Theatre with a side of life
The Comrades present the Midwest Premiere of WARRIOR CLASS. In between the Kavanaugh hearings and the midterm election, Chicago has the opportunity to experience the ugly realities behind politics. Playwright Kenneth Lin tells the tale of an aspiring councilman wanting to run for congress. The obstacle to his success is his ex-college girlfriend. Lin unravels the ...
Writers Theatre presents the World Premiere of WITCH. Playwright Jen Silverman weaves an intriguing tale of one witch, one devil, and four poor souls. The play immediately engages in the very first three scenes. Silverman has a frustrated Elizabeth (played by a solid Audrey Francis) lamenting about the villagers’ treatment of her. They believe she’s a ...
Lyric Opera of Chicago, along with Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Teatro Real Madrid, presents LA BOHEME. LA BOHEME is one of my favorite operas. Puccini composed the perfect opera for falling in love and out of love… and in love again. His music captures everything from innocent flirtation to soulmate commitment to steamy seduction ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the North American premiere of Olivier Award-winning comedy NELL GWYNN. Playwright Jessica Swale imagines the details in the real-life rise of Nell Gwynn from nobody to leading lady on the London stage and in the King’s bed. Swale fills-in-the-gaps on the legend of Nell Gwynn. She writes a witty tribute to the ...
Broadway in Chicago presents Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. This show is a trip down memory lane! I’m a huge fan of the 1971 film that introduced oompa loompas into my life. The staged musical version of Roald Dahl’s beloved story is both more beautiful and ugly than the movie. David Greig (book) makes ...
Firebrand Theatre, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, launches its 2018-19 season with a revival of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. This musical is a powerful tribute to the 1960s civil rights movement. We see race relations up close and personal. Caroline (played by the superb Rashada Dawan) is a black maid for a Jewish ...
Goodman Theatre presents the world premiere of David Cale’s WE’RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. David Cale returns to the Goodman Theatre after a ten year absence to launch his newest one man show. Cale has debuted six of his singing-songwriting-acting solo shows at the Goodman. WE’RE ONLY ALIVE is my first experience ...
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, four Chicago theaters will be debuting their version of the infamous tale; Lifeline, Remy Bumppo, Lookingglass and Court. Lifeline Theatre presents the world premiere of Robert Kauzlaric’s adaptation of FRANKENSTEIN. Kauzlaric spins his tale of resurrection around Victoria -not Victor- Frankenstein (played by Anne Sonneville). Kauzlaric makes ...
By Jay Worthington We should treat refugees much better than we do. This was the thought that kept running through my mind while watching the Chicago premiere of Qui Nguyen’s “Vietgone” at Writers Theatre. The story begins with the chaos of the Vietnam War where we meet Quang, energetically portrayed by Matthew C. Yee, a Vietnamese ...
The House Theatre of Chicago presents the world premiere of BOREALIS. I don’t typically read a press release before a play. I prefer to review a show from the perspective of any theatre goer. This practice can be challenging especially when critiquing a world premiere like BOREALIS. I’ve included an excerpt from the press release at ...