Thursday, 07 November 2019 01:01
A New Play Called ‘N’ Grazes a Third Rail in Social Conventions
Written by Bill Esler
We all know that certain words are verboten in polite society - some because they are coarse, like expletives; others because they are demeaning or belittling, or off-limits. One of these – the N-word – is the hook that triggers the action in a new play, called, simply, ‘N,’ at…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 04 November 2019 13:53
Review: 'Dead Man Walking' at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
What separates a musical from an opera? Technically an opera is a story in which all the dialogue is exchanged through song. Hence the term rock opera, which describes modern musicals that have little to no spoken dialogue. Such semantics may seem trivial, but as the world moves forward traditional…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 01 November 2019 15:49
Theatre in the Dark's 'Three Stories Up' delivers a truly unique theatre adventure
Written by Ken Payne
What better props and scenery than that in one’s own imagination? And what better way to give each audience member their own unique experience than to let each follow their own journey guided only by storytelling without any visuals to distract, detract or force its own interpretation of what we…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 30 October 2019 18:08
The Joker’s Disciple? An Amazing Actor in Accidental Death of a Black Motorist
Written by Bill Esler
Sometimes tragedy is so extreme, our only response is to be driven to distraction – like that character in a graphic novel pushed off the edge, laughing in the abyss. Or think of the performance of Joaquin Phoenix in The Joker. A work springing from this sentiment is playing live…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 08 January 2020 15:33
Riveting, heartfelt and sure to shake things up: 'I'm Not A Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce'
Written by Ken Payne
*Now extended through February 16th due to popular demand “Lenny Bruce was the defender of all people. Notorious from his belief that people give words power. It’s not the words itself, but the intention,” says playwright and performer Ronnie Marmo in the show’s playbill - A Note from the Playwright…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 27 October 2019 00:49
Fresh Insights in a Merchant of Venice Set in Mussolini's Fascist Italy
Written by Bill Esler
Triggered by Shylock’s role, Invictus Theatre gives us a strong production of The Merchant of Venice. One of Shakespeare’s most accessible plays, The Merchant is seasoned with timeless lines: “Love is blind”, “Let me play the fool,” “The quality of mercy is not strained,” “the devil can cite Scripture for…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 22 October 2019 15:59
Is it love or a side-effect? 'The Effect' at Strawdog Theatre
Written by Michael Chandler
What brings people together? Similar interest, physical attraction, and availability? Or could it be just a side effect of the medication the doctor prescribed? Strawdog Theatre Company kicks their 32nd season off with the Chicago Premier of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect. Tristan, a cheerful young man hungry to see the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 20 October 2019 13:55
Revenge Is Served Cold W/ A Side Of Human Flesh in Bill Daniel's 'Hell Followed With Her'
Written by Michael Chandler
How many times have you heard someone say they went to see a western/zombie play? Most people would dismiss the idea of a western/zombie story especially one being played out on a stage. The two genres don’t seem to mesh well together when you put them in the same sentence.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 19 October 2019 22:27
Love Dares to Speak (and Sing and Dance) in 'A Man of No Importance'
Written by Bill Esler
There is something immensely endearing in the passion that community theater groups bring to the stage. A Man of No Importance captures exactly these qualities, as its cast plays a troupe preparing for a production of Oscar Wilde’s Salome. Set in 1964 Dublin, Ireland, A Man of No Importance was a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 17 October 2019 17:25
Review: Porchlight's 'Sunset Boulevard' at Ruth Page Center for the Arts
Written by John Accrocco
Few shows this fall have been as highly anticipated as Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of ‘Sunset Boulevard’. Porchlight artistic director Michael Weber directs Chicago stage superstar Hollis Reznik in this vibrant revival. Aaron Benham conducts a full orchestra that really showcases the sweeping Andrew Lloyd Webber score. ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 14 October 2019 13:46
You be the judge in Millie Rose’s 'Bloody Bathory'
Written by Michael Chandler
The season of fall has arrived. The skies are filled with clouds, the leaves have turned orange and brown and have trickled down onto the ground. As the city grows darker so does our theatre. The Barrens Theater Company kicks down the door to start the Halloween season with an…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 13 October 2019 12:14
In Mosquitoes, Good Performances Don't Redeem Overblown Script
Written by Bill Esler
Playwright Lucy Kirkwood was named “Best Newcomer” when her first play debuted in London in 2009. Her Chimerica played to acclaim all over, including a well regarded production at Timeline Theatre in 2016. Kirkwood’s 2017 Mosquitoes, now running at Steep Theatre, depicts today's societal clashes between advocates of post-Enlightenment rationalism,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Tuesday, 08 October 2019 12:55
"The Facts of Life – Satan’s School for Girls" is a Rollicking Good Way to Get Your Halloween On!
Written by Kimberly Katz
Here comes Halloween, one of my favorite holidays of all and, of course, the incomparable Artistic Director David Cerda of Hell in a Handbag Productions along with composer Andrew Milliken have created a Halloween camp extravaganza that is sure to satisfy even the blood/laugh thirstiest of Handbag's extensive loyal fan…
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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