2,260 stories from Chicago Theater Beat
This Is Our Youth is often used to test the stage skill of screen actors (including Matt Damon, Colin Hanks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Paquin), but the performers of Steppenwolf's revival (Micha…
Trafford Tanzi is a mixed bag " the acting and music are fun and engaging, but the plot, premise, and recreation of the 70's are a total miss. All that is UK about this show is the accents. …
Regarding the Just, in its concise, muscular way, is an engaging morality play. An historical story about Tsarist Russia, it's an intensely relevant play for these times in which an escalati…
At its core, Love Tapes is a tale of star crossed lovers reaching for each other through the walls of pretense and protection that we all don to varying degrees before heading out the door e…
Directed and choreographed by David Heimann, A Musical Tribute to the Andrews Sisters is fun, upbeat and defined by the impossibly tight, bright vocal blend that Patty, Maxene and LaVerne An…
With Piano Diaries, self-described "musical philosopher" Peter Saltzman presumes a level of audience interest that is never earned. By constantly interrupting his playing with stories from h…
Replete with running gags and blink-and-you'll-miss them jokes, Monstrous Regiment even manages a few surprises and largely transcends its fantasy roots. Whimsical summer fun rarely come as …
Far beyond the simple, tired trick of placing a Shakespearean play into a more modern setting, Organic Theater has used clever innovation to change the way we look at the tragedy of Macbeth.…
Ask Aunt Susan attempts to satirize the effects of the internet on interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, most of the satire falls flat due to uninspiring characters and an overly-compl…
Delving into the dark world of image - body image, images of gentility, and the illusion that love is dependent upon image, Rivendell's masterful production is a vivid look at the struggle f…
Though the talented cast makes a valiant effort, not everything improves with time, and this 75-year old play did not age well. Perhaps the play was extremely effective in 1939, but in 2014…
When people are singing, One Hit Wonders is great fun, and sung well enough to be recommended for a visit by anyone who loves these songs. It would have been a better show with about 30 more…
At its most basic level Jack Lemmon Returns offers the pleasure of spending 80 minutes in the company of that most likeable, seemingly approachable guy that was Jack Lemmon's persona. Spendi…
Filled with good humor set at odds to aching portrayals of doomed desire, Juno is a worthy adventure and thoroughly transportive. At long last in Chicago, this production is a delight too lo…
If you're truly a fan of "The Lord of the Rings" or Chicago baseball, avoid this show at all costs. Even if you're just out looking for some easy laughs while hammered, there are dozens of b…
Whether or not you are familiar with Damn Yankees or have a fondness for the golden age of Broadway, you will find this production to be an absolute treat. A fun *baseball* twist on the Faus…
As both a celebration and critique of "nerd" subculture, Haymaker confronts ideas that we form in youth and bring with us into adulthood. A frequently funny veneer laid atop a meditation on …
Buttressed by persuasive performances, director Sophie Blumberg moves Lindner's too-long, free-associating circus fairly fast. She needs to--in order to disguise the T.M.I. that ultimately w…
Ike Holter's world premiere "Exit Strategy" is a tense and darkly funny 100 minutes that maybe will reveal why "Johnny can't read". Highly Recommended. (read more...)
In their season closer, Summer Series, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is firing on all cylinders, showcasing well-loved pieces and a remarkable world premiere. (read more...)
Scaled economically to the Merle Reskin stage, the Chicago Opera Theater's usual reliance on austere decor is well served by creative staging and Sean T. Cawelti's inventive projection and p…
Roslyn Alexander's performance deserves many superlatives, but at 90 minutes, a one-person show strains the patience when there's only one character on display, delivering what is essentiall…
Sincerely staged by Cody Estle, Vieux Carre is a sardonic celebration of desperation - it's never wrong to spend 150 minutes in Tenneessee Williams' complex company. (read more and watch pro…
If Director Christopher Luscombe had not tried so hard, and instead trusted Shakespeare's language, Henry V may have been a far more successful production. Instead, it is a well-acted but dr…
Happily free of any demeaning camp, the well-meaning, impeccably produced musical proves itself worthy of a visit this summer. Recommended! (read more...)
