In Porchlight’s seductive and sobering production of Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, the moment Alexis J. Rogers makes her reluctant entrance, drin…
Sometimes all you need is a committed, eager, talented cast, a piano and a director with vision to deliver a delightful evening of musical theatre. And Music Theatre Company in Highland Park…
It’s a very rare thing to come across a show that embraces its simplicity with virtually zero pretense. A Grand Night for Singing at Mercury Theater is such a show. This perfectly enjo…
It’s not hard to understand why Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities is such an effective play. This award-winning compact family drama addresses the notions of deception, trust…
In Lefties, a play by Chicago-area playwright Leigh Johnson, a Russian-born father (who’s also, by the way, an avowed Communist who loves baseball), clashes with his son, a gifted semi…
I remember my quarter-life crisis. Here I was, working long hours in a job I didn’t have any real passion for, broke, gaining weight, listless. I was going through the motions and lett…
"Terrible is the temptation to do good." This warning, bellowed out by the clear-voiced narrator (Carey Davenport) in Promethean Theatre’s scrappy and searing new production featuring …
This: The first ever Chicago Theatre Week launches Feb. 12, and I’ve high hopes for this unique event. Following the lead of the highly popular Restaurant Week (which is also org…
Russell Crowe: changing notes and taking names as Javert in the film version of “Les Miserables” Oh, Les Miserables. My first exposure to the show was about 18 years ago when I s…
On March 24, 1998, when Mary Hollis Inboden was 12 years old, a boy pulled a fire alarm at her middle school, ran into the woods to meet his friend, and they both started shooting at the stu…
The grieving process is deeply personal and complex, as Carla, the alcoholic widow and mother of an odd young boy, well knows. Following the death of her husband, a victim of the war, she dr…
This year I saw 77 shows. While not a staggering amount (considering I’ve colleagues and friends who’ve tripled that amount, not to mention I saw nearly twice that many shows in …
The theatrical year in Chicago has ended in full gallop with two highly anticipated shows receiving full-scale, top-notch productions, playing through the new year. War Horse, the breathtaki…
When Jon Robin Baitz’s searing family drama Other Desert Cities premiered at Lincoln Center in January 2011, it took the town by storm. Not since August: Osage County can I recall an A…
Stefan Karl is the Grinch in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” I'll admit it. I'm a bit of a Grinch this holiday season. And I fully embrace my Grinchy-ness. Some…
The Bodyguard, the new West End musical based on the film, opens tonight. In the now-iconic role created by the late, great Whitney Houston, Tony winner Heather Headly makes her big (and bra…
Have you heard? It’s the first annual Choosie Awards, where the team of Chicago Like A Local bloggers share what they feel is the best of 2013! And I’m honored to kick off the aw…
Ah, the impending threat of death. What a warm and cozy feeling it is to know that each day presents new opportunities to face our own uncertain demise. Happy Holidays! In the fantastically …
After months of speculating and rumor, Drury Lane has finally cast its Norma Desmond for their upcoming production of Sunset Boulevard. (In fact, I heard from multiple sources that Tony winn…
Jason Richards and Kevin McKillip in Porchlight Music Theatre’s “The Gifts of the Magi” Shopping for the perfect holiday gift is a dying art. For many, myself included at t…
Profile’s Ambitious Remount of Hit Hellcab Delivers Unexpected Holiday Hope Im sure we’ve all encountered a hellacious cab experience or three — the driver who used the dri…
The cast of Court Theatre’s “The Dead.” Photo by Michael Brosilow. Life is stepping in, so Chicago Theatre Addict will be taking a back seat for a short spell. I promise to…
Three things you need to know before diving in: Thing one: Musical theater composer Jason Robert Brown wrote this blog post that explains a lesson he learned at age 23 when he unwisely, we&#…
A new play about a rough-and-tumble roller derby team devised by The New Colony? Sign me up! The New Colony knows how to put on a show. Of all the productions I’ve seen from the scrapp…
Jacqueline Grandt and Neal Grofman in Redtwist’s “Broken Glass.” You know the timeless and classy phrase: “Opinions are like assholes. Everybody’s got one and e…