Ghost Stories and Missed Connections at The Weir, a Classic “Third Place”
The Guinness tap may not be working tonight at the local pub, but the stout flows freely anyway in this tale of ghost stories and real-life emotion at Irish Theatre […]
Lyric’s The Magic Flute A Spellbinding Homegrown Fairytale
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s high-concept reimagination of Mozart’s classic opera, The Magic Flute couples the fantasy of its source material with the imaginative resourcefulness of several children in their backyard. […]
Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth Keeps Fairy Tales Alive at Lookingglass Theatre
Mr. & Mrs. Pennyworth have an important task—to keep fairy tales alive. And Odin, like any good marketing executive, has outsourced the job to them. This family-friendly show is a […]
The Christians Dramatizes a Crisis at a Megachurch–With Music
Lucas Hnath’s play The Christians at Steppenwolf Theatre challenges the belief systems of its characters on stage as well as those of religious and nonreligious audience members. The heart of The Christians […]
Promethean’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde Takes Gender-Bending Approach to Art and Justice
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde is a documentary-style play set in a courtroom. Lest you think that sounds dry, it isn’t. The script is flush with the […]
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Heartbreaking Masterpiece for Teens and Adults
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a Holmesian mystery told from the perspective of a 15-year-old British boy with autism. I was apprehensive to attend the […]
Laughing All The Way: Second City’s Twist Your Dickens Is a Hilarious Breath of Fresh Air for the Holidays
It’s no secret that Chicago is home to a comedy powerhouse that’s given us more amazing comedic talent than there’s space to mention here. Second City is rightfully revered, and […]
Couch-Watch Shakespeare 400 Chicago Shows with The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses
“For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings; How some have been deposed; some slain in war, Some haunted by […]
The Body Count is High and Hilarious in The Complete Deaths at Chicago Shakes
In June, British actor and playwright Tim Crouch got his Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead on with his hysterical, empirical take on Twelfth Night’s Malvolio, and returns to Chicago Shakespeare […]
Griffin Theatre’s Winterset Tells Poetic Depression-Era Story of Love and Injustice
Winterset is a tough and beautiful play. Griffin Theatre’s production of Maxwell Anderson’s Depression-era play, directed by Jonathan Berry, is admirable, simply staged and appropriately performed, and, for the most […]
Goodman’s A Christmas Carol Spooky and Affecting
The 39th annual production of A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre is upon us, and this year’s production–steeped in Victorian spookiness–is a true redemptive treat. Despite Goodman’s jovial and colorful […]
Remy Bumppo Mounts a Classic and Sparkling Pygmalion With Modern Touches
Remy Bumppo Theatre’s new production of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is a sparkling, proto-feminist version of the classic 1912 script. Director Shawn Douglass makes sure we capture every word of […]