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Theater Commentary: BROADWAY IS ONE STOP, NOT THE DESTINATION, FOR THE MODERN AMERICAN MUSICAL
Two Chicago-born musicals are rewriting the conventional wisdom about what it means for a show to succeed. The Notebook had its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2022 and is now enjoying a national tour following its Broadway run. Illinoise made its major-theater debut at Chicago Shakespeare in 2024, traveled Off-Broadway and then to…
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Theater Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company / Boston)
SOME ENCHANTMENT REQUIRED Thirty years on, Commonwealth Shakespeare still knows how to charm a crowd A lot is unknown about William Shakespeare, including the order and dates in which he wrote Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What is clear, however, is that the two plays serve as mirrors to one another: in…
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Theater Review: URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL (Ray of Light Theatre / San Francisco)
WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A PAY TOILET This irreverent musical entertains while refusing to let its audience off the hook After more than 25 years of producing fun, hip musicals all over San Francisco, Ray of Light Theatre is still in its honeymoon phase of finally having its own theater, The Barbary Stage, downtown…
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Off-Broadway Preview: A GHOST IN YOUR EAR (Audible Theater / New York)
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY SOUNDS Audible Theater’s immersive headphone horror transforms the oldest ghost story trick into a chilling theatrical experience Imagine listening to an audiobook through headphones when the story begins listening back. That’s the unnerving premise behind A Ghost in Your Ear, the acclaimed London horror hit making its American premiere this fall…
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Off-Broadway Review: THE PASS (La MaMa E.T.C.)
NO PASSING THE TRUTH John Donnelly’s drama examines the devastating cost of repression, secrecy, and the life that might have been The American premiere of John Donnelly‘s The Pass (originally produced at London’s Royal Court Theatre) is smartly directed by Max Hunter, who infuses both the play and its performances with energy, theatricality, and genuine…
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Theater Review: APPLAUSE (The Group Rep / Lonny Chapman Theatre / North Hollywood)
ALL ABOUT EVE… WITH JAZZ HANDS Bruce Kimmel’s affectionate revival proves that a sturdy backstage classic and a committed cast can still earn plenty of applause, even when there are reservations about the score Applause won the 1970 Tony Award for Best Musical. It was, unfortunately, a lackluster season, with the other nominees being Purlie…
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FIVE HARD-HITTING BROADWAY SHOWS YOU SHOULD SEE
Broadway has long been celebrated for its dazzling musicals, spectacular choreography and unforgettable performances. Yet beyond the bright lights and standing ovations lies another of its greatest strengths: the ability to tackle difficult subjects with honesty, compassion and emotional depth. From mental health and grief to social injustice and addiction, some of Broadway’s most memorable…
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HOW THEATRE IS HELPING BREAK THE STIGMA AROUND ADDICTION RECOVERY
For centuries, theatre has held a mirror up to society, encouraging audiences to confront difficult truths about the human experience. From grief and loss to mental illness and addiction, the stage has long been a place where complex issues can be explored with honesty and compassion. In recent years, productions centred on the theme, covering…
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WHAT LIVE THEATRE OFFERS THAT FILM NEVER WILL
Broadway just closed out its biggest season on record. The 2025-2026 season grossed $1.91 billion and drew roughly 14.6 million attendees, the first time attendance has climbed past pre-pandemic levels since 2019, according to figures tracked by BroadwayWorld. That is not a niche art form quietly holding on while streaming eats its lunch. That is…
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Theater Review: SALLY & TOM (Zach Theatre / Austin, TX)
PURSUIT OF TOO MUCH HAPPINESS At Zach Theatre, Suzan-Lori Parks’ ambitious play-within-a-play has plenty to argue about, but its self-consciousness too often gets in the way of its drama. The play’s the thing—until it isn’t. It was 1997 when Annette Gordon-Reed published her book Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy. Since then, Gordon-Reed…
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Theater Review: ALL NIGHTER (The Village Theater / Rivendell Theatre Ensemble / Chicago)
CRAM SESSION, CRASH COURSE Natalie Margolin’s sharply observed comedy captures the fleeting intensity of college friendships Natalie Margolin’s All Nighter, which opened Off-Broadway in 2025, makes its Midwest premiere at Rivendell Theatre in a production from The Village Theater. The play unfolds over one long night in a study hall at a small liberal arts…
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Theater Review: YO HO. (Babes With Blades Theatre Company / Chicago)
ALL ABOARD THE S.S. SEX FARCE These gender-liberated pirates need to boink more and bicker less On the deck of the pirate ship Revenge, a buxom young lass leads a blindfolded young man to a chair. Asking him to trust her, she ties him up and then promptly walks off with a bag of money…
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Theater Review: ALANIS MORISSETTE’S JAGGED LITTLE PILL: THE MUSICAL (Chance Theater / Anaheim)
A PILL THAT’S HARD TO SWALLOW Chance Theater’s committed cast sells the songs in this jukebox musical, but can’t overcome a sprawling script When Alanis Morissette released Jagged Little Pill in 1995, it sold thirty-three million copies because it sounded like one woman refusing to behave. She crammed syllables into measures that couldn’t hold them,…
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5 ESSENTIAL FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN A STAGE RENTAL FRANCE COMPANY
France is home to some of the world’s biggest events, from the prestigious Ballon d’Or to the Paris Fashion Week. Since global events are already the norm in this beautiful country, the stakes are high for stage rental companies. Setting up a major concert, award show, or festival in France takes a lot of…
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Theater Review: SCAPIN (North Coast Repertory Theatre / Solana Beach)
FARCE MAJEURE This inventive adaptation trades reverence for revelry, with hilarious results Not everything ages well: milk, dress codes, and comedies are among the many things that are often better when they first appear. Just this week, in fact, I watched a couple of episodes of The Jeffersons and cringed—not just at comments by the…
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Theater Review: BUYER AND CELLAR (Hub Theatre Company / Club Café / Boston)
SHOPPING FOR LAUGHS Jonathan Tolins’ delicious one-man comedy turns retail therapy into theatrical therapy A special kind of theatre magic occurs when a comedic play can live in the perfect liminal landscape between outrageousness and being deeply grounded in reality and humanity. Hub Theatre Company’s one-man show Buyer and Cellar creates and occupies this terrain…
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Theater Review: THAT MATH SHOW (The Science Theater Company / New York)
COUNT ME IN Dr. Arthur Benjamin turns mathematics into an engaging theatrical experience Who would have dreamed math could be fun? Certainly not students sweating over difficult equations, trying to figure out how to isolate the unknown. Enter Dr. Arthur Benjamin, professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. Created and performed by Benjamin and directed…
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Theater Review: GOOD PEOPLE (4 Chairs Theatre / Theater Wit / Chicago)
GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT SHOW David Lindsay-Abaire’s poignant drama delivers a powerful reminder that luck, circumstance, and class often shape lives as much as talent or determination In an alley behind a Dollar General store in South Boston, a middle-aged woman is embroiled in an argument with her manager. Margie has been late to work for…
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Theater Review: HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL (Kokandy / Chicago)
YESTERDAY’S REBELS Time has softened the musical’s edges, but not its beating heart In 1968, a rock musical featuring a ragtag group of hippies took Broadway by storm. With book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, a score by Galt MacDermot, and featuring a large cast of mostly unknowns, minimal dialogue and no…
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Theater Review: ROMEO AND JULIET (Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum / Topanga)
A TIMELESS TRAGEDY TAKES ON A GILDED GLOW A beautifully conceived update proves Shakespeare’s young lovers lose none of their power in a new era There’s something magical about sitting in the woods at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum as the sun sets, when countless crickets and frogs add their songs to the sounds of nature…
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