All stories by Chris Jones on BroadwayStars

Friday, January 27, 2023

Review: An evocative ‘Hansel and Gretel’ at Lyric Opera that leads us into the woods by Chris Jones

Gretel is the emotional heart of the story and soprano Heidi Stober knows just what to do.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:30AM
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Review: ‘the ripple, the wave that carried me home’ at Goodman Theatre dives into the history of segregated swimming by Chris Jones

Christina Anderson's new play “the ripple, the wave, that carried me home,” makes a richly worded argument that segregated swimming had an especially pernicious history.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Chicago’s next pre-Broadway tryout: A Louis Armstrong musical by Chris Jones

Satchmo is coming to town in the fall. “A Wonderful World" will have the songs and story of Louis Armstrong.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 11:01AM
Monday, January 23, 2023

Review: ‘Cabaret’ by Porchlight Music Theatre is the best show of the year so far, with a knockout Sally Bowles by Chris Jones

There's so much that's new in this fresh Chicago production, and "Cabaret" is a musical that has taken some notably different directions before.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Thursday, January 19, 2023

Review: The musical ‘Chicago’ at the CIBC Theatre is a worthy night out, young cast and all by Chris Jones

On a gray January night in Chicago, is there any harm in rolling the dice on hearing such songs as “Nowadays” and “I Am My Own Best Friend?” What were you doing otherwise?

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 02:35PM

Review: ‘tick, tick … BOOM!’ by BoHo Theatre is a production Jonathan Larson would have appreciated by Chris Jones

This musical is a show to which Chicago’s young theater artists long have related.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Review: ‘The Golden Gals Live!’ is now at Mercury Theater — and if you’re a fan, go by Chris Jones

You get an original “Golden Girls” story that employs characters, famous bits and timeless schtick from the TV show from three decades ago.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:15AM
Friday, January 13, 2023

Review: Harrison Lampert is a most welcome mess, Wednesdays at the Magic Lounge by Chris Jones

The Chicago Magic Lounge has been one of the most notable success stories of late on Chicago’s live entertainment scene.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:30AM
Thursday, January 12, 2023

Theater for winter 2023: Our 10 picks for promising upcoming shows downtown, at Lookingglass and more by Chris Jones

There's a brand new Brontë show at Lookingglass Theatre, another on Navy Pier, Austin Pendleton directing at Steppenwolf and a downtown "Les Miz" for starters.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 10:00AM
Monday, January 9, 2023

Broadway enters the winter of 2023 with caution after rocky autumn by Chris Jones

Broadway's typically slower winter season is set to be even quieter than normal, with only one production currently slated to open.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023

What went right — and wrong — on Broadway in 2022 by Chris Jones

In the last weeks of 2022, failed Broadway shows seemed to stack up one after another.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Frank Galati, pioneering Chicago theater artist and Oscar nominee, is dead at 79 by Chris Jones

Frank Galati, a pivotal figure in Chicago theater, a Tony Award-winning Broadway director, a beloved longtime teacher at Northwestern University, and an ensemble member at both the Steppenwo…

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 10:09AM
Friday, December 30, 2022

The 10 best Chicago theater performances of 2022 by Chris Jones

Chicago acting always deserves extra recognition; here were my favorite performances in theaters in the city and suburbs in the past year.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Thursday, December 22, 2022

Review: ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ by Theo Ubique Theatre has some fresh ideas but misses the mark by Chris Jones

Fans of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" still will have fun, but Theo Ubique Theatre has done far better.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Review: In Broadway’s ‘The Collaboration,’ Andy Warhol works with Jean-Michele Basquiat and beautiful chaos ensues by Chris Jones

What would the great American artist Jean-Michele Basquiat have achieved, how famous would he now be, had he not died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at the age of 27?

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 09:00PM

Chicagoan of the Year for Theater: Director Ron OJ Parson had a standout 2022 but he’s always been essential by Chris Jones

In a year of Chicago theater's recovery, he directed hit after hit, and he's a reigning authority on the work of August Wilson. That's all just for starters.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 07:00AM
Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Review: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is back in Chicago in top form, still asking tough questions by Chris Jones

This remains an important musical because of the originality of its thought, the strength of its score and its ability to hit such a chord with audiences.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Review: ‘Bald Sisters’ at Steppenwolf Theatre is an immigrant story with potential by Chris Jones

Vichet Chum’s world premiere is one of several recent plays looking at the struggles of immigrants trying to reconcile their past with their American present.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Monday, December 12, 2022

Review: ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ is Sondheim’s musical anew at New York Theatre Workshop by Chris Jones

In life, as God and Sondheim understand, we roll along whether or not we choose to do so merrily.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 07:00PM
Friday, December 9, 2022

Review: ‘A Magical Cirque Christmas’ is now at CIBC Theatre, but there are better holiday choices by Chris Jones

If cirque is your thing, it may be best to wait for "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" or go see the terrific Cabaret ZaZou instead.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Thursday, December 8, 2022

Review: Audra McDonald dives deep in shocking ‘Ohio State Murders’ on Broadway by Chris Jones

She plays the alter-ego of the brilliant Adrienne Kennedy, a 91-year-old Black playwright finally on Broadway.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 10:30PM

Best Chicago theater of 2022: Standout works at the Lyric, ‘Good Night, Oscar’ and a welcome return for Steep by Chris Jones

Was 2022 a normal year in Chicago theater? That depends, but there were some tremendous plays and musicals.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM

Review: ‘Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley’ at Northlight Theatre is charming Jane Austen fan fiction by Chris Jones

In an era when many plays lack the kind of structure guaranteed to please an audience, “Georgiana & Kitty” is the very model of a well-made play.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Review: ‘Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol’ at Writers Theatre is at once both Dickens’ story and something profoundly different by Chris Jones

I vividly remember watching the piece in 2020 on my laptop in my kitchen, wishing for a family Christmas with then-absent members.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Tuesday, December 6, 2022

‘Into the Woods’ coming to Chicago soon after Broadway by Chris Jones

The touring cast of the show is expected to include Montego Glover as the Witch, Stephanie J. Block as the Baker’s Wife.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 05:50PM
Sunday, December 4, 2022

Review: ‘Beautiful Noise’ on Broadway is the music of Neil Diamond, offering ‘Sweet Caroline’ and eternal life by Chris Jones

What do jukebox shows like "Beautiful Noise" hope to give us? Immortality. For a night.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 08:30PM
Friday, December 2, 2022

Review: In ‘Ain’t No Mo’ on Broadway, Black Americans are offered a one-way plane ticket out. Painful comedy ensues. by Chris Jones

This new show is a smart, angry blast of Broadway talent. It abandons caution to the winds and really, really goes there, meaning wherever the heck Jordan E. Cooper wants.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:35PM
Sunday, November 27, 2022

Review: New musical ‘KPOP’ doesn’t fully pop on Broadway by Chris Jones

The pandemic was not kind to “KPOP,” the new Broadway show that aims to do for South Korean popular music much of what “Dreamgirls” did for Motown.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 07:00PM
Thursday, November 24, 2022

Review: Looking for the perfect holiday outing? Paramount Theatre’s ‘The Sound of Music’ is beautiful and deeply emotional by Chris Jones

Traditional musicals like this one typically reflect people trying their best in difficult circumstances and strive to leave audiences with hope.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Review: ‘The Island’ at Court Theatre is a cautionary tale about the consequences of incarceration by Chris Jones

"The Island" is about a specific set of circumstances in the early 1970s, but its metaphors of inequity, power and oppression are timeless.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:15AM
Monday, November 21, 2022

Review: ‘The Lion King’ is back in Chicago in top form, still working its magic from that first moment on the savanna by Chris Jones

Despite being 25 years old on Broadway and outlasting the childhoods of my kids, “The Lion King” still manages to amaze adults and children with its level of spectacle.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime