Jacob Davis Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa Directed by L. Walter Stearns Produced by Mercury Theater Jaunty Addams Family Fun The Addams Family, The Musical, had a rocky start in Chicago back in 2009, before I started reviewing. It transferred to Broadway after a significant rewrite, where it was … Read more
By Horton Foote Directed by Cody Estle Produced by Raven Theatre Dark Comedy in Changing South Among the vast number of American plays that riff on Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and depict arguments over a house, Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate is a bit of a rediscovered gem. Though it premiered in 1989, a short … Read more
By Brett Neveu Directed by Brant Russell Produced by Signal Ensemble Theatre Illustrated Example of Friendships Withering Under Pressure As people get older, their changing bodies and responsibilities necessitate different interests, lifestyles, and sources of pride. Those who can’t adjust are in for a hard time, particularly as financial stress becomes less tolerable. Signal’s United … Read more
By Bruce Graham Directed by BJ Jones Produced by Northlight Theatre Modern Revenge Tragedy is Brutally honest but Fascinating Northlight Theatre’s promotional materials keep the details of its world premiere play, White Guy on a Bus, under tight wraps. It’s something to do with racial tension, revenge, and a white guy riding a bus. Going … Read more
By Samuel Beckett Directed by Ron OJ Parson Produced by Court Theatre Shall We Go? Yes, Let’s Go. Waiting for Godot is one of the plays that provokes a reaction just by saying its title. Difficult, elusive, and easy to blunder with, few works evoke such a strong mixture of love and hate from everyone … Read more
Adapted by Emma Stanton, Thom Pasculli, and Nigel O’Hearn Based on Full Circle by Charles Mee Directed by Thom Pasculli Produced by Oracle Theatre Epic Theatre Done Right “And if I ever come back here again it will be to see you pissing yourself because you have come to the end of the line with … Read more
Adapted and Directed by Kirsten Kelly From William Shakespeare Presented by Chicago Shakespeare Macbeth for Young People Introduces Magic of the Stage Part of Chicago Shakespeare’s core mission is to share theatre with young audiences. To that effect, they put on abridged versions of Shakespeare’s plays for school audiences, and the public is admitted on … Read more
Music by Leonard Bernstein Book by Arthur Laurents Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Directed by Rachel Rockwell Music Direction Roberta Duchak Choreography by Rhett Guter Produced by Drury Lane Theatre West Side Story Cruel, but Sophisticated Theatre artists who claim to place great value on innovation and relevance often demand 1950s and 60s musicals justify themselves. … Read more
By Anne Washburn Directed by Jeremy Wechsler Produced by Theater Wit Excellent Mr. Burns Gets Better With Time Will remote posterity say Matt Groening was our Euripides? Playwright Anne Washburn imagines they will. Set following an inexplicable nuclear holocaust that reduces America to a dark age, Mr. Burns depicts the afterlife of our pop culture, … Read more
Music and Lyrics by Pete Townshend Additional Lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon Book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff Directed by Jim Corti Conducted by Tom Vendafreddo Produced by Paramount Theatre Rock Opera Delivers Incomparable Spectacle and Energy Paramount’s production values are a reliable reward for making the trip out to Aurora. The … Read more