Lifeline Theatre’s new production, “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” is chock-full of family fun. The musical play, adapted from Mo Willem’s best-selling picture book uses quirky wit and humor to explore the importance of individuality and tolerance. Adapted for stage by Robert Zauzlaric, the story features Nathaniel Niemi as Wilbur, a naked mole rat who […]
No one merely watches, attends or patronizes musicals produced by Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre. Instead, audiences experience performance at the 50-ish-seat Rogers Park No Exit Café. The company’s 35th show since forming in 1997, the critically-acclaimed, Goodman Theatre-rooted, “The Light in the Piazza,” delivers this experiential component brightly. Key themes, coming-of-age and maternal protection, are […]
Visiting Ten Chimneys, the Wisconsin summer estate of American stage legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, is like taking a step back into a more sophisticated time. The Genesee Depot home bursts with mementos of their long dual careers, when they starred in the then-scandalous “Design for Living” – Noel Coward’s ménage a trois comedy […]
Undoubtedly, the year’s greatest assembly of stage talent and best legs converge at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre this St. Patrick’s Day week. “Riverdance,” the 18-year-old Irish dancing global phenomenon, says goodbye to Chicago with performances through March 18. The final U.S. tour of the original company closes June 17. To all observers, the talent of this […]
Pardon the mass expression of schandenfreude emanating from Lincoln Park’s Apollo Theater. But it takes a dive into a German dictionary to succinctly define the audience’s reaction to Emerald City Theatre’s musical retelling of the children’s book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” Schandenfreude means pleasure derived from the misfortune of […]
If you’re looking for a theatrical night of introspection and quiet anguish, “Bring It On” is probably not going to deepen your existential wonderings. But if you’re looking for an energetic, funny and witty musical—and yes, there are cheerleaders—you’ll love “Bring It On.” Loosely based on the 2000 movie, this Broadway-bound musical uses high school […]
Many decades ago, before even “Jesus Christ Superstar” began, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice presented a 15-minute pop cantata at a London school, telling-by-singing the “Genesis” story of Joseph and his brothers. Proving that, really, not just any dream will do—only the big ones, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” evolved into a global […]
Who would imagine that a Handel opera could be such fun? Lyric Opera opened a new production of the composer’s “Rinaldo” at the Civic Opera House, and the final opera in its 57th season is an extravaganza of music, drama, and plenty of side-splitting comedy! The story is slight. Crusader Rinaldo, sung gloriously by American […]
If you don’t know what “fml” means, then you probably aren’t a teenager. Teens are both the subject and the intended audience for Sarah Gubbins’ play “fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life” — but adults are also likely to appreciate this timely, heartfelt drama in Steppenwolf Theatre’s series for young audiences. For those of […]
The British colonization of Africa was a protracted, complicated cruelty whose ramifications still affect Africans today. Western ways supplanted centuries-old native traditions, wiping away tribal life. “The Convert” examines the negative impact of European “progress.” In 1890s Rhodesia, Catholic priest Chilford (Leroy McClain) strives to assimilate into encroaching British culture. He acquiesces to housekeeper Mai […]
