Theatre Reviews: Northlight’s “The Mousetrap” and Court’s “Iphigenia in Aulis”
In the rich theater venues of the Chicago area, two classics from very different eras are being revived. North of […]
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Pericles
4 ½ of 5 stars William Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a rarely-performed romance written late in his career (1607 or 1608) and is one of his more enchanting tales. Outside of Great Britain...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Airline Highway
Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre is premiering a new work by New Orleans native Lisa D’Amour, Airline Highway, which takes some of New Orleans’ traditions and realigns them from the perspective of the...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Ever since its spectacular television debut on CBS in March of 1957, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella has had a huge audience among those wanting great music and family friendly musicals. The...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Two Trains Running
4 ½ of 5 stars Director Chuck Smith’s restaging of August Wilson’s 1992 play Two Trains Running at the Goodman Theatre is a remarkable tale of passionate characters, a slice of life in Pittsburgh’s...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Avenue Q
On “Pi Day,” Illini Student Musicals (ISM) introduced the packed out Canopy Club to the human zoo of Avenue Q. Directed by Stephanie Svarz and John Lattanzi, the satirical musical dished up two shows...
View ArticleBeauty Breakdown: Spring Makeup Must-Haves
Time flies, and sometimes, that’s not such a bad thing. Especially if you’re dealing with four seasons, spring is a breath of fresh air (literally). It’s no secret that winter is a disaster for the...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Mothers and Sons
The Celebration Company’s presentation of Terrence McNally’s Mothers and Sons is an emotionally moving tale of a mother’s journey to come to terms with her gay son’s death due to AIDS. Years later she...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Outside Mullingar
John Patrick Shanley has been one of the more original writers in the performing arts in the last two decades and his originality has been matched by quality. With an Oscar, a Tony Award and a Pulitzer...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Legally Blonde
Watching an intelligent girl outgrow her sorority phase is something we can all relate to. Legally Blonde charts such a journey, telling the heart-warming tale of Elle Woods, the Barbie Doll Sorority...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Not About Nightingales
In my somewhat limited experience of plays, I have come up with a rule for viewing them: they’re either going to be really good, or really bad. You cannot revel in a bad play as you would a terrible...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: The Herd
This spring, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre has pulled out a handful of their veteran ensemble members for a fascinating, and often touching, look at family life in a London suburb in Rory Kinnear’s...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Beautiful, the Carole King Musical
The musical world has always held affection for its own. Its influence in stage and film has led to original musical productions and a popular subculture known as the “jukebox” musical. This term dates...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Interview with Chilina Kennedy
Canadian actress Chilina Kennedy is in one of those jobs so many of us would envy, if we had the talent. She is the current star of one of the most popular Broadway shows, Beautiful, the Carole King...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Early Shaw Productions
Some 20 miles north of tourist mecca Niagara Falls, at the mouth of the Niagara River, is Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Known for its quaint shopping venues, it is also the home of the Shaw Festival....
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Early Stratford Productions
Canada’s Stratford Festival has developed a strong following in east central Illinois, since its first season in 1953, and the 10-12 hour trip may be worth it more than ever this season. With 13...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
3 of 5 stars. I really wonder sometimes, is contemporary theatre mostly for older people? Even disregarding the expensive ticket prices of most modern plays, at times, thematically modern plays seem...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Kinky Boots
4 of 5 stars. Kinky Boots has opened on a limited run at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre with a bang! Winner of 6 Tony Awards and honored as the Best Musical of 2013 in its Broadway run, the Chicago...
View ArticleRise of the Gaming Channel
Love him or hate him, Felix Kjellberg, better known as Pewdiepie, is a goliath of video game entertainment. His Youtube channel currently has over 37 million subscribers (at the time of writing this...
View ArticleTheatre Reviews: Grand Concourse
The Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s main stage offering for this summer is Grand Concourse, a new play by Heidi Schreck. Schreck has made several significant contributions to off-off-Broadway venues in...
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