162 stories by "John Olson"
The tone is one of light, yet grounded comedy. It's not farce or pastiche, and that's a good thing, considering the story touches on some very real and serious subjects.
It's a classy production, with solid performances and an attractive period look, but it's not much of an adventure. This version of the classic kids' adventure tale seems likely to bore kids…
Galati is back as director and adapter of East of Eden, the last remaining of Steinbeck's "big three" to be adapted for the stage, and the Chicago Tribune has reported that the Steinbeck est…
There's a problem, though, in adapting this story for the musical stage, which is that in a musical, you sorta have to give songs to both your leads—and if one of the lead characters is a …
Whether the blame falls on the multi-millionaire Estefans for putting such a bland biography on stage, on Dinelaris for failing to put more edginess or suspense on paper, or Mitchell for fai…
Not only is it a chamber musical and character-focused, without production values like choreography or elaborate visuals that are expected of a Broadway production, but it's an emotionally c…
[Paul Gordon's] Sense and Sensibility (he wrote book, music and lyrics, so it is indeed "his") boasts a strong score and an absolutely first-rate production.
What The Upstairs Concierge lacks though, is high stakes.
Tony Award-winning actor Anthony Crivello (Kiss of the Spider Woman) delivers all the crazy, manic energy Prima gave to his act and matches his performance style most effectively.
Ashford mixes presentationalism with realism, musical theater with opera and takes a chance on an artist with no theatrical resume to design the sets. It all comes together to make this 70-y…
... though the performances are strong, the piece never gels as a musical and there's no apparent reason for it to be one.
Those of us who love the art form appreciate efforts like this to make the musical relevant and appealing to new generations, and it may well be that those who have more recently experienced…
Those who see Airline Highway will never look at New Orleans locals the same way again. Even more importantly, though, it shows just how fragile life can be—what a difference a few wrong c…
The play's message—that in times of trouble, no one will be more helpful or essential than family—is hardly a new one. Delivered with such honesty as it is here, though, it feels fresh a…
This engagement is billed as "pre-Broadway," but no Broadway opening date or theatre has been announced, so time will tell about that. The caliber of talent hired for the cast and creative t…
. The four-year-old Bailiwick Chicago has added LaChiusa's Wild Party to the list of little-seen, but exceedingly worthy, musicals it has lovingly performed for Chicago audiences.
I missed the production of Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbek's musical when it ran on Broadway for just two months at the end of 2010, but The Theatre at the Center, in northwest Indiana section…
