The Celtic Thunder performed on November 30th at Chicago Theatre. Chicago was a select stop on their North American Symphony Tour. The shows are the 8th US tour and feature songs from the Celtic Thunder’s new album Holiday Symphony. The evening was the perfect transition from Thanksgiving into the Christmas season. The beautiful, historic theatre was ...
Review “A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol” (Chicago Shakes): Better than excellent!
Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Richard Jordan Productions LTD present the World Premiere of A Q BROTHERS’ CHRISTMAS CAROL. The lively crew of GQ, JQ, Jackson Doran and Postell Pringle twist the familiar Dickens tale into a unique holiday spectacle. Jacob Marley is Jamaican. The ghosts are three different types of rappers. Tiny Tim is an adorable hypochondriac. ...
Buddy Cop 2 (Pavement Group): Cops and Yeppers
Reviewed by Tom Lawler Pavement Group presents the Midwest premiere of BUDDY COP 2. The anti-comedy movement is usually traced back to Andy Kaufman, who began entertaining hip New York audiences in the ‘70s by doing Elvis Presley impressions, pantomiming to recordings of the Mighty Mouse theme and threatening to read The Great Gatsby in ...
Review “Christmas Bingo” (Royal George Theater): Humorous and Engaging
Reviewed by Jennifer Benoit-Bryan Royal George Theater presents CHRISTMAS BINGO: IT’S A HO-HO-HOLY NIGHT! Christmas bingo is a fun romp through Christmas history using the lens of religious humor. Note that this is not the show to bring a particularly devout friend or relative to unless they find poking fun at some of the quirks of religion ...
29 Day Challenge: Done!
Kalecucugrapple juice Happy Thanksgiving! Challenge done! Here are the results of my 29 Day Challenge; GOAL: Twenty minutes daily on the treadmill ACTUAL: 28 out of 29 days. I had a couple things working against me on this one. I had blown through the perfect score in the first week. So, my mind continuously argued with my body ...
Review “Nutcracker” (The House): Consistent Holiday Treat
The House Theatre of Chicago presents NUTCRACKER. This was my fourth time seeing The House’s holiday show in the last five years. And despite my repeated viewing, I still wept. The play has both joy and agony. The audience moves from one end of the spectrum to the other... in the first ten minutes. The emotional ...
Review “Hot Georgia Sunday” (Haven Theatre): Masterful Storytelling
Haven Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere of HOT GEORGIA SUNDAY. This show is all about masterful storytelling. Playwright Catherine Trieschmann tells her story from the distinct perspective of six characters. Trieschmann intertwines a series of monologues to build individual personas within a church-based community. From the stories her characters are telling, we begin to ...
Review “Tamer of Horses” (Teatro Vista): Implausible
Teatro Vista presents TAMER OF HORSES. Unfortunately, I did not like this show. Although the acting was fine, and Joshua Torrez (Hector) especially was a stand out as a sullen, street kid, it was the story I found implausible. Playwright William Mastrosimone penned a tale of a troubled youth being saved by a classics literature teacher. ...
EXTENDED Thru Feb 22 “Lookingglass Alice” (Lookingglass Theatre): Cirque Wonderland
Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the return of the signature Lookingglass production LOOKINGGLASS ALICE. For the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s publication, Lookingglass is rolling out its hallmark show. LOOKINGGLASS ALICE is also celebrating a milestone. It’s the 10th anniversary of the first production. Returning to the title role is the originator Lauren Hirte. And sharing the ...
Review “The Testament of Mary” (Victory Gardens): WWMD?
Victory Gardens presents the Midwest Premiere of THE TESTAMENT OF MARY. I have fifteen and half years of Catholic education. I’ve read and studied the bible. I self-identify as a Christian. I’m a believer. I often consider WWJD? Yet, I’ve never considered What Would Mary Do? Playwright Colm Toibin answers that question with stories told from Mary’s ...