Thursday, 22 May 2014 19:00
Black Ensemble Theater strikes solid gold with One Hit Wonders
Written by Ken Payne
In what could be the sleeper theatre smash of the summer, One Hit Wonders has just about all the ingredients a show would need to have the staying power for an extended run. And Chicago theatre fans should hope that to be the case, as this is a production that…
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Theatre in Review
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If you have any fondness for tales of the golden era of Hollywood, and in particular the work of the beloved movie star comedian, Jack Lemmon, you will thoroughly enjoy this moving and entertaining one man show starring Jack’s son, Chris Lemmon. Writer and director, Hershey Felder had a similar solid…
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Theatre in Review
It is always a pleasure to see a play by Neil Simon and Lost in Yonkers is always near the top of the list. Now playing at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, artistic director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans bring this classic to the stage under the direction…
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Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 07 May 2014 19:00
Billy Zane leads high caliber cast in The Sound of Music at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by Ken Payne
With so many ways to enjoy springtime in Chicago, The Sound of Music, currently being performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago, should certainly make your list of to dos. With acting heavyweight, Billy Zane, and Broadway star, Jenn Gambatese, leading the way, audience members are treated to a most memorable…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 05 May 2014 19:00
Get Your Hippie On with HAIR at American Theater Company
Written by Ken Payne
It may not be the age of Aquarius anymore, but American Theater Company is currently bringing back the days when hippies believed love was the answer for everything, the war in Viet Nam was being protested with demonstration after demonstration, racial barriers were being broken and psychedelic drugs were in…
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Theatre in Review
Blind optimism is put to the test in The Way West, a quirky but poignant story that reminds us of the downside of the American Dream and the methods we use to cope with the American reality. Reminiscing on manifest destiny and the Great Western Migration, writer Mona Mansour extrapolates…
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Theatre in Review
It is with high recommendation that I urge theatre goers and entertainment seekers alike to take in Drury Lanes’ production of the beloved classic, Les Miserables, in celebration of their 30th Anniversary. Multi-Jeff Award winning director of the production, Rachel Rockwell, stuck adamantly to the original storyline and stayed true…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 04 April 2014 19:00
CATS - Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire Breathes New Life into a Classic!
Written by Kimberly Katz
If you've never seen Cats before, or if like me you have seen Cats many times over the years, this is the production of Cats you should make the effort to take your whole family to enjoy. This production was skillfully and joyfully directed and choreographed by Marc Robin. Robin…
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Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 26 March 2014 09:54
Magic Carpet Ride: Houston Ballet's "Aladdin" brings magic to the stage at Auditorium Theater
Written by Kendall Royzen
The Houston Ballet might not have shown us the world (shining, shimmering, splendid), but they did present the city of Chicago with an incredible production of “Aladdin” filled with the same sorcery, riches, splendor, magic, love, and romance as we’ve come to expect from the heartwarming tale of an impoverished…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 16 March 2014 19:00
John Mahoney and Penny Slusher Create Stage Magic in Chapatti
Written by Ken Payne
In Christian O’Reilly’s Chapatti, what you get are two superb performances by two very gifted actors in John Mahoney and Penny Slusher. Directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones, Chapatti is the dark and often humorous story about the importance of companionship. Taking place in Dublin, Ireland, we meet Dan and…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 13 March 2014 21:22
Nothing But A Good Time - Rock of Ages at Bank of America Theatre
Written by Ken Payne
What’s better than a love story? Answer - A love story that takes place on the Los Angeles strip in the mid to late 1980’s during the height of hair band pandemonium. But what makes it even better is that Rock of Ages is a hilarious ode to such an…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 13 March 2014 10:57
More Fun Than a Milton Bradley Game: Barrel of Monkeys performs "That's Weird, Grandma: Behind the [Monkey] Music"
Written by Kendall Royzen
What's more fun than a Barrel of Monkeys? Milton Bradley has asked this question for decades and now a Chicago-based arts education theater ensemble, aptly named “Barrel of Monkeys,” begs the same question of their audiences. After seeing their newest performance of “That’s Weird Grandma: Behind the [Monkey] Music,” I…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 09 March 2014 19:00
Russian Transport - Defining Success, and Our Capacity for the Terrible
Brad Wiley
Russian Transport, currently running at Steppenwolf through May 11th, is, in playwright Erika Sheffer’s words, a story of “good people in bad circumstances doing terrible things.” Inspired by her own family of first and second-generation Soviet immigrants, and directed by fellow Eastern-European immigrant Yasen Peyankov, Sheffer’s story is an extremely…
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Theatre in Review
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