Review “The Producers” (Music Theater Works): Absurdly Fun!

Monday, August 14, 2023 Permalink 0

Music Theater Works presents THE PRODUCERS A Mel Brooks Musical. The Legendary Mel Brooks wrote and directed the 1967 cult classic movie “The Producers.” He later turned the movie into a staged musical (aided by Thomas Meehan) and that musical into another movie. Brooks pens the tale of an aging producer and his accountant debuting a ...

Review Disney BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Chicago Shakes): Perfect Abbreviated Return to a Beloved Tale

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents Disney BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. A tale as old as time… The girl meets beast is a well-known fairytale. Disney has produced their musical version in multiple ways; animated film (1991), Broadway stage (1993), full movie (2017), and television special (2022). The show features a memorable score that includes the romantic ballad “Beauty ...

Review “Another Marriage” (Steppenwolf Theatre): A Marriage of Humor and Humanity

Wednesday, July 5, 2023 Permalink 0

Steppenwolf Theatre presents ANOTHER MARRIAGE.  It’s all about the story! Two students bond over their literary interests and writing aspirations. Their mutual attraction: words… on the page or through intellectual sparring. A couple’s relationship is deconstructed from the end to the beginning to the in-between. Their love is entangled in the reality of their past, present ...

Review “The Who’s TOMMY” (Goodman Theatre): Goodman.Rocks.This.Hard!

Saturday, July 1, 2023 Permalink 0

Goodman Theatre presents The Who’s TOMMY the Musical.  TOMMY and Des are back! Thirty years after its Tony Award-winning original production,  Des McAnuff (director and co-libretto) returns to reimagine The Who’s TOMMY. In the early 90s, Pete Townshend (music, lyrics, co-libretto) and McAnuff collaborated using existing music for the story and co-creating the book. Now, TOMMY ...

Review “Lane Call A Night of Closing” (Factory Theater): Nostalgic and FUN!

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Permalink 0

The Factory Theater presents the World Premiere of LANE CALL A NIGHT OF CLOSING.  Upon arrival, it’s a step back into time as The Factory Theater transforms into a Venture Store (the ‘it’ store before Target).  It’s all bright and garish colors, lights and vests as the Venture crew mingle with bargain hunters. Rose Johnson (set), ...

Review “Don’t Quit Your Daydream” (The Second City): Wake Up and Get Tickets!

Saturday, June 10, 2023 Permalink 0

The Second City presents the 111th MainStage Revue DON’T QUIT YOUR DAYDREAM.  I wanted a laugh… and I did LOL hard and often! The new MainStage Revue is crushing it! Nothing is held back as Andy Boldoc, Kiley Fitzgerald, Claire McFadden, Evan Mills, Julia Morales and Jordan Stafford find the humor in anything and everything. Vegans, menopause, ...

Review “Pippin” (Music Theater Works): Wacky!

Music Theater Works presents PIPPIN.  Upon arrival, the audience is immediately engaged. The stage has brightly colored panels reminiscent of past television variety shows. Multiple screens feature 80s and 90s video snippets of culture and history. The playful mishmash sets the tone for wacky fun. The musical is a play within a play about a Prince ...

Review “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me” (Porchlight Music Theatre): Imaginative Storytelling!

Porchlight Music Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME.   Kat (played by Elisa Carlson)is having an existential crisis. She is 45, a new mother, an unhappy girlfriend and a wannabe gaming composer. When she puts herself ‘out there’, the online ethereal rewards her with suitors from the past, not her past, THE ...

Review “Galileo’s Daughter” (Remy Bumppo): A Star’s Relationship with His Daughter

Monday, April 24, 2023 Permalink 0

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of GALILEO’S DAUGHTER.  Women centuries apart explore the impact of Galileo on their lives. This past and present retrospective is the search for purpose by two very different people. Playwright Jessica Dickey intertwines 16th and 21st century stories. She personalizes it by making herself a character in the ...