Theatre with a side of life
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents a WorldStage Event from Scotland, ISLANDER the Musical. ISLANDER captivates with its unique storytelling. Human song and spoken word mingle together with the clicks and pulsed calls of whales. Two performers, Lois Craig and Julia Murray, tell the tale onstage with a couple microphones, a soundboard, minimal scenery and ample talent. Craig ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents TWELFTH NIGHT. William Shakespeare tells a tale of shipwreck, romance and mistaken identities. A violent storm, maroons and separates twins on an island. Unable to find her brother, Viola disguises herself as a male page named “Cesario.” She works for Orsino. When Orsino sends “Cesario” with a message to Olivia, she falls ...
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 ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents COMEDY OF ERRORS. Shakespeare’s tale of two sets of identical twins is a lampoon of shipwreck separation, mistaken identities and alternative twin sets. This established Shakes comedy is already a character-heavy farce. Director Barbara Gaines escalates the absurdity by framing the play as a movie. The movie is being produced to cheer ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s World Series Stage presents Wise Children’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS. The UK show is a co-production of National Theatre, Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and York Theatre Royal in association with Berkley Repertory Theatre. Emily Brontë’s classic masterpiece gets an innovative spin by Adapter and Director Emma Rice. Brontë penned a saga of love/hate, lust/revenge ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Upon arrival, the audience becomes barflies at a Cuban nightclub. Maracas are shaking. Showgirls are dancing. Drinks are pouring.The Havana vibe is sexy and fun. Before the play even begins, the debauchery is on full display. Cash is exchanged. Clothes are removed. Hook-ups are arranged. Director Henry Godinez places ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the World Premiere of the musical, THE NOTEBOOK. An old woman has Alzheimers. Her husband faithfully reads to her daily from a notebook. It describes the love story of their life. His hope is the words and memories will bring her back to him. Nicholas Sparks wrote the best selling novel in ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the World Premiere IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, A New Musical. The creative team of Kellen Blair (book and lyrics) and Joe Kinosian (book and music) reimagine a 1953 sci-fi flick as a musical comedy. Blair and Kinosian spoof the tale of a small town being invaded by aliens. Their parody is ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. It’s believed Shakespeare penned this tale in 1603 around the time of Queen Elizabeth’s death and during a plague that killed one-in-five Londoners. It is one of 18 plays printed seven years after the Bard’s own death. The first record of it being performed is in 1741. ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents a Beatles inspired AS YOU LIKE IT. Adapter and Director Daryl Cloran takes a1620’s comedy and infuses it with 1960’s music. The brilliant pairing, centuries in the making, is a poetic explosion of joy and words. Cloran, along with the Bard of the Beach Shakespeare Festival, conceived this unusual compilation. At first, ...