An operetta in three acts in English Music by Leo Fall Libretto by Vikto Leon English translation by Hersh Glagov & Gerald Frantzen Produced by Chicago Folks Operetta Directed by Elizabeth Margolius Conducted by Anthony Barrese Choreographer Todd Rhoades At the Madison Street Theatre, Oak Park Stunning, cute operetta well sung and staged with a … Read more
By Rick Elice Based on the Novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson Music by Wayne Barker Directed by William Osetek Musical Direction by Ben Johnson Produced by Drury Lane, Oak Brook Terrace Good Things Come to Those Who Wait Peter and the Starcatcher’s original publicists gave it the tagline “a grown-up’s prequel to Peter … Read more
By Joshua Harmon Directed by Jeremy Wechsler At the Royal George Theatre Bad Jews is Too Funny Life can be funny at times, just as it can be soberly emotional. And sometimes, through the spontaneous confluence of events, it can be both, if not in the same moment then woven together tightly in a turbulent … Read more
By Nicky Silver Directed by Derek Bertelsen Produced by Aston Rep, Chicago Playwright Nicky Silver has a certain style of family-based humor he’s used since his career took off in the early 90s. He writes exaggeratedly vicious people, has them fight, and expects it to be heart-warming and funny. His 2011 play The Lyons is … Read more
By Rob Smith Directed by Tara Branham Produced by lower case theatre, Chicago A Strong Drama from a Highly Motivated Team If you can’t get your script produced, do it yourself. That’s the advice most commonly given to young, aspiring playwrights, but it’s no small feat. While there are a number of fringe festivals around … Read more
By Arthur Miller Directed by Louis Contey Produced by Timeline Theatre Company, Chicago A Lifetime of Self-Deception Unravels In The Wild Duck, Ibsen called it the “life-lie.” In The Iceman Cometh, O’Neill called it a “pipe-dream.” In The Price, Arthur Miller doesn’t have a specific term for the self-deception people practice to convince themselves they’re … Read more
Now extended by popular demand through November 1, 2015 Created by Richard Maltby, Jr. Conceived by William Meade Directed by Brian Russell Musical Direction by Malcolm Ruhl At the Mercury Theatre Chicago Revise, refined yet still a crowd pleaser –Ring of Fire – The Music of Johnny Cash delights My third visit to Ring of … Read more
By Beth Henley Directed by Joe Jahraus At Profiles Main Stage Theatre, Chicago Wacky characters in dark humor and reckless situations inhabit seedy Southern hotel Profiles Theatre loves to find weird, seedy, and violent plays. Their latest, The Jacksonian, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley (for 1979 Crimes of the Heart) is a confusing, underwritten, … Read more
Book by Aaron Thielen Music and Lyrics by Michael Mahler Directed by Rachel Rockwell Music Direction by Ryan T. Nelson Produced by The Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire In Association with Universal Stage Productions A Heart-Warming Story about Intellectual Pursuits Even had Rachel Rockwell not recently directed Billy Elliot at Drury Lane, it would be impossible not … Read more
By Patrick Marber Adapted from August Strindberg Directed by Elly Green Produced by Strawdog Theatre Company, Chicago The Battle of the Brains Comes to Britain Listen to my interview with Elly Green Producing Patrick Marber’s After Miss Julie is to adapt an adaptation. Marber took August Strindberg’s landmark 1888 drama about a then-contemporary Swedish count’s … Read more