Porchlight Music Theatre presents DREAMGIRLS. This is as real as it gets. Life is imitating art. And art is imitating life. Donica Lynn (Effie) plays a singer becoming a star. In this production, Donica Lynn is a singer becoming a star. Right before our eyes, we see Lynn transform from girl-group-reject to soulful diva. Her stunning ...
Review “The Last Big Mistake” (The Factory Theater): Factory’s Legendary Bad Ass Shenanigans Relocated
The Factory Theater presents the World Premiere of THE LAST BIG MISTAKE. Factory christens its new Rogers Park theater with sweat, blood and chortling. Their first show is a high energy, combative comedy. Kim Boler (Lola) and Angela DeMarco (Roxie) play former lady wrestlers turned cocktail servers moonlighting as newbie crooks. When they don’t get paid ...
EXTENDED Thru June 5 “Mary Page Marlowe” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Tracy Letts Masterfully Dissects a life
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere of MARY PAGE MARLOWE. Playwright Tracy Letts got into my head in this life dissection. Who is Mary Page Marlowe? We are challenged to figure that out by watching her over the decades. The scenes are snapshots shown out of sequential order. We are first introduced to Mary Page as ...
Review “Adding Machine The Musical” (The Hypocrites): Somber Intensity
The Hypocrites present ADDING MACHINE: A MUSICAL. Ten minutes into this show I realized this sure wasn’t a Gilbert & Sullivan opera. I’ve enjoyed The Hypocrites peppy, playful “Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado.” ADDING MACHINE: A MUSICAL was a surprising downer. It’s one man’s existentialist crisis sung with beautiful but somber intensity. Jason ...
Review “Riverdance” (Broadway in Chicago): Kicking It HIGH for Their 20th Anniversary World Tour
Broadway in Chicago presents RIVERDANCE. I had the opportunity to see the farewell tour of Riverdance in 2012. And last night, I watched the resurrected Irish crew back in our city for their 20th Anniversary World Tour. If you haven’t see RIVERDANCE before, Chicago has been given another chance to experience first-rate Irish dancing. The show starts ...
Review “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (Court Theatre): Exceptional
Court Theatre presents LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. Playwright Eugene O’Neill was awarded a Pulitzer Prize posthumously for this autobiographical play. O’Neill exposes his own family’s dysfunction rooted in addiction. Unlike a contemporary drama focused on the affects of an addict’s behavior on a family, O’Neill’s story is about an entire family of alcoholics and a ...
Review “Time Steps” (Chicago Tap Theatre): Play First, Dance Second
Chicago Tap Theatre presents TIME STEPS. After a long week, I was jazzed for Chicago Tap Theatre’s new show. I was ready for energetic toe tapping fun last night. Instead of peppy stepping, TIME STEPS is listlessly dramatic. It’s the opposite of a traditional tap dancing showcase. It’s not uplifting, it’s a bit of a downer. ...
Review “Richard III” (The Gift Theatre): Innovative Storytelling
The Gift Theatre, in conjunction with Steppenwolf Theatre, presents RICHARD III. Michael Patrick Thornton (Richard) stars in this Machiavellian rise to power. Shakespeare describes his lead as a deformed man with a hunchback. Under the innovative direction of Jessica Thebus, Thornton, an actor with a disability, performs the role from his wheelchair. Thornton ruthlessly manipulates his ...
Review “Matilda the Musical” (Broadway in Chicago): Extraordinary!
Broadway in Chicago presents Roald Dahl’s MATILDA THE MUSICAL. Disney princesses and Marvel superheroes step aside. MATILDA has landed in Chicago! And she is one smart cookie… genius, actually! Even lacking a loving, supportive family, Matilda becomes a confident intellectual at age five. She reads. Her power source is her brain. She uses her knowledge to ...
RIDE (Under the Rug Theatre Company): A Bumpy RIDE in Uptown
Reviewed by Tom Lawler Set the scene: Under the Rug Theatre Company, a new company making its debut with RIDE, aims to “examine societal elements that might otherwise be swept under the rug.” Under the Rug’s maiden voyage is being staged in Wicker Park’s The Den Theater, a buzzing five-theater space with two vintage bars and ...