Review: DON’T SMOKE IN BED at Chimera Ensemble
Can you endure despite the pressures, or are you forced to fall into the traps society lays for you?
Review: THE GREEN BAY TREE at Pride Films and Plays
Noël Huntzinger’s costumes of Pride Films and Plays production of THE GREEN BAY TREE are well-curated, with specificity of era and a nuanced eye for color and shape. Beyond that, this production of the iconic script is full of missed opportunities.
Review: GUARDS AT THE TAJ at Steppenwolf
Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed | Michael Brosilow By Tonika Todorova There certainly is captivating beauty in Rajiv Joseph’s GUARDS AT THE TAJ currently to behold at Steppenwolf’s upstairs theatre. But this production isn’t as much about upholding the “true meaning of beauty and the cost of transcendence in a...
Review: THE LARAMIE PROJECT at AstonRep Theatre Company
10 minutes into the performance, a stage dimmer exploded in a shower of sparks. The Aston Rep and Raven Theatre staff stopped the show, alerted the fire department, and calmly coordinated a smooth exit of the audience from the theatre.
Review: EMPTY THREATS at The Neo-Futurists
The Neo-Futurists’ EMPTY THREATS is not common or expected or simple. My mind keeps circling a moment from the beginning of the show, determined not to allow me the words necessary to articulate the whole of this experience.
Review: HAMLET at The Gift Theatre
…an intriguing production that, due to the wonderful work from Kyri and Fenner, will be one to be examined for years to come.
Review: THE DISPLACED at Haven Theatre
“We Lost Our Lease” is emblazoned across the storefront of one of my favorite thrift stores. As I pass it on my way to The Den to see Isaac Gomez’s THE DISPLACED I can’t help but relive my experiences there. This is – or was – a pre-hipster thrift store: where the prices were determined by who was on the counter that day, rummaging was required, and mysterious smells rose out of boxes only accessible by parkour. Its windows now masked in papers advertising percentages off, the sun-worn name is the wrong kind of vintage in juxtaposition to the new storefronts with shiny signage and logos in primary retro colors. The store’s closure may be an unhappy accident but it also serves as potent proof of the relevancy of gentrification that THE DISPLACED addresses.
Review: “Burnham’s Dream: The White City” at Lost and Found Productions
(left to right) Laura Degrenia and Pavi Proczko. Photo by Evan Hanover. By Alyssa Dyksterhouse Whether Chicagoans are aware of it or not Daniel Burnham impacts our lives daily. Our iconic Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Thank Daniel Burnham. No trucks on Lakeshore Drive. Thank Daniel Burnham. Your Uber getting...
Review: BULL IN A CHINA SHOP at About Face Theatre
BULL IN A CHINA SHOP reminds us that loving unapologetically and living one’s truth is, in itself, a revolutionary act. It deserves your attention.
Review: FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2, & 3) at Goodman Theatre
Misplace yourself at the Goodman for “Father Comes Home From The Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3,” the most enjoyable history lesson on stage since Hamilton.