Monday, September 2, 2013
With such a wide variety of genres, the Chicago Fringe Festival offers something to suit anyone's tastes. But to stay true to the spirit of the Fringe Festival, challenge yourself to see som…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:21PM[SHARE]Sunday, September 1, 2013
Under Director Ronan Marra's tight leadership, this ensemble does battle with their inner demons, presenting a startling insider's perspective of military life. (read more...)
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:52PM[SHARE]The total package of the abundant and beautiful costumes, gorgeous lighting and the powerful singing and dancing of the entire company make this a satisfying and moving production. (read mo…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:48PM[SHARE]Friday, August 30, 2013
It feels very, very right that TimeLine Theatre debuted this, the most perfect production of 2013, on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. If ever an American classic, it's this …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:47PM[SHARE]Within Murphy's engrossing story and Berry's astute direction, the honest revelations blister and bubble yet they never pop. The entire play takes on a surreal quality that will stay with yo…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:28PM[SHARE]For some, Boy Small may deliver enough *schadenfreude* shock effects to endure this combination of a sauna and a sweat lodge. But what's missing is the anger that must have ignited the writi…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:44AM[SHARE]Thursday, August 29, 2013
More than any play I've seen this year, this production felt like an intense, unforgettable gut-punch. I was absorbed, but couldn't separate joy from pain, confusion from sadness. Highly Rec…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:52PM[SHARE]Those among us who survived the big hair, shoulder pads and polyester pantsuits of the 1980s will revel in the retro-ambiance of this stage adaption. In all, 9 to 5 clocks in as a nostalgic …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:05PM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Besides the six flawless and deeply driven performances in William Osetek's kinetic staging, Next to Normal (its title far more realistic than "Light") remains a valuable, if generic, offeri…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 11:02PM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The Lockout introduces a new genre: sports musicals. The content dribbles fast and furious. And the shots are all 3-pointers. Now, the level of audience enjoyment will be directly related to…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:46PM[SHARE]Director Emmi Hilger's confident, brisk direction assures this play's success, as she coaxes most of the necessary humanism from the central sisterly duo. And it's Susan Fay, playing Lane, w…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:32PM[SHARE]Intimately and instantly familiar monologues performed in character are Nora Dunn's artistic signature. Like the poems she wrote for her demanding dad, her unstoppable need to make-believe h…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:31PM[SHARE]Bo Thomas is a winner: a rollicking ride with smart wordplay, fantastic action and a snappy leading lady. A sequel is implied, and I hope it happens: Bo's got a lot more adventures in her. …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 12:02AM[SHARE]Monday, August 26, 2013
The cast of Mr. Marmalade seem to be having fun doing a play this sadistic and confused - but that's also part of the problem. They go through these disturbing moments with such ease that yo…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:15PM[SHARE]Hell in a Handbag's The Birds, a riotously funny and ingeniously crafted parody of Hitchcock's 1963 comedic thriller, has found the perfect ingénue in Catherine McCafferty. (read more...)
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 03:30PM[SHARE]Sunday, August 25, 2013
In spite some messiness, this young company succeeds in saying something and being an authentic voice of their generation. So while Pr0n may shock and titillate, it has something to say in o…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:17PM[SHARE]Saturday, August 24, 2013
Steppenwolf Theatre's mission of their 2013 First Look initiative is to develop new plays for future production at Steppenwolf Theatre and theatres across the country. The program cover say…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:43PM[SHARE]Friday, August 23, 2013
The Last Cyclist is an astounding testament to the human spirit"even in the face of evil, there were those who used the power of art as a weapon against the encroaching darkness. Highly Rec…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:30PM[SHARE]I love Enchanted April the play more than the movie. Barber includes more backstory on characters building a connection to their before and after vacation intervention. The audience become…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 02:35PM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Dumb Waiter Written by Harold Pinter Directed by Charlie Marie McGrath The Alley Stage, …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:20PM[SHARE]Monday, August 19, 2013
Despite a talented, energetic cast and an imaginative design team, this production turns sour from a bombardment of unfocused images, themes, movements, metaphors, and storylines - a classic…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 01:34PM[SHARE]Thursday, August 15, 2013
If Black Fox Theatre's production of Larry Shue's hit 80's farce The Nerd weren't so mediocre, its dated script guarantees the lack of butts in seats. (read more....)
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 02:07AM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Light Opera Works delivers the goods for this timeless and masterful Kander & Ebb work, including plenty of bawdy dancing, a superb 25-piece orchestra and the musicianship of conductor …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:44PM[SHARE]Monday, August 12, 2013
Despite a thin story line, if are just dying to see the iconic images of Alex dancing under a shower, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and doing that little quick-step dance " by all means, r…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 10:02PM[SHARE]Sunday, August 11, 2013
There's problems with this show from the very beginning - the opening scene introduces the kind of friend who doesn't feel terribly bad about making light of another friend's dead fiancé, a…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:52PM[SHARE]Saturday, August 10, 2013
Though not an easy play, the ideas Silk Road Rising presents here will stay with you long after the lights come up. As Khemiri's debut drama, it will also leave you wondering what he'll do n…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:14PM[SHARE]Thursday, August 8, 2013
Despite the commitment of the cast and Dustin Pettegrew's inventive set design, Inventing Van Gogh comes across not as a compelling character study but an exercise by Playwright Steven Geitz…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 05:57PM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Playwright Julia Brownell does have a great way with dialogue. The script is frequently funny and the plot strands are tied up neatly at the end. She's clearly a talent to watch, and we can …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 09:07PM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Kokandy Productions and director John D. Glover ups the ante of this gorgeous and intense score and story by having its two actors, Jim DeSelm and Allison Hendrix, accompany each other on pi…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 06:27PM[SHARE]Sunday, August 4, 2013
While Bear Claw offers some nice moments from good actors, there isn't enough actually going on to justify the plodding pace. If you have a terrific attention span and can bear with some of …
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 08:46PM[SHARE]Saturday, August 3, 2013
Playwright Scott Oken mashes together a "Platoon" meets "Jurassic Park" parody. His dialogue is riddled with legendary movie quotes. His plot is twisted with slow-mode flashbacks and harmo…
SOURCE: Chicago Theater Beat at 07:31PM[SHARE] 
