Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell Directed and Choreographed by Rachel Rockwell Musical Direction by Doug Peck Produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater Dark Humor Makes Musical About Dead Kids All the Better If you were an artistic director, and somebody pitched to you the idea of a musical about teenagers … Read more
By Geraldine Aron Directed by Siri Scott Produced by Irish Theatre of Chicago At Chief O’ Neill’s Pub, Chicago Terrific performance by Barbara Figgins saves one-person Irish play Usually a one-person play is about a famous celebrity, a politician, or notable person, but in Geraldine Aron’s 2004 one woman show, My Brilliant Divorce, the woman, … Read more
By Elizabeth Irwin Directed by Sandra Márquez Produced by Teatro Vista Playing at The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, Chicago Fan Service For the Political Man Teatro Vista opened its 25th Anniversary Season this week with Elizabeth Irwin’s My Mañana Comes, a drama about the back-of-house lives of four busboys that endure the grind of their … Read more
Book and Lyrics by Peter Gwinn Music by Jody Shelton Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Pazdernik Music Direction by David Kornfeld Produced by Underscore Theatre Company Playing at The Chopin Theatre, Chicago Clichés Can Be Fun Underscore Theatre Company is dedicated to developing new musicals and guiding works that are not yet fully-formed. While you … Read more
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
Book, Music & Lyrics by Willy Russell Directed by Fred Fred Anzevino Music Direction by Jeremy Ramey Choreography by Maggie Portman Produced by Theo Ubique At No Exit Cafe, Chicago “Did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins / As like each other as two new pins?” -The Narrator from Blood Brothers Blood … Read more
Zoe Kazan’s limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames, streaming on Netflix. One of the more substantial stage versions was Frank Galati’s adaptation for Steppenwolf Theatre Company (2015), directed by Terry Kinney. Below is a comparison highlighting key differences between that production and the series; the original Chicago Critic … Read more
Book & Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman Music & Lyrics by Steven Lutvak Choreographed by Peggy Hickey Directed by Darko Tresnjak Produced by Broadway In Chicago At The Bank of America Theatre, Chicago Satire: the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of … 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