BLOOD AT THE ROOT Is One of the Most Important Pieces of Theater in Chicago Right Now
The Yard and Jackalope’s co-production of this compelling story is one of the most important pieces of theater in Chicago right now.
Uneven FOR PETER PAN Has Its Moments
While the product may not be perfect, the beauty of this gift and the process behind it remain.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK Lives Up to the Genre
It’s much easier to separate things into black and white boxes of good and bad, right and wrong, firmly close their lids and file them away under “how the world works.” Grays are much too difficult to file. Open boxes? You never know what might pop out of one and mess up the whole system.
Sideshow’s TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Asks Hard Questions
Perhaps it’s just art naturally reflecting reality, but in the short time since the election, there seems to be a refreshing and exciting move in Chicago theater towards work that expects an audience to think.
Engaging Performances Make THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE a Must See
I’m impressed. Bluebird Arts is the only theater company in Chicago dedicated to producing consecutive productions in English and Russian. What makes this more impressive is that even with such an intensive undertaking, their work is good.
BEST OF BRI-KO Takes Audience Participation a Step Too Far
Upon exiting Stage 773’s THE BEST OF BRI-KO it was unsettling to have to check that I was not tracking mushed lettuce into the carpeted lobby. This vegetable was just one of many unlikely props wielded by three actors as they explored status and relationship in this hour-long silent sketch show.
Powerful Content Prevails in Collaboraction’s GENDER BREAKDOWN
The stats are revealing. Kay Kron’s research shows that only 36% of directors and 25% of playwrights for Jeff-nominated shows in Chicago are female. 30% are scenic designers and just 12% are sound designers.
CST’s LOVE LABOR’S LOST is Everything Shakespeare Should Be
Most of us know or have been that person who’s really into Shakespeare. The enthusiast who often through a bombardment of Elizabethan vocabulary and extreme enthusiasm for iambic pentameter tries to convert the listener to their love of the bard.
Rob Ashford’s Shining CARMEN Offers a Contemporary Perspective
Within minutes of the curtain fluttering open, a young woman Micaëla enters the army camp of men; the scene I saw before me bore a striking similarity to that I had experienced not twenty-four hours beforehand. It was only the first in many moments of relevance that Rob Ashford’s expert direction delivers in his shining new production.
Hits and Misses in PRISCILLA
(l-r) Jordan Phelps, Honey West, and Luke Meierdiercks. Photo by Paul Goyette. Review: PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT at Pride Films and Plays By Bec Willett When the film THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT was produced in the early ‘90s, it became an iconic piece of Australian cinema....