After half an hour into Loy Webb's "Judy's Life's Work," I found myself silently reciting the dialogue, though not necessarily every line, as the familiar narrative unfolded predictably before me. The tale revolves around a classic trope: a familial feud over inheritance. While it pays tribute to the themes of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 13 February 2024 17:32
In One-Woman “Love Songs Are Weird” Comedic Singer Rachel Silvert Goes for the Laughs
Written by Bill Esler
Rachel Silvert plumbs the lyrics of a dozen of Broadway’s classic romantic songs, in “Love Songs Are Weird—and other reasons I’m single,” a one-woman cabaret show at Davenport’s Piano Bar on Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Silvert often begins the numbers by singing pieces straight up, then breaks between stanzas or…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Friday, 09 February 2024 16:02
Timeline Theatre NOTES FROM THE FIELD is a Deeply Moving and Unforgettable Experience
Written by Lauren Katz
Why do we learn about history? This question has been asked for ages and is often met with the response: So that history does not repeat itself. When it comes to plays about history, that question is often met with some version of the same answer. We witness historical events…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 05 February 2024 15:39
'Stardust: From Bach to Bowie' Breaks to Bonds of Traditional Ballet Casting
Written by Kimberly Katz
I really enjoyed this unique program of ballet created and choreographed by Dwight Rhoden (formerly of Alvin Ailey) and Desmond Richardson and performed by Complexions Contemporary Ballet company that features an interesting combination of the music of Johann Sebastian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach along with the prolific rock icon, David Bowie.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
I remember when my dad, then a much younger man than I am now, had just lost his first parent. Anything—a TV show or a song or a greeting card or something he’d read—that hinted at aging or mortality could be an emotional trigger and start him crying. Most of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 07 February 2024 12:45
'Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue' Pays Glorious Tribute to Four of the Greatest Comediennes of Any Generation
Written by Kimberly Katz
I absolutely adored Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue directed by Eric Swanson, now playing at Broadway Playhouse. Having grown up in Miami, Florida with my working single mom when the show actually began airing, the Golden Girls have always been a nostalgic favorite for me. The only stage creations I've seen of Golden Girls have all…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 05 February 2024 12:26
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – tableaux that reach through time and space
Written by Susan Lieberman
It’s hard to believe that Fiddler on the Roof turns 60 this year. It’s even harder to believe that the show, which opened on Broadway in 1964, can still take an audience by surprise. In continuous production around the globe, and with brides continuously walking down the aisle to “Sunrise,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 04 February 2024 08:33
Review: 'Sunsets: Two Acts on a Beach' at Open Space Arts
Sarz Maxwell
SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH is a long-lost diamond by unsung genius Cal Yeomans. Yeomans, despite his myriad talents (playwright, poet, actor, artist, educator, lecturer, photographer, real estate investor, land developer, and philanthropist) was an unfortunate example of the prophet in his own land: only posthumously are his masterful…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 02 February 2024 15:07
Dana Delaney shines in true-life tale of computer love in Goodman's 'Highway Patrol'
Written by Kimberly Katz
I thoroughly enjoyed this modern and timely play on both the issues of Hollywood stars whose lives are constantly scrutinized by complete strangers and how easily it is for any person now to be fed false information online in ways that can affect their lives either positively or negatively regardless of the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
More...
Friday, 02 February 2024 19:34
A Cut Above; 'In The Heights' flies high at Marriot Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
On any given day, when I walk out my front door, I’d see a quiet suburban street. Most families stay within their, rarely venturing out unless the temperature is a cool-but-warm 70 degrees, content with their healthy skepticism of their neighbors, keeping to surface level ‘how-do-you dos’ or ‘how-is-the-family?’ There’s…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 01 February 2024 12:38
A Champion’s Struggle: Sexuality and Power Collide in Terence Blanchard’s Opera
Written by Wesley David
Terence Blanchard's "Champion" delivers a powerful blow to the stage, not through physical force but with its emotional resonance. Based on the life of boxer, Emile Griffith, the opera is told through the memories of an older Griffith, (played by Reginald Smith, Jr.) Suffering from dementia and a lifetime of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 29 January 2024 15:53
Pinteresque Playwright Deen is a Revelation with ‘Flood,’ a Comedy for the End of the World
Written by Bill Esler
Shattered Globe did its dramaturgy research very well, in bringing us the Chicago premiere of “Flood,” Mashuq Mushtaq Deen’s very funny, very fresh and highly relevant script. And boy does he have a gift for dialog. It is good, complex, and funny, and charged with barrels of meaning below that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
From the sunny shores of St. Thomas to the gritty streets of New York, from the violent brutality of the boxing ring to the raucous gay bar scene in the mid-1960s, Lyric Opera’s Champion is a sweeping saga of one man’s search for redemption and his true sexual identity. With…
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.