Saturday, 14 September 2019 16:04
Winning Direction Anchors Caryl Churchill’s Hilariously Disturbing Play, Love and Information
Written by Bill Esler
Directors say Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information is a challenging play, but in good hands, it is a treasure. And this is what we have at Trap Door Theatre’s production – an absolutely enthralling experience directed by Kim McKean. It is like a tightly scripted improv show, packed with familiar…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 08 September 2019 16:11
Marriott Theatre's 'Something Rotten' Wonderfully Celebrates the Romance of Words!
Written by Kimberly Katz
The only "rotten" thing about this super funny and colorful production is the title, a line taken from a Shakespeare play. ‘Something Rotten’ is the latest comedy-musical at Marriott Theatre and is full of laughs. I went to the show not knowing anything about its brief Broadway debut in 2015 and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 08 September 2019 16:42
'Midsummer (A Play with Songs)' invites you to a weekend you’ll never forget
Written by Michael Chandler
It’s a rainy night in Edinburgh, a divorce lawyer name Helena is sitting alone in the corner of a pub. She has just been stood up by her lover who so happened to be married to another woman. Across the room is a petty criminal named Bob who’s reading Notes…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 September 2019 12:39
Review: Shattered Globe's 'Be Here Now' at Theater Wit
Written by John Accrocco
How odd that a play about nihilism could be so uplifting. ‘Be Here Now’ at Shattered Globe is just that. Shattered Globe ensemble member Sandy Shinner directs a new play by Deborah Zoe Laufer. A small, mostly ensemble cast opens the season with a relevant play about the state of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 05 September 2019 23:24
D.H. Lawrence Sons and Lovers: Beautiful Performances Worth Seeing
Written by Bill Esler
When we meet Paul Morel, he is just being born. A bearded gentleman off to the side offers commentary on the scene as the nurses attend to his mother. That narrator turns out to be D.H. Lawrence, and he reappears regularly in Sons and Lovers, adapted and directed from Lawrence’s breakthrough…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Out of Love by Elinor Cook examines the dynamics of a close, at times even unhealthy and overly enmeshed relationship, between two women friends. Cook artfully displays that elusive quality of intimacy that courses between people who are too close – an almost inexpressible aspect of the attraction that keeps…
Published in
Theatre in Review
I’ve said it before and I’ll surely say it again: We Chicagoland theatergoers find ourselves wandering through — lost in, even — a fairyland of shows and venues and world-class talent. And never was that more evident than when I experienced the Writers Theatre’s current production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 29 July 2019 16:24
Drury Lane's 'And Then There Were None,' A Murder Mystery that Shocks and Delights
Written by Kimberly Katz
As with any good mystery, suspense, intrigue and surprise are the key elements in making a successful story that keeps one on the edge of their seat and keeps you guessing. ‘And Then There Were None’ at Drury Lane in Oakbrook has it all. And even though I have seen…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- And Then There Were None
- Drury Lane Theatre
- Agatha Christie
- Whodunnit
- Cher Alvarez
- Matt Decaro
- Jennifer Engstrom
- Marilyn Dodds Frank
- Casey Hoekstra
- PaulJordan Jansen
- Zachary Keller
- David Kortemeier
- yousof sultani
- Paul Tavianini
- Bruce Young
- Jessica Fisch
- theatre
- Oakbrook
- Kimberly Katz
- Buzz Center Stage
Thursday, 01 August 2019 23:47
Role-Players Take Soap Opera from Screen to Life in Calderon's Kiss
Written by Bill Esler
Kiss produced by Haven Theatre (and playing at The Den Theatre) is a stealthily crafted play. Delightfully engaging, loaded with laughs, it tells the story of two couples, none married, who double date regularly to watch soap operas at one of their apartments. Kiss is also a theatrical event for…
Published in
Theatre in Review
More...
Thursday, 18 July 2019 12:12
‘Over the Tavern’ packs a punch in its return to TATC
Written by Ken Payne
Theatre at the Center brings back ‘Over the Tavern’ fourteen years after the 1950’s comedy brought audiences to their feet. Finely directed by Ericka Mac, ‘Over the Tavern’ is set in 1959 and is a comedy centered around the Pazinski family. Devout Catholics, young Rudy (Logan Baffico) is a precocious…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 28 July 2019 22:35
What Evil Lurks Below The Darkened Landscape of Manchester’s Pomona?
Written by Bill Esler
Pomona at Steep Theatre is among the most exhilarating productions I have seen this year. Directed by Robin Witt, who selected this imaginative script by British playwright Alistair McDowall, the play follows a familiar theme in British crime dramas: the disappearance of working girls, spirited away in this case from…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
As the Chicago premiere of Dave Malloy’s Ghost Quartet was set to start, a cast member walked across the stage, stopping to thank us for attending before adding, “See you on the other side,” in the spookiest voice and with the spookiest face, setting the stage for more than an…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 25 July 2019 15:39
Strange Brew in Magically Noir 'Strange Heart Beating'
Written by Bill Esler
After seeing Strange Heart Beating, I felt the less said about this show, which is a murder mystery at its heart- the better. Its characters struck me as unrealistic, the dialog veers to wooden at many points, and the story is outlandish and complex. Yet in describing its storyline to…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Register
Login
Latest Articles
-
Spaceman: Into the Quiet Terror of the Void
Written by Ken PayneSpaceman, presented by [producingbody], touches down at The Edge Off-Broadway with a quiet, unnerving force, pulling audiences into the fragile headspace of an astronaut drifting far from home and even farther from certainty. Under Eric Slater’s beautifully calibrated direction, playwright… -
Inside a Real ‘Fire House’ You Are Immersed in Phantasmic Lives of Firefighters
Written by Bill EslerSet in Chicago’s oldest fire station (now Firehouse Art Studio) the immersive play "Fire House” is only loosely tethered to a realistic portrayal of what fire fighters do. What it conveys is an impressionistic vision of the experience that fire… -
Spamalot Is Every Monty Python Fan’s Dream Come to Life
Written by Angelo CamposSpamalot rides into the Windy City courtesy of Broadway In Chicago, inviting theatergoers to join King Arthur’s quest now through May 31 at the CIBC Theatre. Fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail - the 1975 cult classic -… -
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…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.