Review: THE UNCORKER OF OCEAN BOTTLES at Filament
You know you’ve done something right, Filament, when, on several occasions, your young audience fills your space with tiny whispered “whoa” exclamations.
Review: HATFIELD & MCCOY at The House Theatre of Chicago
The show doesn’t particularly tug on the heartstrings the way most House Theatre shows tend to do, but it is a great retelling with harmonious live music, beautiful singing and a healthy dose of the House’s inimitable artful style.
Review: RAGTIME at Marriott Theatre
In the end, RAGTIME leaves me with a feeling of strange syncopation – one that results in systematic affirmation with intentions of systematic denial. I am ready to propagate stories of how it ought to be. We know the ones that speak to how it’s been.
Review: THE MAGIC TREE HO– USE – SHOWTIME WITH SHAKESPEARE at Emerald City
Emerald City Theatre is a necessary component in the Chicago theatrical community, where, in addition to providing energetic children’s productions, they also give back to the community and provide accessible shows for underserved communities.
Review: TWELFTH NIGHT at Midsommer Flight
Midsommer Flight’s returning fare for the holidays is perhaps the most delightful Shakespeare I’ve been privy to, made only more magical by the panoramic walk up through the Lincoln Park Zoo lights and the oversized winter decorations hanging above the oversized fauna under the Conservatory’s oversized glass domes. Talk about a shift in reality! Welcome to Illyria, boys and girls. It’s TWELFTH NIGHT. Or as known in Western Christian theology — the Day of Epiphany. Or by its alternative title given by the Bard himself — “What You Will.”
Review: DRACULA — The Hypocrites at Mercury Theater Chicago
Bram Stoker might not have intended for his novel to be funny, but undoubtedly he would have approved of The Hypocrites’ approach to DRACULA.
Review: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at Goodman Theatre
For the Midwesterner and our gritty interpretation of suffering, this particular remake feels more of an imitation of something that was once really solid. As if it’s not meant for the people who it is about.
Review: HAIR at Mercury Theater Chicago
Brenda Didier’s production hits the bullseye, with musical arrangement by Eugene Dizon that takes advantage of the superhuman voices of the ensemble to create a blend of intimate vibrating harmonies and face-melting belts.
Review: THE MISEDUCATION OF 55th STREET at The Revival
Through the disarming qualities of comedy, truths are held bare and exposed, often catching laughter stranded in the air as a witness to the pain.
Review: HAIR at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
No matter which decade it is, it’s hard for HAIR to not seem topical: a disillusioned youth speaking (and singing) out against war and destruction; a generation lost in place and purpose in the world; a minority faction rising against a powerful populace that wants all to conform.