6,804 stories from Stage and Cinema
SURRENDER (TO) DOROTHY Forty years ago, Dustin Hoffman lit up the silver screen as struggling actor Michael Dorsey in the gender-swapping, smash-hit comedy, Tootsie. Really, who can forget t…
YOUR HEART WILL BE BLESSED Maria, an Austrian novice nun in the late 1930s, has difficulty in dealing with the rigid lifestyle of her monastery in Salzburg. Her loving Mother Abbess sends he…
FAIR FIDELIO Fidelio is the sole opera written by Ludwig Van Beethoven. Inspired by an apocryphal story from the French revolution, it concerns Leonore, whose husband Florestan has been secr…
HIGH FLYING ADORED Equal parts sassy and sexy, the latest version of the Teatro ZinZanni, aptly titled Wishes & Dreams, is bringing much needed fun back downtown to The Loop. Se…
NOTHING'S FORBIDDEN IN FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Musicals are dazzling, vibrant, larger than life…and accordingly, simply ripe for parody. Creator Gerard Alessandrini saw that opportunity in 1982…
DON'T DOUBT IT; THIS SHOW'S ON FIRE Third time's a charm. After a few preview performances, this $17 million musical, adapted from the hit film of the same name, shut down with all of Broadw…
FAMILY FUN WITH A LATIN FLAIR Just in time for spring, the Chicago Children's Theatre is back in bloom. Returning to live, in-person productions, Carmela Full of Wishes is a charming t…
SPECTACULAR! SPECTACULAR! If a high-kicking, visually spellbinding, toe-tapping night out is what you love in entertainment, have I got just the show for you. Even though the original openin…
NOT ENOUGH LAYERS IN THIS BIRTHDAY CAKE In playwright Noah Haidle's new play Birthday Candles, currently running at the American Airlines Theatre, television star Debra Messing ages before o…
THE MINUTES WILL LEAVE YOU SLACK-JAWED AND SPEECHLESS Superbly civic, the vast council chamber created by set designer David Zinn reeks of rectitude. Filling the stage at Studio 54 is a coff…
NOT SO LITTLE ANYMORE Once upon a time there was an aviator. One day, the aviator's plane crash landed in the Sahara Desert. The aviator survived but his plane was damaged. After landing, th…
GLORIOUS LANGUAGE AND A KISS TO REMEMBER Cyrano de Bergerac may be the most romantic, tragic love story to withstand the test of time. (Romeo & Juliet drops in comparison.) Written in 18…
TOE-TAPPING TUNES MAKE THE SHOW Dust off the Mylar balloons and wrist corsages Chicago, you only have one week to attend The Prom as part of its national tour. No smelly gymnasium o…
PUT YOURSELF IN HARMONY'S WAY I can't remember the last time I have been so entranced with a new musical. And while Harmony may be having its New York premiere in the Off-Broadway house that…
SPRING IN BLOOM WITH JOYCE DiDONATO Spreading a message of harmony, love and environmental consciousness through opera, American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato, triumphantly …
HAYES'S HARRIED HIT "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." The incomparable Oscar Levant is the subject of the latest premiere …
A WINNING WINNIE Just in time to join in the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the beloved children's character, the Mercury Theater is making a bold and comm…
PLAY BALL! Get your popcorn and peanuts and Cracker Jack. Grab your Empires pennant and Empires cap and maybe your Empires team jacket. Then head on down to the ballpark or, in this case, th…
TINA IS A HEAD-TURNER Two elements are vital to creating a hit bio-musical: great songs and a powerful life story. Tina, The Tina Turner Musical delivers both. Whereas some biographies requi…
IT'S SUITE TO BE BACK AT THE PLAZA A night at the Plaza? With Hollywood royalty? I'm in, how about you? Thus we find three serio-comic tales of love, loss and betrayal all taking place in Su…
WITH SIX YOU GET POWDER-KEG SOUL What if the six wives of one of history's bad boys, King Henry VIII, formed a pop girl group and held a concert where they belted out tales of their supe…
DOWN IN HARLEM Following the quirky, audacious Slave Play (see review) " the first show of Center Theatre Group's season at The Taper " the company has done a complete 180 with their product…
WIZARDRY ABOUNDS One of the real hidden gems in the Windy City's entertainment scene is the Chicago Magic Lounge. This stunning Art Deco theater is home to one of the most luxurious bars in …
THE KING OF POP IS NOW THE KING OF BROADWAY MJ (The Michael Jackson Musical) raises the bar for the bio-musical. Set in the rehearsal hall for Jackson's 1992 Dangerous World Tour, the story …
EVERYBODY RISE! Since its multi Tony Award-winning 1970 debut, COMPANY, the musical comedy exploring contemporary dating, marriage and divorce has been a favorite of singer-actors who relish…
