Theatre with a side of life
Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premier of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames’ fantastical play THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON. Ijames knows how to tell a story! His thoroughly entertaining tale imagines a fever delirious Martha Washington being confronted by her slaves. The underlying premise is the actual provision in George Washington’s will. ...
Lifeline Theatre presents MISS HOLMES RETURNS. A pandemic, the Trump administration, and six years have passed since Playwright Christopher Walsh (no relation) premiered “Miss Holmes”. Walsh has a clever twist on the legendary characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He has made them female! Walsh imagines Sherlock and Watson as women detectives navigating their profession under the ...
Babes with Blades Theatre Company, in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center, presents RICHARD III. The Babes take on William Shakespeare’s tale of one man’s bloody and ruthless climb to the throne. In BWBTC fashion, the show starts and ends with the 13-member ensemble battling it out. Fight director Maureen Yasko impressively ...
Music Theater Works presents ZORRO the Musical. An anonymous sword fighter defends a village from the persecution of tyranny. The legend of Zorro, a black masked super hero, is well known. The actual backstory is less familiar. Isabel Allende’s pulp novel is the foundation for ZORRO the Musical. The creative team, Stephen Clark (book, lyrics), Helen ...
Timeline Theatre presents the World Premiere of CAMPAIGNS, INC. Freedom of speech has long been a right cherished by Americans. For the last several years, this tenet has been scrutinized. Does this ‘freedom of speech’ extend to lies being told, tweeted and even broadcasted? Does it cover spreading false information about a global health crisis or ...
Broadway in Chicago presents the Pre-Broadway debut of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA the Musical. Lauren Weisberger’s first job out of college lives on in a best selling novel (2003), blockbuster movie (2006) and now a staged musical (2022). Weisberger wrote about the escapades of an Ivy League struggling journalist taking an assistant position to a world ...
Mercury Theatre presents PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT the musical. For those looking for a rocking, fun road trip without hefty gas prices, climb aboard PRISCILLA for a spectacle-inspired jaunt across the Outback. The 1994 film by Stephan Elliot has been reincarnated as a juke box musical. The creative team of Elliot and Allan Scott (book), along ...
Broadway in Chicago, along with Work Light Productions, presents The Regent’s Park Theatre London Production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR on a 50 city tour over three years. This isn’t your mama’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The beloved rock opera gets a heavy metal-like makeover in this 50th Anniversary Production reimagined by The Regent Park Theatre London. The ...
Hell in a Handbag Productions presents the World Premiere A FINE FEATHERED MURDER: A MISS MARBLED MYSTERY. As a long-standing fan of Hell in a Handbag, I enjoyed seeing Artistic Director and Playwright David Cerda’s latest creation in the location I experienced my first Handbag encounter. Many, many years (decades?) ago, I saw Cerda’s clever and ...
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 ...