In a year of Chicago theater's recovery, he directed hit after hit, and he's a reigning authority on the work of August Wilson. That's all just for starters.
This remains an important musical because of the originality of its thought, the strength of its score and its ability to hit such a chord with audiences.
Vichet Chum's world premiere is one of several recent plays looking at the struggles of immigrants trying to reconcile their past with their American present.
In life, as God and Sondheim understand, we roll along whether or not we choose to do so merrily.
If cirque is your thing, it may be best to wait for "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" or go see the terrific Cabaret ZaZou instead.
She plays the alter-ego of the brilliant Adrienne Kennedy, a 91-year-old Black playwright finally on Broadway.
Was 2022 a normal year in Chicago theater? That depends, but there were some tremendous plays and musicals.
In an era when many plays lack the kind of structure guaranteed to please an audience, "Georgiana & Kitty" is the very model of a well-made play.
I vividly remember watching the piece in 2020 on my laptop in my kitchen, wishing for a family Christmas with then-absent members.
The touring cast of the show is expected to include Montego Glover as the Witch, Stephanie J. Block as the Baker's Wife.
What do jukebox shows like "Beautiful Noise" hope to give us? Immortality. For a night.
This new show is a smart, angry blast of Broadway talent. It abandons caution to the winds and really, really goes there, meaning wherever the heck Jordan E. Cooper wants.
The pandemic was not kind to "KPOP," the new Broadway show that aims to do for South Korean popular music much of what "Dreamgirls" did for Motown.
Traditional musicals like this one typically reflect people trying their best in difficult circumstances and strive to leave audiences with hope.
"The Island" is about a specific set of circumstances in the early 1970s, but its metaphors of inequity, power and oppression are timeless.
Despite being 25 years old on Broadway and outlasting the childhoods of my kids, "The Lion King" still manages to amaze adults and children with its level of spectacle.
William Shakespeare still occupies his storied place in high school English classes but the Elizabethan dude is under attack.
Maybe you want a big downtown musical ("Lion King") or you have your own annual favorite ("The Nutcracker"). But there are always new holiday shows to try (Manual Cinema). Read on.
At no moment do you feel truly transported to Northwest Indiana of the 1940s.
A new, off-Broadway play titled "Evanston Salt Costs Climbing" by The New Group is making winters in the Chicago suburb topical elsewhere.
A new R&B musical with Broadway aspirations is headed to Chicago, titled "Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical."
Ménages à trois are rare sights at the Lyric, but one makes an appearance in this rather ribald comic opera from Gioachino Rossini.
The focus of the night, and of this production, is on an experienced actor who has had it up to her neck with the compromises needed to get and keep a job.
Some kids get called "old souls," a reference not just to surprising maturity but the hint of melancholy in their demeanor.
"The Twenty-Sided Tavern" is an interactive entertainment, a live version of "Dungeons and Dragons," where the audience can guide the game.