Book by Roger O. Hirson Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Directed by Diane Paulus Produced by Broadway in Chicago At The Palace Theatre, Chicago An Enticing Circus Spectacle As a show about the seductiveness of glamor and theatricality, Pippin can’t skimp on design and technical aspects. Thankfully, the producers of the touring version, now … Read more
By William Shakespeare Directed by Lavina Jadhwani Produced by Oak Park Festival Theatre A Young Shakespearean Attempt at Comedy If you are a theatre company dedicated to performing the works of Shakespeare, you have the blessing of about a dozen high-quality plays with large fanbases to select from. And if your theatre company was founded … Read more
By Aaron Posner Directed by Jonathan L. Green Produced by Carlisle Hart, LLC Originally Produced by Sideshow Theatre At Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago A Chekhov for Our Theatre Stupid Fucking Bird was the second new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull I saw in a week, demonstrating the hold that the Russian author and his … Read more
Devised and performed by Albany Park Theater project Directed by David Feiner, Mikhail Fiksel, Halena Kays, Stephanie Paul, Maggie Popadiak and Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez At the Goodman Theatre’s Owen Stage, Chicago Impressive teen performance art tells of immigrant food interests The Albany Park Theater Project (APTP), revives their performance art show Feast from 2010, which … Read more
By Terrence McNally Directed by Steven Fedoruk Produced by Eclipse Theatre Company, Chicago Journey to Self-Fulfillment is Unsatisfying I said in my review of Eclipse Theatre’s last production, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, that Terrance McNally’s 1991 play is like a time capsule which makes its AIDS-related turmoil as immediate as if we had traveled back … Read more
Adapted and Performed by Ronald Keaton Based on the teleplay “Winston Churchill” by James Humes Directed by Kurt Johns Produced by SoloChicago and the Greenhouse Theater The Making of a Hero in WWII Nostalgia It was a few weeks shy of a year ago that Ronald Keaton opened his one-man show Churchill at the Greenhouse … Read more
Lyrics by Gertrude Stein, Adapted by Frank Galati Music by Stephen Flaherty Directed by Allison Hendrix Produced by Kokandy Productions At Theater Wit, Chicago “Rose is a rose is a rose…” “Very fine is my valentine, very fine and very mine. Very mine is my valentine very mine and very fine. Very fine is my … Read more
By Ed Howard Directed by Anthony Whitaker Based on the novel Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg Produced by new American Folk Theatre in association with Redtwist Theatre At Redtwist Theatre One person show almost works Charlie Irving bravely tackles a one person memory play about a young woman who grows up … Read more
By Robert Tenges Directed by Adam Webster Produced by The Side Project, Chicago Everything’s Terrible, and Everybody Sucks Naming his newest play Whatever was a bold move on Robert Tenges’s part. The author, who has a longstanding relationship with The Side Project, specializes in drama about teenage struggles, and in the past, has been praised … Read more
Music by Leo Fall German libretto by Rudolf Schanzer & Ernst Wellisch English Translation by Gerald Frantzen & Hersh Glagov Stage Director Amy Hutchison Choreographer Sara Stewart Schumann Conductor Anthony Barres Produced by Chicago Folks Operetta At Vittum Theater, Chicago Risque bedroom farce Viennese operetta is hilarious, well sung with wonderful melodious music making it … Read more