David Henry Hwang’s latest is a multi-layered journey through culture clash that’s both hysterical and heartbreaking. But the show is more than just malapropisms and misunderstandings; it’s a deft look at longing, something that all societies share in spades. Cleveland businessman Daniel (James Waterston) travels to China, in a desperate attempt to attract business for […]
The shows at Chicago theaters this month will either leave you sore from laughing or humming a clever tune—whether it’s puppets, cupcakes, Sondheim, the misunderstandings of a foreign language, or the ruminations of an overweight comedian. Jeff Garlin’s “No Sugar Tonight” at Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre July 13-24 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago 312-335-1650 steppenwolf.org As […]
Emerald City Theatre’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” offers an updated twist on the classic Roald Dahl story. Greedy Augustus Gloop has been transformed into a 21st century “jock” who believes chocolate is good for his muscles, while bratty Veruca Salt is never far from her cell phone. The Oompa Loompas appear as puppets, expertly […]
The latest Cirque du Soleil show to hit Chicago is full of creepy, crawly insects. “OVO,” written and directed by Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker, is about a day in the life of bugs. The show begins in the morning when a new fly visits a community of insects, carrying a mysterious egg (“ovo” in Portugese) […]
If you loved the Oscar-winning movie “Chicago,” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah and Richard Gere, you’ll re-discover it in exciting ways at this short-run production. The talents of Broadway veterans Terra MacLeod as Velma, Ron Orbach as Amos and Tracy Shayne as Roxie are wildly evident, and John O’Hurley—who played J. Peterman on “Seinfeld” and […]
This play is an engrossing account of one woman’s struggle to make sense of her world after her police detective husband’s untimely death.
End of life issues punch us in the face in Northlight Theatre’s world premiere production of “The Outgoing Tide,” by Bruce Graham.
Charles Smith’s “The Gospel According to James,” dramatizes a real-life 1930 Indiana lynching, examining the wily nature of truth and who defines it.
Embedded inside everyone is a mortal clock. The timepiece ticks down the minutes until death.
When former lovers get cast as romantic leads in a 1930s melodrama, the line blurs between fake lip-locking on stage and real smooching. “Stage Kiss” is the latest collaboration by director Jessica Thebus and playwright Sarah Ruhl; most recently, Thebus directed Ruhl’s stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando” at the Court Theatre. But “Orlando” and […]
