Saturday, 18 January 2020 11:27
Remarkable Music Drawn from Intriguing Undertale Video Game
Bill Esler & Kyran Esler
Not often drawn to live orchestral music, Undertale LIVE was an exception. Fifth House Ensemble and AWR Music produced the world premier of this remarkable presentation January 11 at the ornate 700-seat Studebaker Theater. Similar to a movie shown with live orchestra accompanying, Undertale LIVE is a 90-minute performance by…
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With their usual care and commitment, Black Button Eyes Productions is introducing ‘Whisper House’, a musical ghost story about loss, love and not giving up, to Chicago. The premise is promising. A young boy loses his Airman father in the Pacific during WWII, a loss that his mother cannot handle.…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 29 December 2019 20:47
Dance Nation Reminds Us of the Unlimited Promise of Youth
Written by Bill Esler
Dance Nation is the story of a school dance team of thirteen-year-olds. The concept may seem to have dubious appeal, but Dance Nation quickly sinks its teeth into our attention with its opening scene. Director and choreographer Lee Sunday Evans has put the students in sailor suits, and they rigidly…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 26 December 2019 13:28
'Champions of Magic' dazzle and stun at the Harris Theater
Written by Vika Lvova
Touring illusion show of five ‘Champions of Magic’ is playing at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago, and it is a spectacle to behold. A well-rounded performance, it includes a duo act of British grand illusionists Richard Young and Sam Strange, British mentalist Alex McAleer, American close…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 22 December 2019 12:39
A Lot of Little People: 'Working' at Theo Ubique
Written by CJ Burroughs
While I’m familiar with Studs Terkel’s oral of history of workers, titled of course ‘Working’, I came into opening night of Theo Ubique’s production of Stephen Schwartz’s musical adaptation completely ignorant of its content, its music, any of it. I didn’t know Schwartz had originally written and staged it in…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 22 December 2019 16:02
Mr. Bluebeard: a Blazingingly Good Holiday Extravaganza
Written by Bill Esler
Epic tragedy shapes a society. For Chicagoans, there were the Great Fire of 1871 (300 dead, 100,000 homeless), and the 1915 SS Eastland sinking (844 died). Less remembered is the Iroquois Theater, which burned to the ground in 1903. The conflagration killed 602 people, and changed fire safety practices in…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 16 December 2019 17:03
Review: ‘Light in the Piazza’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
Usually it’s the other way around that a show is developed by Lyric and sent on the road. Scenario Two Ltd. instead brings their critically acclaimed production of ‘Light in the Piazza’ from London to Chicago starring our own Renee Fleming. Those looking to warm their hearts without the glittery…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 11 December 2019 15:39
'Bette: Xmas at the Continental Baths' celebrate the holidays with a legend, "The Divine Miss M"
Written by Kimberly Katz
Caitlin Jackson as Bette Midler recreating one wonderful cabaret night at the Continental Bathhouse in New York city is a heartfelt, moving and entertaining way to remember and celebrate Bette's humble and "hungry" beginnings as a performer with the legendary “Tommy” (Tommy Robb) her pianist. I really can't say enough…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 13 December 2019 00:27
An Unforgettable Evening With Nat King Cole's Music
Written by Bill Esler
Who doesn’t like Nat King Cole? A band pianist who achieved mega-stardom in the late 1940s and 1950s, Cole’s pitch-true tenor was inflected by a nasal reverb, and that slight rasp that individualized him, making his voice on recordings still fresh, and endlessly interesting. Because of his immense talent, Cole…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 08 December 2019 14:00
'Twelfth Night' at the Lincoln Park Conservatory is the perfect winter escape
Written by Vika Lvova
For the fifth year in the row, the beautiful Lincoln Park Conservatory has become temporary home to Midsommer Flight’s annual production of Shakespeare comedy ‘Twelfth Night’. Admittedly, this was the main draw for me, as I love visiting the tantalizingly lush greenhouse space during Chicago’s colder months/ most of the…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 07 December 2019 13:35
‘The Tall Boy’ underscores the harsh realities of refugee children
Written by Michaelle Bradford
Veteran actress Tandy Cronyn, the daughter of legendary actors Hugh Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, helms ‘The Tall Boy’, in a solo performance. The award-winning play centered around the matron of an orphanage and three young boys, all convincingly played by Cronyn, is a meticulous look at what happens to child…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 11 December 2019 13:53
Stupendous! Ring in the holidays with 'White Christmas' at Cadillac Palace
Written by Ken Payne
You know it’s that time of the season when Chicago gets blitzed by one holiday production after another. And, while many of them are well done and thoroughly entertaining, there are just a few that really stand out each year. This year, one of them is ‘Irving Berlin’s White Christmas’…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 07 December 2019 14:26
Get ready for some unique holiday fun! 'The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque' at Den Theatre
Written by Mariah Sulaiman
The usual holiday tales that bring us together around the winter season fill us with joy but there has also been a not-so-usual tradition in Chicago that brings a titillating thrill to the holiday season! Who needs the Nutcracker Ballet, when you can have the Buttcracker Burlesque (#buttstuff)! The fantastical…
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Theatre in Review
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