Monday, March 7, 2016
Chris Hainsworth new adaptation of James Leo Herlihy's novel *Midnight Cowboy* has grand scope but fizzles trying to create the appropriate atmosphere for the action. (read Clint May's entir…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:12AM[SHARE]Sunday, March 6, 2016
Nobody sets out to put on a gawdawful show, or so the old adage insists. But sometimes that just seems highly improbable. So it is with Irish Theatre of Chicago's *In a Little World of Our O…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:40PM[SHARE]NightBlue Performing Arts' interpretation of the new stage version of *Mary Poppins* has a handful of strong performances and the best of intentions, but comes across as amateurish in more w…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:30PM[SHARE]Saturday, March 5, 2016
Directed by James Beaudry, *Heathers the Musical* wears out its welcome within the first few scenes. The show has an inconsistent tone throughout as its very young ensemble veers uneasily be…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:50PM[SHARE]Raven Theatre's *The Old Friends* received its world premiere in 2013, but had probably lost its relevance decades prior. Though there are some expcellent performances accented by a great s…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:37PM[SHARE]Friday, March 4, 2016
With James Still's one-man drama *Looking Over the President's Shoulder*, American Blues Theater offers the audience a rich, compelling first-person access to Alonzo Fields' historic stint i…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:52PM[SHARE]Thursday, March 3, 2016
What makes Filter Theatre's Twelfth Night such a ripping good time on the whole is the cast's antic energy level, the sound party the band brings to the stage and the performances Sean Holme…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:34PM[SHARE]Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Quest Theatre Ensemble's All the World's a Stage feels like a first draft - its heart is in the right place, but its piece are scattered and its actors too raw. (read Lauren Whalen's entire …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:43PM[SHARE]Tuesday, March 1, 2016
The engaging cast and the heartfelt songs of Broadway in Chicago's "If/Then" will give you your money's worth for a good evening out, and reassure you that the musical theater form can addre…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:34PM[SHARE]Sunday, February 28, 2016
The true treasure here? That would be the Mary-Arrchie Theatre's American Buffalo production itself. It's down and dirty and fascinating from start to finish. And it is a grand sendoff for a…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:57PM[SHARE]This this production of Glass Menagerie has its cracks, the show remains magnificent. After experiencing Director Hans Fleischmann's vision of this celebrated play, one would have a difficul…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:44PM[SHARE]Saturday, February 27, 2016
Muse of Fire, by Playwright Jacob Rosenberg, concerns itself with the a man trying to keep humanity alive in hell (a.k.a. Auschwitz) in the form of humor. Guy F. Wicke plays Georg, the direc…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:39PM[SHARE]Friday, February 26, 2016
With a beautifully lyrical score and a talented cast, Filament Theatre's Pinocchio-A Folk Musical is a perfect way to introduce young audiences to live theater. Recommended! (read John Olson…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:45PM[SHARE]The Other Theatre Company aims to explore the epistolary tradition of letter writing through a new lens in its world premiere of Other Letters. Boiled down to two chairs, two tables and two …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:28PM[SHARE]Otherworld Theatre's Messina 3004 is ambitious, colorful, energetic, athletic, sexy, and manages to achieve all of this in a brisk 90 minutes. You don't need to love Shakespearean comedies t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:21PM[SHARE]Thursday, February 25, 2016
Refuge Theatre Project is a company to watch - not even two seasons in, and their performers are strong, their ideas fresh, and their enthusiasm plentiful. High Fidelity is an indie delight.…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:11PM[SHARE]This is a company that really enjoys both playing with Shakespeare and throwing gender roles out the window. Upsetting the norm is part of the mission. Fifty Shades is a delightful romp that…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:00PM[SHARE]Wednesday, February 24, 2016
The brainchild of Striding Lion Performance Group, this Doctor Faustus takes the age old tale and infuses details new, old and extremely physical. It's part theater, part physical workout, a…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:31PM[SHARE]William Inge's *A Loss of Roses* has old-school characteristics, but carries a quiet resonance that's still very appealing. Raven Theatre's production boasts strong direction, production val…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:04PM[SHARE]Tuesday, February 23, 2016
In true Monty Python spirit, The 39 Steps takes an overly serious Alfred Hitchcock film, underscores its classic absurdity, then adds in numerous ridiculous elements and a few pop culture re…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:43PM[SHARE]Monday, February 22, 2016
Sister Act will never be lauded as particularly profound, or even intelligent. It's a goofy tale involving Vegas-style nuns. But by God, we're going to come right out and say it: Sister Act…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:27PM[SHARE]Friday, February 19, 2016
For all of The Neo-Futurists production's problems, the world premiere Pop Waits is, in the end, supremely innovate, and maintains high energy throughout, with very physical performances fro…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:57PM[SHARE]Terrence McNally's Mothers and Sons at Northlight Theatre is a valuable play for giving voice to the survivors that have been neglected and urging compassion, but it's a frustrating one in t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:46PM[SHARE]Tuesday, February 16, 2016
This darker and edgier interpretation of Cabaret took Sam Mendes from artistic directorship of a small London non-profit fringe theater to worldwide acclaim on Broadway and Hollywood. This t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:43AM[SHARE]Friday, February 12, 2016
Flaws and all, there's an urgency and a joyous, subversive spirit throughout King Lear. Directed by the adapter, the actors are ferociously committed to the raw physicality of the piece. The…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:57PM[SHARE]Michael Healey's writing in the late 90s was inspired by his experiences with The Farm Show. The Drawer Boy is an alternately humorous and poignant memorial to the lives of these people. Don…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:30PM[SHARE]Charise Castro Smith's Estrella Cruz balances parody admirably and, in doing so, presents a fun and unusual story about the underworld. Halcyon's production has a lot to offer, and its refre…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:07PM[SHARE]Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
This abstract theatre work from Japanese playwright Toshiki Okada intermittently features stylized movements, particularly with regards to appendages moving independently from the characters…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:11AM[SHARE]Saturday, January 30, 2016
This collaboration from British and Russian sister companies interprets Shakespeare's story of sexual liberty and political corruption in the context of present-day Russia. Using expressive …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:39PM[SHARE]Thursday, January 28, 2016
Given that Verdi's Nabucco has only come to Lyric three times now, this show is worth recommending for the cast alone, which is all encapsulated beautifully in Carlo Rizzi's perfectly energe…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:21PM[SHARE] 
