Theatre ReviewsTom Williams

Noises Off

Called “The Funniest Farce Ever Written” by the New York critics, Michael Frayn’s 1982 British farce, Noises Off is a wildly wacky and mind-boggling mayhem of a comedy. It is a cleverly structured play-within-a-play told in three acts using a set that rotates allowing us to see action straight at us and from backstage.

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Opera

The Damnation of Faust

Berlioz based his libretto on Goethe’s classic Faust legend, in which the eponymous scientist pursues love at the expense of his soul. Berlioz unfolds the drama at the onset of Spring, resonating with what Chicagoans must be feeling in coming weeks

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Theatre ReviewsTom Williams

The Ring Cycle

The Building Stage, under the splendid direction by Blake Montgomery and Joanie Schultz, specialize in stretching the boundaries in storytelling through unique adaptations from various media. Their staging of Wagner’s opera cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung–is NOT an OPERA–but a thrilling, totally engaging re-imagining drama (non-singing stage play).

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Theatre ReviewsTom Williams

The Rant

Each person’s bias comes rushing out through their statements. Racial, anti-police and sensational news reporting make the truth a sort of bias. Prejudice, hidden agendas, deceit as well as anonymous threats against Investigator Mahnaz filled this fast-paced drama with questions and suspense as we try to sort out the facts.

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Beverly Friend

Singin’ in the Rain

What enhances this particular tale are all the splendid songs, the spectacular tap dancing, and the highly talented cast. Memorable numbers include “All I Do is Dream of You,” “Good Morning,” “Broadway Melody,” “You Stepped Out of a Dream”” and “You Are My Lucky Star.”

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Theatre Reviews

Cinderella Ballet

In my first experience with the Joffrey Ballet I was blow away by the magnificence of it all; the enchanted venue inside the Auditorium Theatre, the enormity and depth created in the flat set, the exquisitely detailed costumes and the speechless beauty in the Joffrey dancers.

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Theatre Reviews

The Gimmick

The Gimmick follows Alexis who is a young smart black girl growing up in Harlem. The adults around her are caught in the negative traps of life leaving her to mature all alone except for her dependable friendship with Jimmy (Brandon Thompson,) her books and a librarian who encourages Alexis to use her words to achieve greatness.

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