2,003 stories by "Scotty Zacher"
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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...)
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, …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. …
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…
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…
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…
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…
