Chicago Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 7

Review: A CHORUS LINE at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - February 03, 2023

What did our critic think of A CHORUS LINE at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL? A Chorus Line, Michael Bennett's iconic love letter to performers on the line anywhere, opened last night at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. How do I write about this show which holds a special place in my...

Review: BIG FISH at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - February 02, 2023

What did our critic think of Big Fish? The new theater season has begun. The current production at Marriott Theatre is Big Fish which is based upon the novel by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Motion Picture written by John August. The book is by John August and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Und...

Review: THE RIPPLE, THE WAVE THAT CARRIED ME HOME at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - January 24, 2023

In the ripple, the wave that carried me home, protagonist Janice must metaphorically reckon with her homecoming and her childhood in the fictional Beacon, Kansas....

Review: CABARET at Porchlight Music Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - January 20, 2023

What did our critic think of CABARET at Porchlight Music Theatre? Porchlight invites audiences into the glittering, gritty world of early 1930s Berlin with John Kander and Fred Ebb’s iconic musical CABARET. Under the direction of Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber and with associate directio...

Review: LITTLE WOMEN at First Folio Theatre, Oak Brook IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - December 19, 2022

What did our critic think of LITTLE WOMEN at First Folio Theatre, Oak Brook IL? The current production at First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic coming of age story during the Civil War of the four March sisters - Little Women. Most of us of a certain age re...

Review: BALD SISTERS at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - December 12, 2022

What did our critic think of BALD SISTERS at Steppenwolf Theatre Company? Steppenwolf presents a new twist on the well-trod territory of the dysfunctional family drama with Vichet Chum’s BALD SISTERS. As far as dysfunctional families go, too, the family in BALD SISTERS doesn’t have the most baggage....

Review: Porchlight Revisits THE APPLE TREE
by Rachel Weinberg - December 09, 2022

Porchlight Music Theatre invited audiences to take another bite of musical theater history with Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s THE APPLE TREE. The musical, composed of three one-acts centered on the theme of temptation, was the season opener for the Porchlight Revisits series. As usual, Porchight ...

Review: THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES -THE OBLIGATORY HOLIDAY SHOW at Hell In A Handbag Productions
by Misha Davenport - December 07, 2022

What did our critic think of THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES -THE OBLIGATORY HOLIDAY SHOW at Hell In A Handbag Productions?...

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL At Goodman Theatre, Chicago
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 29, 2022

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Goodman Theatre, Chicago?...

Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Paramount Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 20, 2022

What did our critic think of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL?...

Review: ELF THE MUSICAL at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 18, 2022

What did our critic think of ELF THE MUSICAL at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL? Drury Lane Theatre's holiday production is Elf. From the opening number until the final curtain, Elf will make you feel the joy of Christmas as a child again. That's the beauty of Buddy the Elf and in large part...

Review: LE COMTE ORY at Lyric Opera House Chicago
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 14, 2022

What did our critic think of LE COMTE ORY at Lyric Opera House Chicago?...

Review: A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 11, 2022

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL?...

Review: TROUBLE IN MIND at TimeLine Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - November 11, 2022

What did our critic think of TROUBLE IN MIND at TimeLine Theatre Company? TROUBLE IN MIND is a blistering portrait of racial and gender politics on Broadway....

Review: RENT at Porchlight Music Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - November 07, 2022

What did our critic think of RENT at Porchlight Music Theatre? Jonathan Larson’s 1996 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT comes to life in a Porchlight production that captures the ethos of the original Broadway production. It also reinvigorates the fresh energy of the musical’s messa...

Review: SWING STATE at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - October 24, 2022

What did our critic think of SWING STATE at Goodman Theatre? Rebecca Gilman shows her deftness at writing “slice of life” plays in SWING STATE at Goodman Theatre. In this latest collaboration with outgoing Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls, Gilman introduces four characters at a crossro...

Review: CLUE at Mercury Theater Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - October 21, 2022

What did our critic think of CLUE at Mercury Theater Chicago? Mercury Theater’s CLUE is a comedic delight of a production. The laughs flow freely and easily in this stage adaptation of the farce-meets-murder-mystery based on the iconic 1985 film. Director L. Walter Stearns’s ensemble lands each and ...

Review: BULL: A LOVE STORY at Copley Theatre, Aurora IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - October 15, 2022

What did our critic think of BULL: A LOVE STORY at Copley Theatre, Aurora IL?...

Review: THE NOTEBOOK at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - October 07, 2022

What did our critic think of THE NOTEBOOK at Chicago Shakespeare Theater? THE NOTEBOOK is a pretty musical indeed. The musical treats Allie and Noah’s love story with a lighter touch than its source material, and the overall result is moving and graceful....

Review: WICKED at Nederlander Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - September 30, 2022

Wicked is back in Chicago. The first time it played here, it ran for more than three and a half years. Directed by Joe Mantello, musical staging (choreography) by Wayne Cilento and a stunning set by Eugene Lee along with the lighting by Kenneth Posner once again transports the audience back to Oz an...

Review: SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at Chopin Theatre
by Misha Davenport - September 30, 2022

What did our critic think of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at Chopin Theatre?...

Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at The Citadel Theatre, Lake Forest
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - September 23, 2022

Feed Me/Do Not Feed the Plants - which is it?...

Review: CLYDE'S at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - September 21, 2022

In CLYDE’S, playwright Lynn Nottage posits that salvation comes in the form of a sandwich...in more ways than one....

Review: HELLO, DOLLY! at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - September 16, 2022

It's so nice to have you back!...

Review: THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - September 15, 2022

What did our critic think of THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON at Steppenwolf Theatre Company? Steppenwolf’s season opener THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON is a wild fever dream of a play. James Ijames’s play asks audiences to grapple wi...