Chicago Critic Must See recommendations.
What can I add except that Chicago Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a family-friendly comedy that is a perfect first Shakespeare experience for young folks. Kane, Ledo and Orbach lead the gifted cast on their dream adventure.
Show Boat is filled with humor, powerful drama (miscegenation and family abandonment) while telling the story of a nation struggling with social, political and economic change. With sweeping melodies, smart lyrics and a host of spot-on performances, the Lyric’s Show Boat is the musical event of 2012!
Besides the hilarious exchanges between Betty and Charlie, we see how all the characters openly speak in front of Charles since they believe he doesn’t understand their words. The folks grow to love and trust Charlie mostly due to Shue’s clever characterization and Rod Armentrout’s tour de force performance. He invents a pig-Latin language , gloriously pretends he doesn’t understand anything and he ‘learns’ their language in a series of funny imitative scenes.
Written by Neil Simon Directed by Michael Leeds Comedy about Hot Lover Hasn’t Cooled Overweight owner of a fish restaurant, 47-year-old Barney Cashman (Ken Clement) has been married to the same women — his high school sweetheart — for 23 years. He has been faithful throughout the marriage and, in fact, has had only one … Read more
Written by Paul Slade Smith, a 14 year Chicago actor now on tour with Wicked, Unnecessary Farce finally after 6 years makes its Chicago debut. Under Alison C. Vesely superb casting and tight direction, Unnecessary Farce is a whip-smart comic farce that produces enough laughs to get anyone through winter.
It seems that Amir is trapped between his identity as a Muslim American and his personal identity as simply another American. The collusion of these identities are dramatically played out in Disgraced.
That lesson is not lost in The House Theatre of Chicago’s revival production of Death and Harry Houdini, the show that put them on the map ten years ago. It’s a true wonder of Chicago theatre—mingling vaudeville with magic, prose with poetry.
Besides Verdi brilliant score, the voices sing with passionate emotions. Tenor Marcello Giordani commands the stage and soars to the heavens while Sondra Radvanovsky – a Chicago native- raises to the demanding role of Aida. She triumphs in her first time as Aida at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The audience cheered her performance! Jill Grove’s mezzo effectively demonstrated Amneris’ heartache and Gordon Hwkins strong baritone rules his scenes.
Another stunning production featuring 27 actors/dancers with 13 Equity plays and 17 stop-shelf musicians at Paramount Theatre in Aurora. It still holds audiences with its stunning honesty and emotionally exhilarating heart…A Chorus Line is so strong a piece that nothing can dent its emotional impact. Judging by the full house for Wednesday matinee, musicals have found an audience in the Far Western Suburbs.
The dynamic of this drama lies in the bickering, sexual advances, mockery and stress each student endures as they struggle for grades, money, acceptance, and some sexual release. Much of this 1 hour and 55 minute play builds the emotional tension nicely as director Jonathan Berry swiftly paces the dramatic tension toward a wrenching conclusion