2,003 stories by "Scotty Zacher"
The Paramount Theatre's production of *A Chorus Line* sticks fiercely close to the show's original iteration " even hiring original London cast member Mitzi Hamilton to direct. But along wit…
Buzz22 Chicago is a very young theatre company, both in the sense of the age of the group and the ages of its members. These are fresh-faced college grads with a passion for the form. Althou…
The adaption of Ralph Ellison's *Invisible Man* is a major achievement and a largely thrilling ride from start to finish. As the tormented beleaguered and ultimately enlightened title charac…
Playwright Ronan Marra pens a crisp, dialogue-based script. The technical jargon adds a layer of wit. Football-infused *Motion* is the perfect complement to the upcoming Super Bowl. Recommen…
It's a boon to contemporary society that classic plays are being produced reliably by passionate yet small local theater groups. Here, For This Theater has created a reliable, relevant perf…
Mickle Maher's 2001 play *The Hunchback Variations* has been transformed by Maher and composer Mark Messing to create a new iteration; *The Hunchback Variations Opera*. It's as entertaining …
Uncovered Theatre's *Disorientation of Butterflies* is an endless dirge of despair. There have been many musical dramas with serious themes, an example being Sondheim's *Assassins*. It can b…
Anyone seeking to find the charm of the movie distilled into musical form may be disappointed to find it has instead been propped up and bloated until nearly unrecognizable. The writers hav…
The trio of actors in *Houdini Box* are Chicago favorites: Alex Weisman, Sara Sevigny, Derek Hasenstab. We've seen all of them as supporting stand-outs in other plays, so having them on st…
As producers, Erasing the Distance has made a brilliant and moving production out of a tender subject matter. From this show I learned that it's okay to look people in the eye and give ackno…
Despite a few solid performances and Joe Schermoly's scenic design, which transforms Theater Wit into a British school common room, *Punk Rock* turns out to be a big disappointment. Not Rec…
Framed by an old-style revolving proscenium with vaudeville signboard announcing the many locales, William Osetek's staging surrounds Klea Blackhurst's Mama Rose with tailor-made triumphs, p…
If you are dying to see the brilliant interior of the Oriental Theatre, then I guess you may want to see this show. Otherwise, just go rent the mediocre movie. Spending your money on this wi…
With a better sense of balance between spectacle and story, The Feast: an intimate Tempest could be a successful riff on the classic story from the point of view of its most compelling chara…
If you are a fan of Mad Magazine or National Lampoon you will appreciate the spoofs and perhaps pick up a naughty thing or two. Butch LaRue is fresh, funny, and a bawdy good time. Forget abo…
At its core, Caryl Churchill's *A Number*, is about a father and his disjointed relationships with his sons. Churchill uses the issue of cloning to explore just how far a man will go for red…
E. Faye Butler and Susie McMonagle are remarkable in their depictions of Pearl and Susannah, and the story holds up from beginning to end. Frank Higgins' *Black Pearl Sings* is historically …
Director Chuck Smith steers his Mamet maiden voyage with utmost grace: despite the show's racing pace, no beat is rushed and no double meaning ignored. This is also manifested in every produ…
Meant to be dysfunctional love, here we get ships passing in the night, after a clumsy collision. The fact that racial stereotypes and cultural insensitivity quickens the right emotions int…
Playwright Michael Healey's *The Drawer Boy* poignantly makes a case for a revisionist history to a painful past. A joint production of The Den Theatre and Filament Theatre, strong acting a…
Emerald City Theatre puts a new spin on the classic tale, using a play-within-a-play structure to maximize the delight of its youngest viewers while keeping the elder folk entertained. *Snow…
The focal point of this story is the jumbled mess on stage. Scenic Designer Andrei Onegin and Props Designer Mary O'Dowd have created a hoarder's paradise. The initial visual the Collyer b…
Playwright Dennis Kelly has created a series of scenes, in reserve chronological order, detailing a marriage's demise. Though the technique leaves us less emotionally invested, Steep Theater…
When a Hubbard Street dancer moves, the audience forgets to breathe. In their *danc(e)volve: New Works Festival*, the acclaimed company collaborates with the Museum of Contemporary Art to pr…
Audiences looking to leave shaken or inspired by this tale of desperate men in a desperate mining disaster will probably leave disappointed. The men may have reason to fear what they will ha…
