Monday, 30 September 2013 19:00
Steppenwolf's "The Wheel" is a Powerful War Zone Panorama
Written by Zach Zimmerman
"The Wheel" is best experienced blank. Martha Lavey, the Artistic Director of Steppenwolf which is staging the American premier of the imaginative play, begins her well-penned program note with a Spoiler Alert. "Part of the wonder and mystery of The Wheel" she writes, "is in the unpredictable way the story…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 05 October 2013 19:00
All the Swayze You Want and More in Crazy for Swayze
Written by Ken Payne
Patrick Swayze fans brace yourselves. Crazy for Swayze – a Swayzical is here and is running at Studio BE through October 26th. Crazy for Swayze is a fun tribute to the late, great Patrick Swayze – one of our most beloved movie stars in the 1980s and 1990s. Even if…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 27 September 2013 10:35
Destination Not As Good As the Journey: The Trip to Bountiful at The Raven Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
There are times that I think the skepticism of my generation prevents me from enjoying a simple play, or at the very least accepting a play and not questioning the ending, the character’s motivations, or poking holes in plot points. My cynicism might have gotten the better of me this…
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Theatre in Review
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Just 30 minutes north of Chicago is a fantastic place to see some really amazing shows in the round. One of those shows is currently playing at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through October 13th – “9 to 5 the Musical”. Based on the wacky 80s film starring Dolly Parton,…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 01 August 2013 19:00
"Slowgirl" - Masterful, A Primer on Practical Forgiveness
Written by Kimberly Katz
Steppenwolf Theatre Becky, a 17 year old, played by Rae Gray, is involved with the death of a mentally handicapped friend at a party in Massachusetts. She is sent to visit for one week with her reclusive uncle, Sterling, played by William Petersen, at his cabin in a remote jungle…
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Theatre in Review
(Rosemont, IL ) – “THE RAT PACK IS BACK!,” a tribute to the legendary 1960s stars known as “The Rat Pack,” will play the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, for one-performance-only, Saturday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 12 at 10 a.m. Photos from the…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 24 June 2013 13:37
BUDDY! The Buddy Holly Story - Bringing a Musical Genius Back to Life
Kimberly Katz
Buddy! The Buddy Holly story, playing at Cadillac Palace, is a bright, breezy jukebox musical that really succeeds at bringing the musical genius of Buddy Holly back to life. Although the book by Alan Janes which has run successfully for 15 years in London’s West End needs a little perking…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 20 July 2013 19:00
"Belleville": The bloody, watery messes we make when we love and lie
Written by Zach Zimmerman
In a posh French flat in the Parisian neighborhood of Belleville, Abby walks in on her new husband Zack masturbating to porn. The Americans are living the dream: she teaches yoga in her fantasy city, he saves lives with Doctors without Borders, and the two couldn't be more in amour.…
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Theatre in Review
Drury Lane Theatre has big time summer fun this year. Presenting a revival version of the Tony Award winning comedy, Boeing Boeing, this is a show is filled with laughs with one hilarious scene to the next. Taking place in a 1960’s Paris, this is the story of Bernard, a…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 11 June 2013 19:00
“The Messiah Complex” - With a Little More “Messiah” Russell Brand’s Comedy Could Really Enlighten
Written by Kimberly Katz
TBS Just For Laughs The crowd at The Chicago Theater Just for Laughs Festival welcomed Russell Brand with a warm roar much like they would a rock star. Although Brand reissued much of his old material in the show he also got some huge laughs working the crowd spontaneously and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 15 June 2013 19:00
Bob Newhart Hits it Out of the Park as Anchoring Act for Just for Laughs Festival
Written by Ken Payne
Welcome back to Chicago, Bob Newhart. Returning to the city where he had grown up, Bob Newhart returned in style, this time anchoring an already terrific TBS Just for Laughs Festival at the Chicago Theatre. The veteran comic showed that he is still as funny as ever with a collection…
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Theatre in Review
The Oriental Theatre is hosting West Side Story for one week only. Playing from June 11th-June 16th, this classic musical still holds up to the test of time. Laced throughout with dazzling choreography reproduced by Tony Award nominee, Joey McKneely, West Side Story is a visual spectacle that rivals any…
Published in
Theatre in Review
It was standing room only at the Vic Theatre Thursday night, as one of the Just for Laughs Festival heavyweights, Nick Swardson, gave the crowd an evening to truly remember. With an arsenal of jokes that touched on everything from cats vs dogs to the Virgin Airlines “rave plane”, Swardson…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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