BWW Q&A: Director Katie Spelman on WAITRESS at Paramount Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Jan 30, 2025
What is more American than apple pie? A small-town
waitress with a dream and the ingredients for success! Sugar, butter, flour. These aren’t the only ingredients Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker, uses to make her famous pies. Stuck in a small town and a loveless
marriage, Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, and then finds acceptance and love in the most unexpected place.
Review: FALSETTOS presented by Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - Nov 25, 2024
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
by Stephi Wild - Oct 9, 2024
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.
Review: 1776 at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - Aug 29, 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.
Video: First Look at 1776 at Marriott Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Aug 28, 2024
Get a first look at 1776, winner of multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical, at Marriot Theatre. The production opens on Wednesday, August 28 at 7:30pm and runs through October 13, 2024 at Marriott Theatre.
Construction Begins on TimeLine Theatre Company's New Home in Uptown
by Stephi Wild - Aug 12, 2024
TimeLine Theatre Company's capital campaign has raised nearly $40 million and its general contractor, Bulley & Andrews, has begun construction on the company’s future new home at 5035 N. Broadway, near the corner of Broadway and Argyle, in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
56th Jeff Awards Nominations Revealed
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 6, 2024
The Jeff Awards revealed nominations for their 56th anniversary, celebrating excellence in Chicago's Equity theaters. Learn more!
1776 Hits The Marriot Theatre Stage This Election Season
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 31, 2024
Experience the Tony Award-winning musical 1776 at the Marriott Theatre this election season. Follow the compelling story of America's founding fathers as they debate and sign the Declaration of Independence.
Review: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at TimeLine Theatre Company/Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - Sep 29, 2023
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is a sweeping play that covers 164 years of history as it weaves together fact and fiction to chart the rise and fall of Lehman Brothers. The play’s title mirrors the ambition of the piece: It has a run-time of over three hours that unfolds in three acts — all performed by only three actors. The trilogy in the title is thus a literal reflection of the play’s structure and the roles, but it’s also suggestive of the piece’s mythical nature. Likewise, playwright Stefano Massani’s script (adapted by Ben Power) has a rhythmic storytelling style; the actors often narrate their own stories and actions in a chamber theater type of presentation. Although the run time is long, the fact that THE LEHMAN TRILOGY covers so much ground means it remains interesting throughout — although I found I was ultimately more intellectually than emotionally stimulated.