Chicago Theatre Review

Monthly Archives: October 2019

Murder on the Moors

October 8, 2019 Comments Off on Murder on the Moors

The Hound of the Baskervilles – City Lit Theatre

Sir Charles Baskerville has died under seemingly mysterious, but not necessarily suspicious circumstances. Found dead on his estate in Devon, his death could be chalked up to ill health, except for a legendary curse that has haunted his family for generations about a hellhound summoned by the evil deeds of a Baskerville ancestor. The great detective Sherlock Holmes doesn’t believe in curses, but when Sir Charles’ nephew arrives from America to claim his inheritance, he receives a threatening letter, warning him to stay away from the estate. Holmes must figure out who may have killed Sir Charles and stop them before they kill again.

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Come Hear the Music Play

October 8, 2019 Comments Off on Come Hear the Music Play

Cabaret – Cowardly Scarecrow Theatre Company

Cabaret is a snapshot in time. In the early 30s in Berlin, an English girl, Sally Bowles, dreams of stardom and wealth while performing in a seedy nightclub. Cliff, an American writer, is lazily making his way through Europe, hoping it will inspire his novel. Watching over all of it is an enigmatic master of ceremonies at the club, who seems to be the only one aware of the coming storm. Willkommen.

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A Witch, a Giant, a Mermaid and a Son

October 8, 2019 Comments Off on A Witch, a Giant, a Mermaid and a Son

Big Fish – BoHo Theatre

Get ready to be impressed, thoroughly moved and absolutely inspired to live your life with all the exhilaration and empathy as humanly possible. BoHo Theatre has a magical hit on its hands with this beautiful, deceptively simple and gloriously production. Directed with so much love and care by the multitalented Stephen Schellhardt, this intimate production bursts beyond the stage and into the audience, warming hearts and, at times, evoking tears. 

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Yoinks

October 7, 2019 Comments Off on Yoinks

Oh Sh#t! It’s Haunted! – The Factory Theater

In The Factory Theater’s latest production, and one appropriately premiering in time for Halloween, Oh Sh#t! It’s Haunted! is the story of four Chicago friends who find themselves roped into exploring their neighborhood’s local haunted house, complete with a creepy recluse owner and someone plotting something that they’ll get away with if not for those lousy kids.

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You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

October 7, 2019 Comments Off on You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

The Facts of Life – Hell in a Handbag

The magical Mr. Cerda has done it again! Finding a seemingly endless cache of farcical fodder amid the sitcoms and films of the 1970’s and 80’s, the masterful Artistic Director and creative wizard behind Hell in a Handbag Productions has hit upon a new source for his clever, campy parodies. In his clever  mashup of two very different sources, David Cerda has blended the 1973 made-for-TV horror film, “Satan’s School for Girls,” with “The Facts of Life,” the chirpy television sitcom about another girls’ school.

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A Caged Songbird

October 4, 2019 Comments Off on A Caged Songbird

A Doll’s House – Writers Theatre

A program note states that a theatre is a charged space, filled with energy and anticipation. Rather than being invited to sit back and relax, the audience is urged to lean forward and engage in the story they’re about to experience. This is sound advice for a groundbreaking, 19th century drama that was, in its 1879 Danish premiere, considered shocking and controversial. Henrik Ibsen’s play, which was based on the life of his friend, Laura Kieler, depicts how Victorian women lacked opportunities for personal fulfillment in a male-dominated world. Although times have changed significantly, equality among the sexes is still an issue everywhere, which makes this production in 2019 especially timely.  

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