Jacob Davis Music by Gioachino Rossini Libretto by Jacopo Ferretti Directed by Joan Font Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis Produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago Rollicking Music with a Dramatic Flavor is Opera at its Best It’s a fun time to be an opera fan. Later this season, the Lyric Opera of Chicago will perform Alban Berg’s … Read more
47th Annual Jeff Awards Ceremony
By Hamish Linklater Directed by Joanie Schultz Produced by Steep Theatre Company, Chicago The Full Devastation of Ordinary Betrayals Exposed A year ago, Hamish Linklater’s first play, The Vandal, enjoyed its Midwestern debut at Steep Theatre Company, and was widely praised by critics, including me, as a bewitching examination of loneliness and loss. The artists … Read more
From the Novel by John Steinbeck Directed by Terry Kinney Produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Steppenwolf’s fortieth season is a transitional period for the famed company. It is the final season selected by former artistic director Martha Lavey, and the first under the tenure of Anna Shapiro. In a nod to tradition, it opens … Read more
By Caryl Churchill Directed by Shawn Douglass Produced by Remy Bumppo Playing at the Greenhouse Theater, Chicago Life is Full of Feelings and Stuff If you have formal artistic training, at some point, you were probably in a class in which you were instructed to write a scene in a minute. Then, to make sure … Read more
By Neil Simon Directed by Skye Robinson Hillis Produced by Spartan Theatre Company At Royal George Theatre, Chicago Neil Simon’s Journey Inside the Mind Choosing plays wisely is crucial to any theatre, and particularly ones just starting out. Therefore, I’ve been thrilled by the choices of Spartan Theatre Company, a young itinerant group, which came … Read more
By Ayad Akhtar Directed by Kimberly Senior Produced by Goodman Theatre, Chicago Co-Produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre A Multicultural Doll’s House Although the Goodman’s production of Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced is something of a homecoming, the play having debuted only three years ago at American Theatre Company, the enthusiasm of the audience … Read more
By Bruce Graham Directed by BJ Jones Produced by Northlight Theatre, Skokie The Lives of Absurdists and Vaudevillians Meet Earlier this year, Northlight debuted Bruce Graham’s White Guy on a Bus, a story about revenge, race, and political correctness, which starred Francis Guinan. Less than a year later, the company, managed by Graham’s frequent collaborator … Read more
By Christina Calvit Adapted from D.E. Stevenson Directed by Dorothy Milne Produced by Lifeline Theatre, Chicago A Satire with a Lot of Heart A feel-good story works best when it’s smart. And Lifeline Theatre has a story that’s both smart and light-hearted in Miss Buncle’s Book, a new play adapted from a 1934 novel by … Read more
By August Wilson Directed by Ron OJ Parson Produced by Court Theatre, Chicago Following Goodman Theatre’s amazing production of Two Trains Running earlier this year, the commemorations on the tenth anniversary of August Wilson’s death continue with an equally outstanding production of his second-to-last play, Gem of the Ocean, by Court Theatre. It features some … Read more