Musical adaptations of movies don’t have to be “all or nothing” propositions.” But “Big Fish” deserves to be just a little bit … bigger. Chicago-area theater-lovers again have the opportunity to see great entertainment before it hits the stage on Broadway, and this latest world premiere does not disappoint. The book by John August and […]
An energetic ensemble cast, combined with expert tap dancing and gorgeous costumes, makes “42nd Street” at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire a must-see. Before appearing on the Broadway stage in the 1980s, “42nd Street” was a movie musical that came out during the Depression, serving as pleasant distraction amid bread lines and surging unemployment. With […]
When Evanston native Anna D. Shapiro won a Tony award for directing “August: Osage County” in 2008, it changed her life. Only the second American woman to ever receive the award for Direction of a Play, Shapiro now finds herself in the enviable and unfamiliar position of being able to pick and choose her projects. […]
“Voltaire is a relatively recent writer for me to adapt,” says Tony Award-winning Director Mary Zimmerman. She was having lunch on the tiny outdoor balcony on the fourth floor of the Goodman Theatre during a rehearsal break for Goodman’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway musical “Candide,” based on the novella by Voltaire. The show […]
“Theater is a living, moving art,” says Susie McMonagle, the Evanston actress who is starring in the Chicago production of “Billy Elliot.” “It’s a collaborative work of art; that’s what I love about it,” she says. And the theater loves McMonagle right back. She is “Mum” in “Billy Elliot,” which is a great tear-jerker […]
When the laurel-laden production “Billy Elliot the Musical” opens in Chicago in March, it will star 3 young boys with astonishing talents. The dancers will alternate in the role, and Broadway in Chicago introduced the trio—and their moms and caretakers—to the press Sept. 10. The Broadway show, based on the 2000 film about an […]
