Chicago Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 12

BWW Review: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE at Lyric Opera Of Chicago
by Emily McClanathan - October 02, 2019

Lyric Opera of Chicago opens its 65th season with Gioachino's Rossini's romantic comedy, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. Tara Faircloth directs this exuberant revival of Lyric's 2013/14 production, originally directed by Rob Ashford, while Sir Andrew Davis conducts the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Michael Black...

BWW Review: SPAMALOT at Mercury Theater Chicago
by M. William Panek - September 26, 2019

A perfect night of theatre it ain't, but for Meghan Murphy's powerhouse diva and a communal bout of well-earned chuckles, SPAMALOT will leave you choosing wisely....

BWW Review: BERNHARDT/HAMLET at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - September 25, 2019

Terri McMahon's performance and Theresa Rebeck's script demonstrate that Sarah Bernhardt was not one to back down from a challenge, either on the stage or in life....

BWW Review: THE KING'S SPEECH at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - September 23, 2019

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's North American premiere of THE KING'S SPEECH is a wholly delightful theatrical affair, rife with British charm....

BWW Review: WHOSE BODY? at Lifeline Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 22, 2019

The first hints of autumn weather have barely touched Chicago, but with its season opener, Lifeline Theatre turns to that coziest of genres: the classic British murder mystery. Jess Hutchinson directs a revival of WHOSE BODY?, adapted by Frances Limoncelli from the 1923 novel by Dorothy Sayers. Thou...

BWW Review: TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS at Victory Gardens Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - September 21, 2019

TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS lives in that unique space between the everyday and the extraordinary....

BWW Review: DANA H. at Goodman Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 21, 2019

Lucas Hnath's DANA H., now in its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre, recounts a harrowing trauma experienced by the playwright's mother, Dana Higginbotham. In 1997, she was working as a hospice chaplain in Florida when a former patient, a mentally ill ex-convict, kidnapped her for five months. H...

BWW Review: THE GREAT LEAP at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - September 17, 2019

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's season opening production of Lauren Yee's THE GREAT LEAP combines the energy of the final moments of a major sporting event alongside moments of great intimacy and intensity for which the company is largely known....

BWW Review: NEWSIES at Paramount Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 15, 2019

Paramount Theatre's production of DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL, directed by Jim Corti, offers a spirited, heartfelt take on the popular Tony Award winner. Originally a 1992 Disney movie musical, the cult favorite has attracted a whole new fandom since the stage adaptation opened on Broadway in 2012,...

BWW Review: MIDSUMMER (A PLAY WITH SONGS) at Greenhouse Theater Center
by Emily McClanathan - September 09, 2019

On Midsummer's Eve, two 35-year-olds drink alone in an Edinburgh dive bar. Helena, a well-dressed divorce lawyer, sips a £40 bottle of wine while waiting for her married lover to arrive. Bob, a petty criminal, waits for a colleague to transfer the keys of a stolen car. When Helena's date stands her ...

BWW Review: Get Thee to SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Marriott Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - September 07, 2019

Chicagoans, lend me your ears: SOMETHING ROTTEN! has landed in Lincolnshire (the one due north of Chicago, not the one due east of Liverpool), and Marriott Theatre's regional premiere is a must-see for fans of musicals, Shakespeare, and comedy. Nominated for ten Tony Awards when it opened on Broadwa...

BWW Review: THE BAND'S VISIT National Tour Comes to Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - September 05, 2019

THE BAND'S VISIT feels like an homage to the fleeting nature of live theater itself: a moment in time in which performers and audience are brought together to share a collective experience, all-encompassing yet passing swiftly and never to be created again. So too goes the narrative of the two chara...

BWW Review: Gary Griffin's Enchanting INTO THE WOODS at Writers Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - August 24, 2019

Writers Theatre opens its 2019/20 season with INTO THE WOODS, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved fairy tale mash-up, directed by Olivier Award-winning Sondheim interpreter Gary Griffin. Staged in the round in the larger of the Glencoe theater's two venues, Griffin makes the most of the inti...

BWW Review: Hell in a Handbag's Timely and Topical THE DRAG SEED
by Misha Davenport - July 31, 2019

David Cerda scores another camp hit with the timely and topical THE DRAG SEED...

BWW Review: Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE Thrills at Drury Lane Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - July 30, 2019

Agatha Christie, the a?oeQueen of Mystery.a?? The numbers speak for themselves: best-selling novelist of all time (more than two billion sold), most-translated author (more than 100 languages), and author of the world's longest running play (THE MOUSETRAP has played in the West End since the year Qu...

BWW Review: Teatro ZinZanni's LOVE, CHAOS AND DINNER Provides Old-Fashioned Circus and Comedy Entertainment
by Rachel Weinberg - July 25, 2019

The Seattle-based circus, comedy, and cabaret spectacle Teatro ZinZanni has arrived in Chicago with the hybrid show LOVE, CHAOS AND DINNER. And ZinZanni serves up entertainment with a capital a?oeEa?? in this production. The evening alternates between decidedly low-brow slapstick comedy scenes, musi...

BWW Review: Dave Malloy's GHOST QUARTET with Black Button Eyes Productions at Stage 773
by Emily McClanathan - July 22, 2019

Dave Malloy's staged song cycle GHOST QUARTET is a madcap romp through seven centuries of mythology, folk tales, gothic horror stories, murder ballads, and more. Described in the lyrics as a 'circular story,' the nonlinear plot follows four friends through interweaving stories that include two siste...

BWW Review: Marriott Theatre's DARLING GRENADINE a Bittersweet Reflection of Life's Complicated Realities
by Emily McClanathan - July 18, 2019

Daniel Zaitchik's new musical DARLING GRENADINE delicately balances sentimentality and realism in a heartfelt look at one man's struggle with addiction and its effect on those who love him. In its Midwest premiere at Marriott Theatre, Aaron Thielen directs a stellar cast who do equal justice to Zait...

BWW Review: TRUE WEST Proves A Remarkable, Quintessentially Steppenwolf Production
by Rachel Weinberg - July 17, 2019

The newly opened production of TRUE WEST is a quintessentially Steppenwolf show in the best way possible: it's a fresh staging of a gritty American drama with a first-rate cast and production values....

BWW Review: THE RECOMMENDATION at Windy City Playhouse
by Emily McClanathan - July 16, 2019

Upon arrival at Windy City Playhouse's flagship venue in Irving Park, audience members are handed an acceptance letter welcoming them to Brown University's class of 2011. Thus begins an intimate journey through the world of THE RECOMMENDATION, written by Jonathan Caren and directed by Jonathan Wilso...

BWW Review: THE MUSIC MAN at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - July 14, 2019

Director Mary Zimmerman lends her whimsy to THE MUSIC MAN at Goodman Theatre in a production that pays homage to the small-town charm and iconic score of Meredith Willson's classic musical. Under Zimmerman's direction, this MUSIC MAN becomes a joyful company piece showcasing, in particular, the tale...

Review: Kokandy's HEAD OVER HEELS Has Got The Beat
by Misha Davenport - July 08, 2019

Elizabethan comedy meets modern constructs of gender fluidity in Kokandy's top-notch production of HEAD OVER HEELS....

Review: Pride Arts' GRINDR: THE OPERA Worth a Hook Up
by Misha Davenport - June 29, 2019

...

BWW Review: THE RIVER at BoHo Theatre
by Emily McClanathan - June 27, 2019

In THE RIVER, Tony Award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth spins an atmospheric tale with as many twists and turns as its namesake. Following its 2012 premiere in London and subsequent Broadway run, Jerrell L. Henderson directs the Chicago premiere by BoHo Theatre, now a resident company at the Gre...

BWW Review: Theo Ubique's HEDWIG Ignites
by Misha Davenport - June 21, 2019

...