Chicago Critic Must See recommendations.
Book by Douglas McGrath Music & Lyrics by Gerry Goffin & Carole King and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Directed by Marc Bruni Choreographed by Josh Prince Music direction by Steve Sidwell Produced by Broadway In Chicago At the Oriental Theatre, Chicago A tour de force performance by Abby Mueller fuels terrific Beautiful-The Carole King … Read more
Archive review: This review covers American Blues Theater’s 2015 production of It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! at the Greenhouse Theater Center, directed by Gwendolyn Whiteside. For current dates and tickets, see our Chicago holiday shows guide. From the Frank Capra movie It’s a Wonderful Life Based on the Philip Van Doren Stern story … Read more
By Will Kern Directed by Eric Burgher Produced by Profiles Theatre It’s Christmas for Weirdos, Too Among Chicago’s grittier holiday season theatricals, Will Kern’s Hellcab stands out as a reliable crowd favorite. First produced in 1992 by a company called Famous Door, it ran continuously until 2001, and is now revived by Profiles Theatre every … Read more
By Arthur Miller Directed by Ian Frank Produced by Redtwist Theatre, Chicago An Examination of People on the Brink of Destruction Few companies have been more attentive than Red Twist to commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of Arthur Miller’s birth, and tenth anniversary of his death. Earlier this year they revived The American Clock, his … Read more
Adapted by Joe Mantello Based on David Sedaris’ essay Directed by Jeremy Wechsler Produced by Theater Wit “It’s not about the child or Santa or Christmas or anything, but the parents’ idea of a world they can not make work for them.” A Comedy For Holiday Dissenters Have you heard it yet? Flipping through your … Read more
Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a ‘join jumpin’ sparkling ode to the tunes associated with Fats Waller, composer, musician and nightclub personality. You’ll hear swing, the rhythms of ragtime, and the passions of jazz, blues, be-bop, waltz and jitterbug with some playful sexy double entendres that hint nasty with tongue-in-cheek humor. The result is an overwhelmingly joyous evening celebrating Black America’s contribution to our culture.
An Original Adaptation of the Play by Henrik Ibsen Written and Directed by Greg Allen Produced by Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company At Angel Island, Chicago Ibsen’s Loving Parodists Salute Him Listen to my interview with Greg Allen. Greg Allen knows his Ibsen. The Neo-Futurists founder previously staged The Last Two Minutes of the Complete Works of … Read more
Operetta in three acts originally in German, sung in English Music by Franz Lehar Libretto by Viltor Leon and Leo Stein, after Henri Meilhac’s comedy L’ attache d’ ambassade (1861) English translation by Jeremy Sams Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis Stage Director & Choreographer: Susan Stroman At the Lyric Opera of Chicago Wonderful nostalgic opulence of … 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
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