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Chicago
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Recommended Theater: EXTRA YARN (Lifeline Theatre)
One of my favorite theater companies is also one of the best at putting on what we used to call “Children’s Theater.” I was hooked almost 10 years ago with my first: The Emperor’s New Threads: A Fashion Statement. Sure, the “KidSeries” is great for the younger ones, but great theater is great theater. And…
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Opera Review: LE COMTE ORY (Lyric Opera of Chicago)
LE COMTE ORY: BEL CANTO GOES DRAG After two very serious and heavily-plotted Verdi operas, it’s incredibly refreshing to see Rossini’s sexy and riotous Le Comte Ory. This Lyric premiere production boasts a stunning bel canto score, an entertaining and talented cast, a relatively short (by comparison) run-time of 2 hours 40 minutes, and lots…
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Opera Review: DON CARLOS (Lyric Opera Chicago)
THE FULLEST AND GRANDEST DON CARLOS OF ALL Don Carlos is every bit the grand opera that audiences should expect, from the size of the chorus and the number of principal roles to the length of the performance and complexity of plot. It’s full of gorgeous music that ranges from the introspective to the anguished,…
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Theater Recommendation: TROUBLE IN MIND (TimeLine Theatre Co.)
GET INTO TROUBLE Written by Alice Childress — the first Black woman to have a play professionally produced in New York City — Trouble in Mind recently played on Broadway, and it amazed me how a play written in 1955 can remain resilient and provocative and prescient and timely (the production was nominated for four…
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Theater Recommendation: LOOKOUT, WINTER 2023 (Steppenwolf Theatre Company)
LOOKOUT FOR STEPPENWOLF’S NEW SERIES LookOut, Steppenwolf Theatre’s performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form, presents the Winter 2023 season, showcasing the work of Chicago’s exciting experimental devisers, choreographers, performers and more. All LookOut performances take place in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, an intimate and flexible venue nestled behind Front Bar, 1700…
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Chicago Opera Review: ERNANI (Lyric Opera of Chicago)
ERR: NAH, NI? MAYBE Ernani is billed as the second installment in Lyric Opera’s early Verdi series, which began with Luisa Miller in 2019-20. This, despite a production of Nabucco in 2016, which is earlier than both Ernani and Luisa Miller. No matter. Ernani contains some very beautiful music that deserves to be better known…
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Season Announcement: STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY’S 2022/23 SEASON
Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 2022/23 Season Chicago Premiere The Most Spectaularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington By James Ijames Directed by Whitney White Featuring ensemble member Celeste M. Cooper September 1 – October 9, 2022 In the Downstairs Theater The recently widowed “Mother of America” lies alone in her Mount Vernon bed, ravaged by illness and attended to by…
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Pre-Broadway: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: THE MUSICAL (James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago)
Music by Sir Elton John and Lyrics by Shaina Taub Book by Kate Wetherhead Starring Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel as Miranda Priestly and Taylor Iman Jones as Andy Sachs JULY 19-AUGUST 21, 2022 The Chicago world premiere production of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, THE MUSICAL opens July 19 for a limited five-week engagement through…
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Recommended Theater: GET OUT ALIVE (Haven, The Den)
GET IN Beginning tonight from Haven is Nikki Lynette’s multidisciplinary afrogoth musical Get Out Alive, co-directed by Roger Ellis and Lucky Stiff, which features the writer and her personal journey with mental health. The cast also includes DJ P1, Keeley Morris and Jacinda Ratcliffe. Independent artist, actor and activist, Lynette’s recounts her personal journey marked by abuse, grief, sexual assault and suicide, Lynette raises mental…
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Theater: THE WINTER’S TALE (Oak Park Festival Theatre)
WINTER IN SUMMER: OAK PARK FESTIVAL THEATRE PRESENTS “THE WINTER’S TALE” JULY 14 – AUGUST 20, 2022 Following Devastating Fire, Beloved Theatre Re-Opens in Austin Gardens with Shakespearean Romantic Tragedy The Winter’s Tale is the Romance play that plunges most deeply into tragedy before finding joy and redemption. A once-beloved king, Leontes, begins to veer…
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Theater: MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE MAGICAL NEGROES (Chicago Premiere by The Story Theatre June 30 – July 17, 2022, at Raven Theatre)
The Story Theatre welcomes back audiences with the Chicago premiere of Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes, written and directed by Chicago playwright and Governing Ensemble Member Terry Guest. This new play, which explores rebellion and Black liberation through the lens of the French Revolution, will play Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage beginning June 30 and running…
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Comedy Event: HARI KONDABOLU (The Den Theatre, Chicago)
COMEDIAN HARI KONDABOLU COMING TO CHICAGO’S DEN THEATRE THIS WEEKEND Comedian, writer and podcaster Hari Kondabolu may be based in Brooklyn, NY, but he’s coming to the Den Theatre this weekend only. He has been hailed by The New York Times as “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today.” In 2018, his Netflix…
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Dance: ENSEMBLE ESPAôOL SPANISH DANCE THEATER (Youth Company Auditions, Saturday May 21, 2022)
Ensemble Espaí±ol Spanish Dance Theater Youth Company Auditions Dancers 9 – 17 years old When? Saturday, May 21 @ 9:00-10:30 am ’‹Where: Northeastern Illinois University (J – Building) 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625 FREE REGISTRATION · CLICK HERE Requirements for the audition: Students under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to…
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Theater Review: LOOKINGGLASS ALICE (Lookingglass Theatre)
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER JUST GETS BETTERER AND BETTERER After two Covid-19 delays, Lookingglass Alice is once again high-flying and adored at the Lookingglass Theatre, whose glorious and highly imaginative production has quickly become the hallmark of its artistic brand. Stunning, entertaining, empowering and compelling, this gem of a show is a feast for the eyes and…
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Theater Review: ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (Chicago Shakes)
HARRIED HAPPENINGS AT NAVY PIER A rarely produced dark comedy from the annals of William Shakespeare’s folio is ushering in springtime at Navy Pier. All’s Well That Ends Well might not have the popularity or recognizability of titles like Romeo and Juliet or Othello, but the dark comedy is certainly high energy silliness. Director Shana Cooper keeps the pace…
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Music Review: EMANCIPATION (Adrian Dunn World Premiere at the Harris Theater, Chicago)
CLASSICAL BLACK MUSIC MATTERS One of the really fantastic aspects of being a critic is discovering “new to me” talent. Being in the Chicago Arts scenes, it is next to impossible to see everything, hear everything, enjoy everything. With this in mind, Harris Theater was staging a world premiere performance, Adrian Dunn’s Emancipation, and I was intrigued. Teamed…
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Theater Review: SPRING AWAKENING (Porchlight Music Theatre)
UNDERSTATED PATHOS As timely now as it was when the original play was written over 150 years ago, Spring Awakening is now rocking the stage at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. This edgy musical might seem a bit aggressive for the normal fare at this venue (known during the day as a Windy City…
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Theater Review: TEATRO ZINZANNI: WISHES & DREAMS (Cambria Hotel in Chicago)
HIGH FLYING ADORED Equal parts sassy and sexy, the latest version of the Teatro ZinZanni, aptly titled Wishes & Dreams, is bringing much needed fun back downtown to The Loop. Set in an opulent Belgian mirror tent, carefully erected on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel, one will marvel at the setting. Lavish and luxurious, sumptuous dark mahogany…
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Theater Review: CARMELA FULL OF WISHES (Chicago Children’s Theatre)
FAMILY FUN WITH A LATIN FLAIR Just in time for spring, the Chicago Children’s Theatre is back in bloom. Returning to live, in-person productions, Carmela Full of Wishes is a charming tale about the importance of imagination. Adapted for the stage by Alvaro Saar Rios from the children’s book by Matt de la Pena with illustrations by…
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Theater Review: THE PROM (North American Tour)
TOE-TAPPING TUNES MAKE THE SHOW Dust off the Mylar balloons and wrist corsages Chicago, you only have one week to attend The Prom as part of its national tour. No smelly gymnasium or dated themes required, this prom is full of high energy dance numbers and a litany of toe-tapping tunes that will stay knocking around your head long after leaving the…
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