Eileen Doan

What did our critic think of CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at TheatreSquared?

The Obie Award-winning play-with-music Cambodian Rock Band featuring songs from Dengue Fever will open in TheatreSquared's West Theatre on February 28 and will run through March 24. See photos from the production.

Biting humor and epic rock collide in TheatreSquared's 'Cambodian Rock Band' - A gripping journey through time and family legacies.

COACHELLA VALLEY REPERTORY continues its 2023 SUMMER CABARET SERIES with more stellar entertainment.

COACHELLA VALLEY REPERTORY announces its 2023 SUMMER CABARET SERIES, presented in CVRep's casual, intimate setting every Thursday evening from May 4 through August 24. Each performer is a captivating storyteller, using music, personal experiences, and passions to take audiences on memorable journeys.

APIDA Arts Festival, Celebrating the Creativity of Asian, Pacific Island and Desi/South Asian Americans in Chicago, in association with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Goodman Theatre, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) and Lookingglass Theatre, announces registration for free tickets to the inaugural Festival, May 5 - 7, and paid tickets to the Sunday, May 7 After Party will be available Saturday, April 1 at 12 p.m. at APIDAArts.org. As some events are limited in size, registration is strongly encouraged for these free events. The mission of the APIDA Arts Festival is to amplify and unify Asian, Pacific Island and Desi/South Asian American artists in Chicago by showcasing their work at premier cultural institutions, providing greater representation, equity and opportunity. The APIDA Arts Festival will also be available via streaming on APIDA Arts YouTube channel.

Back in 2007 a little Searchlight film called Once entered my world with a big bang. Although it was not the first Irish musical film about unknown musicians (The Commitments was my first) it made a big impact on me in the same way Everything Everywhere All At Once did - it felt like a new genre of film and instantly became a favorite of mine. Especially the song Falling Slowly, which everyone seems to know. Not so much? The film. When I expressed my excitement over seeing the musical I was hella surprised to learn that most everyone I knew did not know this film.

APIDA Arts Festival, Celebrating the Creativity of Asian, Pacific Island and Desi Americans in Chicago, in association with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Goodman Theatre, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) and Lookingglass Theatre, announces the inaugural Festival line up, May 5 - 7, at venues in downtown Chicago.

The Young People's Theatre of Chicago's (YPT) inaugural 3-Play 2022-23 season launches with the highly anticipated world premiere production of the science-themed musical, Peabody - A Musical Comedy for Intrepid Young Scientists. With a book by Emmy Award-winning Glen Berger (PBS' Arthur; FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman) and music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated Morgan Taylor (Gustafer Yellowgold), Peabody runs Oct 29 - Nov 20 at the Greenhouse Theater Center.

THE GREAT LEAP by Lauren Yee to be produced at The Hangar Theater.

Raven Theatre, Chicago’s newest Equity-affiliated theatre, will open its 40th Anniversary Season with a fresh take on Noël Coward’s iconic 1930 comedy Private Lives, directed by Ian Frank, playing September 29 – November 13, 2022 on Raven’s 85-seat East Stage.

Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, currently enjoying a successful run at Chicago’s Theater Wit, will close on November 14, making way for Wit’s new holiday offering, Who’s Holiday!, which starts previews on November 26.

It’s not just fitting that MR. BURNS is a play about a post-apocalyptic world, but also one that deeply underscores why art is so important to humanity. Indeed, this production demonstrates that art is what makes us human and empowers us to survive. After such a long time without live theater here in Chicago, I can think of few better ideas to ponder than that.

Theater Wit returns to live shows on August 27 with Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, a brilliantly creative play that asks, “What’s left when everything is taken away?”

Wit’s 2015 Chicago premiere of Mr. Burns was one of the company’s most acclaimed productions ever, and post-pandemic, it couldn’t be more prescient. Wit’s new production revival also reunites many of the original cast and creative team.

Ghostlight Ensemble will present the penultimate play in its series on historically overlooked female playwrights, Warp and Woof. The play by the British novelist and playwright Edith Lyttelton scrutinizes the ethics of power, commerce and labor in a deeply unequal society.

AstonRep Theatre Company will present its 12th annual Writer's Series, featuring two free virtual readings of new works by emerging writers. This year's series will showcase productions by Maggie Antonijevic and Troy Loftin, streaming via Zoom on Saturday, January 30 at 3 pm CST and Sunday, January 31 at 3 pm CST, respectively. To access the free readings, visit www.astonrep.com.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago and City Theatre in Pittsburgh, presents Lauren Yee's CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, a play that fuses history, family legacy, and rock concert to illustrate the power and importance of music. It focuses on a daughter's attempt to unearth family history by journeying to Cambodia, her father's homeland, and searching for a survivor from a brutal Khmer Rouge prison whose testimony could seal the fate of its tyrannical overseer.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) will present the East Coast Premiere of Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee, directed by Marti Lyons and featuring the songs of Dengue Fever, Sinn Sisamouth, Voy Ho, and Rose Serey Sothea, from October 16 to November 10 at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, according to Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas and Interim Artistic Director Terry Berliner. Cambodian Rock Band is a co-production with Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago and City Theatre in Pittsburgh.

City Theatre begins its 45th season with Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee.  Cambodian Rock Band is an epic tale of family, love, and heritage featuring the Cambodian surf rock music of Dengue Fever.