Jack Ball

Review: FALSETTOS presented by Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company

FALSETTOS, originally written as two-one act musicals set in 1979 and 1981, respectively, feels simultaneously dated and prescient. In this co-production from Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company, director Nick Bowling leads a first-rate ensemble that preserves the musical as a period piece but also makes it feel utterly alive. Lauren Nichols’s set design evokes a 1970s retro roller rink and Theresa Ham’s costume designs also use extremely ‘70s colors (and each character wears a signature color). But many of the show’s central themes hit now as ahead of their time and eerily relevant. In particular, the musical’s reverence for Jewish culture and tradition and its unabashed embrace of queer love are especially moving at a time when anti-Semitism and homophobia seem tragically on the rise in America.

Cast Set For FALSETTOS at Court Theatre

Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company will present William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettos, a tribute to family and its many forms; a playful interrogation of faith and identity; and a celebration of the beauty, complexity, and necessity of love.

Video: First Look at Milwaukee Rep's THE COAST STARLIGHT

Get a first look at Milwaukee Repertory Theater's The Coast Starlight by Keith Bunin in the Stiemke Studio now through October 6, 2024. Check out the cast in action!

FALSETTOS to be Presented by Court Theatre & TimeLine Theatre This November

Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre announced their collaboration on FALSETTOS, set to run this November. The production will bring the Tony Award-winning musical to Chicago audiences.

Review: Milwaukee Rep's COAST STARLIGHT: A Train Worth Taking

It’s a new season of theater in Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Rep is kicking it off with The Coast Starlight, written by Keith Bunin and directed by Mark Clements. Direct from Lincoln Center, this funny and heartfelt 90-minute, no-intermission play tells the stories of six travelers on an overnight train from Los Angeles to Seattle. Each has their past and future to reckon with—to varying degrees of intensity. But for the hours aboard the Coast Starlight, the outside world can wait.

THE COAST STARLIGHT to be Presented at Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Milwaukee Repertory Theater will kick off the 2024/25 Season with The Coast Starlight by Keith Bunin in the Stiemke Studio. Learn how to purchase tickets.

Artspace Announces Ten Of 350 One Year Studio Program Artists

Artspace has announced the first ten artists of its One Year Studio Program,  who will move into brand new dedicated spaces in Woolloomooloo's The Gunnery  when it reopens from Friday 15 December 2023.

Sneak Peek! LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Now Playing at Paramount Theatre

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre - the nation’s largest musical theater subscription house – is now performing Little Shop of Horrors.

Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL

What did our critic think of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Paramount Theatre?

Photos: First Look at Paramount Theatre's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Check out a first look at production photos from Paramount Theatre's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, running through October 15!

Photos: First Look At The Cast of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS At Paramount Theatre

Get a first look at the cast of Aurora’s Paramount Theatre's 12th Broadway Series opener, the beloved, doo-wop R&B sensation Little Shop of Horrors, running August 30-October 15. 

Cast & Creatives Set for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Aurora's Paramount Theatre

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre - the nation’s largest musical theater subscription house - has revealed the cast and creative team for its 12th Broadway Series opener, the beloved, doo-wop R&B sensation Little Shop of Horrors.

BIGSOUND Festival Announces Program and Timetable

In case you weren't excited enough for your yearly live music pilgrimage to Brisbane's Fortitude Valley Live Music Precinct for a sensory overload of music, BIGSOUND Festival has shown all its cards, dropping all the tools you need today to choose your own sonic adventure. 

'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for October 15th, 2014

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Monday night's Jeff Awards at the Drury Lane, and 'Amazing Grace' at the BOAT! Plus 2014's other Broadway In Chicago shows, The Grinch at the Chicago Theatre, local productions of 'Parade,' 'Camelot' and 'Mary Poppins,' the new 'A Christmas Memory,' and the sold-out Humanities Festival tribute to the Tonys!

Jack Ball & Alissa Walker to Lead Emerald City Theatre's HANSEL & GRETEL at Broadway Playhouse

Broadway In Chicago and Emerald City Theatre have announced casting for the World Premiere of HANSEL & GRETEL: A WICKEDLY DELICIOUS MUSICAL TREAT, with music and lyrics by GRAMMY-nominated Justin Roberts and a book by Emerald City Theatre Artistic Director Ernie Nolan.

The Theatre School at DePaul University Presents Guare's A FREE MAN OF COLOR, Now thru 2/9

The Theatre School at DePaul University will present A FREE MAN OF COLOR, at the new Theatre School building, located at Racine and Fullerton on the Lincoln Park Campus. The Fullerton Stage Theatre is a 250-seat thrust theatre located on the first floor of the school. John Guare's A FREE MAN OF COLOR is directed by Phyllis E. Griffin, premieres on Friday, January 31, and runs through Sunday, February 9, 2014. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. Previews are tonight, January 29 and the 30th, at 7:30 PM.

The Theatre School at DePaul University to Present Guare's A FREE MAN OF COLOR, 1/29-2/9

The Theatre School at DePaul University will present A FREE MAN OF COLOR, at the new Theatre School building, located at Racine and Fullerton on the Lincoln Park Campus. The Fullerton Stage Theatre is a 250-seat thrust theatre located on the first floor of the school. John Guare's A FREE MAN OF COLOR is directed by Phyllis E. Griffin, premieres on Friday, January 31, and runs through Sunday, February 9, 2014. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. Previews are on January 29 and 30, at 7:30 PM.

A TRIBUTE TO THICK LEONARD Plays Theatre School at DePaul, Now thru 5/19

The Theatre School at DePaul University's New Playwrights Series presents A TRIBUTE TO THICK LEONARD, by Gilbert Tanner, and directed by Shade Murray. A TRIBUTE TO THICK LEONARD opens tonight, May 10, and runs through Sunday, May 19, 2013, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., in Chicago.

A TRIBUTE TO THICK LEONARD to Play Theatre School at DePaul, 5/10-19

The Theatre School at DePaul University's New Playwrights Series presents A TRIBUTE TO THICK LEONARD, by Gilbert Tanner, and directed by Shade Murray. A TRIBUTE TO THICK LEONARD opens Friday, May 10, and runs through Sunday, May 19, 2013, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., in Chicago.

Theatre School at DePaul Presents ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART TWO: PERESTROIKA, Now thru 2/17

The Theatre School at DePaul University's Showcase Series of Contemporary Plays and Classics presents ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART TWO: PERESTOIKA by Tony Kushner and directed by Jane Drake Brody. The production premieres tonight, February 8, and runs through Sunday, February 17, 2013, at DePaul's historic Merle Reskin Theatre.