By Aeschylus Translated by Nicholas Rudall Directed by Charles Newell Produced by Court Theatre, Chicago Lingering in All the Wrong Places The new production of Agamemnon at Court Theatre certainly lives up to the University of Chicago-based company’s dedication to intellectualism. The second in a planned trilogy of new translations by Nicholas Rudall drawn from … Read more
By John Logan Directed by Gary Griffin Produced by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago Where Humanness and Monstrousness Intersect It is a very good sign for a young playwright if their first work is as good as John Logan’s Never the Sinner. Not that the earliest version of Logan’s recounting of Leopold and Loeb’s twisted relationship … Read more
By Thomas Bradshaw Directed by Ethan McSweeny Produced by The Flea theater and the American Theater Co (ATC) At ATC in Chicago Puzzling pointless drama is a head-scratcher In a co-production with New York’s The Flea Theater, ATC has mounted a perplexing drama that evolves as a head-scratching 90 minutes of live theatre. Thomas Bradshaw … Read more
Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux Original Concept and Direction by Floyd Mutrux Inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins Directed by Floyd Mutrux and Eric Schaeffer Musical Arrangements and Supervision by Chuck Mead Produced by Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, and Northern Lights, Inc. At the Apollo Theater, … Read more
From the ChicagoCritic Review Archive: This review covers The House Theatre of Chicago’s 2015 theatrical adaptation of The Nutcracker, a reimagining distinct from Tchaikovsky’s traditional ballet. See our guide to where to see The Nutcracker in Chicago for current productions. By Jake Minton, Phillip Klapperich, Kevin O’Donnell, and Tommy Rapley Based on the story by … Read more
By Terrence McNally Directed by Steve Scott Produced by Eclipse Theatre Company Playing at the Athenaeum Theatre, Chicago Moderation the Key to a Healthy Relationship with Opera Eclipse Theatre’s season dedicated to Terrence McNally has included plays from only a four-year span of his half-century long career. But in doing so, they’ve maintained a unity … Read more
By Brett Neveu Directed by Shade Murray At A Red Orchid Theatre, Chicago Games, games, and more games fuel the McKee clan’s Thanksgiving Day holiday Talented Chicago playwright Brett Neveu has penned a most dysfunctional family play, which echos Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? but makes gamesmanship into an art form. Is this … Read more
By Dennis Foon Directed by Julie Ritchey Produced by Adventure Stage Chicago In Association with North Park University Department of Theatre and Performance Studies Playing at Vittum Theater A Smart Play Will Resonate with Smart Kids Adventure Stage Chicago and their partners have produced a number of beloved children’s shows, which range in subject from … Read more
By Meredith Friedman Directed by Drew Martin Produced by Stage Left Theatre Playing at Theater Wit, Chicago Racial Incident is Unfinished Business In the age of the internet, a college kid who gets arrested at a student union for drunkenly shoving and yelling homophobic slurs at a cafeteria worker for denying him mac and cheese … Read more
Based on the 1954 Paramount Picture by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama, and Melvin Frank Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin Book by David Ives & Paul Blake Directed by William Osetek Musical Director Roberta Duchak Choreographer Matt Crowley Produced by Drury Lane Theatre Combination Christmas show and backstage musical soars through song, dance, and comedy … Read more