Lookingglass Theatre presents BLOOD WEDDING. Weddings are emotional. Two people pledging their loving devotion. Two families merging ancestral lines. In the best of circumstances, the pending permanency of the union makes for tense moments. Playwright Federico Garcia Lorca (translated by Michael Dewell and Carmen Zapata) pens a tale of marital amiss. The telenovela opens with an unhappy ...
I thought I couldn’t cook but I was wrong!
Shrimp jambalaya When I was a kid, I tried to make Jello. I failed...over and over! It was a combination of things. I couldn't wait for the water to fully boil or the Jello to completely dissolve. Although Jello appears simplistic in nature, it continues to be my unsolved mystery. Back in the day, I ...
EXTENDED THRU April 10 Review D.O.A. (Strawdog Theatre): Hugen Hall’s Grand Finale
Hugen Hall of Strawdog Theatre Company presents the World Premiere adaptation of D.O.A. The room is dark. The door opens. A bright light silhouettes a character in the doorway. The posed person then struts into the smoky room. Each cast member makes an entrance like it’s a 1950s film noir fashion show. It’s the last production ...
Review “The Hounds of the Baskervilles” (Idle Muse Theatre): The Original Bro-mance
Idle Muse Theatre Company presents a World Premiere adaptation of THE HOUNDS OF THE BASKERVILLES. Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most famous detective in history. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a persona whose superior intellect picked up on the smallest hint of a clue. Sherlock’s sleuthing was aided by his trusted sidekick Dr. Watson. The duo ...
Review “Heathers: The Musical” (Kokandy Production): It Kills!
Kokandy Productions presents the Chicago Premiere of HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL. Before the “Mean Girls”, there were the “Heathers.” The 1980s cult classic movie showcased a high school run by a trio of girls named Heather. The creative team of Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe gave Daniel Waters’ dark comedy a musical make over. Murphy and O’Keefe ...
Review “Rolling” (Jackalope Theatre): Mean-Spirited, Hilarious and Relatable
Jackalope Theatre presents the World Premiere of ROLLING. The news is news! The hot media story of the day questions a sexual assault news story from the past. The reporter is under attack. She decides to go into hiding. She runs home… much to her mother’s chagrin. Playwright Calamity West pens a dark comedy about the adult ...
Review “Midnight Cowboy” (Lifeline Theatre): “A Tapestry of Loneliness”
Lifetime Theatre presents the World Premiere Adaptation of MIDNIGHT COWBOY. Loneliness pours off Lifetime’s stage in its newest production. A naive young man moves to NYC to hustle rich ladies. Playwright Christopher Hainsworth has adapted the Midnight Cowboy novel by James Leo Herlihy. Although the novel also became the 1969 iconic movie starring Jon Voight and ...
Review “A Loss of Roses” (Raven Theatre): Simply Complicated Perfection
Raven Theatre presents A LOSS OF ROSES. This play is simply complicated. In depression era Kansas, a widow and her twenty-one year old son have a routine. They work. They have supper. Mom goes to church. Son goes to the pool hall. Mom nags about his late night carousing. Son whines about her store bought pie. They exist as ...
Review “Pop Waits” (The Neo-Futurists): No Clowning Around
Reviewed by Tom Lawler Set the scene: The Neo-Futurists are housed in a funky Andersonville space with colorful, art-festooned halls and vestibules perched above a funeral home. Since the late ‘80s the Neo-Futurists have occupied their own rung in the Chicago theater scene with a revolving ensemble of young, diverse writers-actors dedicated to creating their own ...
Review “Romeo and Juliet” (Lyric Opera): The Greatest Love Story Ever… Sung!
Lyric Opera of Chicago presents ROMEO AND JULIET. At the Lyric, I’m gotten fairly adept at reading the English titles while watching the opera. This time because I’m very familiar with ‘the greatest love story ever told,’ I chose to ignore the printed translation and just experience the opera. I focused on the ...