Latest from Chicago Critic

A Christmas Story – The Musical

October 22, 2022December 16, 2011 by Tom Williams

Led by the steady work from Gene Weygandt as Shepherd and by golden-voiced youngster Clarke Hallum as Ralphie, A Christmas Story The Musical is a most winning full-blown Broadway musical true to its source material and marvelously acted, sung, and danced by a 30 person cast consisting of a mixture of Chicago Equity talents and a polished troupe of kid talents. Adam Petly, George Andrew Wolff and Karen Mason are a few of the Chicago players featured in this family friendly new show.

The Magic Flute

October 22, 2022December 13, 2011 by Will Fink

For those of us either unfamiliar or who hold only cursory knowledge of the opera, it’s sort of Mozart’s musical comedy. Overall it’s quite light and the morality of it is somewhat ham-handed, if classic: typical Sun vs. Moon, Light vs. Dark, Wisdom vs. Ignorance sort of stuff. Maybe (though not necessarily) some references to Free Masonry in there.

Opus

December 12, 2011 by Tom Williams

Utilizing flashbacks for the back story, Opus is a compelling ‘family’ story of how personal dynamics, professional jealousy, sexual relationships, and drugs contribute to the vibrant culture of the four expert musicians. Opus deftly offers a glimpse into the artistic world of musicians striving for perfection in their art.

I Love a Piano

October 23, 2022December 12, 2011 by Beverly Friend

Irving Berlin… And what about “God Bless America?” “Blue Skies?” ” A Pretty Girl is like a Melody?” “Puttin’ on the Ritz?” “Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning?” “Easter Parade?” and the scores of his Broadway and Hollywood hits? If this list continued to include all his songs, it would be over 900 titles long – and include 19 musicals and 18 movies!

Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker (Joffrey Ballet, 25th Anniversary)

October 1, 2026December 10, 2011 by Tom Williams

Clara returns to the living room after the party around midnight and is confronted with the mice. She is saved by her Godfather Drosselmeyer who takes her into the Land of Snow. This is the fabulous place where movement is supreme, where ballet takes us into a fantasy land that captivates us with the soaring music and breathtaking dance. In the Land of Sweets, the Sugar Plum Fairy fascinates us in spectacle and movement.

Elizabeth Rex

October 4, 2026December 9, 2011 by Tom Williams

When the queen arrives, Ned is her outspoken opponent since his eminent death from the pox allows him the freedom to say whatever comes to his mind. The debate rages on as the two engage in verbal debate. Elizabeth hides her female side as a mechanism for sovereign survival – ruling as a man works for her. Ned has played woman all his life in Shakespeare’s plays and as a gay man feels more comfortable as a woman.

Spring Awakening

December 7, 2011 by Will Fink

My feelings about this play are fairly well-documented. To put it succinctly: I’m not a huge fan of the material. That said, this production was far more endearing – and overall successful – than the previous Broadway in Chicago venture. They made the material work better for them than their touring counterparts. And to a surprising degree. This troupe really found the comic moments between the words; they had great timing and used space very well.

LawLawPalooza -The 88th Annual Christmas Spirits Show

December 7, 2011 by Tom Williams

The cast is made up of lawyers, judges and law students who want to show that attorneys have ‘show biz’ talents besides law acumen. They sure do as the large cast deftly sings, dances and lands their biting parody garnering enough laughs to leave audiences smiling aplenty.

PumpBoys and Dinettes by Theo Ubique

September 15, 2017December 3, 2011 by Tom Williams

This highly entertaining musical revue is light on story featuring small vignettes designed to introduce the next song. Courtney Crouse, in fine voice, narrates and introduces us to the folks at the garage and the diner. Pump Boys featuring a nice blend of country, folk, old-time rockabliiy, blue grass, Cajun, cowboy and western, blues with gospel thrown in. This revue easily grabs us and holds on until we’re filled with enough toe-tapping tunes to satisfy

Changes of Heart

October 22, 2022December 3, 2011 by Will Fink

It’s basically Marivaux staging a Moliere-style comedy and throwing in a Commedia del’Arte character to see what would happen. Which yields interesting results. Harlequin (a clown character with roots in the insolent slave in Plautus who perhaps reached his intellectual peak as Feste in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will) is possibly the fondest-remembered character of the Commedia, and certainly shakes things up in a largely endearing way in Changes.