Theatre with a side of life
Broadway in Chicago presents the Chicago Premiere of JAGGED LITTLE PILL inspired by the seminal rock album of the same name by seven-time Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette. #MeToo, opioid addiction, nonbinary identification, gun violence, homelessness… JAGGED LITTLE PILL is a topical powerhouse of relevance. Although Morissette exploded onto the scene in the 90s with her ...
Goodman Theatre presents THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Aristocrats are confronted by a dilapidated estate, a non-producing orchard and a carefree past that no longer exists. In his 1903 classic, Anton Chekhov explored the end of serfdom. Lyubov (played by a fierce Kate Fry) returns to her childhood home after an extended absence. Despite a celebrity welcome from ...
International Voices Project (IVP), in collaboration with Intercultural Music Production, presents the United States premiere of THE SHROUD MAKER. IVP champions the work of global playwrights to get their stories onstage. It’s particularly challenging for plays with Palestinian content to find theaters to showcase their work. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict perspective changes depending on the narrator and ...
Idle Muse Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of THE LAST QUEEN OF CAMELOT. From the title, I imagined Queen Guinevere (played by Caty Gordon-Hall) was finally going to have her say. The legendary Camelot implosion would be told from her point of view. Although the show has snippets of her own self revelations, the Queen’s ...
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents COMEDY OF ERRORS. Shakespeare’s tale of two sets of identical twins is a lampoon of shipwreck separation, mistaken identities and alternative twin sets. This established Shakes comedy is already a character-heavy farce. Director Barbara Gaines escalates the absurdity by framing the play as a movie. The movie is being produced to cheer ...
Broadway in Chicago presents TINA - The Tina Turner Musical produced by Stage Entertainment, James L. Nederlander and Tali Pelman, in association with Tina Turner and Erwin Bach. Tina Turner is an iconic superstar. This musical pays tribute to not only her talent but her resilience. It tells the story of a high-spirited young girl (played ...
Broadway in Chicago presents ANNIE THE MUSICAL. Do you remember when you last saw a live production of ANNIE? I do! It was 2016 and a Wednesday. Hillary just lost to Trump. I was devastated. I dragged myself to the press opening of ANNIE THE MUSICAL. The feel-good, family-friendly tale of an orphan bringing cheerful optimism ...
The American Repertory Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, National Artists Management Company and NETworks Presentations present the Chicago Premiere of the Broadway Revival of "1776 THE MUSICAL." I’ve seen various productions of "1776" and even the 1972 movie version. I’m a fan of this musical USA origin story. And I was a little more than giddy to ...
Factory Theater presents the World Premiere of THE KELLY GIRLS. For centuries, Belfast has been a hotbed of warring factions. Catholics verses Protestants. Irish verses British rule. The Provisional Government of Ireland verses the Irish Republican Army (IRA). And later in the 1960s, the Official IRA verses the Provisional IRA. The Irish started fighting in their ...
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company presents ANNA IN THE TROPICS. A factory hires a lector to read to its workers. As the employees hand-roll cigars, they get lost in the romance and intrigue of “Anna Karenina.” Playwright Milo Cruz uses the Leo Tolstoy classic as the basis for transformation in a working class community. Tolstoy’s words enchant ...