Review: GUYS AND DOLLS at Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - April 19, 2024
The number of sinners at the mission impresses General Cartwright (Heidi Kettenring in another comedic gem), especially Big Jule (KC McNeil in his Drury debut). As Adelaide and Nathan are trying to leave to get married, the mission band arrives with its new leader Sky Masterson. He and Sarah were m...
Review: ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD at Court Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - April 09, 2024
Charles Newell's final project as Court Theatre's artistic director offers audiences a hilarious exploration of what makes us human as well as a stunning reminder of his keen dramaturgical instincts. The production has already been extended through April 28 due to critical acclaim and popular demand...
Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN at Apollo Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - April 04, 2024
Raise a glass to THE CHOIR OF MAN, a rollicking good time of a show. The show’s a UK transfer and it transports audiences to the fictitious pub The Jungle, modeled after classic Irish and British pubs. Therein, the eponymous nine man choir serves up pop and rock hits on tap. THE CHOIR OF MAN is all ...
Review: PETER PAN National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Zac Thriffiley - March 29, 2024
This newest adaptation of PETER PAN unquestionably corrects injustices that never should have been committed in the first place. But by flying Peter so enthusiastically into 2024, the creative team has stripped him and his story of some of their magic, making the boy who wouldn't grow up more out of...
Review: JERSEY BOYS at Mercury Theater Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - March 29, 2024
Mercury Theater Chicago has staged a “homegrown” production of JERSEY BOYS full of Chicago heart. The bio jukebox musical has graced Chicago tour stages over the years (in fact, I had a chuckle looking back at the review of the first national tour I wrote for my high school newspaper), but this is t...
Review: PURPOSE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - March 25, 2024
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has set the table for one hell of a family dinner in PURPOSE. Directed by Phylicia Rashad in a world premiere for Steppenwolf, this family drama keenly focuses on the privileged Jasper family, whose patriarch is a Civil Rights icon. The first act moves at a brilliant clip with...
Review: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL CRYSTAL at NOW Arena Hoffman Estates
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - March 23, 2024
Crystal, the latest Cirque du Soleil production and playing through Sunday, March 24 at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, is the story about a young woman escaping the realities of her life by living in her imagination....
Review: SONDHEIM TRIBUTE REVUE at Theo Ubique
by Zac Thriffiley - March 21, 2024
No matter your preference, your favorite Sondheim shows will be represented in Theo Ubique's latest cabaret revue, which is as much an informative crash course in the composer's oeuvre as it is a heartfelt memorial to his rich life and lasting legacy. The production runs through April 28 at Theo's p...
Review: THE PENELOPIAD at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - March 17, 2024
Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth puts her own spin on Margaret Atwood’s decidedly feminist tale THE PENELOPIAD. As with her famous novel THE HANDMAID’S TALE, Atwood uses THE PENELOPIAD as a device to convey the horrors and abuse committed against women. Atwood’s points are valid and ...