The House Theatre of Chicago's adaptation is a classic in its own right; a pitch-perfect blend of drama and whimsy. From script to design to performance, this Nutcracker is a vibrant holida…
With their adaptation of Robin Hodd and Maid Marian, Forks & Hope gracefully mingles tongue-in-cheek Monty Python-esque humor with heartfelt emotion in this world-premiere that will mak…
Don some *gay* apparel"or that ugly sweater"and skate on down to The Santaland Diaries. Michael Fain and company are just as essential as uncensored Christmas Vacation viewings for anyone su…
Barrel of Monkeys loves kids and isn't afraid to show it. The passionate ensemble of actor-educators go into underserved Chicago Public Schools, facilitate creative writing workshops and the…
One of the best spectacles on any holiday stage in Chicago, Burning Bluebeard is the kind of nervy production that represents what's best about Chicago theatre and its success is little shy …
With such a minimalist production, Director Ian Frank relies upon a celebrated playwright, incendiary subject, and extensive cast to carry the show. It isn't enough. Redtwist prides itself o…
Goodman Theatre's 2015 production of A Christmas Carol is its 38th, and this year's show is a gothic and glittering holiday treat: Henry Wishcamper's direction doesn't skimp on the scary or …
Set entirely in a doomed chain restaurant in the outskirts of Idaho, Griffin Theatre's Midwest premiere is brilliant from beginning to end, an ode to broken dreams and a personification of t…
With Marjorie Prime, Director Kimberly Senior helms a story that's accessible and compelling, even as the philosophical conundrums it poses become almost too weighty to wrap your mind around…
The Raid comes across as an uneven production overall, owing mostly to the lack of focus in the narrative structure. Nonetheless, the world premiere by Idris Goodwin contains some strong per…
At its heart, No More Sad Things is a beautiful play. Playwright Hansol Jung's rumination on connections lost and found is not only pretty to look at, but has significant substance. However,…
Picking a perfect cast as solo dynamos or a harmony-happy ensemble, director Brenda Didier delivers a hard-hoofing, high-strutting, big-belting two-act delight with Porchlight Theatre's Ain'…
While many modern audience members will still struggle to remain invested in such an exposition-heavy Greek tragedy, Court Theatre's inventive staging gives the action-craving theatre-goer a…
Chicago Sanitation from Funny Or Die I think the next series should be a series about a local theater company called "Chicago Drama"! Anyone have any other suggestions???
Lyric Opera's sumptuous production of The Merry Widow is a wondrous spectacle for the eyes as well as the ears, and a great holiday treat for Chicago. Highly Recommended! (read Jacob Davis' …
Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck seems to suggest that cruelty is a slope humanity is inclined to slide down even as our better natures try to prevail. It's an uncompromising and important artisti…
With Thomas Bradshaw as the prolific playwright provocateur of the last ten years, Fulfillment runs the gamut from the blatantly absurd to the mildly shocking. That it's frequently a little …
Do not hesitate to see Ibsen's Ghosts; with this being Marry-Archie Theatre's final season, memories of their trademark high-risk, high-reward storytelling will soon become ghosts themselves…
John Logan's gripping stage journalism concentrates on the sheer neediness that shackled the adoring and geeky Leopold to his smooth and sexually manipulative psychopath-lover Loeb. It's a t…
Strawdog Theatre's The Long Christmas Ride Home similarly makes us aware of the multiple journeys with one destination, the importance of the landmarks, of moving on, of pulling back from th…
Eclipse Theatre's production is beautifully done; as attuned to detail and performance as the finest big-budget shows. The talented cast and production team almost compensate for Terrence Mc…
For all its shortcomings, Treasure Island does succeed in spectacle. This is a grand staging of a classic tale that countless contemporary stories have borrowed from. But ultimately, this c…
Though some moments verge on sitcom-broad, Chapter Two is a lovely, poignant exploration of love and second chances, and the Windy City Playhouse's production deeply understands and apprecia…
Ultimately Design for Living still lands with force as a defiant flag planted on the mountain of personal freedom is a testimony to Noel Coward's uncanny knack for finding the universal in t…
This is a sophisticated and inventive production that will charm children and adults in equal measure. Much of the innovation comes from the trunk show and musical sensibilities at the core.…