Next Theatre presents the Midwest Premiere of THE GREAT GOD PAN. Taking your seat at Next Theatre is like becoming the fly on the wall at any local coffee haunt. Set Designer Courtney O’Neill and Props Designer Eileen Rozycki create an authentic scene: pastries, chalk board, mismatched furniture and an actual barista. O’Neill adds blurred depth using ...
The Fourth Walsh
Theatre with a side of life
Category The Fourth Walsh
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Review “Tristan & Yseult”(Chicago Shakes): LOVED!
Chicago Shakespeare Theater welcomes the internationally acclaimed Kneehigh’s TRISTAN & YSEULT to its World Stage Series. Wagner’s “Tristan & Isolde,” is a passionate operatic masterpiece. I’ve seen it. Kneehigh’s TRISTAN & YSEULT is an amorous timeless epic. I’ve experienced it. The troupe hailing from Cornwall, England grounds this classic in love on all levels. Through a multi-faceted approach, Kneehigh explores ...
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“The Killing of Michael X” (Jackalope Theatre): Unforgettable Innovation
Jackalope Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of THE KILLING OF MICHAEL X: A NEW FILM BY CELIA WALLACE. Jackalope takes full advantage of their new home at the Broadway Armory. They impressively utilize the huge, loft space to present this play about the making of a movie. From the start, the word ‘stylish’ resonated in my ...
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Review “Depraved New World” (Second City): Don’t be deprived of depraved!
The Second City presents its 102nd Revue DEPRAVED NEW WORLD. The new Mainstage show at Second City is tight! The scenes flow. The laughs roll. The cast soars. Chelsea Devantez, John Hartman, Mike Kosinski, Tawny Newsome, Emily Walker and Steve Waltien are terrific. They are the writers, the performers but first and foremost they are ‘the ensemble.’ There ...
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Review “Road Show” (Chicago Shakes): Dark Musical, Sobering Comedy
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents ROAD SHOW. Composer Stephen Sondheim has immortalized the real life shenanigans of the Mizner brothers in this musical tribute. Sondheim tells the tales of the ambitious brothers chasing fame and fortune from the Alaskan gold rush to Florida’s real estate boom. ROAD SHOW chronicles their colorful escapades. The show starts at the death of one of ...
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“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Broadway in Chicago): Skimpy but Joyful
Broadway in Chicago presents JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. For a story about the early days of human trafficking, this musical makes merry. The plot is dramatic: Joseph, his father’s favorite, is sold into slavery by his brothers. His ability to interpret dreams helps him ascend to prominence. A famine reunites him with his estranged family. ...
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“Venus in Fur” (Goodman Theatre): Wickedly Pleasurable Flirtation
Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of VENUS IN FUR. This is a play about a play about a book. In 1869, Author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch penned a novella of erotica. His controversial writings about sexual domination resulted in a new word. Masochism, used to describe finding sexual pleasure from pain or humiliation, is derived from the ...
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“Good Boys And True” (Raven Theatre): Disquieting
Raven Theatre presents GOOD BOYS AND TRUE. A leaked sex tape is scandalous. Knowing the participants are minors is disturbing. Realizing the girl is a victim escalates it to unconscionable. Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa penned a thought-provoking tale. At the crux of the play is a demoralizing sex tape making the rounds at an elite boys’ prep school. Aguirre-Sacasa ...
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Review “Salome” (Right Brain Project): Lusty Erotica
The Right Brain Project presents Oscar Wilde’s SALOME. Director Nathan Robbel used a phrase in his press packet Q&A that perfectly states my experiences of Right Brain Project. Robbel describes their brand of theatre as ‘epic minimalism’. Exactly! I’ve seen several RBP productions over the years. I’m always impressed by their commitment to artistic expression. In their ...
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Review “Rock of Ages” Broadway in Chicago): High-octane Cast Rocks it Out
Reviewed by Tom Lawler The long-running Broadway musical Rock of Ages, now touching down in Chicago for just a week in a new touring production featuring a cast of mainly fresh faces, gets off to a scintillating start as we meet ROA’s narrator for the evening, Lonny. As embodied by the lewd, ultra-confident Andrew Sklar (he ...