Review: SPARK at 20% Theatre Company
It’s difficult to determine what 20% Theatre Company’s production of Caridad Svich’s SPARK is really about. Sure it touches on a lot of issues: class, veteran mental health, family dysfunction, sisterhood, love, and gender roles. However neither the direction, design or script provide the audience with a path to follow, leaving us to meander around multiple dead ends.
Review: HINTER at Steep Theatre
Sasha Smith and Sigrid Sutter in Hinter at Steep Theatre. Photo by Lee Miller. By Bec Willett “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” This Margaret Atwood quote appears in my mind before echoing around the rustic cottage set of Calamity West’s...
Review: NEVERMORE at Black Button Eyes Productions
While NEVERMORE doesn’t quite succeed at what it’s striving for, Black Button Eyes’ bold and unwavering aesthetic makes them a company to watch in the Chicago theater landscape.
Review: TRAPPED IN THE NETFLIX at iO
Hilmy’s skill with impressions and interweaving of social commentary form a strong core to this solo sketch show with a definitive voice.
Review: THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER at Mercury Theater Chicago
Peter Stossel is set on sailing through dangerous winter conditions to deliver Christmas trees – tenenbaums – to the German immigrants of Chicago so that they can enjoy their holiday season with the traditions of old.
Review: LITTLE RED CYRANO at Red Theater
The enthusiasm and physical specificity of the chorus of part-animal-part-human characters is a constant source of energy and play for the audience to connect with.
Review – PUFF: BELIEVE IT OR NOT at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Ranjit Bolt’s world premiere adaptation is full of all the plotting, panache and pith that are hallmarks of the style. Yet while the style and era are far from our own, the message is not.
Review: A DICKENS CAROL at Oak Park Festival Theatre
While it’s clear from that a great deal of effort has gone into Oak Park Festival Theatre’s A DICKENS CAROL the resulting production is rarely clear or compelling.
Review: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: LIVE IN CHICAGO! at American Blues Theater
Just as with my first experience watching the film, the story of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and the joy and connection these artists brought reminded me again that traditions are important. Clearly, this is one American Blues Theater have made their own, and I think I just might join them.
Review: CLEVER LITTLE LIES at Bluebird Arts
Pictured (l-r): Andrew Garcia, Alyssa Ratkovich, Lawrence Garner, and Kathleen Burke. Photo by DavDGreat Photography. By Bec Willett Joe DiPietro’s CLEVER LITTLE LIES is a fiercely-written farce about marriage, infidelity and aging in the 21st century. As with most successful comedies, it may be dressed in the jewels of pace...