Just about every work of historical fiction takes liberties with the facts, but some take more liberties than others. “Isaac’s Eye,” Lucas Hnath’s play about 17th-century scientist Isaac Newton, takes a lot. It’s more fable than documentary. But this play, now at Writers Theatre, is completely upfront about that. It tells you right away: Most […]
After watching Ruth Madoff on “60 Minutes” in 2011,Amanda Peet was inspired. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her,” she says in the play’s program notes. “There’s an insane, communal craving—fomented by our media culture—to have access to the private matters of famous people; the more deeply personal, the better,” says Peet, who herself has been […]
When the Wilmette Theatre celebrated its centennial, the sold-out event showed the power of a community coming together to save an historic theatre. More than 60 businesses donated cash, goods and services to support the event on September 13, 2014, and more than 200 people attended with many guests making donations toward the Centennial Celebration. […]
The phrase “Mind the Gap” was first introduced in London in 1969 to warn rail passengers about the gap between the train door and the station platform.
“New York, New York! It’s a helluva town!” So opens “On the Town,” sung by three American sailors—Gabey, Chip and Ozzie—who are on 24-hour leave in New York City for the first time. They’re hopeful, curious and excited to go “on the town” and see what the city has to offer, both culturally and romantically. […]
Superstar chef Rick Bayless and Lookingglass Theatre are restaging “Cascabel” (now officially known as “Rick Bayless in Cascabel”) this month at The Owen Theatre at Goodman. Rather than review the show again—news flash: it’s still great—I had the opportunity to sit down with Rick himself at Frontera Grill to talk about the show, the creative […]
Fifty years have passed since the original Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof” was first performed at New York City’s Imperial Theatre in 1964. It’s not hard to understand, though, why the musical’s heartwarming story and endearing characters remain as timeless to our generation as the age-old Jewish traditions and customs were a continual […]
Do you have a desire for sex with someone other than your loved one? What if you could fulfill that sexual urge and still keep a happy and healthy relationship with your partner? These questions are examined in Bruce Norris’ “The Qualms,” now playing at Steppenwolf Theatre. When Chris (played by Greg Stuhr) and his […]
The voters have spoken! Thousands of readers took the time to tell us what they find best about the North Shore and Chicago. This year, over 90,000 verified votes were cast in over 11 categories in our annual Best of 2014 awards, and we couldn’t be prouder you responded in such numbers. Here are our […]
The mythical village Brigadoon appears in Scotland’s Highlands once every hundred years. After a day, it vanishes back into the mists, its people frozen in time for another century. “Brigadoon,” the 1947 Broadway musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, isn’t quite as difficult to see as the town itself—but it has disappeared from […]
