Latest from Chicago Critic

The Winter’s Tale

By William Shakespeare Co-Directed by Alison C. Vesely and Hayley Rice Produced by First Folio Theatre, Oak Brook A Captivating Winter Story this July Outdoor theatre in the Midwest is always tense, because you never know if rain or thunder might prevent you from hearing the end of the story. That’s especially true with The … Read more

Men of Soul

with A Tribute to Bill Withers Written and directed by Daryl Brooks At Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago  Fantastic nostalgic revue of men of soul-both black and white-is a thrilling show! Black Ensemble Theater presents one of their finest shows ever with the world premiere of Men Of Soul! Writer/director Daryl D. Brooks, with the aid … Read more

The Little Mermaid

Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater Book by Doug Wright Directed by Rachel Rockwell Produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater Disney Fun Contains Design to Dazzle Children As part of Chicago Shakespeare’s mission of increasing the public’s comfort in theatre, each summer, they perform a short musical that appeals to children … Read more

Join the Club!

Taslitz/Reichenbach Productions Skokie Theater Book and Music by Lauren Taslitz and Leigh Anna Reichenbach Music by Will Buck, Becky Menzie, Mike O’Mara and Leigh Anna Reichenbach Directed by Heather Townsend Saccharine Musical Needs More Seasoning Join the Club!, a rather pleasant debut by a new production company now showing in downtown Skokie, presents all the … Read more

Bard Fiction

A Shakespearean translation by Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer, Brian Watson-Jones, and the members of the Pulp Bard Wiki. Directed by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom Produced by Commedia Beauregard At City Lit Theater, Chicago Horrible enunciation together with fake accents marred spoof of cult film and Shakespeare I must remember to read a press release more closely. upon … Read more

Brilliant Adventures

By Alistair McDowall Directed by Robin Witt At Steep Theatre, Chicago “Brilliant” is sure an appropriate title word to describe an outstanding USA premiere of a British play. Over the last few years, Steep Theatre has found several terrific new British plays, mostly from young up-and-coming writers. Their latest discovery, Brilliant Adventures by Alistar Mcdowall, … Read more

Kinky Boots (National Tour)

Book by Harvey Fierstein Music by Cindi Lauper Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell Produced by Broadway in Chicago Light Fun from a Strong Production When Kinky Boots debuted at Broadway in Chicago in 2012, many reviewers were of the opinion that it was competently staged and sung, but derivative. Now that it has returned … Read more

Recurring John-Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

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

One Thousand Words-Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

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

Dirty Girl-Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

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