gaines, is surprisingly powerful.
"The Iceman Cometh" at Goodman Theatre
The combination of Eugene O’Neill, Brian Dennehy, and Robert Falls has yielded huge artistic returns over the years for the Goodman. Falls’ current staging of O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” raises the already-formidable stakes by tossing the star wattage of Nathan Lane into the mix. But even if you go into this long (five hours with […]
"Encores" at Piven Theatre
Joyce Piven and her late husband, Byrne Piven, began telling stories 40 years ago at their eponymous theater. Creating a distinctive theatrical style, they started with a show based on some of Anton Chekhov’s stories. Evanston’s small but influential Piven Theatre is now celebrating its 40th anniversary with show aptly titled “Encores.” It isn’t a […]
Heavyweight "Hairspray" a Brilliant Homage to Dick Clark
It’s hard to watch “the nicest kids in town” without reflecting on the iconic “American Bandstand’s” place in the nation’s history. And the death of Dick Clark just days before Drury Lane’s opening of the musical, “Hairspray,” makes it darn near impossible. That’s mostly a good thing. With introspection evident in the opening night crowd, […]
This Year for Mother’s Day Say It With Live Theater
With May comes celebration of the hardest job on the planet—motherhood. What better way to say thank you to the woman who facilitated one’s worldly existence than the gift of live theatre? These Chicagoland offerings deserve to be included among this May’s flowers. MARRIOTT LINCOLNSHIRE THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES “JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT” […]
