Saturday, July 12, 2014
The exceptional performances in this Artistic Home production alone make the show wholly worthwhile, but the material itself has a lot going for it as well. Absurdist humor, vibrant characte…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:31PM[SHARE]Friday, July 11, 2014
William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's hilarious musical ode to the endearing magic of words is a Chicago favorite, and Scott Calcagno's latest big budget/big scale production at Drury Lane is n…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:56PM[SHARE]Thursday, July 10, 2014
Goodman's Brigadoon marks the first major revival of the classic musical in more than three decades. Lush production values, beautiful orchestrations and a surprising amount of gravity eleva…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:29PM[SHARE]Tuesday, July 8, 2014
David Zellnik's new production scores a lot of laughs through parodying a children's theater troupe, but then it falls apart in the second half. The actors play a big part in the developmen…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 01:05PM[SHARE]Sunday, July 6, 2014
Playwright Dorothy Fortenberry, whose work has been seen in some prestigious regional theaters, has overreached in this play, cramming in too many ideas and failing to fully develop the intr…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:51PM[SHARE]Saturday, July 5, 2014
What Death of the Maiden lacks in dramatic electricity or specificity, it makes up for in the depth of its pensive profundity. Maiden, especially with Sandra Oh's haunting performance, goes …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:20PM[SHARE]Friday, July 4, 2014
Writers Theatre's world premiere musical is all very neat and clean, with precise direction from Michael Halberstam and Doug Peck, but the production doesn't have much impact. Theater patron…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:45PM[SHARE]Thursday, July 3, 2014
Directed by Eric Burgher, Profiles Theatre's production hits all the right hilarious and heartbreaking notes, thanks in large part to the tiny but dynamic cast. The result is a 90-minute pla…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:38PM[SHARE]Composer Adam Guettel works in a variety of genres from gospel and hymns through folk-styled melodies and traditional musical theater. The cast are all stunningly good dramatic singers. The …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 01:41PM[SHARE]Wednesday, July 2, 2014
4th of July can be a fun time for the entire family, but that doesn't mean that everything will go smoothly, especially when taking family photos. Here's some examples: Ignore the smok…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 01:30PM[SHARE]The slice-of-life story structure is entertaining, and sometimes so outrageous that it can only be true. Director Adam Webster keeps the pace quick so the lines don't feel set up, allowing t…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 01:15AM[SHARE]Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Cirque du Soleil has created a megawatt concert reenactment of Michael Jackson that is packed with dance, acrobatics, heart-stopping aerial choreography and live music. This is a jamming con…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:14PM[SHARE]Sunday, June 29, 2014
Chicago Tap Theatre crowns their three-show season with this grand blowout at the Athenaeum Theatre's vast mainstage. Unleashing smiles and applause, this show definitely makes one look forw…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:55PM[SHARE]Saturday, June 28, 2014
There's no denying the soaring magnificence of the score Sting has penned for The Last Ship, his Broadway-bound, operatic tale of a prodigal shipbuilder's son and a dying shipyard. There's a…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:04PM[SHARE]Friday, June 27, 2014
Red Bull Flying Bach is a nonstop 70-minute thrill ride of physicality, a tangibly electric ball of energy, a seamless blend of pure classic and edgy modern. (read more...)
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:00PM[SHARE]Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Theatre Momentum's production springs from a compelling inspiration in theory, and there's good chemistry among the troupe as they riff off each other with a well-honed naturalism. However, …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:03PM[SHARE]Tuesday, June 24, 2014
With a fearless cast, sharp staging by Rachel Edwards Harvith, and meticulous musical direction by Kory Danielson, Kokandy delivers a chilling production that lingers in the memory long afte…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:48PM[SHARE]Monday, June 23, 2014
Director David Belew keeps the pace frantic and gets his actors to commit to the roles fully, but Simon's script fails to fully bring us into these characters. Still, Eclectic Theatre should…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:02AM[SHARE]Sunday, June 22, 2014
If you are a fan of Freud or Mahler, or want to see some cool staging, you might derive some pleasure from What to Listen For. Also, the relationship between Margaret and the librarian is s…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:11PM[SHARE]Saturday, June 21, 2014
This Is Our Youth is often used to test the stage skill of screen actors (including Matt Damon, Colin Hanks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Paquin), but the performers of Steppenwolf's revival (Micha…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:13PM[SHARE]Friday, June 20, 2014
Trafford Tanzi is a mixed bag " the acting and music are fun and engaging, but the plot, premise, and recreation of the 70's are a total miss. All that is UK about this show is the accents. …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:48PM[SHARE]Regarding the Just, in its concise, muscular way, is an engaging morality play. An historical story about Tsarist Russia, it's an intensely relevant play for these times in which an escalati…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:56PM[SHARE]At its core, Love Tapes is a tale of star crossed lovers reaching for each other through the walls of pretense and protection that we all don to varying degrees before heading out the door e…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 02:55PM[SHARE]Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Directed and choreographed by David Heimann, A Musical Tribute to the Andrews Sisters is fun, upbeat and defined by the impossibly tight, bright vocal blend that Patty, Maxene and LaVerne An…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:16PM[SHARE]With Piano Diaries, self-described "musical philosopher" Peter Saltzman presumes a level of audience interest that is never earned. By constantly interrupting his playing with stories from h…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:06PM[SHARE]Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Replete with running gags and blink-and-you'll-miss them jokes, Monstrous Regiment even manages a few surprises and largely transcends its fantasy roots. Whimsical summer fun rarely come as …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:46PM[SHARE]Monday, June 16, 2014
Far beyond the simple, tired trick of placing a Shakespearean play into a more modern setting, Organic Theater has used clever innovation to change the way we look at the tragedy of Macbeth.…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:31PM[SHARE]Ask Aunt Susan attempts to satirize the effects of the internet on interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, most of the satire falls flat due to uninspiring characters and an overly-compl…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 04:01PM[SHARE]Sunday, June 15, 2014
Delving into the dark world of image - body image, images of gentility, and the illusion that love is dependent upon image, Rivendell's masterful production is a vivid look at the struggle f…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:45PM[SHARE]Saturday, June 14, 2014
Though the talented cast makes a valiant effort, not everything improves with time, and this 75-year old play did not age well. Perhaps the play was extremely effective in 1939, but in 2014…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:41PM[SHARE]Friday, June 13, 2014
When people are singing, One Hit Wonders is great fun, and sung well enough to be recommended for a visit by anyone who loves these songs. It would have been a better show with about 30 more…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:11PM[SHARE] 
