All stories by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom on BroadwayStars

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Review: Seussical/Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED If run-of-the-mill holiday fare has got you down, perhaps what you need is a bit of a pick-me-up courtesy of Dr. Seuss. If that’s the case, you’re in luck: Marriott …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 12:00PM
Friday, November 27, 2015

Review: A Christmas Carol/Goodman Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Once again, Larry Yando takes the stage as Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” It is the eighth year in a row he’s played the part. It�…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 05:00PM
Monday, November 23, 2015

Review: Palace of the Occult/Eclectic Full Contact Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED I can happily report that this play is nothing like what I expected. A one-man show about a member of the Nazi party who aspires to become the Third Reich’s Minister of the Oc…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 07:30PM
Saturday, November 21, 2015

Review: It’s a Wonderful Santaland Miracle, Nut Cracking Christmas Story… Jews Welcome!/Stage 773 by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED What’s not to like about a holiday show that ushers you to your seat with a freshly made cookie in hand? The spirit that whisks you through the door into the Box Theatre at Sta…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 03:00PM

Review: Ain’t Misbehavin’/Porchlight Music Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED There is something wonderful about watching a musical revue that doesn’t pretend to be more than it is. The folks over at Porchlight know when to let a good thing stand on its …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 09:00AM
Friday, November 13, 2015

Review: Fulfillment/American Theater Company by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

The first show of American Theater Company’s thirty-first season is a rapid-fire tale of one man’s spiraling descent toward largely self-inflicted ruin. Thomas Bradshaw’s “Fulfillmen…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 07:30PM
Thursday, November 12, 2015

Review: The Raid/Jackalope Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Inconsistency is an inherent part of historical analysis. Not only can the same event be interpreted differently by various parties but much of history goes unrecorded. It is left up to us t…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 12:30PM

Review: The Long Christmas Ride Home/Strawdog Theatre Company by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

The strategy most theatres employ during this festive time of year usually follows one of two paths. Either they produce a sentimental, nostalgic, light piece of holiday fare that gets peopl…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 10:30AM
Monday, November 9, 2015

Review: The Thanksgiving Circumcision/MCL Chicago by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Going into a show entitled “The Thanksgiving Circumcision” gives one a certain set of expectations. Most of those are that the show will be comprised primarily of cheap, one-…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 12:15PM

Review: One Act, Primarily Nonsense, and Horror of Terror/Theatre Momentum by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Theatre Momentum has launched a troika of forty-five-minute productions which all stem from their goal of creating improvised theatrical events that are more like plays than games. While all…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 10:00AM
Friday, November 6, 2015

Review: Holmes vs. Holmes/ E.D.G.E. Theater by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Alternative histories are a fun subset of speculative fiction made up of asking the question “What if…?” Bill Daniel’s play “Holmes vs. Holmes” is one of those litera…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 06:15PM
Monday, November 2, 2015

Review: Gone Dark/Otherworld Theatre Company by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Stuart Bousel’s vampire hunting opus “Gone Dark” is appropriate fare for staging within the walls of a gothic church. Director Tiffany Keane takes this play about an annual reunion of …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 06:36PM

Review: Chapter Two/Windy City Playhouse by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Neil Simon writes plays that are very thinly veiled retellings of the events of his own life. “Chapter Two” is his rendition of the events that led to his second marriage.  …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 01:00PM
Friday, October 30, 2015

Review: belladonna luna sonata/The Plagiarists by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED One of the best things about theater is that it can carry you away to an unusual or even bizarre world and immerse you within its wild environs. I am a big fan of shows that crea…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 06:45PM
Monday, October 26, 2015

Review: Design for Living/Pride Films & Plays by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Clear vision and attention to detail can be seen throughout Pride Films & Plays’ newest production, “Design for Living” by Noël Coward. Once the biggest hit on Broadwa…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 11:00AM
Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Review: The Terrible/The New Colony by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED If you take the events surrounding Virginia Woolf’s suicide, turn them into an art installation, and then plummet her updated self into a “No Exit”-like Hell, then you have…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 07:30PM
Saturday, October 17, 2015

Review: The Beecher Sisters/Awkward Pause Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED In a world where “Serial” became one of the most highly consumed pieces of media last year, a play that tackles investigative podcasting seems a natural target for a theater …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 01:16PM
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Review: Unspeakable/Broadway In Chicago by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

“Unspeakable” by James Murray Jackson, Jr. can be summed up in one word: inexplicable. Sure, the play is loosely based on the life story of Richard Pryor. Sure, Jackson’s portrayal of …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 12:45PM
Monday, October 12, 2015

Review: Good For Otto/The Gift Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Depression is a difficult thing to bring to the stage. Not only is it a topic that is wrapped in denial and stigma, it is also deeply internal, and therefore difficult to embody in an outwar…

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 03:55PM
Saturday, October 10, 2015

Review: H.M.S Pinafore/The Savoyaires by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED The Savoyaires celebrated their fiftieth anniversary last year. They’ve been doing Gilbert & Sullivan operettas for a long time, and that half century of practice has ensur…

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 02:20PM

Review: Act Accordingly/Brand New Toys by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

When I attend a sketch comedy show, I want to walk away having enjoyed myself. I also want to be able to tell people about the sketches that I just saw. You know, in that same sort of way th…

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 12:11PM
Monday, October 5, 2015

Review: The Black White Love Play/Black Ensemble Theater by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

With a title like “The Black White Love Play,” it’s not surprising that a song entitled “No Matter What Race” is featured, gets a reprise, and also gets sung during the bows. What …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 03:30PM

Review: A Strange Disappearance of Bees/Forget Me Not Theatre Company by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Honeybees throughout the world are disappearing. Entire hives lose their populations almost instantly, and beekeepers’ careers, not to mention our food supply, are threatened. Seemingly, p…

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 09:45AM
Friday, October 2, 2015

Review: Delicious Night: Baudelaire in a Box, Episode 8/Theatre Oobleck by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Cantastoria is not a terribly familiar theatrical form, but it is a legitimate one, and one that is appropriately suited to bringing the poetry of Charles Baudelaire to those of …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 02:35PM
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Review: Scream, Queen, Scream!/Hell In A Handbag Productions by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED When you review a show, you have to take into account what the producing company is shooting for. “Scream, Queen, Scream!” – three vignettes by playwright David Cerda, …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 03:30PM
Monday, September 28, 2015

Review: Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys/Raven Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED There are a lot of things about “Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow)” that are huge in scope, aside from its title. The play …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 04:45PM
Thursday, September 24, 2015

Review: Miss Buncle’s Book/Lifeline Theatre by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED With only three months left in 2015, I am pretty sure that I can safely dub “Miss Buncle’s Book” at Lifeline Theatre one of my favorite plays of the year. I cannot be sure …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 03:15PM
Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Review: Spamalot/Theatre at the Center by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED There is something pleasing about attending a solid production of a modern warhorse of a musical. There is something comfortable and enjoyable about laughing along at jokes that …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 12:30PM
Thursday, September 17, 2015

Review: Merchild/16th Street Theater by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Parenting is not an easy road to travel, generally. Throw into the mix a child who believes himself (or herself) to be of the sex that they weren’t born as, and the road is sud…

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 03:00PM
Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Review: With Love and a Major Organ/Strawdog Theatre Company by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED As a critic, I get to see a lot of good shows. I also get to see a lot of bad shows. It just about evens out in the end. Every once in a while I see a show that stands out above …

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 12:00PM
Monday, September 14, 2015

Review: The Revel/The House Theatre of Chicago by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

RECOMMENDED Exploring classic works by revisiting them in new forms can be exceptionally enlightening, and this is especially true with The House Theatre’s newest offering, “The Revel.�…

SOURCE: Newcity Stage at 05:45PM

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 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic