Sibling Rivalry and Resentment

Topdog/Underdog

The American Dream is a joke for many, especially if you’re a member of a minority. In this commanding production, moments of dark, adult comedy are offset by sudden, knee-jerk periods of violence in this 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Suzan-Lori Parks. The two-act play takes a deep, probing look at the sibling rivalry and resentment that’s been building and festering for years between two African American brothers. 

A Multitude of Mayhem 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

A little Boy decides that he’d rather stay at home and read his new comic book, while his Mom spends the afternoon visiting his Aunt Polly. Just as he begins enjoying his Jungle Man magazine, the generous, kind and polite young man receives a surprise visit from a rascally rodent who has more requests than the Boy could ever imagine. After the courteous kid offers the hungry Mouse a delicious chocolate chip-and-oatmeal cookie, the rodent politely asks for a glass of milk. But since he’s so tiny and the glass is so tall, the Mouse hints that a straw would be useful. And so begins an afternoon of requests that result in a multitude of mayhem and messes for the little Boy to clean up, before Mom gets home.

Bustin’ Out

You Can’t Fake the Funk

They often say that everything old is new again. Well, in celebration of Black Ensemble Theater’s dazzling and impressive 50th anniversary this exuberant, exciting musical revue has rediscovered, refreshed and recast to become a much-applauded, brand new production all over again. While a company of gloriously gifted singers, dancers and musicians were pouring their hearts out to entertain the audience, most of the theatergoers were leaping out of their seats, clapping, singing and dancing along. The performance was like being at a huge, happy block party, where the fun never stops “Bustin’ Out”!

Fanatic Fandom

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire

Teenage obsession turns into a sad and sinister fetish in Samantha Hurley’s absurdist, over-the-top, one-act comic drama. Meet young Shelby Hinkley. She’s a petite, 14-year-old eighth-grader who’s pretty intense and rabidly obsessed with movie star, Tobey Maguire. Did I say obsessed? Shelby is consumed, fixated on and dominated by the handsome young actor. It’s 2004 and being the self-proclaimed president of the Tobey Maguire Fan Club is pretty much Shelby’s entire existence.

Take the A Train

Play On!

In 1996, a cleverly written musical version of Shakespeare’s classic, TWELFTH NIGHT, conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, featured a clever update in a book by Cheryl L.West. She shifted the comedy to Harlem during the 1940’s. Because we’re suddenly in New York at the famed Cotton Club during the Swing Era, the musical score dictates it be based upon the iconic music of Duke Ellington. All the characters in this musical are based upon original Shakespearean characters, but with names that reflect the originals, that were given by the Bard. But the basic story is essentially the same and it’s quite delightful.

The Kindness of Strangers

Kowalski

Anyone who has ever read about an event, and thought to himself, “What would it have been like to be there,” will fall in love with KOWALSKI. The highly anticipated one-act play by Gregg Ostrin nicely continues Lookingglass Theatre Company’s 2026-27 season. For theatergoers who relish the kind of fictionalized historical scenarios captured in such plays as HENRY V, THE CRUCIBLE or AMADEUS, this is a great evening of theatre. And for audiences who can’t get enough of the backstories behind great plays, their gifted authors and the talented stars of the original Broadway productions, KOWALSKI will be like mothers’ milk to them. But actually,  anyone who simply enjoys a well-written, beautifully directed and professionally performed drama, liberally laced with comedy, will love this new play.

Divine Contract Killing

Prayer Circle

Most people have probably known someone who has made their lives miserable, if not completely unlivable. It’s a sad fact of life. We wish, hope and pray for that person to just vanish and leave us alone. It would be great if, somehow, we could get rid of that individual, without breaking the law or dirtying our hands. Playwright Erik Gernand’s full-length, 90-minute one-act is about a prayer group at a small country church whose members discover that their invocations to God have far greater consequences than they ever imagined possible. Essentially, this gathering of seemingly innocent parishioners discover they can and will unite every week in a spate of divine contract killing. 

An American Comic Classic

The Front Page

Take a deep breath and hang onto your seat because once the lights come up and the cast bursts onto the stage, theatergoers  will find themselves on a runaway train racing toward intermission. But then after a drink and a bathroom break, the high speed pacing resumes, coming even faster and more furious, never letting up until the final curtain. The overall effect is an explosive, hilarious look at old school Chicago journalism, politics and scandal during the 1920’s. Surprisingly, almost nothing has changed in the 21st century! 

JEKYLL AND HYDE

Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place

PRESENTS:

JEKYLL AND HYDE

REVIEWED BY: JAMALE

Some musicals entertain you. Others get inside you and stay there. Kokandy Productions’ Jekyll & Hyde is one of those shows.

From its early beginnings in Texas, Jekyll & Hyde struggled to find acceptance. After a U.S. tour in 1995, the musical finally made it to Broadway, where it received four Tony Award nominations. Since then, the show has been performed around the world. With more than 30 hard-hitting and powerful songs, including “This Is the Moment,” “Someone Like You,” “A New Life” and “In His Eyes,” its music has been giving audiences chills for decades.

Taking Theatre to New Heights

The Attic

As the lights come up we discover a lovely young woman, dressed only in a slip. She stands silently for a few minutes seeming to study the entire audience. Then the woman dons a hospital gown and speaks directly to the audience, telling us ominously, “I fell once.” The woman adds the puzzling, recurring phrase, “Things I’ve seen while lying on my back.” What can she mean by this cryptic declaration—a secretive statement that she will repeat throughout this play?