Chicago Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 15

BWW Review: A Less Than Full THE FULL MONTY at Theo Ubique
by Misha Davenport - December 12, 2018

Theo Ubique's debut in its new Evanston performance space disappoints....

BWW Review: THE SANTALAND DIARIES at Goodman Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - December 09, 2018

To sum up the Goodman Theatre's pairing of holiday productions this season: it was the best of humanity; it was the worst of humanity. While Tiny Tim's blessings and Scrooge's transformation warm hearts nightly in the Goodman's Albert Theatre, across the lobby in the Owen Theatre is a much different...

BWW Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Oriental Theatre
by Patrick Rybarczyk - December 07, 2018

If there's one thing the world needs more of right now it's laughter. Sometimes we just need a few hours to set our brains to the side to rest while watching a show filled with hysterics and hijinks. There's plenty of all of that in the slapstick-filled farce, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, running now a...

BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Goodman Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - December 01, 2018

The Goodman Theatre's annual production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, now in its 41st year, embraces Charles Dickens' world with all of its Victorian charm. And rightly so: after all, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, are largely credited with popularizing Christmas traditions in Britain. Betwe...

Review: HIAH's Holiday Romp SNOWGIRLS: THE MUSICAL
by Misha Davenport - November 30, 2018

HIAH puts a holiday twist on the camp classic 'Showgirls' with SNOWGIRLS: THE MUSICAL...

BWW Review: FAMILIAR at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - November 29, 2018

Danai Gurira's FAMILIAR, now in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf, offers up a lighthearted and laugh-out-loud funny family comedy, even as the play probes questions of identity and assimilation into American culture. Director Danya Taymor's dynamite ensemble builds on the richness of the characte...

BWW Review: THE WOMAN IN BLACK at Royal George Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - November 23, 2018

THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a prime example of the power of live theater: relying on evocative language, simple yet effective sound and lighting design, and skilled acting, this two-man gothic thriller easily surpasses any high-budget horror film in its ability to create a communal sense of fear among an ...

BWW Review: Irving Berlin's HOLIDAY INN at Marriott Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - November 22, 2018

With its abundance of classic tunes and tightly choreographed ensemble numbers, Irving Berlin's HOLIDAY INN is the perfect fit for the Marriott Theatre, a company that excels with dance-heavy shows in its intimate, in-the-round space. Denis Jones directs and choreographs a talented cast in this regi...

Review: An Epic and Sweeping MISS SAIGON
by Misha Davenport - November 20, 2018

The current National Tour of MISS SAIGON feature refreshed staging and a heartfelt, emotional and star-making performance by Emily Bautista....

BWW Review: RIGHTLYND at Victory Gardens Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - November 19, 2018

Ike Holter's RIGHTLYND sets into motion the central theme of the tension between political idealism and the realities that come with power in a complicated, often staid political machine....

BWW Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Drury Lane Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - November 18, 2018

In an era when stage adaptations of animated films are seemingly a dime a dozen, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has stood the test of time, and for good reason. When the 1991 Disney film was adapted for Broadway in 1994, composer Alan Menken nearly doubled the number of songs, and the additions that he wrote ...

BWW Review: 110 IN THE SHADE at BoHo Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - November 06, 2018

BoHo Theatre's production of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones's 110 IN THE SHADE makes the central, fierce, independent female character of Lizzie Curry take center stage. This is particularly true because Neala Barron's expert performance anchors every moment. Barron mines her character for the maximum...

BWW Review: LADY IN DENMARK at Goodman Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - November 04, 2018

Though often described as a 'universal language,' music, perhaps more than any other art form, is intricately linked to the memories and emotions of the individual. LADY IN DENMARK celebrates the power of music to weave together the strands of one life: in this case, the songs of Billie Holiday and ...

BWW Review: Sympathy for the Devil in Steppenwolf's DOWNSTATE
by Misha Davenport - November 02, 2018

Based on his prior works, Playwright Bruce Norris seemingly relishes nothing more than to push the buttons of the liberal, cultural elite (aka most theatergoers). He is in rare form in DOWNSTATE. The show is well-acted and directed with tact and skill by Pam MacKinnon....

BWW Review: MASTER CLASS at Timeline Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - October 30, 2018

In Timeline Theatre Company's MASTER CLASS, Chicago favorite Janet Ulrich Brooks schools the audience with her commanding performance as famous opera singer Maria Callas....

BWW Review: HELLO, DOLLY! at Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - October 26, 2018

The touring production of the 2017 Tony Award-winning revival HELLO, DOLLY! has arrived in Chicago with a jubilant, tuneful, and visually pleasing staging. Jerry Zaks's fast-paced production finds every moment of joy and adventure in Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's classic musical. This bright an...

BWW Review: PRIVATE PEACEFUL at Greenhouse Theater, starring Shane O'Regan, offers a profound meditation on war through the eyes of youth
by Emily McClanathan - October 23, 2018

Author Michael Morpurgo (of WAR HORSE fame) once interviewed three World War One veterans from rural England and later wrote, 'There was no poetry in their stories, only horror and regret and great sadness for the loss of good friends.' In PRIVATE PEACEFUL, Morpurgo captures this horror, regret, and...

BWW Review: GYPSY at Porchlight Music Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - October 21, 2018

Here she is, boys. Here she is, world. Here's E. Faye Butler as Mama Rose in GYPSY. Butler commands the Porchlight stage with a presence that's both larger-than-life and also at the same time a deeply revealing character study. To say that Butler's portrayal of Mama Rose is a star turn is almost not...

BWW Review: PIPPIN at Mercury Theater's Venus Cabaret
by Rachel Weinberg - October 17, 2018

Cue the jazz hands--Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson's PIPPIN has arrived at Mercury Theater's Venus Cabaret in an intimate staging that brings the actors and the audience together. Mercury Artistic Director L. Walter Stearns's interprets this cabaret production of PIPPIN in a literal manner: th...

BWW Review: CURIOUS INCIDENT at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - October 08, 2018

Under Jonathan Berry's direction, Simon Stephens's THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME has found its emotional center at Steppenwolf. Based upon the novel by Mark Haddon, CURIOUS INCIDENT marks the first Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of this season, and this staging brings th...

BWW Review: INDECENT at Victory Gardens Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - October 01, 2018

Victory Gardens Theater's Chicago premiere of Paula Vogel's Tony nominated INDECENT weaves a beautiful narrative about the transcendence of art and human resilience. Director Gary Griffin's staging feels both grandiose and intimate at the same time; the play's action spans a time period from 1906-19...

BWW Review: Firebrand Theatre's CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
by Rachel Weinberg - September 27, 2018

Firebrand Theatre's second season opens with a poignantly fitting musical choice: composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tony Kushner's CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. In the musical from this renowned writing team, protagonist Caroline Thibodeaux, a black woman working as a maid for a white Jewish family in 1...

BWW Review: WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME at Goodman Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 26, 2018

It's not uncommon for artists to create beauty from the pain of their own pasts, but few do it as bravely and poignantly as David Cale in WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. Staged in the Goodman Theatre's largest venue and programmed as the subscription season opener, this 90-minute, one-m...

BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Drury Lane Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 23, 2018

Drury Lane Theatre's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS brilliantly captures the dark comedy of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's popular musical, based on the low-budget 1960 horror film. Scott Calcagno directs a cast who masterfully balance the campy humor with genuinely moving performances as the hapless inhab...

BWW Review: SWEET CHARITY at Marriott Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 23, 2018

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but in SWEET CHARITY, it's all in the leading lady's name. Charity Hope Valentine: the dance hall hostess who gives away her last dime to those in need, remains boundlessly optimistic no matter what life throws her way, and, above all, believes in findi...