Hitler on the Roof Is Akvavit Theatre’s Manic Meditation on Propaganda
Hitler on the Roof, I was happy to learn, is not a parody of Fiddler with Hitler playing Tevye. No, it’s a tragicomedy subtitled “A Play for Two Clowns.” The […]
Nancy S. Bishop is publisher and Stages editor of Third Coast Review. She’s a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and a 2014 Fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. You can read her personal writing on pop culture at nancybishopsjournal.com, and follow her on Twitter @nsbishop. She also writes about film, books, art, architecture and design.
On the Road: Frank Lloyd Wright in Indiana: Samara, a Usonian House
We Chicagoans may think we own most of the work of genius architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed homes that populate the Chicago area, focusing on a concentration of houses […]
MCA Exhibit Features Takashi Murakami in All His Chromatic Glory and Flamboyance
Be prepared for your visit to The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, the new exhibit of work by artist Takashi Murakami at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Your head may […]
King Liz Is a High-Powered Sports Agent. She’ll Make You Laugh, Sigh and Think
King Liz, the new production at Windy City Playhouse, will make you laugh, make you sigh and make you think, on several levels. Directed by Chuck Smith, the play is […]
A Prayer for the Sandinistas: Period Piece About Chicago’s Polish Community
Subtext Theater Company’s new production, A Prayer for the Sandinistas, is a world premiere by Leigh Johnson, one of the two-year-old company’s founders. It’s a slow-moving period piece, the story […]
Strawdog’s The Night Season Entertains With Irish Charm and Literary References
There are literary references galore in The Night Season by Rebecca Lenkiewicz at Strawdog Theatre Company. But although you might be tempted to Google something at intermission, you’ll find this […]
Meet Harvey, the Pooka. Elwood Will Buy Everyone a Drink in Court Theatre’s Harvey
Who’s to say what “crazy” means? And is it really crazy to have a special friend that most people can’t see? Maybe it just takes a good imagination to see […]
The Radiant at Genesis Theatricals Tells the Dramatic Story of Scientist Marie Curie
Marie Sklodowska Curie should be a hero for today’s women. Long before today’s concerns about young women not being educated in STEM subjects or being hired for tech jobs, Madame […]
What’s the Meaning of Family? Irish Theatre’s The My Way Residential Tells One Story
Families are created in many ways and it’s only recently that we recognize the value and beauty of the variety of families in our midst. The My Way Residential, a […]
Bluegrass, Banjo Picking and Clog Dancing Light Up the Symphony Center
The Symphony Center is a different place when the program veers away from classical. Few suits and ties, no designer dresses or jewelry. Plenty of jeans and khakis, checks and […]
Timeline’s Paradise Blue Examines a Detroit Jazz Club Amidst Urban Renewal
[soliloquy id=”13453″] Paradise Blue by Dominique Morisseau muses on the troubled relationships of jazz musicians in an old jazz club, but she overlays their story with the political turmoil […]
Hookman at Steep Theatre Succeeds in Being Terrifying and Hilarious
Playwright Lauren Yee calls her play Hookman an “existential slasher comedy.” And Steep Theatre’s new production takes her up on that with creative staging, solid performances, especially by the three […]