Lyric Opera presents ANNA BOLENA. The tale of the unfortunate fate of King Henry VIII’s second wife is familiar. Queen Anne Boleyn’s reign ended by beheading. ANNA BOLENA’s liberetto by Felice Romani focuses more on the guilt of Anne than Henry. The fact that Henry is killing his wife to marry Jane Seymour is buried underneath ...
“The Clean House” (Remy Bummpo): A Must-Feel!
Remy Bumppo presents THE CLEAN HOUSE. What I loved about this smartly-written show by Sarah Ruhl was the surprising contrasts. There was drama and comedy, reality and fantasy, life and death, and love and real love. Ruhl created familiar role pairings: employer-maid, husband-wife, patient-doctor, sister-sister. And then she twisted them for unexpected relational woe and joy. ...
Review “Dickensian Delights” (Dream Theatre Company): Basically Great!
Dream Theatre Company presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL: AN EVENING OF DICKENSIAN DELIGHTS. The “Christmas Carol” is a holiday classic. Currently, Chicagoland is boasting multiple versions onstage. Over at Goodman, the production is the traditional showcase. Nearby, Chicago Shakes is premiering a hip-hop alternative of the story. Both plays use different techniques to give the public entertainment ...
Review “Panic on Cloud 9” (The Second City e.t.c.): Ladies Night…and They’re Not Afraid of the Dark
Reviewed by Tom Lawler The Second City e.t.c. presents its 103rd Revue, PANIC ON CLOUD 9. According to my sources at Urban Dictionary, Cloud 9/Cloud Nine can now refer to a state of being high on marijuana. To put a finer point on it, we’re talking about a sensation of feeling faded, twisted or mucha ...
13 Days to 51
In less than two weeks, I’ll turn 51. I hope I remember. Last year, I was very focused on leaving my forties. I was counting down the days, literally, on my 500 Days to 50 blog. And I was planning the big milestone vacation with my friends. We were going to Guatemala and then on ...
I’ve been to Sloth-ville and back
It’s been a week since my challenge ended. Where have I been? Well, I got on the train in Chicago and got off in Sloth-ville. After posting my results of the 29 Day Challenge, I waded into a vegetative state. On Thanksgiving and the day after, I dropped my FitBit steps from a 14K daily average ...
Review “Holiday Symphony” (Celtic Thunder): Perfect for Fans and Virgin Converts
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 ...