Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Joe Forbrich's The Whaleship Essex ably straddles genres. It is at once a first-rate adventure story, a survivalist thriller and a meditation on depravity spawned by abject terror and the ab…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:47PM[SHARE]Monday, September 15, 2014
John Arthur Lewis' staging, which relies on Bill Gordon's dogged narrative to supply the missing scenes, gives full focus to the center-stage protagonists, whether they deserve them or not. …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:16PM[SHARE]Sunday, September 14, 2014
As far as anyone knows, no one's ever mounted Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women in Chicago before. For anyone a little tired of Shakespeare and in need of some fresh Jacobean tragedy, th…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:34PM[SHARE]Saturday, September 13, 2014
Richard III represents a tremendous undertaking for a fledgling theatre company, so their efforts deserve some applause. But even though Richard Traub's engaging portrayal of the main charac…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:52PM[SHARE]The comedy-drama Reasons to Be Happy revisits four characters from his Tony-nominated play *reasons to be pretty* three years later, and while it's not as robust a play as its predecessor, i…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:59PM[SHARE]Wednesday, September 10, 2014
The Right Brain Project once again stays true to its mission to "defy preconceived notions and challenge the contemporary theatre experience" in this unique production of Beckett's masterpie…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:10PM[SHARE]Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Based on Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Since I Suppose is a masterpiece in experiential story telling, taking individuals on the multimedia journey through downtown Chicago that brillia…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:14PM[SHARE]Sunday, September 7, 2014
Given the cult fascination with the film Fight Club, there's bound to be some interest in a theatrical adaptation. Who is Tyler Durden? might do well to go further from its source material t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:04PM[SHARE]Thursday, September 4, 2014
With a little work, the script's weaknesses could be overcome, if the affection between the characters, and the characters behind the words were fleshed out and developed. This group has the…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:08PM[SHARE]Sunday, August 31, 2014
Chaim Potok's 1972 novel, so far as I can tell, has never been produced as an audio book. This stage adaptation by Aaron Posner, at least as it's performed here, doesn't get much beyond the …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:18PM[SHARE]Thursday, August 28, 2014
The Chicago premiere of Steven Strafford's one-man show Methtacular! is like no drug-addiction story I've ever seen. Through comedy, music and storytelling, Strafford deftly paints a picture…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:49PM[SHARE]Even updated, The Arsonists is unabashedly old-fashioned, with its Greek-style chorus of firemen and symbolism as blatant as any horror movie. Alistair Beaton's update under Matt Hawkins' di…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:25PM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 27, 2014
In this co-production by newly-formed SoloChicago and Greenhouse Theater, Ronald Keaton, the adaptor and sole actor in Churchill, manages to breathe life into a history lesson that many peop…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:34PM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Though it runs quite long for a small dramedy, ultimately Ecstasy is well worth the two hour run time. Director Shade Murray and the newly formed Equity company Cole Theatre have the knowled…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:16PM[SHARE]Monday, August 25, 2014
The entire cast is dead-on, with impeccable chemistry and outstanding performances that hold up through the final scene. Aaron Posner's script, a spoof on Chekhov's The Seagull, is - simply …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:48PM[SHARE]Semi-autobiographical, The Yellow Wallpaper was based on Gilman's own experiences with helplessness in the Victorian age. Though this adaptation doesn't live up to its hype, this is still an…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:21PM[SHARE]Times have changed for the LGBTQ community. Terrence McNally's Some Men is an entertaining, if slight, look at at gay life from the 1920s to present, and how we get where we are today. (rea…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:19PM[SHARE]Sunday, August 24, 2014
Luis Caballero's play-with-music, with the help of his talented and immensely likeable cast, connects us with the Clemente behind the batting statistics. Despite a number of inspired moments…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:28PM[SHARE]Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Importance of Being Earnest will have you laughing until you weep, and then confounded with awe at the singular, subversive genius of Oscar Wilde. Highly Recommended. (read Catey Sulli…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:53PM[SHARE]Thursday, August 21, 2014
Everything clicks in Marriott Theatre's exuberant revival. And highlighting it all is Alex Sanchez' eye-popping, mind-blowing, heart-stopping choreography. The young and proven ensemble are …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:00PM[SHARE] Witch Slap! Written by Jeff Goode Directed by Delia Ford Raven Theatre West Stage, 6157 N. C…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:43AM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Pursuit Productions and Director Kacie Smith have created a multimedia production that's truly unique and enjoyable; see it before the boxing bell rings! (read Keith Glab's entire review....)
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:41PM[SHARE]Yeah, it's a little gimmicky at times, but this can be forgiven because the fun becomes contagious. William Shakespeare could be a rude crude dude, and in this age of political correctness, …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:35AM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Even with its flaws, the show still manages to be entertaining, as the cast is excellent and the energy stays high. Live guitar accompaniment by Samuel Ocean adds a nice touch. If you are fa…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:21PM[SHARE]Monday, August 18, 2014
Directed by Damon Kiely, the story of a skinny, dirt-poor kid from the outskirts of nowheresville, Alabama is at once sad, funny, and rich with the raw, gorgeously unpolished, true country s…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:33PM[SHARE]Sunday, August 17, 2014
The ten poetry/drama performers in Chicago Slam Works' latest incarnation deliver a very disciplined warning of the perils of being over-connected and the dangers of seeking phony cyber dest…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:48PM[SHARE]Ivan Turgenev's 1858 novel "Home of the Gentry" is a cautionary, bittersweet tale about a Russian emigre's inability to find happiness when he returns home. Seen in a final preview, adaptor/…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:01AM[SHARE]Saturday, August 16, 2014
Coraline By Stephen Merritt and David Greenspan Directed by Ed Rutherford at City Lit Theater, 102…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:04PM[SHARE]Friday, August 15, 2014
In Jeremy Menekseoglu's creative re-imagining of the Euripides tale of a woman scorned, the classic tragedy is made more complex with the addition of personal and marital issues of our age. …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:41PM[SHARE] First Look 2014 Written by Tanya Saracho, Martyna Majok, and Joshua Conkel Directed by Yase…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:58PM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Having four playwrights who attend school in rural Ohio gives these often absurdist pieces an aura of authenticity. A Chicago audience can get on board with these larger-than-life character…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:00PM[SHARE] 
