THE TALE OF A LOVE THAT LINGERS TOO LONG Freud said that an unfinished task is never forgotten. But the inability to forget is nothing to the life-long longing of an aborted romance. For nov…
A REAL BEAUTY Reality T.V. meets classical ballet and the latter wins: The stars of the CW's Breaking Pointe have teamed up at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre through Oct. 6 to produce a dazzli…
TO UPDATE OR NOT UPDATE: THAT IS THE QUESTION If, as described in its publicity, Cal Shakes’ A Winter's Tale takes viewers through "a Narnia-esque door to fantastical lands" to fulfill…
PANACHE, YES"PASSION, LESS If a story's strong enough, you just need to rekindle the plot. Edmond Rostand's timeless love story celebrates the one-sided love between the famous 17th century …
RELATIVITY, STAGED A trusty theater friend witnessed Einstein on the Beach at BAM in New York last year, and she told me it was not just one of the greatest theatrical experiences of her …
MOUSE TRAP Flowers for Algernon has had many incarnations since it was first published as a short story in 1959 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: a novel, a telecast, a film (w…
A THREE-RING ONE-MAN SHOW Start with a true story about a family circus that shot to prominence even though it eschewed big-business-conglomerate backing, ran in a single ring without exotic…
MY KINGDOM FOR A TRANSLATION In the "What Were They Thinking?" Department, the Broad Stage has brought in a magnificently acted, thrillingly staged and cleverly edited version of Shakespeare…
CHANGE ON A TRAIN Schematic, predetermined and sometimes improbable, Cheryl L. West's ambitious family saga Pullman Porter Blues blends blues ballads with convenient confessions in order to …
HEAVENLY SAINTS PRESERVE US Ten days after opening night, Luis Alfaro still wasn’t off-book for his one-man confessional work-in-progress. This matters because the moment when he l…
SAFETY IN NUMBERS The production of Carmen that opened this week at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion has been seen before. Emilio Sagi’s production originated at Madrid’s Teatro Rea…
VERDI UNLEASHED A DOMESTIC TERRORIST Written in 1845 and seldom seen since, this early opera by Giuseppe Verdi (whose centenary we celebrate) was a promissory note to be redeemed over and ov…
THE HEART OF THE MATTER Larry Kramer's blistering condemnation that chronicles the early years of the AIDS epidemic has arrived with an intimate production that highlights the urgency of the…
COUNT THIS SHEEP AND FALL ASLEEP As dull as its premise is exciting, Jaime Robledo’s production of Edward Einhorn’s 2010 play, adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androi…
A TRAIN TO NOWHERE It's not enough reason for Joan Allen's Chicago comeback. She returns to her ensemble-thick roots on the Steppenwolf stage after a 22-year absence during which, among othe…
THEY COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT Once a month at the Fountain Theatre, Deborah Lawlor presents Forever Flamenco!, an assemblage of the greatest flamenco artists anywhere. Programs change eac…
NO HEART. NO BRAIN. NO NERVE. STAY HOME. Just short of insulting, a Broadway Machine-styled version of the iconic film, The Wizard of Oz, opened at the Pantages this week. Instead of writing…
A SMOKING SAMOVAR It's a different kind of "spring fling," much m0re fitting for September when the season has faded fast. The latest installment in the Joffrey Ballet's "Masters of Dance" s…
YON METHINKS SHE STANDS Over the last year or so, some of my best time in an audience has been spent watching Paige Lindsey White. Twice in collaboration with director Jessica Kubzansky …
SHAFTED! There's a story to be mined in "them thar" hills of West Ver-ginny but unfortunately The Burnt Part Boys, making its west coast premiere at the Third Street Theatre, doesn't dig dee…
BON APPETIT! A welcome return engagement (which is now part of the prestigious Broadway in Chicago subscription lineup), TimeLine Theatre Company's revival of its 2010 original work To Maste…
POSITIVELY PEERLESS PERICLES There's a certain respect lost among most national leaders today, especially here in America, due to the excessive regard for individuals graduated from northeas…
THERE IS NOTHING EITHER GOOD OR BAD, BUT CASTING MAKES IT SO Can it really be twenty years now that I have admired Lisa Wolpe's work? Time and again, the actress has impressed me with her ab…
WOMEN WITH HEARTS OF IRON Before going to see Rogue Machine Theatre's latest production, Lost Girls, I turned to my companion and asked, "Why is everything that Rogue does so good?" Then a h…
KILLER THEATER Recreating in part the pivotal Civil War battle fought 150 years ago this July, Lifeline Theatre's labor of hate, powerfully staged by Matt Miller, is as cinematic as theater …