2,260 stories from Chicago Theater Beat
The Lockout introduces a new genre: sports musicals. The content dribbles fast and furious. And the shots are all 3-pointers. Now, the level of audience enjoyment will be directly related to…
Director Emmi Hilger's confident, brisk direction assures this play's success, as she coaxes most of the necessary humanism from the central sisterly duo. And it's Susan Fay, playing Lane, w…
Intimately and instantly familiar monologues performed in character are Nora Dunn's artistic signature. Like the poems she wrote for her demanding dad, her unstoppable need to make-believe h…
Bo Thomas is a winner: a rollicking ride with smart wordplay, fantastic action and a snappy leading lady. A sequel is implied, and I hope it happens: Bo's got a lot more adventures in her. …
The cast of Mr. Marmalade seem to be having fun doing a play this sadistic and confused - but that's also part of the problem. They go through these disturbing moments with such ease that yo…
Hell in a Handbag's The Birds, a riotously funny and ingeniously crafted parody of Hitchcock's 1963 comedic thriller, has found the perfect ingénue in Catherine McCafferty. (read more...)
In spite some messiness, this young company succeeds in saying something and being an authentic voice of their generation. So while Pr0n may shock and titillate, it has something to say in o…
Steppenwolf Theatre's mission of their 2013 First Look initiative is to develop new plays for future production at Steppenwolf Theatre and theatres across the country. The program cover say…
The Last Cyclist is an astounding testament to the human spirit"even in the face of evil, there were those who used the power of art as a weapon against the encroaching darkness. Highly Rec…
I love Enchanted April the play more than the movie. Barber includes more backstory on characters building a connection to their before and after vacation intervention. The audience become…
The Dumb Waiter Written by Harold Pinter Directed by Charlie Marie McGrath The Alley Stage, …
Despite a talented, energetic cast and an imaginative design team, this production turns sour from a bombardment of unfocused images, themes, movements, metaphors, and storylines - a classic…
If Black Fox Theatre's production of Larry Shue's hit 80's farce The Nerd weren't so mediocre, its dated script guarantees the lack of butts in seats. (read more....)
Light Opera Works delivers the goods for this timeless and masterful Kander & Ebb work, including plenty of bawdy dancing, a superb 25-piece orchestra and the musicianship of conductor …
Despite a thin story line, if are just dying to see the iconic images of Alex dancing under a shower, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and doing that little quick-step dance " by all means, r…
There's problems with this show from the very beginning - the opening scene introduces the kind of friend who doesn't feel terribly bad about making light of another friend's dead fiancé, a…
Though not an easy play, the ideas Silk Road Rising presents here will stay with you long after the lights come up. As Khemiri's debut drama, it will also leave you wondering what he'll do n…
Despite the commitment of the cast and Dustin Pettegrew's inventive set design, Inventing Van Gogh comes across not as a compelling character study but an exercise by Playwright Steven Geitz…
Playwright Julia Brownell does have a great way with dialogue. The script is frequently funny and the plot strands are tied up neatly at the end. She's clearly a talent to watch, and we can …
Kokandy Productions and director John D. Glover ups the ante of this gorgeous and intense score and story by having its two actors, Jim DeSelm and Allison Hendrix, accompany each other on pi…
While Bear Claw offers some nice moments from good actors, there isn't enough actually going on to justify the plodding pace. If you have a terrific attention span and can bear with some of …
Playwright Scott Oken mashes together a "Platoon" meets "Jurassic Park" parody. His dialogue is riddled with legendary movie quotes. His plot is twisted with slow-mode flashbacks and harmo…
Overall, this clean-cut execution of possibly the most famous love story in the world wins because it gives you the play as is. Even if you are only just beginning to dip into the Bard's wor…
Playwright Erik Gernand and director Josh Altman have created a believable family to illustrate this gut-wrenching, gripping drama. In the intimate space and environmental staging at Redtwis…
Adapted from the play C-R-E-P-U-S-C-L-E, Rachel Sheinkin's book and William Finn's music and lyrics are catchy but not cloying, clever but not overly self-referential or indulgent. Highly Re…
