By George Bernard Shaw Directed by Dan Foss and Kerstin Broockmann Produced by Rogue Theater, Chicago “If you don’t like my preaching, you must lump it. I really cannot help it.”—Shaw A Most Shavian Dialectic Brings Nietzsche to the Stage If you enjoy George Bernard Shaw’s philosophical musings in audio form, Don Juan in Hell … Read more
Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman Music by Lucy Simon Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett Directed by Charles Newell Music Director Doug Peck Choreographer Katie Spelman At Court Theatre, Chicago Stunningly staged and sung, Newell and Peck’s production of The Secret Garden a major triumph! When director Charles Newell and music director … Read more
By Walt McGough Directed by Megan A. Smith Produced by Sideshow Theatre Company At Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater End of the world sci-fi fable features two determined woman struggling to reconnect Playwright Walt McGough’s Chalk arrives in Chicago after a two -city (Boston) rolling world premiere. Set in a barn at the end of … Read more
Written and Directed by Anthony Moseley Co-written by Adam Seidel Produced by Collaboraction, Chicago Theatre Shares Stories of Activism Since the debut of Crime Scene in 2013, Collaboraction, a theatre company dedicated to social activism, has made the “docu-drama” the centerpiece of their youth and neighborhood outreach programs. Now, they have produced a sequel, which … Read more
By Jaki McCarrick Directed by Julie Proudfoot Produced by Artemisia, Chicago On the Way to Australia, it’s the Journey that Counts It’s an interesting coincidence that at the time the Republic of Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage through popular referendum, Artemisia would be doing the American premiere of a play about … Read more
from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos adapted by Christopher Hampton Directed by Charlie Marie McGrath Produced by AstonRep Theatre Company At Raven Theatre’s West Stage Curious timeline confuses French 18th Century novel adaptation Why director Charlie Marie McGrath chose to put de Laclos’ 1782 epistolary novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, in 20th Century Russia in … Read more
By Colleen Murphy Directed by Patrick New Produced by Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. At Angel Island, Chicago “It’s not your fault.” -Kathleen Lingering effects of a massacre are vividly depicted With so many school and work place shootings in America (and Canada) over the last twenty or so years, we shake our heads, then put them … Read more
By Roland Schimmelpfennig Translated by David Tushingham Directed by Elly Green Produced by Trap Door Theatre, Chicago Trap Door’s Strong Production Helps Compensate for Script German writer Roland Schimmelpfennig’s 2004 play The Woman Before is a dark fantasy about the worst possible results of jealousy and clinging to the past. It’s a universal theme, and … Read more
By Steve Martin Directed by Josh Anderson Produced b y Organic Theater Company At the Greenhouse Theatre Smart, funny absurdist play reflects on the nature of genius and creativity. Famed comedian, actor, banjo player and playwright, Steve Martin’s 1993 PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE, now in a spirited ensemble production by Organic Theater Company at … Read more
By Moliere Translated by Ranjit Bolt Directed by Alexander Gelman Produced by Organic Theater Company, Chicago Tartuffe Struggles to Find Its Style Tartuffe, Moliere’s classic tale of hypocrisy and duplicity, is perennially popular, but hard to get right. The rhyming couplets, absurd behavior, and infamous deus ex machina ending all suggest a high-energy unreality, but … Read more