The Goodman Theatre’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” is a Chicago tradition that has filled families with holiday spirit for 34 years. If attending this show hasn’t made your yuletide to-do list yet, this year is a good time to start. “A Christmas Carol” tells Charles Dickens’ tale of the stingy, cold-hearted curmudgeon Ebenezer […]
Three dazzling sopranos electrify the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Richard Strauss’ “Ariadne Auf Naxos.” Composed in 1912, “Ariadne” is equal parts high-minded love story and raucous, rustic comedy. It begins with a conflict between a high-strung classical composer and a group of commedia dell’ arte players, both engaged as entertainment at the […]
Tennessee Williams and Harold Pinter aren’t usually thought of as joined-at-the-hip dramatists. The former favored florid self-dramatizing southern gothic tragedy, while the latter is famous for what isn’t said in his “comedies of menace” peppered with those oft-analyzed pauses. But thanks to Writers’ Theatre, I now see both as masters of domestic, territorial battles that […]
The sprawling cast of characters in “Season’s Greetings” includes a dashing young novelist, who says his writing is “painfully witty or wittily painful—I forget which.” That’s also an apt description of what British playwright Alan Ayckbourn was aiming for with “Season’s Greetings”—a mix of humor and pathos. The play has plenty of both, and a […]
Chicago theaters take on tradition this December. December is not just any month. The last month of the year is designated for gathering with friends and family to partake in age-old traditions, such as attending midnight mass, lighting the menorah and making the trek to your great Aunt’s annual cookie exchange. From Sedaris to Irving […]
It’s not unusual for intellectual recitations to flow from the bowels of old Evanston buildings. That’s why Piven Theatre Workshop’s current premiere staging of Rebecca Joy Fletcher’s “Cities of Light” fits right in at the Noyes Cultural Center in Northwestern University’s shadow. Make no mistake, this is no “Mary Poppins,” but then again, it doesn’t […]
The sound of slender reeds opens a story of political intrigue, plots and crimes in Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov.” Lyric’s music director Sir Andrew Davis conducts this grim masterpiece, which is based on Pushkin’s play of the same name and recounts events from late 16th century Russian history. Boris is sung by an Italian bass, Ferruccio […]
A doctor’s life’s work is depicted … On the main stage out Lincolnshire way At the Marriott Theatre for young-uns Where the shows all run during the day It’s a rhyming bonanza of color and fun An excellent show is this, “Seussical” The book, score and acting, directing and such Would make this a fine […]
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s new production, “Goodnight Moon the Musical” is anything but sleepy.
3-D is all the rage; just take a look at current movie offerings.
