Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck seems to suggest that cruelty is a slope humanity is inclined to slide down even as our better natures try to prevail. It’s an uncompromising and important art…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:20PMTuesday, November 17, 2015
With Thomas Bradshaw as the prolific playwright provocateur of the last ten years, Fulfillment runs the gamut from the blatantly absurd to the mildly shocking. That it’s frequently a littl…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:16PMMonday, November 16, 2015
Do not hesitate to see Ibsen's Ghosts; with this being Marry-Archie Theatre's final season, memories of their trademark high-risk, high-reward storytelling will soon become ghosts themselves…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:08PMSunday, November 15, 2015
John Logan’s gripping stage journalism concentrates on the sheer neediness that shackled the adoring and geeky Leopold to his smooth and sexually manipulative psychopath-lover Loeb. It’s…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:45PMSaturday, November 14, 2015
Strawdog Theatre's The Long Christmas Ride Home similarly makes us aware of the multiple journeys with one destination, the importance of the landmarks, of moving on, of pulling back from th…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:55PMTuesday, November 10, 2015
Eclipse Theatre's production is beautifully done; as attuned to detail and performance as the finest big-budget shows. The talented cast and production team almost compensate for Terrence Mc…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:19PMSunday, November 8, 2015
For all its shortcomings, Treasure Island does succeed in spectacle. This is a grand staging of a classic tale that countless contemporary stories have borrowed from. But ultimately, this c…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:20PMFriday, November 6, 2015
Though some moments verge on sitcom-broad, Chapter Two is a lovely, poignant exploration of love and second chances, and the Windy City Playhouse’s production deeply understands and apprec…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:34PMThursday, November 5, 2015
Ultimately Design for Living still lands with force as a defiant flag planted on the mountain of personal freedom is a testimony to Noel Coward's uncanny knack for finding the universal in t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:13PMThis is a sophisticated and inventive production that will charm children and adults in equal measure. Much of the innovation comes from the trunk show and musical sensibilities at the core.…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 02:01PMWednesday, November 4, 2015
A consummate music maker, Hershey Felder has regaled audiences with inside-out portrayals of such composers as George Gershwin, Stephen Foster and Frederic Chopin. This seventh simulation h…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:19PMSunday, November 1, 2015
Oracle’s mission of “public access theater” means that tickets to R+J: The Vineyard are free. All the more reason to step into the company’s small Lakeview venue and enter a whole ne…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:49PMSaturday, October 31, 2015
Charm is one of those rare shows that defies superlatives. You can load up a summation of the show with them, but they won’t capture the production’s power - we can only urge that you se…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:28PMFriday, October 30, 2015
Chicago’s TimeLine Theatre Company has stepped up to deliver 150 thrilling minutes of action, analysis and accusation regarding BP's Deepwater oil spill. TimeLine brings history to art an…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:46PMThursday, October 29, 2015
On the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrinea, Raven Theatre gives playwright Boo Killebrew's meta-theatrical play its Midwest premiere. The piece is a good, complex production that dire…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:20PMWednesday, October 28, 2015
Even with a talented cast, Lawd the CVS is Burning! suffers from source material that has potential but needs more revision. Writer and director Stillwell is tackling a tough topic with humo…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:01PMTuesday, October 27, 2015
If The Black White Love Play is not an especially detailed biography, it’s an effective musical tribute to the love this couple certainly must have shared. Thumbs up! (read John Olson's e…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:07PMMonday, October 26, 2015
All Girl Dracula isn’t perfect, but I’m intrigued by the Chicago Mammals' unique mission statement. An old story with a new twist, All Girl Dracula is thoughtful, intelligent, and genui…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:56PMI’ve thoroughly enjoyed many Steppenwolf for Young Adults productions in the past, but sadly *1984* falls far short - the script is problematic, the direction lacking and the production va…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:46PMSaturday, October 24, 2015
In the central role of Richard, Jackson gives an intense performance of nonstop manic energy, as the character demands. He approximates the look and sound of the real Pryor and communicates …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:00PMFriday, October 23, 2015
With underdeveloped characters, unmemorable performances, and practically no humor to speak of, The Terrible fails to convey any great message regarding human psychology or behavior. While t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:13PMWith its heavy symbolism, Sylvia is a departure from the usual Joffrey fare. Technically a full-length ballet, it can also be viewed as three separate but interlocked stories. Even so, Sylvi…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:10PMTuesday, October 20, 2015
Though Fairytale Lives is too abstract to touch the heart, it does wonderfully illustrate our sense of communal connectivity and the importance of mythological literacy. Recommended. (read …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:03PMMonday, October 19, 2015
With almost 3,000 performances and now in its eighth year in Chicago, Million Dollar Quartet, Chicago’s longest-running Broadway musical, is set to close this coming January.
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:49PMSaturday, October 17, 2015
Raven co-founder and director Michael Menendian adds a feather to his impressive career with this timely work, keeping this very talented young cast expertly balanced. This heartbreaking hi…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:01PMFor the first time, Hubbard Street is staging an all-Forsythe program, including a company premiere and a piece that has never been performed in the United States before this weekend. Hubbar…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 02:46PMWednesday, October 14, 2015
There’s much talent involved with this production, and Lord knows, they haven’t been afraid to take risks. But in a week where we saw one more instance of young people being killed befor…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:23PMThere’s much to unpack in Max Truax’s choice of gender swapping Shakespeare’s most Machiavellian character. Truax’s mash up feels ultimately like a great concept in search of a solid…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:12PMTuesday, October 13, 2015
It’s delightful to watch James Sparling, as Sherlock Holmes, in action. And everything clicks here—from Ray Toler’s period set to LaVisa Angela Williams’ historical costumes to Laur…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:27PMSunday, October 11, 2015
Good for Otto contains plenty of interesting moments and boasts much psychological cleverness. The weak narrative arc makes it less dramatically interesting than is should be, however. (read…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:54PM 
