By Terrence McNally Directed by Steven Fedoruk Produced by Eclipse Theatre Company, Chicago Journey to Self-Fulfillment is Unsatisfying I said in my review of Eclipse Theatre’s last production, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, that Terrance McNally’s 1991 play is like a time capsule which makes its AIDS-related turmoil as immediate as if we had traveled back … Read more
Adapted and Performed by Ronald Keaton Based on the teleplay “Winston Churchill” by James Humes Directed by Kurt Johns Produced by SoloChicago and the Greenhouse Theater The Making of a Hero in WWII Nostalgia It was a few weeks shy of a year ago that Ronald Keaton opened his one-man show Churchill at the Greenhouse … Read more
Lyrics by Gertrude Stein, Adapted by Frank Galati Music by Stephen Flaherty Directed by Allison Hendrix Produced by Kokandy Productions At Theater Wit, Chicago “Rose is a rose is a rose…” “Very fine is my valentine, very fine and very mine. Very mine is my valentine very mine and very fine. Very fine is my … Read more
By Ed Howard Directed by Anthony Whitaker Based on the novel Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg Produced by new American Folk Theatre in association with Redtwist Theatre At Redtwist Theatre One person show almost works Charlie Irving bravely tackles a one person memory play about a young woman who grows up … Read more
By Robert Tenges Directed by Adam Webster Produced by The Side Project, Chicago Everything’s Terrible, and Everybody Sucks Naming his newest play Whatever was a bold move on Robert Tenges’s part. The author, who has a longstanding relationship with The Side Project, specializes in drama about teenage struggles, and in the past, has been praised … Read more
Music by Leo Fall German libretto by Rudolf Schanzer & Ernst Wellisch English Translation by Gerald Frantzen & Hersh Glagov Stage Director Amy Hutchison Choreographer Sara Stewart Schumann Conductor Anthony Barres Produced by Chicago Folks Operetta At Vittum Theater, Chicago Risque bedroom farce Viennese operetta is hilarious, well sung with wonderful melodious music making it … Read more
The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, now in its second year, is a new-works festival produced by Underscore Theatre company. We created CMTF for one reason: there’s a wealth of musical theatre creators and performers in Chicago, but the high risks of producing new musicals means that few companies are willing to take a chance, especially … Read more
The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, now in its second year, is a new-works festival produced by Underscore Theatre company. We created CMTF for one reason: there’s a wealth of musical theatre creators and performers in Chicago, but the high risks of producing new musicals means that few companies are willing to take a chance, especially … Read more
By Heidi Schreck Directed by Yasen Peyankov Produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago What’s Forgiveness For? Grand Concourse, a Midwestern premiere at Steppenwolf, is another one of the plays currently running in Chicago that examines the question: what do we mean by calling someone a “good person?” Playwright Heidi Schreck’s angle is to interrogate the … Read more
By Emily Schwend Directed by Will Crouse Produced by The Poor Theatre, Chicago A Well-Acted Slice of Very Troubled Lives Reassuring somebody that they’re a “good person” is one of the most common platitudes, but what does it really mean? There are several plays currently in production around Chicago that ask that question, and don’t … Read more