Theatre with a side of life
Reviewed by Tom Lawler Set the scene: FOOL FOR LOVE, by the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, is typically considered one of the greatest of the nearly 60 he penned over a 50-year writing, directing and acting career. Adjacent to his celebrated “family trilogy” (which includes BURIED CHILD and TRUE WEST) and exploring similar themes ...
Lookingglass Theatre, in conjunction with The Actors Gymnasium, presents the World Premiere of CIRCUS QUIXOTE. Don Quixote is a legendary character from the17th century. Years of chivalry-inspired literature makes him believe he is a knight. He recruits a neighbor to be his squire and sets out on a crusade. He attacks dragons (windmills). He visits castles ...
A Red Orchid Theatre presents the World Premiere of THE CAVE. Playwright Sadieh Rifai tells the tale of a Palestinian-American family facing internal and external conflicts at home. Rifai sets the story in the days leading up to the first Gulf War. The family has moved into an Ohio gated community after a tragic incident in ...
Reviewed by Tom Lawler Set the scene: LOBBY HERO, a drama from celebrated playwright and filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan (THIS IS OUR YOUTH, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA), debuted off-Broadway in the spring of 2001 and completed its scheduled six-month run just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Aside from a UK premiere in 2002, this property then ...
TimeLine Theatre, in partnership with the American Vicarious and the Theatre School at DePaul University, presents the Chicago premiere DEBATE: BALDWIN VS BUCKLEY. Is the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro? On February 17, 1965, this question was the subject of debate between American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin and American ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents Olney Theatre Center’s production of AVAAZ. Upon arrival to the 6th floor studio theatre at Chicago Shakes, the audience is greeted by sumptuous eye candy designed by Beowulf Boritt. Several elegant chandeliers dangle over a lavish spread of apples, greenery, candles and ornate brass pitchers and holders. Along the back wall are ...
Porchlight Music Theatre presents FUN HOME. ‘Fun home’ may conjure up carnival-like expectations. Although it is definitely fun and is about home, this show has more depth and breadth than a typical musical. It’s based on Alison Bechdel’s critically-acclaimed graphic novel about growing up in a funeral home, ‘coming out’ and her father’s suicide. The creative ...
Jackalope Theatre presents the remount and limited engagement of THE SMUGGLER. Andrew Burden Swanson is a master storyteller. Swanson plays Tim Finnegan, an unemployed Irish immigrant with a story… actually several stories… to tell. Swanson is transfixing as he weaves together a modern yarn with unexpected twists and turns. And he does it by seamlessly playing ...
Broadway in Chicago presents the Tony Award-winning musical comedy, SHUCKED. Cob County is under a corn emergency. The wedding of childhood sweethearts, Maizy and Beau, is interrupted by crop failure. When the community’s fields of dreams is threatened, they must face survival by slim-pickings. And this kernel of truth exposes them to outside forces. The creative ...
Music Theater Works presents LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL. “Omigod. Omigod you guys” this show is super fun! In 2001, Reese Witherspoon made being blonde and wearing pink the fashionable alternative to stuffy law suits. Her iconic film became a comedy classic. Elle, a Malibu sorority girl, follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard. In her pursuit to get him ...