Sunday, February 26, 2012
It's rare for a musical to communicate this much depth of character, and deliver so solidly on the "theatre" part of "musical theatre."
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 11:31AMWednesday, February 22, 2012
The production is somewhat downsized from the Broadway version, but smartly so.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:01PMThe lines land as well here as in any Neil Simon comedy. I had to check to see if Hermia's insult of the tall and slender Helena as a "painted maypole" was in the original, and indeed it is.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:00PMSaturday, February 18, 2012
It seems everything that could have been done to make this as perfect a re-creation of the piece as originally conceived has been done.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:25AMWednesday, February 15, 2012
There is probably a good and entertaining play to be written around the premise of a woman dating an alleged wife killer, but this world premiere production at the Raven Theatre, sadly, isn'…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 07:44AMThere are many things one might expect to find in a church school basement�coffee, donuts, Sunday school materials�but not a full-scale production of a Broadway musical, and one which was kn…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 07:44AMSunday, February 12, 2012
I'm thinking the greater gift of "American Idiot" is to introduce musical theater audiences to the songs of Green Day, rather than bringing rock lovers to Broadway.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 10:59AMWednesday, February 8, 2012
We're reminded how theatre can educate, even on something as abstract as financial and accounting practices.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:27PMHeadland says "Bachelorette" is her "gluttony" play among a cycle she's writing to dramatize the seven deadly sins, and there's gluttony in abundance here.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:26PMMonday, February 6, 2012
With the slow pace and quiet tone established by director Austin Pendleton, there's a stillness in the staging that contrasts starkly with the memories of war owned by Sarah and her romantic…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:12PMFans of the current Oscar-nominated film Hugo will see similarities between that story and The Houdini Box, a world premiere musical with book and lyrics by Hannah Kohl, based on a short nov…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:12PMTuesday, January 17, 2012
In this play by Ed Schmidt, a clandestine 1947 meeting is imagined between Jackie Robinson (the first African American to make baseball's major leagues), three African-American celebrities a…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 06:04PMTwyla's Tharp dance revue set to songs recorded by Frank Sinatra has been slimmed down for the road from two acts to one�at about 75 intermissionless minutes.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 06:03PMSunday, December 25, 2011
Johnson's take on the show makes a strong case for "La Cage" as being a much more substantial piece than may have been evident from the 2004 Broadway production and maybe even the original 1…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 12:06AMMonday, December 19, 2011
Though this is not as rich a play as one might hope for, the chance to hang out backstage with Shakespeare and Company, along with one of the leading figures in world history, is just about …
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:48PMFriday, December 2, 2011
Under the direction of film composer/conductor David Newman, these orchestras have performed the score in sync with a screening of the film, with the film's recorded orchestral tracks electr…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 12:54PMIt's a rare musical that focuses on the journey of a male character�and Memphis's Huey Calhoun is a true original.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 12:53PMMonday, November 28, 2011
he new team at The Mercury includes Executive Director Walter Stearns and Business Manager Eugene Dizon, who led Porchlight Music Theatre for well over a decade and are stage and musical dir…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 02:06PM"Assisted Living" is getting a fine first production from director Joe Jahraus and Profiles.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 02:05PMSunday, November 20, 2011
Taylor has written (or shall we say documented?) a wonderful character and fully inhabits her.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:31PMWednesday, November 16, 2011
In Hershey Felder's new biographical one-man play, we see how young Leonard Bernstein�after being magnetically drawn to a relative's piano at a very early age�determinedly overcame the objec…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 04:09PMTuesday, November 8, 2011
Here's an idea for deterring crime. If fear of the legal system is not enough to do it, maybe a mandatory viewing of Martin McDonagh's latest play might be enough to scare young hoodlums str…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:54PMTuesday, October 25, 2011
As a Halloween treat, the nearly three-year-old Underscore Theatre Company�who mostly produces original musicals�has put together a fun production of "The Rocky Horror Show."
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:48AMThere was a time when a business called "Grace's Diner" would actually be managed day-to-day by someone named Grace ... This Raven Theatre production captures that period beautifully, settin…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 08:48AMSaturday, October 15, 2011
2011 is the year of "Follies," with the Kennedy Center's production of the Stephen Sondheim/James Goldman classic transferring to Broadway amidst critical acclaim and near sellout houses. In…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 11:07AMThursday, October 13, 2011
Broadway plays don't tour much ... not even Tony Award winners ... but at least Chicago is getting the chance to see a Broadway-quality production of 2010's Best Play winner, John Logan's "R…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 12:54PMMonday, September 19, 2011
There's something about the term "Pulitzer Prize" that suggests a certain weightiness. Yet, I'm happy to report that, while Bruce Norris's Pulitzer-winning "Clybourne Park" is weighty in ter…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 07:23PMMonday, September 12, 2011
They've mounted a slick, lively and satisfying production of the Sondheim revue "Putting It Together," which I believe has not been done in the area since Gary Griffin's 1997 production at t…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:29PMFollowing the success of the summer's The Homosexuals, a comedy-drama exploring various types of gay male relationships and friendships in the past decade, About Face Theatre (here in associ…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 05:27PMSaturday, August 27, 2011
Viewing A Walk in the Woodsnow, in such a different era, maybe allows different themes to come forward in greater relief.
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 07:55PMSunday, August 21, 2011
With the 2005 Broadway revival setting the action inside an asylum as the memories of a demented Toby, and Tim Burton's 2007 feature film version invoking the conventions of classic horror m…
SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:05PM 
