Friday, 12 October 2018 00:00
A Powerful Parable of Insidious Gamer Hate Groups: Fun Harmless Warmachine
Written by Bill Esler
The new show running at the Den Theater, Fun Harmless Warmachine, may surprise you. While treating the world of video games, which struggles for recognition against more established art forms, it delivers an important commentary on a powerful social phenomenon. Video games are a cultural mainstay; when a new game…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Having been close with many people with disabilities over the course of my life, I’m often hesitant when it comes to media about such individuals. Too often, books or films or plays dealing with disabilities end up being either demeaning to the folks who have them or cloying and saccharine…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 06 October 2018 21:20
Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Oriental Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
Before the curtain rose for the start of the Oriental Theatre’s current traveling production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the sole image onstage was a giant silhouette of the character most associated with the beloved tale — a tale told in Roald Dahl’s original novel, in two Hollywood films,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 08 October 2018 01:36
Overlit 'Boheme' fails to illuminate
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2018-19 season with Puccini’s beloved “La Boheme” last Saturday evening. Essential to any Puccini production, more than most other composers, is a faithful rendition of the specific intentions of the composer, whose theatrical instincts were equal to if not better than his musical gifts.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 08 October 2018 11:04
Steep Theatre’s ‘Zürich’ provokes and entertains
Written by Vika Lvova
If shock is the intent, then the opening scene of ‘Zürich’ is right on. The set: a hotel room, cleverly separated from the audience by a glass wall, furnished with a bed, a couple of tables and a mini-fridge. In the first scene it’s a couple of complete strangers who…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Ask yourself, do you have hope that things can get better? The word itself certainly echoes back to a different political climate in America. Now it seems the very word has been replaced with fear. Jen Silverman’s new play ‘Witch’ is holding its world premiere at Writers Theatre in Glencoe.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 30 September 2018 17:44
Review: 'Indecent' at Victory Gardens Theater
Written by John Accrocco
“A blink in time.” is a phrase repeatedly projected throughout Paula Vogel’s play ‘Indecent’ now running at Victory Gardens. The line could have many interpretations but perhaps it means that the nature of theatre is but a blink in time. Plays are ephemeral, especially where fickle Broadway audiences are concerned.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 September 2018 17:39
"Sweet Charity" is Full of Great Dancing, Humor and Positive Messages for #MeToo Generation
Written by Kimberly Katz
I was so excited to see this production of " Sweet Charity" partly because I remember Shirley MacLaine’s spectacular dancing in the film version of this very funny Neil Simon hit play. The main character Charity Hope Valentine, played with pizzazz by Anne Horak, is a dance hall girl who…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 15 September 2018 20:15
Drury Lane's "Little Shop of Horrors" everything you'd want in a man-eating plant musical
Written by Ken Payne
Catchy songs, hilarious characters and a man-eating plant. Little Shop of Horrors now playing at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook has it all. With music by Alan Menken that fall in the style of 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and Motown, we get a soundtrack that helps deliver this humorous…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Friday, 14 September 2018 18:03
Review: ‘The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?’ at Rivendell Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Has there ever been a more capable playwright to handle bestiality than Edward Albee? ‘The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?’ is probably Albee’s last great play after a decade-spanning career that garnered handfuls of Tonys and Pulitzers. ‘The Goat’ was shortlisted for the 2003 Pulitzer and the original Broadway production…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 15 September 2018 17:53
You will believe - Communion: An Evening of Magic
Written by Vika Lvova
Who doesn’t like magic? I love to be fooled just as much as the person next to me. Make me believe in supernatural powers and I’ll admire everything that’s dished out, even if some of it is a little loose and perhaps lacks a certain showmanship. Well, magician Brett Schneider…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 11 September 2018 16:25
America’s Corporate Culture is Laughing Matter in "Borealis"
Written by Vika Lvova
There’s something so effortlessly optimistic in the way the old meets the new in the charmingly vintage Chopin Theater. And it’s just the perfect fit for The House Theatre of Chicago that calls Chopin Theatre home. The House Theatre’s 17th season opens with a brand-new work written by guest artist…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 11 September 2018 16:09
Review: Shattered Globe's "Crime and Punishment"
Written by John Accrocco
Literary adaptation for the stage can be tricky. Even trickier is bringing the complex work of Dostoyevsky from the page to the stage. Shattered Globe opens its season with Chris Hannan’s 2013 version of ‘Crime and Punishment’. Under the direction of Louis Contey, this unique production is fresh and exciting.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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