PUT YOURSELF IN HARMONY'S WAY I can't remember the last time I have been so entranced with a new musical. And while Harmony may be having its New York premiere in the Off-Broadway house that…
SPRING IN BLOOM WITH JOYCE DiDONATO Spreading a message of harmony, love and environmental consciousness through opera, American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato, triumphantly …
HAYES'S HARRIED HIT "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." The incomparable Oscar Levant is the subject of the latest premiere …
A WINNING WINNIE Just in time to join in the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the beloved children's character, the Mercury Theater is making a bold and comm…
PLAY BALL! Get your popcorn and peanuts and Cracker Jack. Grab your Empires pennant and Empires cap and maybe your Empires team jacket. Then head on down to the ballpark or, in this case, th…
TINA IS A HEAD-TURNER Two elements are vital to creating a hit bio-musical: great songs and a powerful life story. Tina, The Tina Turner Musical delivers both. Whereas some biographies requi…
IT'S SUITE TO BE BACK AT THE PLAZA A night at the Plaza? With Hollywood royalty? I'm in, how about you? Thus we find three serio-comic tales of love, loss and betrayal all taking place in Su…
WITH SIX YOU GET POWDER-KEG SOUL What if the six wives of one of history's bad boys, King Henry VIII, formed a pop girl group and held a concert where they belted out tales of their supe…
DOWN IN HARLEM Following the quirky, audacious Slave Play (see review) " the first show of Center Theatre Group's season at The Taper " the company has done a complete 180 with their product…
WIZARDRY ABOUNDS One of the real hidden gems in the Windy City's entertainment scene is the Chicago Magic Lounge. This stunning Art Deco theater is home to one of the most luxurious bars in …
THE KING OF POP IS NOW THE KING OF BROADWAY MJ (The Michael Jackson Musical) raises the bar for the bio-musical. Set in the rehearsal hall for Jackson's 1992 Dangerous World Tour, the story …
EVERYBODY RISE! Since its multi Tony Award-winning 1970 debut, COMPANY, the musical comedy exploring contemporary dating, marriage and divorce has been a favorite of singer-actors who relish…
BOW DOWN TO THE QUEENS OF SIX The second hottest fire to burn through Chicago since 1871 was last night, center stage at the CIBC Theatre, and is now playing there for the next four months b…
AILEY IS ALWAYS AÂ REVELATION(S) Bringing with them three complete programs of dazzling dance, this 2022 edition showcases Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's (AAADT) vital verve, remindi…
COMPLEX AND POWERFUL, RELENTLESS LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE After Timeline Theatre Company's near sold-out run during the winter, The Goodman Theatre is restaging playwright Tyla Abercrumbie's fe…
WHEN THE WELL IS DRY, YOU KNOW THE WORTH OF WATER In Sidney Sheldon's hit 1973 novel, The Other Side of Midnight, every other chapter is about either Catherine or Noelle, the two stories of …
ODE TO LOVE It is not everyday that Tony Award-winning chanteuses drop by to entertain in the Windy City, so it was with great anticipation that Renée Elise Goldsberry took to the Auditoriu…
FAMILY DYSFUNCTION, PAST AND FUTURE Philosopher George Santayana once famously wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This quote kept bouncing around my head …
DISASTER LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE Its not everyday a well-known chef headlines a new play, so it was with great interest I attended the new immersive comedy, A Recipe For Disaster! This W…
A ROYAL PRODUCTION There is something to be said for a classic musical lovingly restaged for a new generation of audiences. The Drury Lane Theatre should be very proud with their latest, Rod…
WHILE NOT A DISASTER, SOME INGREDIENTS NEED FIXIN' In 2012 and 2014 the famous Chicago chef Rick Bayless and the Lookingglass Theatre Company joined to present a food-and-show production cal…
DAWN BLESS A BLESSING IN SCALED-DOWN CHURCH After an almost two year pandemic break, the Black Ensemble Theater BET) is back in business and doing a necessary check in on everyone's mental h…
How To Get Dancing Work For Stage & Screen Dance can electrify stage and screen audiences, and productions featuring dance, including West Side Story, which premiered on Broadway i…
CAN YOU BE A CONFEDERATE TO CONFEDERATES? Elijah Jones and Kristolyn Lloyd I've noticed "Permission for Engagement" becoming a recent trend in new productions by Black female playwrights. Th…
M-I-C-K-E-Y (WHY-OH-WHY-OH-WHY?!) When I saw Lucas Hnath's name attached to A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney " a boldly-titled play now getting its…