Tina St. Angelo Wetzel

This is the crucial moment in the current childrens’ theatre production at Marriott Lincolnshire of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical, Cinderella. The cast of ten, under the direction of Laura Rook, brings delight and joy to the littlest members of the audience, many of the girls dressed as Cinderella and other Disney princesses.

What did our critic think of FROZEN at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL?

Read our review of WHITE CHRISTMAS at Marriott Theatre.

What did our critic think of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts, Skokie, IL?

What did our critic think of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA at BrightSide Theatre?

A question from Archangel Michael to God. The newest production in the BOLD Series at the intimate Copley Theatre in Aurora is An Act of God. Alex Weisman, in his bravura Paramount Copley debut as God, delivers each of the revised Ten Commandments to the audience in a way they do not expect. Sarcasm. Anger. Bitterness. Some narcissim. If you will, this is God on a rant and trying to figure out what is good, bad, right and wrong. His help along the way are the angels Michael (Michael Turrentine in his Paramount debut) and Gabriel (Em Modaff). They are both the comic relief but also play Devil’s advocate. Under the direction of Keira Fromm in her Paramount debut, she has delivered an amazing production which should be seen more than once. The script, by David Javerbaum, was derived from tweets from the Twitter account The Tweet of God. At times, the show feels like a late night talk show where the audience is the guest. The conversation hits on topics such as religious doctrines, morality, our own human frailties, creation, faith, good and evil and other topics. You will laugh. You will groan. You might get angry. You might get sad. You might start to question yourself. You might question God. It’s OK.

“Desperate times take desperate measures”. These words are spoken by one of the out of work steel workers in Buffalo. That is exactly what happens in the Full Monty, currently playing at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora through October 6, 2024.  

 In this political year, it seems very appropriate that the new production at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire is Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s musical 1776, the background story of the days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

What did our critic think of CAROUSEL at Music Theater Works At The North Shore Center For The Performing Arts?

t tells the story of how he became Peter Pan and provides the backstory of Peter and his forever nemesis Captain Hook. I believe that kids under the age of 13 probably won’t understand the story. The script is geared to adults and has some groan worthy (purposely written) lines. The cast of 16 under the direction of Nate Cohen (Paramount debut) will leave you breathless, laughing and a little teary eyed.

See what our critic thought of LES MISERABLES at Uptown Music Theater at Deerfield Performing Arts Center.

What did our critic think of Million Dollar Quartet at Stolp Island Theatre?

That is one of the songs written by Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller. Ain’t Misbehavin’, the musical review of his music, is the current production at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. Originally performed on Broadway in 1978, this was not a typical musical even though it won the Tony for best new musical. Nell Carter also won a Tony as best actress in a featured role as did the creator and director, Richard Maltby, Jr.

Beehive: The 60's Musical, the current production at Marriott Theatre, brings the decade of the 1960’s and the female musical artists to eye popping, foot stamping, hand clapping and colorful life! This 90 minute (no intermission) trip back in time is simply enjoyable. Interspersed with dialogue reflecting on what was happening during the years of the decade, along with great costume changes, evokes lots of memories.

What did our critic think of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at BrightSide Theatre?

The earth moved. The current production at the Paramount Theatre is Beautiful, the Carole King Musical. This is more than a jukebox musical. It tells the amazing story of one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century and how her story evolved.

What did our critic think of JOFFREY BALLET'S MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Lyric Opera House?

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 married at the mission by Sarah’s grandfather, Arvide (Gene Weygandt). In front of all the guys and dolls, Nathan and Adelaide are married to the delight of the assembled group of Runyon’s Broadway characters.

The newest production at Marriott Lincolnshire is Meredith Willson’s classic and beloved The Music Man. Director/choreographer Katie Spelman has stayed true to the script and has made the fictional town of River City – based on Willson’s hometown of Mason City, Iowa – come to life.

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.