464 stories from Chicago Theatre Addict
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been salivating at seeing the new musical War Paint, which is based on the PBS documentary The Powder and the Glory celebrating makeup moguls and…
Gilded scenery, an exquisitely sung classic American songbook score, parades of hoop skirts and exotic Eastern textiles, and an unconventional love story. What’s not to adore in …
I almost skipped Dreamgirls at Porchlight. I’ve seen and enjoyed the movie, I saw a very decent (if emotionally neutral) touring production 6 years ago, I’ve watched Jennif…
When I visited London around five years ago, I made the grave mistake of choosing Ghost: The Musical over a newer show which I inaccurately assumed as a twee, commercial-friendly childr…
Abby Mueller stars in “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” Jukebox musicals. Such a phrase makes those who love musical theatre shudder with a wave of disgust, as it exemp…
Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson star in Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” Ooh-la-la! As John Oliver mentioned in response to the recent attacks on France’s capital, Pa…
Colleen Fee, Brit-Marie Sivertsen and Evan Tyrone Martin in Porchlight’s “Side Show” A lucky handful of commercially-produced shows become flat-out hits that run for decade…
Christopher Tierney and Gillian Abbott get their dirty on I'm supposed to write a review about the stage version of Dirty Dancing, currently playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre thro…
Chris Logan and Michelle Lauto as Peter Allen and Liza Minnelli in Pride Films and Plays’ “The Boy From Oz” In an age of reality TV and viral videos, star-making stage turn…
Peter DeFaria and Randy Steinmeyer in “A Steady Rain.” Officer Denny’s the hot-headed one. When stabbed in the leg with a sharpened broom handle while on duty, he pours rub…
Editor’s note: I had to bow out of reviewing this production due to a massive sinus infection, but the lovely book nerd Jamie Prahl, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen’s, stepped i…
They say tragedy is easy, yet comedy is hard. And in watching Porchlight’s delightful production of the hit 1962 musical comedy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, I took …
Faith Prince. Those two words served as the motivation for me to visit this pre-Broadway tryout of The First Wives Club: The Musical. I consider Prince among the very best musical comedy sta…
Unlike Guys and Dolls, Fiddler or The Music Man, Carousel isn’t a show that can simply rest on the strengths of its material. While a good number of classic musicals can lean on their …
The cast of Porchlight Music Theatre’s “Putting it Together” In the new musical revue, Sondheim on Sondheim, the chorus opens the second act with a self-deprecating number …
The challenge was simple: Three wildly different shows in four days. My 68-year-old mother joined me and provided her input. Here’s the recap: Living the History — 125 Years of t…
Kids and animals onstage in a daffy and heartwarming musical comedy? Depending on whom you talk to, this could either be a horror show or a holiday delight. Typically, I lean toward the latt…
Rebecca Finnegan and David Girolmo in Porchlight’s “Sweeney Todd” Sweeney and I go way back. It was the first musical where I found myself blown away by not just the music,…
There are essentially two reactions I get when telling people I’m going to see Carrie: The Musical: - Reaction 1: People who know the musical’s sacred lore as one of the biggest …
Twice a day, on the way to and from work, I pass the Oriental Theatre, where the national tour of Motown the Musical is running through August 9. Of all the shows that have played at the Ori…
Rachel Farmer, Megan Johns and Thea Lux in The New Colony’s “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” Long live the egg! I remember when I first encountered The New Colony’s wacky…
Tyler Ravelson, Matthias Austin and John Keating in Porchlight’s ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ When the hit musical comedy How to Succeed in Business W…
Jenn Gambatese leads a lesson in song in Lyric of Opera Chicago’s “The Sound of Music” Opera purists have nothing on me. As much as I imagine opera buffs recoil at the ment…
Michael Urie in ‘Buyer and Cellar’ Actor Michael Urie is best known for his work as colorful and meddling assistant Marc St. James in the long running ABC series, Ugly Betty. His…
In Goodman Theatre’s intense production of David Ives’ hit play, Venus in Fur, palpable onstage chemistry is critical (read my review here). It’s what elevates this two-per…
