2,444 stories from chicagoreader.com
The founder of Body Politic died in December, but the seeds he planted 50 years ago played an immeasurable role in the growth of Chicago's small theater scene.
I…
The touring musical version of Tina Fey's 2004 film about queen bees lacks sting.
The drama and intrigue of female friendships has filled works from the sublime …
Photographer Jamie M. Moore attended the Midwest FurFest at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont December 5-8, capturing the fursonas, the fur piles and, for many the premier…
Clare Barron's drama delivers flagrantly graceless dancing, but heartstopping truths.
The curtain never rises on Clare Barron's ferocious, Pulitzer-finalist play…
Break the hibernation habit with some hot choices onstage.
THEATER PICKS (KERRY REID) Whisper House…
Brendan Fernandes's bronze sculptures congeal pain and pleasure.
Artist Brendan Fernandes has been having conversations about ballet and mastery within his work …
The best moments in dance this year focused on the power of community.
In the mad scene in Akram Khan's Giselle for the English National Ballet at the Harris The…
Four plays in 2019 recast history"collective and personal"with searing defiance.
To pick the most memorable moments or productions in Chicago theater any year is…
Theo Ubique's staging celebrates the dignity of everyday labor.
As the populist question goes, "If work's so great, how come they have to pay you to do it?" That…
Blank Theatre Company shows off some chops in this Rupert Holmes musical.
One of the easier riddles to solve in Rupert Holmes's 1985 musical comedy is why so few…
Lucas Hnath's drama feels overheated but undercooked at Redtwist.
Toward the back end of Lucas Hnath's 90-minute series of overheated monologues, Todd, a nursing…
Some familiar cast-offs get a chance to show off their reality-competition chops in this new musical.
America's Best Outcast Toy, by Larry Todd Cousineau (book a…
The Ruffians move to the larger Ruth Page Center for the Arts, but the heart of the story remains strong.
I fished this jacket I hadn't worn since last winter ou…
The longtime Chicago dancer and labor lawyer turns Nutcracker revenues into new initiatives.
For most, the holidays mean food, family, festivities, and fits of r…
Renée Fleming stars in Adam Guettel's rapturous romantic musical.
It's a dangerous thing to marry a stranger: the beautiful girl passing through town; the impet…
2020 has some big shoes to fill.
In the past two weeks alone, I've found myself at Wrightwood 659, the Renaissance Society, the Leather Archives & Museum, an…
Because every year we seem to need more and more comedic relief.
It can be overwhelming trying to decide where to see comedy in Chicago. Once you start looking, …
The best reading events of 2019 have been going strong for years.
Chicago is a writer's town, from top to bottom. We have an excellent public library system, man…
Maya Malan-Gonzalez's contemporary Latinx take on A Christmas Carol shows promise despite production difficulties.
In retelling Charles Dickens's perennial holid…
Lumpen hosts the only terrestrial radio show in the midwest devoted to books and authors.
It's a slightly rainy late November evening and the lights are all on a…
A young girl must save Christmas in this new family musical.
This original Christmas show (story by Larry Little, music by Dylan MarcAurele, book and lyrics by J…
Karel ÄŒapek's rarely produced parable feels like a timely tragedy at Trap Door.
Nicole Wiesner directs Karel ÄŒapek's 1937 parable (translated by Peter Maje…
The beautiful Lincoln Park Conservatory setting is just one reason to see this returning production.
William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is only nominally a holi…
Steven Strafford's Crumpet is delightful, but the material feels dated.
In the season opener of Abby McEnany's new Showtime series, Work in Progress, McEnany run…
An 80-minute 'ad-rap-tation' tells Scrooge's story without missing beats.
The "ad-rap-tation" of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, created by the Q Brothers C…
