The sixtieth anniversary of the death of playwright Lorraine Hansberry is the catalyst for the first-ever Court Theatre production of "A Raisin in the Sun." The Chicago-born Hansberry was th…
Two doomed lovers trapped in an endless cycle of lust and revulsion.
Ginger Krebs makes dance-based performances that point out the absurd and discomfiting wallpaper of everyday contemporary life with humor and a charming undercurrent of awkwardness. This wee…
From what little I have seen of them, the Lazy Susan Theatre Company is an ambitious, young group that has all the talent requisite for great theater. And, for a play that was written by sev…
"Debate" is pre-scripted docudrama"an outward sketch of history, rather than an inward exploration of its implications and effects.
"Native Gardens" updates a tried-and-true formula with a cast that exudes chemistry"and that's something everyone can agree on.
Anderson's sense of humor characterizes the work of her eponymous company, which returns to Chicago with a new piece February 21-23 at Color Club. The piece, entitled "WEALTHcare: an episode…
Elliot Esquivel plays Jeff, the graveyard-shift security officer at a drab New York apartment building. He's at the center of the action in this 2001 Kenneth Lonergan play about the difficul…
A Harold Pinter work starring Helen Hunt, plus four other theater shows to see.
If you approach the play for what it is, a left-wing provocation delivered with all the nuance of a wrecking ball, it works just fine, rubbing our collective nose in the sheer monstrousness …
With a little something for young adults, a little something for a more mature audience and lots of inside jokes for Shakespeare buffs, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]"…
Dance highlights to heat up the winter months.
The reopening of Lookingglass this winter with "Circus Quixote" is a joyful event, and comes after a lot of soul-searching.
Porchlight Music Theatre once again gives a reason for venturing into the cold Chicago winter night in this wonderfully executed production of "Fun Home."
People love nostalgia. So one can't fault playwright Reina Hardy for wanting to put their own twist on the tale of "Beauty and the Beast." Not all new takes on existing properties pay off, b…
One of the most satisfying aspects of the overall approach taken here is not just that everyone in the cast can sing effectively, but that they are aesthetically on the same page walking the…
In the program notes for RE|Dance Group's new evening-length performance, Michael Estanich says that spiritual themes are "long-lasting" through his work for the company, citing several piec…
Jake Johannsen has been making people laugh in clubs nationwide and countless TV appearances for the past forty years, bringing his highly offbeat and surreal take on life to subjects as far…
Lifeline Theatre's production of "Kid Prince and Pablo" is a worthy successor to Twain's classic story, updated for modern times and modern tastes, with universal truths that are well-worn i…
"Vanya" is being put on within the bare, echoing confines of the North Side's Servi-Sure factory, a seriously real-world place that makes titanium anodizing racks for industry. The play will…
an exploration of the edges…
"Shucked" is a "farm-to-fable" centered around the isolated town of Cob County, a small town where corn is the be-all and end-all of everything.
"Fat Ham," a modern reimagining of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," won the Pulitzer Prize in 2022 and got nominated for five Tony Awards. It's set at a Southern cookout. Juicy, a young queer Black m…
Each January, the (especially cold and) windy city attracts hundreds of the finest puppeteers in the world to perform in what has become the biggest festival of its kind on this continent.
Chicago is seen as a particularly fertile launching pad for the stars of tomorrow, whether in acting, comedy, writing or dance.