40 stories by "Mary Kroeck"
Goodman Theatre's Latino Festival began in 2003 as a way to highlight the often-silenced voices of Latinos in theater. This year, the now-biennial event is a "Celebration of Latina/o Artists…
RECOMMENDED In its fifteenth and final festival, Collaboraction ensures that "Sketchbook" makes a lasting impression. The performances are separated into two programs: "Life" and "Death." Bo…
RECOMMENDED There are reasons why "Spring Awakening" is an eight-time Tony Award winner. The book and score are captivating and turn Frank Wedekind's 1891 play about youth, rebellion and sex…
By Mary Kroeck "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" was first performed by the Neo-Futurists in Chicago on December 2, 1988. The premise of the show was (and still is) to perform thirty …
RECOMMENDED "The Lion King" is undeniably magical. As the show begins, Rafiki"the baboon shaman"sings the first lines of "The Circle of Life" while a host of actors in brilliantly designed a…
RECOMMENDED What do the songs "The Loco-Motion," "Take Good Care of My Baby," and "It's Too Late" all have in common? Aside from being number one hits, they were all penned by Grammy Award-w…
RECOMMENDED The tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth wonderfully come to life in this new adaptation of "Sherlock Holmes" by Greg Kramer. Directed by Andrew Shaver with production…
Bringing classic literature to life is always a challenge. Those challenges are especially clear in Steppenwolf for Young Adults' production of "1984.” Directed by Hallie Gordon, this …
RECOMMENDED America is known as the Great Melting Pot. It's a place where people come to have a better life, dream big dreams and do what they can to help them come true. However, it also ha…
RECOMMENDED With the fall season at hand and Halloween right around the corner, it's easy to think of haunted houses as being the top destination to get a good scare. However, First Folio Th…
"Peter and the Starcatcher," now playing at Drury Lane Theatre, attempts to tell the story of how Peter Pan"the boy and the myth"became ageless. Directed by William Osetek, this production b…
Chicagoans love their booze. "The History of Alcohol in Chicago: A Drinker's Guide" explores the days where gangsters ruled, prohibition was law, and the ways people still found to get thems…
"Dirty Dancing" is undoubtedly one of my favorite films. I remember watching it in grade school for the zillionth time with one of my best friends and getting in trouble for jumping off of h…
Improv is a skill. Being able to successfully improvise a storyline to music while drinking is an even greater skill. That's the challenge the cast of “Buzzed Broadway” takes on …
RECOMMENDED Seven Grammys. Over 100 million albums sold worldwide. A true-life story that so many can relate to in its triumph and tragedy. That's the life of Emilio and Gloria Estefan and t…
