By Sharr White Directed by Joe Jahraus Produced by Profiles Theatre Lia D. Mortensen Dives into Disintegrating Mind The Other Place is a hard play to describe without misrepresenting or giving away some key plot points. What I can say about it is that it is divided into two parts, the first of which is … Read more
Music & Lyrics by Adam Gwon Directed by Jason A. Fleece Music Direction & Accompaniment by Ilana Atkins At BoHo Theatre, Chicago Broadway pop chamber song cycle’s style is irritatingly repetitious with predictable rhythms I understand the potential appeal of Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days after works like The Last Five Years became hits. The unusual … Read more
By Daniel Pearle Directed by Keira Fromm Produced by About Face Theatre Parental Insecurity at Center of Drama With so much pop psychology floating around on how to best raise children, it’s easy for parents who value keeping current with the latest advice to get confused. Concerns about bullying and creating a nurturing environment free … Read more
By Sam Holcroft Directed by Brad Akin Produced by The Poor Theatre Acting to Survive in a Cruel World What happens to the opposition when a country’s democratic institutions are so eroded they lose any ability to compete fairly? In many places it’s not a hypothetical, and the extent of government and corporate surveillance today … Read more
By Ervin Gardner Produced and Directed by Jackie Taylor At Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago History lives in realistic courtroom drama In their ever-expanding theatrical experiences, Black Ensemble Theater has now mounted their first new drama in many years. Playwright Ervin Gardner has penned a non-singing musical drama: The Trial of Moses “Fleetwood” Walker. This touching … Read more
Book and Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham Music by Joshua Salzman Directed by Ross Egan Produced by the Refuge Theatre Project At the Den Theatre, Chicago Next Thing You Know Offers Little Insight on Millennial Struggles Coming of age stories often focus on the difficulties of defining “adulthood.” twenty-somethings frequently struggle with the transition from … Read more
By David Adjmi Directed by Robert O’Hara Produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company France’s Queen as Shallow as She’s Ever Been Imagine a tragic hero. Some individual whose pride and circumstances push them into a horrible situation, yet who finds the meaning of life in struggling for the s at the core of their personality. Now … Read more
By Lauren Yee Directed by Seth Bockley Produced by Victory Gardens Theater New Play Badly Needs Rebirth Playwrights often run into trouble when they attempt to take on big themes without much experience. Samsara, now having its world premiere after two years of development at Victory Gardens, is one example of a play that’s meant … Read more
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Conceived and originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine Inspired by a concept by David Kernan Directed by Nick Bowling Music Direction by Austin Cook Choreography by Emily Ariel Rodgers Produced by Porchlight Music Theatre At Stage 773, Chicago Wonderful documentary of Stephen Sondheim with his words and his … Read more
Broadway’s Musical Comedy Book by Austin Winsberg Music & Lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner Directed by J.R. Rose Music Direction by Elizabeth Doran Choreography by Becky DeDecker Produced by First Date. LLC At the Royal George Cabaret, Chicago Cliches rule in formulaic date show First Date is a chamber musical that ran off-Broadway … Read more