The Hypocrites present the world premiere of ALL OUR TRAGIC. Adapter and director Sean Graney has taken the 32 surviving Greek tragedies and compiled them into a 12 hour epic narrative. The notion is overwhelming. The execution is impressive. Graney’s 1200 page script (there is a comedy reference to the length during the show) is actualized ...
The Fourth Walsh
Theatre with a side of life
Category The Fourth Walsh
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Review “Hank Williams Lost Highway” (American Blues Theatre): Don’t Miss this Jambalaya Special
I saw HANK WILLIAMS on Saturday. American Blues is remounting their smash Honky Tonk Blues hit from last summer. Most of the original cast is back for a second hearty helping of Louisana’s legendary native son. If you missed it last summer, don’t miss it this time around. If you saw it last year, ...
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Review “Hellish Half-Light” (Mary Arrchie): Beckett X 6
Mary Arrchie Theatre presents HELLISH HALF-LIGHT: Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett. Playwright Samuel Beckett based his art on the study of human nature. Beckett created odd characters and put them in weird scenarios. And he tells his stories in abrupt minimalism. The audience is thrown into a life already in progress and forced to acclimate within ...
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Review “Warriors” (Cirque Shanghai): Cringe-able and Gawk-able!
Navy Pier, in conjunction with International Special Attractions, LTD., presents CIRQUE SHANGHAI: WARRIORS. WARRIORS starts and ends with a parade of two dozen, brightly dressed performers marching through the aisles. The fresh-faced, smiling troupe is every bit the performing showbiz crew. They wave. They smile. They encourage... the excitement. It’s love at first sight as the ...
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Review “Intimate Apparel” (Eclipse Theatre): Tightly woven patchwork quilt
Eclipse Theatre presents INTIMATE APPAREL as the second offering in their Lynn Nottage season, one playwright-one season. This play about a seamstress is all about the detailed construction. Scenic Designer Kevin Hagan creates a variety of rooms in limited space. Director Steve Scott assembles the multiple lives within these individual locales. Playwright Lynn Nottage establishes a ...
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Review “The Jungle” (Oracle Theatre): Unique, Blood-Splattering Spectacle
Oracle Theatre presents the world premiere adaptation of THE JUNGLE. Upton Sinclair’s classic novel is a grim reflection of the ugly reality of Chicago stockyards in the early 1900s. Director and adapter Matt Foss actualizes Sinclair’s vision in what can best be described as a unique, blood-splattering spectacle. This show is the epitome of performing arts. ...
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Review “Much Ado About Nothing” (Midsommer Flight): Something to fall in love with
Midsommer Flight announces its third summer season of Shakespeare in the Park with Much Ado About Nothing. Well, this is much ado about something. The show is a tightly-packed comedy. Director Beth Wolf has actors entering and exiting the makeshift stage by running. The action clips. The barbs fly. The love grows. It’s time to fall ...
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Review “Men Should Weep” (Griffin Theatre): A Powerful Tribute to Lassies
Griffin Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere of MEN SHOULD WEEP. Playwright Ena Lamont Stewart wrote about working class reality in 1930s Glasgow, Scotland. Lamont Stewart gives a gritty portrayal of a depression era family. Maggie Morrison lives with an unemployed husband, 5 kids, a daughter-in-law and granny in a tiny three room flat. She also ...
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Review “The Late Henry Moss” (The Artistic Home): Booze-soaked Force
The Artistic Home presents the Midwest Premiere of THE LATE HENRY MOSS. Two brothers fight over the meager remains of their recently departed father. Their argument leads into a series of flashback scenes exploring the life and death of Henry Moss. Henry has been found dead in his crummy home in nowhere, Mexico. His sons try ...
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Review “The Qualms” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Debauchery at its Finest
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere of THE QUALMS. Playwright Bruce Norris exposes the secret life of swingers. He rips off the lid on sexual taboos and lets the condoms reign. Norris sets the scene with Teri (played by Kate Arrington) and Gary (played by Keith Kupferer) hosting their quarterly sex party. They have invited newcomers ...