Tuesday, 24 November 2015 21:38
"Burning Bluebeard" Has Become Rich Holiday Tradition in Chicago
Written by Kimberly Katz
Chicagoans' love for historical dramas and our ghost and gangster bus tours are very popular here, so it is not surprising that this very well written and performed ensemble play about the very real, tragic Iroquois Theater fire in 1903 that killed over six hundred people packed in for an…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 26 November 2015 00:42
Even Arquette's Funny Can't Save Sherlock Holmes
Written by Kimberly Katz
Broadway in Chicago and producers Starvox Entertainment and June Entertainment present “Sherlock Holmes”, starring the often very funny David Arquette in the title role that is based on the shrewd detective in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mystery novels. Now, I like David Arquette, I think he’s a talented comedic…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 24 November 2015 20:46
"That's Weird Grandma: The Holiday Special" Brings Big Holiday Laughs
Written by Eden Diez
Check out the Barrel of Monkeys on a first date, see if your date has a sense of humor. Take your 4th grader and laugh over ice cream after the show. Drag the whole office to the Neo-Futurist Theater and forget about the overwhelming stress for an hour, then return…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Use the bathroom before you take your seat at Theater Wit for Joe Mantello’s stage adaptation of David Sedaris’ now-classic holiday essay, Santaland Diaries. Trust me. The show runs one hour 20 minutes without an intermission. But more to the point, you will laugh your jingle bells off! Mitchell Fain…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 24 November 2015 22:11
Holidaze Touches the Heart with Six Poignant One-Act Plays
Written by Mariah Sulaiman
What do you do with your family over the holidays? Stay at home? Eat a meal together? Dress the tree? Give gifts to your work family? How do you show your loved ones you care for them? Step Up Productions and its HoliDaze one-acts continues its 3rd season and supports…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 19 November 2015 21:15
Review: Fulfillment at American Theatre Company
Written by John Accrocco
Sex sells as the old adage goes. It may be marketable, but you have to ask yourself what it has to say. Likely sex will dominate the discussion among patrons of Thomas Bradshaw's new play at American Theater Company. With bold direction by Ethan McSweeney, Fulfillment will undoubtedly ruffle some…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 18 November 2015 21:03
Review: Never the Sinner at Victory Gardens
Written by John Accrocco
Apparently thrill-killing isn't a new sign of the gradual breakdown of society. John Logan's historical thriller "Never the Sinner" explores the trial of wealthy, local killers Leopold and Loeb in what was once hailed as the crime of the century. Director Gary Griffin brings this story to life in an…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 07 November 2015 21:00
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin - The Unmitigated King of One Person Shows
Written by Kimberly Katz
“Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music. Emotionally, he honestly absorbs the vibrations emanating from the people, manners and life of his time and, in turn, gives these impressions back to the world—simplified, clarified and glorified.” - Jerome Kern There are shows that make one proud…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Here we go again. Wow, this year went by fast! Christmas is again just around the corner, which means it’s time to bring on the holiday plays! This year one of the funniest Christmas shows of the season will certainly be “Elf”, now playing at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Based…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 20 October 2015 13:08
Jolly Roger, Booty and Ratty Seadogs - Yo Ho Ho for "Treasure Island" at Lookingglass!
Written by Ken Payne
Shiver me timbers! Child actor John Francis Babbo delivers a knockout performance to lead, what can be called nothing less than a stellar cast, in Lookingglass Theatre’s world premiere production of “Treasure Island”. Based on the classic children’s novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1883, Mary Zimmerman vividly adapts…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 18 October 2015 16:10
An Evening of Work by William Forsythe Moves with the Audience with Accuracy and Danger
Written by Kimberly Katz
In the first piece titled, "N.N.N.N.", in the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Fall Series at Harris Theatre, two men and two women dance in silence except for the occasional sounds of their breath and grunts of exertion, which are both a relief to hear and even comical in places. Forsythe…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 13 October 2015 11:34
"Good for Otto" A Masterful Exploration on the Importance of Mental Health Care
Written by Kimberly Katz
I was expecting a great work of art from David Rabe, the American Tony Award-winning playwright, screenwriter and author, famous for his Vietnam trilogy (“Sticks and Bones”, “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel”, “Streamers”), as well as other notable plays, like “Hurlyburly” and “In the Boom Boom Room”. I was…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 07 October 2015 17:17
Step Up Production's "Barefoot in the Park" Lukewarm in Love Department
Written by Kimberly Katz
Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" is one of my favorite comedies. Simon so perfectly captures the dynamics of a new couple moving in together as newlyweds and the pressures that begin to erode or test their love as soon as they move in. Cory and Paul's lack of money…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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