2,260 stories from Chicago Theater Beat
Motortown is Steep Theatre's signature move kicked up a notch. The anticipated tension is there but super-charged, like walking through a field of land mines holding a grenade. It's an unf…
The phenomenal cast highlighted by John Kelly Connolly and Cyd Blakewell, along with Stephen H. Carmody's incredible set, make Broadsword an enjoyable evening. This Faustian tale may not pre…
Despite an over-long and redundant set-up, Last Hand still manages to engage with an almost surreal quality, focusing on the goodness in men and the ability to choose to leave a gang. With s…
While I enjoyed Book of Spectres, the production as a whole falls short. Much of this is due to the uneven script, which five extremely capable actors elevate as much as they can " but still…
There's good theater and there's bad theater. Then, there's self-indulgent theater: productions that exists only because the people working on them are interested in seeing themselves in the…
My best recommendation is to do as I did, and sit in the front row for maximum chill. Those of you who like to be grabbed not by hands under a bed but by fingers under your skin, hurry on do…
Though I'm not a Civil War buff, I was thoroughly engrossed by Killer Angels. It's excellent! The orchestration of this tale is one of Lifeline's highest achievements. (read more...)
In spite of its first act imperfections, Signs of Life, delivers a major emotional wallop. Though it celebrates the human spirit and strength of the interned Jews, it doesn't keep the actual…
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Twitter the Musical – how fun is that????
The Trip to Bountiful is a worthy production for Raven Theatre's focus on modern, primarily American, drama. Director JoAnn Montemurro and the talented cast communicate all the complex theme…
With Goodman Theatre's Pullman Porter Blues, we get an entertaining and engrossing history lesson in the Pullman Company. The lesson not only concerns transportation history but, more import…
Despite light touches, this riveting play is about the profundity of defining home. On a broad level, Playwright Steve Simoncic delves deep into economic clashes rooted in class, race and pr…
With a bit more polish, this production has the potential to engross an audience with powerful action and imagery. As it stands, Pains of Youth carries your attention, but doesn't really car…
4000 Miles is an enjoyable journey, thanks to the Amy Herzog's warm, human characters that director Kimberly Senior and actors Mary Ann Thebus and Josh Salt have brought to life. These are p…
BET's musical biography presensts us with the undiluted sound of "Chicago soul""and it's never sounded so necessary. These standards don't just resonate"they detonate. Musical director Rober…
Despite a stellar performance from Joan Allen (her first appearance since 1991), tight production values and excellent imagery, Tina Landau's rendition of Zinnie Harris' wartime epic is in d…
Godspell's s considerable strength lies not in its childlike (and sometimes childish) affectatios, but in the magnificent vocals the cast brings to Schwartz's score. Despite its sugary-sweet…
Obsessive Evita fans will notice that there's been a few scenes cut from the show. In their place is an additional song and dialogue from the 1997 film. Ultimately, however, Evita sounds goo…
The BenchMark's heart is (street)smart as it shines a light on Chicago's homelessness. Director Tara Branham's busy 9-person ensemble create a very cosmopolitan chorus. And as the bitterswe…
Overall, Coyote on a Fence is big on ideas and morality, but short on character and motivation. While there is some interesting dialogue around capital punishment and how effective it really…
A tasty time trip makes us "present at the creation" of a food icon and the loving husband who aided and abetted her savory saga. The play's ingredients may not always blend like Julia's Fre…
The best sequels manage to up the ante by not only reprising the favorite elements of the original, but also offering new and even more wondrous ones. The Crownless King fails to do this, bu…
It is in RUR: Rossum's Universal Robots that the word "robot" made its debut, coined by the playwright as a study on social justice. Here, Strangeloop Theatre presents a flawed but engaging …
Bawdy, rip-roaring comedy, scintillating drama and plot twists that involve vampires, werewolves and men in drag - The Mystery of Irma Vep serves up all this and more in a sidesplitting two-…
