My love of Green Day peaked in middle school, and I probably would have loved “American Idiot” in my angsty, grungy tween and teen years. It’s really more of a rock concert than a musical. But, I’m not in middle school anymore, so I longed for the usual anchors of a theatrical show—a plot, character […]
Prospero conjures the story of his revenge over a magical dinner table in “The Feast: an intimate Tempest,” a reimagining of Shakespeare’s play. The piece, co-created and co-directed by Jessica Thebus and Frank Maugeri, is an original commission and artistic collaboration between Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Redmoon, performed in the Upstairs Theater at Chicago Shakes. […]
With the White Sox, Cubs and Bears rebuilding, their general managers look to identify burgeoning youth capable of next-level stardom. Kenny Williams, Jed Hoyer and Phil Emery ought to be discussing talent evaluation strategy with Drury Lane Theatre’s executive team. And they’d best be taking notes. For its second consecutive show, the Oakbrook regional theater […]
Sex and God are on everyone’s minds in Randall Colburn’s drama “Hesperia,” now playing at Writers’ Theatre. Of course, most of the human race has been thinking a lot about sex and God for thousands of years, but those simmering tensions between lust and religious faith are at a boiling point in the small town […]
A play about business? Really? Yes, really fantastic. I didn’t know what to expect when I heard about TimeLine Theatre’s latest production, “Enron,” an award-winning play by British playwright Lucy Prebble that debuted on Broadway in 2010 to mixed reviews. Would I be lost because I barely passed Econ 101? The glossary of business jargon […]
“Legally Blonde: The Musical” is a sassy celebration of superficiality that’s such a good time, you’ll be glad you joined the party. The musical follows the same story as the film: Bubbly UCLA sorority girl Elle Woods follows her blueblood boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, to Harvard Law School to prove she is serious enough to […]
Evanston native Melissa Thodos started her company, now known as Thodos Dance Chicago, with the dream of developing dancers in “a rounded way.” That meant not only providing opportunities for them to perform, but also to choreograph and teach—a hard-to-find trifecta in the dance world. As of this year, Thodos has helmed her own mid-sized, contemporary […]
The Brothers Grimm never imagined a story like this. Emerald City Theatre’s “Snow White as Performed by Professor TJ Barker’s Troupe of Theatricals” offers a unique twist on the well-known fairytale. Written and directed by the talented Ernie Nolan, the performance includes a play within a play that pays homage to vaudeville with its mix […]
American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky eclipses everyone on the stage in the Lyric Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida.” And it’s not just the cobalt blue gown she wears. The production, rich in melody and splendor, recently opened at the Civic Opera House. Her voice is so strong, her shading so stunning and her emotion so […]
A two-woman show with Chicago musical-theater favorites E. Faye Butler and Susie McMonagle should be a slam-dunk. And while this staging of the new show “Black Pearl Sings” at Skokie’s Northlight Theatre is worthwhile, its problem is that Black Pearl (Butler) doesn’t sing enough. And neither does her co-star. This is a play with several […]
