162 stories by "John Olson"
One of the jewels of the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois region ... especially for lovers of classical theater, is the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, about 35 miles west of M…
Though Norris is a funny and fearless writer, this play risks falling into a formulaic trap.
The good news in Brigadoon's revised book by Brian Hill is that it's respectful to Alan Jay Lerner's original rather than a rethinking of it. No new or deleted characters—no additional plo…
"The Last Ship" ... though it employs some rather familiar plot lines, is an affectionate memoir of Sting's northeast England home town, Wallsend. Despite a story that's improbable and contr…
Given the similarity of Cera's usual on screen persona to Warren, it's unlikely anyone will be surprised by his performance, but it's a good one nonetheless.
... we can thank Bailiwick Chicago for its smart, well-sung and imaginatively produced presentation of this notorious musical that deserves a place in musical theater literature.
Jack Lemmon that has returned, through the performance of his son Chris Lemmon, working under the direction of Hershey Felder.
... delivers a musical performance without compromise while admirably serving the script of this significant play.
While Holter‘s characters may or may not resemble those who really were there, they sure look and feel like a representative sampling of the sorts of young people one might find around the…
Mike Bartlett's play is not what you'd expect. It does concern sexuality and sexual identity, but it's more about emotion than sex and, despite the short, harsh-sounding when said aloud titl…
These all feel like real, believable characters and—even more to the credit of playwright Sheffer and this cast—like people we haven't met before.
It's a good story—an intriguing one, as family secrets are revealed and we become invested in the fates of the 19-year-old parents.
This new take on Phantom feels less like the blockbuster it still is and more just a good, solid entertainment that knows exactly what it wants to achieve and has a good time doing it. I dou…
Imagine this—among the holiday/Christmas themed shows this season is a play about Christianity! But this world premiere production of Paulus, written in Hebrew by Motti Lerner and translat…
a group of Chicago artists is presenting a show that honors the victims of a tragedy that occurred at a matinee of such a family-friendly show on December 30, 1903. It was a precursor of the…
Just as its film predecessor showed a whole different way a movie musical could work, the Tony Award-winning Once reshapes our expectations of what a Broadway musical looks and feels like.
Marketing this show as a "LaBute play" is pretty much the only way to market it because to say what it's really about would entirely spoil it.
Chicago Shakespeare has Harry Groener in the title role and he seems uniquely qualified to play Rostand's 17th century warrior-poet with the oversized intellect, heart and nose.
It's staged beautifully-scenes from Duras' memory, narrated by Deanna Dunagan as the author, occur around the proscenium stage, coming and going with the aid of imaginative lighting design a…
Allen's character bravely endures a multitude of trials and indignities in the midst of Tina Landau's visual spectacle with gripping supporting performances by some of the Steppenwolf ensemb…
Fans of Evita and those new to the piece will likely find this tour an acceptable interpretation. I'd guess those who remember the 1979 Broadway original and even the feature film with Madon…
Those who believe in "buying American" will be pleased to learn the USA has its own Martin McDonagh now.
A stage appearance by Chicago favorite William Petersen (who began his career here in storefront theater before making it big in TV and movies) is always an occasion.
edlicka, which has been producing shows since 1981, has frequently mounted musicals that might otherwise never have been seen in Chicago.
Chicago playwright Keith Huff, who scored big with A Steady Rain on Broadway (where it starred Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig) and has been working in TV on the likes of "Mad Men" and "House …
