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.
10 OUT OF 12 Tackles Tech Rehearsal with Raw, Exacting Detail
Theater Wit’s Chicago premiere production of Anne Washburn’s 10 OUT OF 12 presents a novel concept: audience members don headsets as they dive into tech rehearsal for a fictional theatrical production.
At SPAMILTON, The Laughs Are Non-Stop
Just as the ensemble laments that they want to be in “The Film When It Happens” so too should musical theater lovers and devoted “Hamilfans” want to be in the room where SPAMILTON happens. Click. Boom.
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA Is a Celebration of Life
Ah, Napa. What a place to be this month when it feels like the whole city is itching for a vacation. Luckily, if you go on over to the No Exit Café, you can easily take a two and a half hour trip with Theo Ubique’s THE MOST HAPPY FELLA.
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.
THE SOURCE Probes Modern Day ‘Deep Throat’
Despite diffuse divisiveness, most Americans discover middle ground when agreeing we value our freedoms that—since the original Patriot Act—are disappearing as quickly as the glaciers in the North Pole which is why Route 66 Theatre Company’s production THE SOURCE left me unsettled.
SKIN FOR SKIN Tackles Post 9/11 Military Chaos and Muslim-American Fear
Paul Pasulka’s SKIN FOR SKIN takes us to Iraq where the search for members of Al-Qaeda is fierce and the US military is hungry for answers. On a set that is decorated with pictures of George W. Bush on one side and the other side a chicken-wired box, which will later be used to imprison someone, we are reminded of a time when fear was used to as a tool by the government to get what they wanted.
Full of Heart, THE YEAR I DIDN’T GO TO SCHOOL Magically Brings the Book to Life
If you (or your child) ever wished you could open up a book and bring the illustrations and words to life, you needn’t look much further than the newly adapted page-to-stage production directed by Heidi Stillman.
Family Dynamics Gracefully Ring True in AMERICAN HWANGAP
The great American novelist Willa Cather wrote, “There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.” The same can be said for many families as they change and grow with the passage of time.
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.