Review: BEAUTY’S DAUGHTER at American Blues Theater
Playwright Dael Orlandersmith shows her gift for writing with rhythmic expression — using poetry between personal narratives — in BEAUTY’S DAUGHTER.
Review: KING LIZ at Windy City Playhouse
Women in power rarely are privy to traveling the path of least resistance in their climb to success.
Review: BLACK PEARL: A TRIBUTE TO JOSEPHINE BAKER at Black Ensemble Theater
Pictured: Joann Ruffin. Photo by Michael Courier. By Naima Dawson It is hard to not feed the dimmest part of life when one’s spirit is muted by despair and disappointment. Josephine Baker drowned much of her hardship inside the wonders of music and dance in an effort to survive the...
Review: OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR at Goodman Theatre
Every person has a story to tell, but rarely are we privy to each person’s truth. As people, we sometimes hold layers of who we are in secrecy. Not intentionally, but every-so-often we tend to lay in fear of our own existence.
Drury Lane’s CHICAGO Has That Razzle Dazzle
Every town loves a good murder story that is twisted in half-truths, exploited by the media, and smothered in provacative scandal.
50 Years Later, ALVIN AILEY Continues to Explore the African American Experience
For more than 50 years Alvin Ailey has provided a platform for African American dancers to tell our stories and experiences that encapsulate the tumultuous battles and jubilant moments that life presents.
Packed with Talent, Kokandy’s THE WIZ Blows the Roof Off
On a full moon night in Chicago, Kokandy Productions showed how brazen and talented their artists are as they blew the roof off Theater Wit with their revival of THE WIZ.
Energetic and Enjoyable BODYGUARD Lives Up To Whitney Houston’s Legacy
I was skeptical about this production — Whitney Houston’s incomparable voice is near impossible to take on because it commands so much authority and energy.
HOBO KING Gives a Heartbeat and Voice to Forgotten Homeless Community
HOBO KING calls into question the bully culture of a city’s government and police officers that is bestowed upon an already vulnerable homeless community.
Necessary and Familiar, BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY Rings True
BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, written by Pearl Cleage and Directed by Ron OJ Parson, takes us back to the 1930s in Harlem. A time when the Great Depression brought about a series of economic challenges for African Americans, which resulted in a dramatic increase in unemployment and economic hardships. Maybe history does repeat itself…