Everything Is Beautiful: A Review of “8-Track: The Sounds of the ’70s” at Theo Ubique by Brian Hieggelke

"8-Track: The Sounds of the '70s" is exactly what it sounds like, a fun, light musical revue that plumbs the breadth of a transformative decade in music.

What Is the American Dream Worth? Alaudin Ullah Tells A Father and Son Story in “Dishwasher Dreams” at Writers Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

Family, immigration and the American dream.

Stage Top 5: December 2021 by Brian Hieggelke

Theater and comedy highlights for December.

Plus c’est la même chose: A Review of “Her Honor Jane Byrne” at Lookingglass by Brian Hieggelke

"Her Honor Jane Byrne," is a powerful new play written and directed by J. Nicole Brooks, which recently reopened on the Lookingglass stage.

The Harmony of Discord: A Review of Paradise Square at the James M. Nederlander Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

It's far too early to know if this is one for the ages, but no doubt this is the most important musical of our times, drawing from American history to depict the kind of racial harmony we st…

We Forgot Already: A Review of “Remember This—The Lesson of Jan Karski” at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Brian Hieggelke

This is powerful, heartbreaking theater.

Stage Top 5: November 2021 by Brian Hieggelke

A big month in pre-Broadway and opera, plus the return of Steppenwolf and Lookingglass.

Civics Lesson: A Review of What the Constitution Means to Me by Brian Hieggelke

Heidi, played with vigor in this production by Cassie Beck, is a fifteen-year-old student debating the Constitution in hopes of an American Legion scholarship.

This Voice Must Be Heard: A Review of Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer) at the Goodman Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

Tasting Mayhem: A Review of “A Recipe for Disaster” at Windy City Playhouse by Brian Hieggelke

Elephant Hunting: A Review of “Together At Last” at The Second City Mainstage by Brian Hieggelke

Overall, this particular revue feels more improv-infused than I remember in past iterations, incorporating suggestions texted in by the audience rather than shouted out as in the past.

A South Side Story: How Joshua Allen’s “The Last Pair of Earlies” Chronicles the Struggles of the Great Migration by Brian Hieggelke

The play is the story of shoemaker Wayland Early and his wife Della Rose, set in two times and two places: 1921 Mississippi and 1939 Chicago.

Cuando Suena el Mariachi: A Review of “American Mariachi” at the Goodman Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

"American Mariachi" is ninety minutes of musical joy. 

Stage Top 5: October 2021 by Brian Hieggelke

More of the big theaters get back into the business of live shows in October

Can’t-Miss Stage Events (Fall Arts Preview 2021) by Brian Hieggelke

Fall highlights.

Collision Course: Steppenwolf Emerges from the Pandemic with New Leadership and a New Theater (Fall Arts Preview 2021) by Brian Hieggelke

Last May, three days before the murder of George Floyd, the company announced that executive director David Schmitz was leaving. And then this May, artistic director Anna Shapiro, who took o…

On the Brink: City Lit’s “Thirteen Days” Gender-Swaps the Cuban Missile Crisis by Brian Hieggelke

As the closest the world's ever come to nuclear war, The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most consequential geopolitical events of the twentieth century and Brian Pastor chose to adapt a…

Stage Top 5: September 2021 by Brian Hieggelke

Live theater and opera make a comeback in a dramatic way.

No Idea: A Preview of TJ and Dave at the Annoyance by Brian Hieggelke

The Beauty Myth: A Review of “School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play” at Goodman Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

Set in 1986 in the Aburi Girls Boarding School in Ghana, five teenagers gossip and primp as they prepare for beauty pageant auditions the following day. The social hierarchy of "mean girls''…

Cruel to Be Kind? Veteran theater executive Brian Loevner issues a bold manifesto for these times by Brian Hieggelke

Loevner foresees the demise of many performing arts organizations as the effect of the pandemic plays out.

Sportsmanlike Conduct: A Review of His Shadow at 16th Street Theater by Brian Hieggelke

A theatrical take on the controversy surrounding NFL players' protests against police violence during the national anthem over the last couple of seasons.

In Truthiness: A Review of Dana H. at Goodman Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

A world premiere of Lucas Hnath's most truthful play, one about his mother's kidnapping. Or is it?

Stranded in a Strange Land: A Review of Come From Away at Broadway In Chicago by Brian Hieggelke

This Tony Award winner mines its parochial material for outstanding humor, showing these small-town residents as far more open-minded than their mostly big-city counterparts.

Summer 2017: Shakespeare As Summer Sport by Brian Hieggelke