“Hercules’” by Handel: PTSD in Ancient Greece
Handel’s “Hercules” recently opened at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with a question as new as today’s headlines and as ancient as the Acropolis.
Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” Comes to Skokie
Heidi Kettenring is best known for her role as Elphaba’s spoiled sister in the Chicago production of “Wicked”—but now, she’s playing a very different sister. The Evanston resident plays Elinor Dashwood in Northlight’s current world premiere of Jane Austen’s beloved “Sense and Sensibility.” As Elinor, who brings the “sense” to romantic Marianne’s “sensibility,” Kettenring had […]
Blue Man Group Revs Up Its Technology
Blue Man Group has rebooted its 13-year-old show at Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre to include the latest fascination of the human species: technology. During a preview for reporters and special guests last week, the 3 men of Blue Man Group applied their unbridled curiosity to new gadgets on stage, breathing new life into the show. […]
Lookingglass Theatre’s “Ethan Frome” is Short and Haunting
“Ethan Frome,” a story about poverty and hardship, probably isn’t your first choice for a fun evening out—but it’s worth a trip downtown anyway. Superbly acted amid evocative sets, this play isn’t three-hour melodrama, but a piercing one-and-a-half-hour, no-intermission engagement. If you need a refresher on Edith Wharton’s classic tale, adapted by Evanston native Laura […]
Robots and Theater Mix in “Heddatron”
“Heddatron” is an imaginative romp that programs literature to interface with robots. Throw in a media cover-up, reality television and a school book report, and the output is laughable! With so much going on, this 1-and-a-half-hour, no-intermission show is a triple play well worth seeing. Using documentary-style film footage, the play chronicles the recent robot-led […]
Tickets for the Award-Winning Musical “Next to Normal” on Sale Now
The smash hit Broadway musical, which won three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, will be playing at the Bank of America Theatre for a limited engagement April 26–May 8. Individual tickets for “Next to Normal” go on sale on Friday, February 25. Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in […]
Theater Packages: Cheaper by the Dozen
Subscription packages to local theaters and music venues are a great deal The best gifts are the ones that keep on giving. For Evanston residents and newlyweds Marc and Emily Zarefsky, it was season tickets to the Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire. Gifted to the couple by Marc’s parents, who themselves have been season ticket holders […]
Broadway Star of “Les Mis” Returns to New Trier
North Shore native Betsy Morgan, who currently stars in Broadway in Chicago’s “Les Miserables,” launched her musical theater career right here in Chicago. She landed a role in “Mamma Mia!”—even after a flustered audition. “I forgot my shoes outside the room, I went in with bare feet and I swore by accident,” she remembered. “They […]
Gilman's "A True History of the Johnstown Flood" at the Goodman
Rebecca Gilman never thought about being a playwright until as a freshman at Middlebury College in Vermont she entered a playwriting competition. “It was sponsored by the Dramatists Guild of America and was chosen for their new plays festival,” said Gilman. “I think that was when I got hooked.” Now, after a remarkable career she […]
Joffrey’s “Merry Widow” Adds Depth to Lehar’s Tale
Luscious music, elaborate sets, and color-saturated costumes grace this production. The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago’s show is based on Franz Lehar’s operetta of the same name. It boasts breathtaking choreography by Ronald Hynd, who came in to recreate the dances from his 1975 story ballet. The story is set in the Paris embassy of Ponteverdro, […]
