Those were my first words when I left the performance of COCK to David Zak, producer and resident wizard of Open Space Arts, and he dared me to say it in my review so—here you go, DZ! But COCK truly is. F***king amazing, I mean. Really. I’ll introduce the venue…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 07 April 2024 22:35
Enchanting Feats: A glowing review of ‘Look Closer with Joshua Jay’
Written by Kimberly Katz
If you’re a magic enthusiast, Joshua Jay’s captivating new show, Look Closer, is currently enchanting audiences at the Rhapsody Theater. But even if you’re not a seasoned magic fan, this show promises to leave you spellbound. Joshua Jay, the Society of Magicians’ 2020 Magician of the Year, has recently concluded a successful New…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 06 April 2024 22:15
Welcome to The Jungle: The Choir of Man Rocks Chicago
Written by Kendall Royzen
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Sometimes you want to be surrounded by people to experience the intimacy of being in public. Lately the types of places where someone could venture to for either experience are dwindling in numbers. It's the loss of third places, a place…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 01 April 2024 11:12
'American Fiction' Oscar Boosts Percival Everett's Latest Work, 'James,' at 'Authors on Tap'
Written by Bill Esler
Author Percival Everett is having his moment, and Exile in Bookville gave us a chance to meet him up close and personal, part of the bookstore’s ongoing Authors on Tap series at the lovely Studebaker Theater in Chicago. Everett is the author of “Erasure,” which was adapted for the Oscar winning…
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Theatre in Review
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‘Jersey Boys’ is back in Chicago, bringing with it a little East Coast to the Third Coast. The hit Broadway musical about the lives of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons played for over two years in the mid-00s at the CIBC Theater and helped establish Broadway in Chicago as…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 28 March 2024 15:11
Take Flight and Feel the Magic with ‘Peter Pan: The Hit Broadway Musical'
Written by Bree Samani
After many years without seeing the movie or reading the story of Peter Pan, the moment I learned that Peter Pan: The Hit Broadway Musical was coming to Chicago, my inner child couldn’t contain its excitement. I arrived at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, quickly found my seat, and noticed joyful children…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:16
“Navigating Family, Truth, and Legacy: A Must-See Journey in ‘Purpose’”
Written by Wesley David
The expansive, opulent home exudes an air of solid middle-class comfort, boasting a formal dining area, an upright piano, and multiple doors leading to various sections of the house. A bay window graces an alcove, while a grand staircase ascends to the sleeping quarters on the second floor. Adorning the…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:32
Review: Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's "Love Song' at Theater Wit
Written by Susan Lieberman
When a play’s opening moment is mystifying and its closing moment is satisfying, the stuff in between must be doing its job. John Kolvenbach’s Love Song presents us with a young man in a spartan room, silently observing a lamp that seems to have a mind of its own. Love?…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:12
Eddie Izzard performs Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" in limited engagement, April 19–May 4
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces today a thrilling addition to the season: Tony Award-nominated actor Eddie Izzard brings her celebrated solo theatrical performance of Hamlet to Chicago, direct from a triple-extended New York run at the Orpheum and Greenwich House Theaters and prior to launching a highly anticipated London transfer at Riverside Studios. Izzard portrays 23…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 22 March 2024 13:06
Review: A Streetcar Named Desire at Copley Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
If there's one play every American should see in their lifetimes, without a doubt it's Tennessee Williams' perennial classic A Streetcar Named Desire. It's the type of play that transcends theatre and stands alone as one of the best contributions to contemporary literature. Its complexities and social commentary make it…
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Theatre in Review
I love all things Shakespeare, particularly modern iterations and adaptations of his works, and I’ve had good experiences with Idle Muse Theatre Company. So naturally when I learned that Idle Muse was mounting a new version of "What the Weird Sisters Saw," I was pretty excited. Fifteen years ago, when…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 17 March 2024 02:42
Music Theater Works’ ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ a sparkling and witty production
Written by Kimberly Katz
Who will the best speller be? Who will be able to withstand the pressures of competition? Who wants it the most? I’m sure these are among the questions you must be asking yourselves once the play begins. Well, without giving the ending of the story away, I’ll just say that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 15 March 2024 09:08
Margaret Atwood's 'The Penelopiad' Is a Zesty Romp, Even If a Bit Cerebral
Written by Bill Esler
“The Penelopiad” is a zesty romp and very entertaining. With a script by a writer I adore, Margaret Atwood of “The Handmaid's Tale” fame, and based on her novella by the same name, it tells the story of Odysseus’ wife Penelope (played stunningly by Jennifer Morrison)—and how she occupied herself during…
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Theatre in Review
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Raven Theatre announces the 2026-27 season
Written by Buzz Center StageRaven Theatre, under the director of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Berry, announces its 44th season, to include Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop, directed by Mikael Burke in a co-production with About Face Theatre; Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, directed by Raven Executive Artistic Director Jonathan…
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