162 stories by "John Olson"
The bulk of this story is scenes between the prisoners Molina—an effeminate window-dresser convicted of a sexual offense—and Valentin—a revolutionary opposing the government—in their…
A one act, 80-minute comedy-drama set in a neighborhood bar in Philadelphia, Stella and Lou concerns the bar's sixty-something widower owner Lou (Steppenwolf's Francis Guinan); regular Stell…
Directed and adapted by Hershey Felder from a book by Mona Golubek and Lee Cohen, it's the true story of Golubek's mother, Lisa Jura, who at age 13 escaped from Vienna to London just after t…
For Anything Goes, Roundabout has given us not only a stellar leading lady in Rachel York, but a most impressive cast of supporting performers with Broadway cred as well.
This musical directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman is a big show—with clever and sometimes spectacular set designs by Julian Crouch (The Addams Family) and vivid projections by Benja…
The "Head of Passes" of the title is the recognized mouth of the Mississippi River, though it's separated from the Gulf of Mexico by islands that create three distinct waterways (called "pas…
Though he tells his rascal father it's all to help him out, we don't really see where Frank Jr.'s scams are steps toward the greater goal and as a result we don't get invested in his journey…
Some people's lives are remarkable for what they've done. Others are remarkable for what they've seen. Dr. Charles Augustus Leale, the 23-year-old Army surgeon who was present when John Wilk…
n American Story ... is about the young surgeon who found himself thrust into the role of doctor to the mortally wounded President Lincoln just for attending a performance of Our American Co…
The team at Drury Lane, though, has smartly downsized Sunset Boulevard from its original oversized dimensions and proved it to be a much more solid piece than many might have believed.
... just as the title misdirects us to think the play might actually be set in one of those other Coachella Valley cities, the first act of the play misleads us into thinking Other Desert C…
Steppenwolf's production has star power of its own in Jimmy Smits, who's doing Chris Rock's role of the duplicitous AA sponsor of parolee and recovering addict/alcoholic Ralph D.
Overall, though, this mix of traditional musical comedy conventions together with Parker and Stone's outrageous and eviscerating satire is what makes this show seem fresh even as it feels co…
This stage musical adaptation, conceived by the estimable Jack O'Brien for San Diego's Old Globe Theatre and, later, Broadway, deserves some credit for trying to stay true to Seuss.
Hellcab follows one day in the life of a Chicago cabbie-Christmas Eve Day, at that-and introduces the audience to 33 passengers and acquaintances he encounters throughout the day.
For the stage adaptation, bookwriters Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner (with an assist from Douglas Carter Beane) have moved the action back to the 1970s, allowing the original songs…
This production is an unpretentious and respectful reading of this 47-year-old comedy that provides a good opportunity for revisiting it, but just as importantly, an occasion for welcoming T…
... though Kinky Boots the musical does a great many things very well, it's hard to care enough about Charlie to "feel good" when he finally does address those character flaws, whatever the…
With absolutely top-shelf acting and vocals throughout the cast, impressive digital animation and directorial flourishes used judiciously but to great effect, he gives us one of the very bes…
I guess it would be fair to call Sweet Bird of Youth a minor major play of Tennessee Williams. Major in that it had a decent Broadway run, was adapted into a well-received feature film, and …
... Good People, which takes on issues like class differences in access to health care and affordable day care, wage stagnation and limited availability of good paying jobs.
The premise of this show is to give the audience the thrill of being in a studio audience for a filming of two episodes of "I Love Lucy" in 1952.
The first to be written of August Wilson's "Century Cycle" of plays depicting African-American life in separate decades of the 20th century, Jitney is less overtly historical or political th…
Richard Nelson's play, which premiered at New York's Public Theater on September 11, 2011, the day in which the action is set, depicts the Sunday dinner of a family of adult siblings who hav…
They've assembled a top-flight cast of ensemble members and other Chicago actors to bring Chekhov's Prozorov family to the downstairs stage.
