Review “The Kelly Girls” (Factory Theater): Blood-Soaked Realization

Monday, February 27, 2023 Permalink 0

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 ...

Review “Anna in the Tropics” (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company): Russian-Cuban Mash Up

Sunday, February 19, 2023 Permalink 0

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 ...

Review “Boulevard of Bold Dreams” (Timeline Theatre): The Cast is a Winning Trifecta!

Thursday, February 16, 2023 Permalink 0

Timeline Theatre presents the World Premiere of BOULEVARD OF BOLD DREAMS. It’s 1940. For the first time in Hollywood history, the Academy Awards have nominated a black woman for an Oscar. Hattie McDaniels is to be honored for her portrayal of Mamie in “Gone With The Wind.” The evening should be a glamorous celebration of Miss ...

Review “Lady Day” (Mercury Theater): Alexis J. Roston IS Billie Holiday!

Tuesday, February 7, 2023 Permalink 0

Mercury Theater presents LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL. Step into Venus Cabaret Theatre and take a step back in time! It’s Philadelphia 1959. The lights are dim. The seating is intimate. And Emerson’s Bar and Grill is serving up classic cocktails. Tonight’s entertainment is the extraordinary Billie Holiday (played by her doppelgänger, Alexis J. ...

Review “Wuthering Heights” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater): Storytelling Captivates!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s World Series Stage presents Wise Children’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS. The UK show is a co-production of National Theatre, Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and York Theatre Royal in association with Berkley Repertory Theatre.  Emily Brontë’s classic masterpiece gets an innovative spin by Adapter and Director Emma Rice. Brontë penned a saga of love/hate, lust/revenge ...

EXTENDED Thru March 5 …”Cabaret” (Porchlight Music Theatre): “Come to THIS Cabaret!”

Porchlight Music Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning musical CABARET. Berlin,1929: The Kit Kat Klub is lit! The girls are beautiful. The boys are beautiful. And everyone is Willkommen! Cliff, an American novelist, stumbles into the ongoing party at the cabaret. The nightclub is free-loving, high-spirited intoxication! There are no rules, no consequences and no boundaries. Cliff ...

Review “Bald Sisters” (Steppenwolf Theatre): More Sitcom Than Dramedy

Tuesday, December 13, 2022 Permalink 0

Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere of the BALD SISTERS. Two sisters clash over the funeral arrangements for their mother. It’s a likely scenario that has happened or will happen in many families. Playwright Vichet Chum uses a mother’s death to pile on the friction. The grieving sisters must confront their sibling rivalry, religious differences, and ...

DEAR EVAN HANSEN (Broadway in Chicago): Six-Time Tony Winner Still Brings the High-Tech Emo

Saturday, December 10, 2022 Permalink 0

Reviewed by Tom Lawler Set the scene:  DEAR EVAN HANSEN, a musical about a depressed high school student battling social anxiety, was a sensation with audiences and critics alike when it made its Broadway debut in 2016. It nabbed six Tonys — including for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score and most notably, a Best Actor ...

Review “Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol” (Writers Theatre): A Unique Gift to Open NOW!

Wednesday, December 7, 2022 Permalink 0

In search of a unique gift? Writers has the ticket! Writers Theatre presents the World Premiere live production of MANUAL CINEMA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Manual Cinema reimagines Charles Dickens’ holiday classic as a story within the story. Aunt Trudy (played by a dynamic LaKecia Harris) is grieving the loss of her husband Joe. In the past, Joe has ...

Review “Who’s Holiday” (Theater Wit): Cindy Lou Who Unplugged and Twisted

Wednesday, November 30, 2022 Permalink 0

Theater Wit presents WHO’S HOLIDAY! Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday classic “The Grinch” gets an Adults Only epilogue. Playwright Matthew Lombardo imagines a what-ever-happened-to-Cindy-Lou-Who retrospective. Lombardo creates the tike’s dark comedic backstory about being ostracized from Whoville. The play has an older Cindy Lou reflecting on her tumultuous and twisted relationship with the Grinch. Although Lombardo’s script ...