2,260 stories from Chicago Theater Beat
The Laramie Project is one of AstonRep's strongest productions to date, and well-placed during Pride Month: a sober reminder of a defining moment in queer history, a sad reminder of what mig…
Neil Gaiman is a phenomenon for a reason - his stories contain a flawless blend of the fantastical and the deeply human. His book Neverwhere, adapted for the stage by Rebert Kauzlaric, is n…
Memphis is inspired by the life of Dewey Phillips, the first radio DJ to play Elvis Presley's music (and rock 'n roll music in general). While Memphis is not a direct biography of Phillips, …
L'Imitation of Life, which premiered in 2013 before this year's remount, is one of Hell in a Handbag's stronger parodies. Though it will mainly appeal to an older audience due to its skeweri…
Some plays hit you right where you live. The Cake is about, well, a wedding cake, but it's also about the pull between two worlds - the home you make as an adult, and the place you were born…
Based on the 1980 movie, the musical 9 to 5 opened on Broadway in 2009, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. Sadly, the musical has an uneven score and an inconsistent, shallow book, and d…
Performed at the Windy City Café, the production is meticulously staged by director Christopher Pazdernik and features gorgeous acoustic musical direction courtesy of Jon Schneidman, who pl…
It would be hard to find a more beloved and iconic modern Cinderella story to bring to the musical stage than Pretty Woman. But this Broadway in Chicago world premiere of the Broadway-bound …
With its US premiere, Akvavit Theatre's Bad Girls-The Stylists is absurdly funny and strangely empowering. Michael Evans' translation of Astrid Saalbach's script is delightfully weird, revel…
It's difficult to make a play based solely on a popular stock photo image turned Internet meme. That's exactly what Theater Wit's Women Laughing Alone With Salad tries, and fails, to do. She…
Why Do You Always Wear Black? Based…
Mary Stuart is thoughtfully executed from beginning to end, hitting it out of the park on all counts. The gowns are eye candy, the cast gifted and the production team thorough. Reimagined by…
Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina has been adapted many times over the years for stage and screen, and Jessica Wright Buha's world premiere adaptation for Lifeline Theatre effectively captures the…
It's helpful to know Gilda Radner's body of work, particularly on SNL, before watching Bunny Bunny. That said, Chicago is a perfect city for this play, with its legacy of comedy and the peop…
Lookingglass Theatre's world-premiere by ensemble member Kevin Douglas, is a sharp, darkly funny 95-minute roller coaster, expertly directed by ensemble member David Schwimmer and beautifull…
Developed over two years with Broken Nose Theatre, Playwright Michael Allen Harris' newest work is a thoughtful, funny and a tragic meditation on a multi-generational African-American queer …
The Neo-Futurists have an incredibly distinctive style: either you like it or you don't. Either way, there is no other company in Chicago like them. If you like theater history and stage com…
Creatively staged as an immersive experience where the audience is seated on the edges of different rooms and patio, Southern Gothic, by Leslie Liautaud, is a fascinating glimpse inside the …
With its story of mostly young (22-42 year old) people, Merrily We Roll Along is popular with high school and college groups, but it's rare to find a large scale professional production like…
Bertolt Brecht's series of vignettes following different characters as Germany approaches World War II is uncomfortable, sad and downright scary. It's also important and essential viewing. H…
Nice Girl Written by Melissa Ross Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark (map…
With the national tour of Stephen Karam's The Humans, there's a amazing melding of Karam's script, Mantello's direction and the excellent production team and cast accurately portraying the f…
We're Gonna Be Okay, written by playwright Basil Kreimendahl, explores America's fear and paranoia of nuclear war in the early 1960's through the eyes of two neighboring families who decide …
There's a lot to love in Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Both Johanna McKenzie Miller and Abby Pierce give nuanced performances as neighborhood women, and John Judd expertly guides us through J…
Playwright Anna Ziegler began Boy as a direct homage to David Reimer, who in1967 at 18-month-old, was left with damaged genitals due to a circumcision accident. Desperate, his parents turned…
