The cast is filled with fine performances. Gregg Matthew Anderson and Eliza Stoughton square off in a searing battle of the sexes while Dale Benson is the calming voice of wisdom as the waiter. Benson, always a Chicago treasure, is hilarious as usual in a larger role that he delivers with verve and class. Elaine Rivkin is the strong-will mother and Alex Weisman and C. Jay Miller are precious as the young siblings.
Read MoreI must say that Larry Yando is the ultimate Scrooge. He moves from scary to pathetic to glowing kindness as he comes to grips with his folly. With a blend of terror and humor, Yando get us to first hate then love the money-hording old man.
Read MoreThis year I admired The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey more than last year. Maybe, it was because of the message or that this year’s production was tighter? What ever the reason, this wonderful show reached me better than most holidays shows. It is a family friendly affair.
Read MoreFred Anzevino and Jeremy Ramey have created a fine Christmas revue that is just the right thing for Saturday and Sunday matinee lovers who get-stressed by shopping. All they have to do is get to the No Exit Cafe in Rogers Park to hear four delightful singers and a fabulous piano and bass produce classic holiday tunes.
Read MoreSometimes classic short stories simply don’t “sing,” that is, they don’t work as a musical. That surely is the case with The Gifts of the Magi now playing at Stage 773 produced by Porchlight Musical Theatre.
Read MoreWhen Marine warrior Jenny Sutter (Lily Mojekwu) returns home from Afghanistan to a dirty bus station in LA, she seems listless as she simply sits staring into space. She is befriended by the quirky, always-traveling Lou (Jenny Avery), a recovering addict with many issues. Lou senses Jenny’s melancholy as she befriends her and coaxes her to travel to their California desert hideaway – Slab City.
Read MoreGriffin Theatre has found another little gem of a show with The Burnt Part Boys. It is a bluegrass folk operetta set in coal mining country in 1962 in West Virginia ten years after a devastating mine explosion and fire killed five miners. We meet the two surviving teenage sons of one of the killed miners – Peter (Charlie Fox) and Jake (Mike Tepeli).
Read MoreCourt Theatre returns after nearly ten years to remount their successful holiday show based on a James Joyce short story- The Dead. As conceived and written by Richard Nelson with music by Shaun Davey, The Dead is a special, gentle and wholesome holiday musical. This time around, director Charles Newell and music director have a new cast that features an array of actors who can sing with several actor/musician to give the production an intimate realistic flavor.
Read MoreUnder director/choreographer Tammy Mader, dancing and tongue-in-cheek humor fuels the fun-filled romp back to the 20’s where the girls wore short hair and skimpy dress and the guys donned stripped pants and loud jackets. It was the era of fun times, especially at speakeasies and dance clubs.
Read MoreEvery policeman, watercress, ER nurse, and cab driver knows that two events trigger weird behavior in the public: a full moon and a major holiday. After a ten year run from 1992 through 2002, Will Kern’s Hellcab is being remounted by Profiles Theatre at their Main Stage in Lakeview. Kern’s play is based on his experience as a Chicago cab driver.
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