At a few moments during “Black Watch,” it sounds as if fighter jets are actually dropping bombs inside the Broadway Armory on Chicago’s North Side. Everything seems joltingly real—the roar of aircraft, the shock of explosions, the flashes of light. But as impressive as those effects are, what makes playwright Gregory Burke’s “Black Watch” so […]
Two North Shore natives have collaborated once again to bring innovative and captivating theater to Chicago in the Court Theatre’s production of “Orlando.” Director Jessica Thebus instills playfulness and poignancy in Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando,” which explores what it means to be a man and a woman through sex and history. “Orlando” […]
The acting is brilliant in this production in which actors play people who are trying to be actors. It’s a two-hour, no-intermission staged reality show about theatre. A community center offers a 6-week creative drama course. A free-spirited teacher takes a class of 4 through weekly acting exercises. Although the activities seem daft, the sequential […]
If I had a dollar for every adult who said, “I just ask my kids to download music for me”—I would be a rich woman. It’s the trend (or the curse) of the busy adult—have the kids do it for you. But do you really like the music they choose? Most of you say not […]
A most agreeable stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” opened March 19 at Northlight Theatre. The production is commendable for its fidelity to the text and spirit of this esteemed author’s first novel, which, though I should not be so bold as to mention it, was rebuffed many times before its publication in […]
“How Can You Run with a Shell on your Back?” is a delightful romp for audiences of all ages. The musical, directed by Dominic Missimi, tells the story of six students, all with unique personalities and foibles, who bond together through the creative retelling of several of Aesop’s fables. Together, the kids learn the importance […]
Viper Alley in Lincolnshire is the hot new music venue on the North Shore. It’s part restaurant, part concert venue, part nightclub, part bowling alley. The space is cool—the decorating is “industrial chic” with cement walls and floor-to-ceiling windows, so you feel like you’re in a downtown loft. The space is versatile and can be […]
After its tear through Europe, Broadway and the Tony Awards, “God of Carnage” has stormed Chicago as a bitterly funny critique of our best intentions. “Carnage” tells the story of two sets of parents trying to deal amicably with the bullying occurring between their sons. Veronica and Michael Novak invite Annette and Alan Raleigh to […]
Call out the fire trucks! The Lyric Opera’s second cast for Bizet’s “Carmen” is hot. The popular opera, which runs at the Civic Opera House through March 27, has been infused with new blood and its gripping drama flows fiercely toward its brutal finale, when Carmen pays for her sins with her life. Making her […]
Like Studs Terkel himself, the musical “Working,” based on his book of interviews, celebrates men and women from all walks of life. Some characters love their work, others hate it—but either way, the 1-hour-40-minute, no-intermission show explores the many ways that work can give meaning to our lives. In this revised version of the ‘70s […]
