Review: See A Q Brothers Christmas Carol to Avoid Holiday Treacle
I have a confession, I try to avoid theater this time of year because I don’t like the treacly sentimentality and predictability of most holiday plays. (It’s a good season […]
Creativity Examined: How Hubbard Street Dance Constructs a Dynamic Program
Hubbard Street Dance, Chicago’s world-renowned contemporary dance company, opened its 2019-20 season on November 7 at the Harris Theater. It was the first of three performances of a program, titled […]
Preview: Inspired by the Ballet Russe, A&A Ballet Stages The Art Deco Nutcracker
The Nutcracker season has officially begun. All over Chicagoland for the past several months, phalanxes of slipper-clad dancers have been working on battered marley floors, steaming up windows as they rehearse […]
Review: Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before World Premiere Blends Classic and Modern
On opening night of ‘Twas the Night Before by Cirque du Soleil last Friday, Macy’s windows on State Street were decorated with polar creatures enjoying some real winter hygge. People clutching […]
Review: Much the Same, Goodman’s A Christmas Carol Remains a Treat, If Ready for Change
Now in its 42nd year (a bit of a miracle, no?), Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol remains a steadfastly satisfying holiday tradition, even as this latest edition sees little change year […]
Review: 65,000 Years of Human Movement at the Harris with Bangarra Dance Theatre Australia
For those who fought through the crowds from the Millenium Park tree lighting, an invigorating evening awaited at the Harris Theater this weekend: Bangarra Dance Theater Australia made an all […]
Review: Ladysmith Black Mambazo Propels Lovely Lyrical Lindiwe
Chicago and Durban, South Africa, have been Sister Cities since 1997, and spiritual siblings for far longer, as explored in the joyful world premiere of Lindiwe, written by Eric Simonson, […]
Review: Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them Is Smart Nonsense by Eclipse Theatre
If you need a respite from the depressing politics of today, I recommend an evening of topsy-turvy politics and zaniness by Eclipse Theatre. They’re the company that specializes in one […]
Review: It’s a Wonderful Life As a Radio Play Remains a Holiday Must-See
Like putting up a tree and lights or baking sweet holiday treats, the holiday season in Chicago wouldn’t be the holiday season without American Blues Theater’s It’s a Wonderful Life: Live […]
Review: Timeline’s Rutherford and Son, an Early Feminist Play, Lacks Bite and Energy
Rutherford and Son, a 1912 play about power and family dynamics in northern England, is distinguished partly because it’s written by a female playwright. The production of the Githa Sowerby […]
Review: 140 LBS Weighs in on a Family’s Body Dysmorphia
Susan Lieu’s solo show title is 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother, but it’s more a personal story. Directed by Sara Porkalob, the 75-minute story ran November 14-17 at […]
Review: In Dennis Začek’s Waiting for Godot, Two Guys Are Just Hanging Out on a Country Road
Can we agree that Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett’s 1953 play about hope and the will to keep on, belongs in the category of buddy films? Two guys hanging out at […]