New Millennium Theatre Company brings yet another film spoof to the stage, mutating the cult zombie movie with *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?*. Though there are glimmers of hope in the begi…
If you're looking for an adult-themed, laugh-filled Christmas play, this is not it. The Eight: Reindeer Monologues is very heavy despite its good humor up top. Still, this is a solid product…
The writing is brilliant for this holiday review. Writers David Himmel and Patrick Kenney pull out the stops and could teach SNL exactly what is funny. Hopefully Fine Print will bring us a r…
The production's "Teeny Lounge" and costumes is where the term "pageant" ends. Additionally, we're not sure what in this show actually has a connection to winter, let alone a pageant. But t…
*progress* is certainly the most challenging piece of theater we've seen this season, both in the demands it makes on the actors, and the demands it makes on the audience to embrace the emot…
BoHo Theatre's production of this cabaret-style "anti-holiday" musical suffers from an inconsistent script, but benefits from a cast of multi-talented actor-musicians. Recommended.
We have all seen multiple re-creations of *A Christmas Carol* in both movie and live formats, but The Building Stage offers us a chance to hear the tale from Charles Dickens himself. Blake …
*A Christmas Story the Musical!* is all about family, and this family is flawed AND lovable. Though sight lines are bad for side seats, the show ends up being a joyous holiday experience. …
Playwright Michael Hollinger has composed a musical deconstruction. From the first note, his piece intrigues. Truly an ensemble piece, Brian Parry, John Ferrick, Michael Sherwin, Paul Dunck…
*Tech-Star of Wonder, Episode 27: The Worst Noel* is a partly improvised, partly scripted BYOB sci-fi holiday spoof. It's light fare, and at $12 could be a fun way to spend an evening out of…
Rudolph is a transvestite. Santa is a perv. Mrs. Claus is a booze-hag. The elves are circuit slaves. This is not your normal Christmas story! Recommended.
The Joffrey's The Nutcracker is THE gift to share this season. As a date night, family time, or solo treat, this present is one-size-fits-all perfection!
The inherent issue with *Penelope* lies in Enda Walsh's script. While his writing is beautiful and poetic, the playwright is so in love with language itself that the dialogue tends to meande…
Teatro Luna's *Crossed* is a work in progress that shows great promise in communicate many of the identity issues American Latinas have when dealing with colliding cultures.
Silent Theatre Company has created a unique (and scary!) telling of the well-known Charles Dickens tale. If you're in the mood for an experiment of dark and silent proportions that pays off …
The late Timothy Findley's cerebral play *Elizabeth Rex* explores the collision of two worlds on an endless night, and Chicago Shakespeare's daring production combines flawless technical ele…
There's a reason The Magic Flute is such a well-known opera. And the Lyric is coming out to play in a big way with their Mozart musical merriment. Highly Recommended.
This is National Pastime Theatre's first annual production of Hannukatz The Musical, and there certainly is no other show like it during this holiday season. Once in a while a show comes alo…
Donnie and Marie: Christmas in Chicago Written/Directed by Donny and Mari…
*The Annoyance Christmas Pageant* is strangely literal and almost disconcertingly reverent as it pays homage to two video Christmas classics - Charlie Brown and Rudolph. Every Yule the Annoy…
Christmas is about Jesus and children. The new musical adaptation *The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey*, by David Gregory and Michael Mahler, focuses on both. Provision Theatre captures…
Despite a few hiccups, Griffin Theatre Company's production of *Spring Awakening* " the first grown in Chicago - ultimately illuminates the show's strength: timeless teen angst with a catchy…
Award-winning Playwright Conor McPherson penned this ode to theatre critics as a one man show. Under the direction of Matthew Miller, Steve Pickering gives a riveting first person account of…
34 years relevant, this year's edition of Goodman Theatre's "cash cow" " a reverent revival of the classic 85-page Christmas gift to the world " resonates more than ever before, a parable al…
*A Klingon Christmas Carol*, performed entirely in the Klingon language (with English supertitles), is a fun twist on a classic holiday tale, detailed enough for the true blue Trekkie, but a…