Bailiwick Chicago presents the Chicago Premiere of DESSA ROSE. Dessa Rose is a runaway slave. Ruth is a desperate farmwife. Dessa Rose is black. Ruth is white. Their lives collide. Their characters clash. This isn’t a one-sided rescue. This is all encompassing liberation of lives. Both women must confront their childhood beliefs before they can find individual ...
The Fourth Walsh
Theatre with a side of life
Category The Fourth Walsh
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Review “The Gospel of Lovingkindness” (Victory Gardens): Gentle and Uplifting
Victory Gardens presents the World Premiere of THE GOSPEL OF LOVINGKINDNESS. For a play about violence, this one is surprisingly gentle and uplifting. Playwright Marcus Gardley pens a tale based on real people. His play compares the trials and triumphs of two young black men. Both men have strong and loving mothers raising them. One is a ...
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Review “The Wild” (Steppenwolf Garage Rep): Marveling
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Fifth Annual Garage Rep. Three theatre companies have been selected by Steppenwolf to perform in rotating repertory for ten weeks: *Walkabout Theatre, “The Wild” *The New Colony, “reWILDing Genius” *Prologue Theatre, “Saturday Night/Sunday Morning” THE WILD is synchronized chaos. The press release describes this world premiere as ‘what happens to people when institutions crumble and deities ...
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Review “Les Parents Terribles” (The Artistic Home):
The Artistic Home presents LES PARENTS TERRIBLES. Playwright Jean Cocteau coils family dysfunction around love triangles. The result is some kinky threesomes. Michael has grown up with loving parents. His mother loves him… to obsessive levels. When Michael falls for Madeline, he’s ready for his happily ever after. What could go wrong? Well back at home, his ...
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“La Clemenza di Tito” (Lyric Opera): Music aficionados, listen up!
The Lyric Opera of Chicago presents a new-to-Chicago production of LA CLEMENZA DI TITO. Mozart composed a robust Roman drama. The premise has the emperor, Tito, ready to take a bride. Vitellia believes she is the rightful empress. She coerces Sesto, her love-sick suitor, to instigate a revolt. Meanwhile, Tito picks Sesto’s sister, Servilia, as his betrothed. ...
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“Seminar” (Haven Theatre): Male Focused Writing
Haven Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of SEMINAR. How do writers learn to write? Playwright Theresa Rebeck explores her profession in this tale of 4 wannabe novelists. Rebeck’s characters share their writings and desires during their weekly group. Their work and lives are scrutinized and berated by an unconventional instructor. Rebeck uses witty wordplay in this story ...
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Review “The How and The Why” (Timeline Theatre): Fierce Female Foursome
TimeLine Theatre presents THE HOW AND THE WHY. Playwright Sara Treem masterfully intertwines the female reproductive system around a meeting of the minds. Two evolutionary biologists meet for the first time. They each have questions that only the other one knows the answers to. Treem lets the story unfold naturally. The professional banter turns personal as the ...
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Review “Leveling Up” (Steppenwolf): Too Real
Steppenwolf for Young Adults series presents the Chicago premiere of LEVELING UP. Playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer tackles video game addiction. Laufer pens a cautionary tale of the real danger of virtual reality. Her twentysomething roommates spend the majority of their time competing in pretend worlds. They effectively avoid dealing with adulthood as they focus on getting to ...
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“Miss Marx” (Strawdog Theatre): Extraordinary Tribute
Strawdog Theatre presents the World Premiere of Philip Dawkins’ MISS MARX: OR THE INVOLUNTARY SIDE EFFECT OF LIVING. Eleanor is a socialist, an actress and an intellectual. She is a modern woman. She speaks seven different languages. And has even been contracted to translate, among other things, Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary and the plays of Henrik Ibsen. She is the daughter ...
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“Rusalka” (Lyric Opera): Enchanting Spectacle
Lyric Opera presents RUSALKA. The water nymph Rusalka falls for the prince of her dreams. She decides to coerce the local witch into making her human. Jezebaba will conjure up the spell with a few conditions. First, Rusalka must give up her power of speech. Second, if Rusalka fails in her love quest, she and the prince ...