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
By Jeffrey Hatcher Directed by Charles Riffenburg Associate Directed by Cassy Schillo Produced by BoHo Theatre, Chicago Bizarre Mystery Play Keeps Its Secrets Since starting his career in the late 1980s, Jeffrey Hatcher has become famous as an adaptor, writing the screenplays of Tuesdays with Morrie and Stage Beauty, from his own play, Compleat Female … Read more
Book and Lyrics by Jessica Thebus Music by Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert Directed by Jessica Thebus Based on the Play These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich Produced by Northlight Theatre, Skokie New Musical is Radium-Yum-Yum-Yum-Yum Have you ever had a job that made you want to drink paint? The women at the Radium Dial … Read more
By Rob Drummond Directed by Max Truax At Strawdog Theatre Company Weird quiz show parody morphs into inner thoughts I ended up with conflicting thoughts about Strawdog Theatre’s production of British playwright Rob Drummond’s Quiz Show. Maybe if the early Quiz Show scenes were more like an authentic quiz show instead of getting those scenes … Read more
By Kelvin Roston, Jr. Directed by Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. Produced by Congo Square Theatre, Chicago New Play Inspires Action on Mental Illness That you or somebody you love could be mentally ill is a terrifying prospect. I think most people would feel helpless, and therefore ignore something potentially life-threatening. Even to someone with a … Read more
By Nancy Harris Directed by Joe Jahraus At Profiles, The Main Stage, Chicago Technical and script problems plague Our New Girl Irish playwright Nancy Harris’ Our New Girl is a troubled work on several levels. For the first 15 minute or so, a loud fan wailed above the stage rendering most of the early dialogue … Read more
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Music by Bob Gaudio Lyrics by Bob Crewe Directed by Des McAnuff Produced by Broadway in Chicago Jersey Boys a Rousing, Fun Time Chicago musical lovers may rejoice at the return of Jersey Boys, winner of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical. The second national touring production, … Read more
By Michele Lowe Directed by Kimberly Senior At TimeLine Theatre, Chicago Pillage of ancient Middle East artifacts becomes a personal mission for a dedicated patron It is 2003 in Iraq, just before the US invasion and Yasin Shalid (Demetrios Troy), the curator of a museum in Mosul, Iraq is obsessed with saving a key ancient … Read more
By Beth Henley Directed by Brad Akin Produced by Step Up Productions, Chicago Three Sisters’ Lives Make for One Dark Comedy This month in Chicago, playgoers can get a double-helping of dark comedies about southern families. The 1939 play The Little Foxes, about the thieving rich is playing at the Goodman, and at the Athenaeum … Read more
By Lillian Hellman Directed by Henry Wishcamper Produced by Goodman Theatre, Chicago Depraved Greed Shows Why Melodrama is Fun Modern writers are generally advised not to make the divide between good and evil characters too stark. But modern writers aren’t Lillian Hellman. And her 1939 play The Little Foxes depicts a time and place, 1900 … Read more