A celebration of the late, lamented August Wilson dominates Chicago’s theater scene in March and April, while at Victory Gardens, another African-American scribe tells a story inspired by today’s headlines. Other highlights include critically praised stories set in Ireland and terra incognita. “Two Trains Running” and August Wilson Celebration March 7 to April 18 August […]
It’s no surprise that a play called “White Guy on the Bus” is about racism. The white guy in the title—a rich suburban financial wheeler-dealer named Ray—is the only white person on that bus. He sits down next to an African American woman named Shatique, who’s on her way to visit her brother in jail. […]
The characters in “Rapture, Blister, Burn” spend most of their time talking about topics that American women have been grappling with for decades, including the difficulty of choosing between family and career—or the struggle to find time for both. Playwright Gina Gionfriddo’s comedy feels at times like a college class on feminism, but it’s a […]
By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, expect a blizzard of holiday entertainment. But while Santa, Scrooge and George Bailey are waiting in the wings, November offers other sorts of theater: classic stories by Agatha Christie, Louisa May Alcott and Lewis Carroll, as well as a dramatic new perspective on the Virgin Mary. Lookingglass Alice Opens […]
Don’t assume theater groups will be around forever. Many fine ensembles and companies have folded over the years, for one reason or another. And now, the future of Evanston’s Next Theatre is uncertain. All the more reason to turn out for Next’s current season. Don’t take your favorite local theaters for granted. They need your […]
Ghosts and devils often mingle with living human beings in Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s dramas. If there are any supernatural elements in his latest play—which is debatable—they aren’t quite so obvious. But the play is called “The Night Alive,” a title that hints at hidden forces in the darkness. The Chicago premiere of “The Night […]
September is the start of a new season, and Chicago theaters are aiming to make a big impression. Isaac’s Eye Through December 7 While Writers Theatre builds a new Tudor Court venue designed by star architect Jeanne Gang, it will stage two shows this season in its 50-seat space at Books on Vernon—plus a site-specific […]
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 […]
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 […]
Summer brings movie and TV stars, including Michael Cera and Sandra Oh, to Chicago stages. But local stars, like Joyce Piven, are still big attractions on the North Shore. Heading north for summer fun? Check out the American Player’s Theatre in Spring Green, Wis. Death and the Maiden June 13–July 13 Sandra Oh of “Grey’s […]
