When I was younger, I thought that plays were these boring events that boring adults went to when they felt like socializing with other boring adults. As I’ve grown older (and wiser?) I have come to learn that sometimes this premise is not too far off from the truth.. but…
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Theatre in Review
There’s good theater and then there’s good attempts at theater. But there are also those rare occasions that a good theater makes a good attempt at a plain bad production; a good example of this is Sex Marks the Spot, a new political comedy by Charles Grippo. The play attempts…
Published in
Theatre in Review
The Drury Lane’s production of ‘Sugar’ can be easily summed up as the musical version of the legendary gender bender film ‘Some Like It Hot.’ The show is a revival of the 1972 Broadway musical with book by Peter Stone, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill with…
Published in
Theatre in Review
The Court Theatre’s revival of Athol Fugard’s classic Apartheid-era polemic Sizwe Banzi is Dead is the culmination of the collaborative Chicago Fugard Festival (other works were performed by the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and TimeLine Theatre). The play is a stark look at the impact of South African Apartheid policies…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 04 June 2010 22:21
You’re So Lucky You’re My Best Friend: The Odd Couple shows that opposites do attract
Written by Kendall Royzen
They say opposites attract. So what do you get when a recently divorced sportswriter and eternal bachelor acquires an uptight, compulsive hypochondriac as a roommate? You get a polarized reaction that is pure comedic gold. Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple comes to life at the Raven Theater with a witty…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 01 June 2010 21:09
Kim Katz Platinum Plus - “Fuerza Bruta” is Sensual, Exciting, and Life Affirming!
Written by Kimberly Katz
“Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” was hands down the most exciting, sensual, life affirming theater piece I have seen in years! From the moment you enter the theater, Fuerza Bruta, which means “Look Up”, takes the "fourth wall" and literally breaks it over the audience's head - explosive! When I…
Published in
Theatre in Review
From the Neo-Futurists website: Do you have what it takes to lord over your employees or are you doomed to a life in the mailroom? Find out in the Neo-Futurists' new interactive live musical game show. CRISIS is modeled after classic game shows of the 70's, 80's and 90's, challenging…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 25 May 2010 08:23
It Was A Momentary Lapse of Judgment: The Gay American at the Side Project Theater
Written by Kendall Royzen
The dimly-lit, small storefront Side Project Theater in Rogers Park lends itself perfectly as the setting of a seedy, closed-door meeting in which a closeted senator and his barely legal boy-toy would rendezvous; combine that with a superb cast and a flawless screenplay and the result is a the perfect-storm…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Improv. The very word can evoke an immediate response of laughter, or horror. So what a perfect combination it would make to combine Improv with horror? “Slasher” The Improvised Horror Show playing Fridays at 11:30 at the Gorilla Tango Theater combines improve with the classic formula of a horror flick.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 06 May 2010 00:06
Puppets Make Everything in Life Better for Now: A Review of Avenue Q
Kendall Hartenstine
When I heard of a Broadway musical starring foul-mouthed puppets I thought this could just possibly be the best thing ever. Avenue Q did not disappoint. It exceeded all of my expectations and more by delivering hilarious dialogue, witty songs and full frontal puppet nudity (which is always shocking). In…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 19:26
Billy Elliot – Good, but Not the Best Musical Ever
Written by Ken Payne
If you want dancing – amazing dancing, then yes, “Billy Elliot” certainly delivers, and does so with flair, imagination and precision. However, if it’s music you want to take home with you and hum around the house, you might be hard pressed to remember any of it. Despite the fact…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 16 April 2010 16:15
Into The Woods – Porchlight Music Theatre, April 9 – May 30, 2010
Miguel Harvey
Porchlight Music Theatre debuts a revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s modern classic Into The Woods this week at The Theatre Building on Belmont Ave. Though the show still has its kinks, a snappy pace (crucial for most Sondheim musicals), excellent set design, and some good performances make this…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 15 April 2010 11:04
A Profanely Good Time: A Review of Mick Napier’s “Swear Jar”
Written by Kendall Hartenstine
The dissident style of “Swear Jar” is a breath of fresh air in a comedic world filled with stale political and healthcare jokes. Imagine an uncensored Second City-style revue with the added bonus of a beer bar only a few feet away from your seat. That’s what you get with…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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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… -
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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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