Broadway In Chicago presents ON YOUR FEET! The Emilio and Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical. A Cuban heatwave is melting Chicago winter woes. ON YOUR FEET! is back in Chicago for Spring break. The high energy musical is the true story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Gloria (played by a stunning Christie Prades) auditions for Emilio's (played ...
Review “A Story Told in Seven Fights” (The Neo-Futurists): Drama’s Artistic Expression
The Neo-Futurists presents the World Premiere of A STORY TOLD IN SEVEN FIGHTS. Ensemble Member and Creator Trevor Dawkins is mad! Really mad!! So mad, he wants to punch someone in the face. Instead, he decided to tell a story... about fighting. The premise of his play is the theatre riots and violence provoked by the ...
Review “The Brink! Or Nobody’s Been Kissed Like That…” (Walkabout Theatre): Poetic Musical Maze
Walkabout Theater Company and Links Hall present the U.S. Premiere of "THE BRINK! or Nobody’s Ever Kissed Me Like That...". The Walkabout ensemble, Nigel Brown, McCambridge Dowd-Whipple, Cooper Forsman, Dana Murphy, Katie Mazzini, Thom Pasculli (also serves as director), and Alex Rodriguez, showcase a theatrical spectacle of movement and music. In Links Hall's vast space, Walkabout establishes a cafe ...
Review “Schiller’s Mary Stuart” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater): A Queen-sized Treat
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents SCHILLER'S MARY STUART. The House of Tudor verses the House of Stuart! Although Americans fought for independence, we still allow ourselves to be ruled by British royals. Movies, TV shows, and plays feed us a steady majestic diet. Some of us ingest every detail of the sovereign, past and present. We absorb ...
Review “Time is on Our Side” (About Face Theatre): Inflections and Cadence of NPR
About Face Theatre presents the Midwest Premiere of TIME IS ON OUR SIDE. Two podcasters stumble on a mysterious diary. The diary was Annie's grandma. When it hints at a lesbian relationship, Annie (played by Maggie Scrantom) forcefully wants to keep her grandma's secrets private. An obsessed Curtis (played by Rashaad Hall) starts putting the story ...
February: Check In
It's February. I don't go out in February. I tried this month to make that a thing. It seemed the perfect response to an invitation to go out. Blame my tired, non-social self on the time of year. #hibernationFebruary! All month at the end of the work day, I wanted to go home. Even though it's ...
Review “Anna Karenina” (Lifeline Theatre): To Russia with Love
Lifeline Theatre presents the world premiere of ANNA KARENINA. Leo Tolstoy's classic could be dubbed "War and Love." Tolstoy's lengthy Russian novel focuses on the tortures of all-consuming love. Anna (played by an outstanding Ilse Zacharias) desperately loves her son (played by skillful puppeteer Michele Stine) and her lover (played by the sensual Eric Gerard). Her ...
Review “Pillars of the Community” (Strawdog Theatre): Relevant and Timeless
Strawdog Theatre presents PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY. His cover-up of a past affair and financial crime threatens to demolish a politician's established world. Although it sounds like our present day reality, PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY is set in the 1800s. Samuel Adamson adapted Henrik Ibsen's 1877 play about a leader whose enamored base feel that he ...
EXTENDED THRU March 17 “Merrily We Roll Along” (Porchlight Music Theatre): A Blast Backwards
Porchlight Music Theatre presents MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. The creative team of Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and George Furth (book) cleverly start at the end and work backwards in this musical. We meet Franklin Shephard (played by Jim DeSelm) in present day. Although the perky ensemble is singing the title song Merrily we roll along, ...
2018: January Check-In
I had a list of January goals to accomplish for optimizing my health, social, home and financial sectors. As is often the case, my results were a series of victories, defeats and meh. I hit all my training work outs but fell short on the yoga classes. I cut way back on the wine drinking ...