Reviews Category
The Life and Loves of Louis Armstrong
A Wonderful World
Satchmo, Satch, Dipper, Pops and the Caucasian mispronunciation of his name,“Lewie,” are some of the most recognized nicknames belonging to the incomparable Louis Armstrong. In this sweeping biographical musical of “The World’s Greatest Trumpet Player,” as he was also called, book writer Aurin Squire had the formidable task of culling through mountains of information to create this production. At almost three hours, Squire’s episodic story begins poetically, with a spotlight on Armstrong’s trumpet downstage center, and four women on multiple levels, seeming to appear from the heavens, singing one of the musician’s most familiar hit songs.
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The More Things Change
What the Constitution Means to Me
The Copley Theatre is Paramount’s smaller, more intimate venue. Each season they present a series of plays and musicals that are more modest in cast size and scenic requirements than its larger parent company, just across the street. But the intimacy of this theatre works beautifully to its advantage, especially with a play like this. The familiar theme that “the more things change, the more they stay the same” hits every audience member with its contemporary immediacy. Paramount, in short, has another huge hit on its hands.
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A Gruesome Sight
Night Watch
With the exciting world of 1972 Manhattan at her doorstep, wealthy, pampered Elaine Wheeler seems only to be obsessed with the view outside her living room window. Elaine and her husband John Wheeler live in a luxurious townhouse, directly across from another large, but abandoned, building that’s in a state of disrepair. The old house appears to be deserted; however, one night Elaine notices a light shining through one of the windows, revealing a gruesome sight. The curtains have been drawn aside exposing the gory murder of a middle-aged man, sitting lifelessly in a wing chair. His throat has been slit.
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Cheers and Jeers
Lucha Teotl
If you were walking past the Owen venue of the Goodman Theatre last night, you might’ve been surprised, even shocked, to hear the cheers and jeers, applauding and booing, coming from inside. Generally one only hears polite clapping and, sometimes, laughter during a play. But then this isn’t your typical Goodman Theatre production. This new play, co-written and directed by Christopher Llewyn Ramirez and Jeff Colangelo, borders on what we might call performance art.
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A Modern Version of a Familiar Myth
Eurydice
Writers Theatre opens their new season with Sarah Ruhl’s modern version of the familiar Greek myth of Orpheus in the Underworld. Growing up in the far Northern suburb of Wilmette, Ms. Ruhl wrote this very personal one-act as a tribute to her dear father, who had recently passed away from cancer. She recalled that her dad used to take Sarah and her older sister to Walker Brothers Original Pancake House every Saturday. While there he would introduce his daughters to a new word or two. Some of the words he taught Sarah would later became a part of her play.
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The King of Barataria
The Gondoliers
Picture it: Not Sicily, but Venice, Italy, sometime in the past. A young woman suddenly and unexpectedly learns that she’s the heir to the throne. Oh joy, oh rapture! That is, except for the number of unbelievable complications that continually arise, in true Gilbert and Sullivan style.
Read MoreMagic Hour (and 17 Seconds)
The Zabrecky Hour
The Zabrecky Hour, playing through Halloween at the Rhapsody Theatre (the whilom Morse Theatre) is an enjoyable evening of mildly macabre magic and comedy by the protean writer and performer Rob Zabrecky.
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Everybody Wants to Rule the World
American Psycho
From the first lyrics that he utters in the opening number, “Selling Out,” the main character reels off a litany of high end brands he wears and products that he uses, the audience gets a pretty clear picture of Patrick Bateman. This is a most unique musical that says so much about the American Dream. Individual taste is different for everyone and it’s obvious that this eclectic show probably won’t appeal to everyone. “American Psycho” isn’t your traditional musical comedy, yet, truth be told, there’s a whole lot of dark humor wallowing in this gory production.
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Live Ammunition
The Last Living Gun
The Last Living Gun is a work of theatre that demands, and rewards, patience. The Impostors Theatre Company’s allegorical Western fantasy of two women dispatched to hunt down and retrieve the last gun in the world (for guns, and metal itself, otherwise no longer exist) begins in a deliberately awkward and ragtag style — seeming to be one of those off-putting zero-budget micro-theatre productions with painfully fake beards, awful thrift-shop costumes and acting that’s broader than the side of a barn.
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A Ghostly Voyage Awaits
The Flying Dutchman
There is no doubt that the Halloween season is upon us. You can already find pumpkins grinning and witches flying high over many a front lawn. The Lyric Opera seems to have tapped into this mania for magic and mayhem by opening their 2023-24 season with Richard Wagner’s German classic, “The Flying Dutchman.” This is a powerful, dramatic, ghostly opera in three acts, presented at the Lyric as a two hour and twenty minute one-act, just as the composer originally intended. The production is dominated by a brilliant orchestra, a spooky atmosphere, mysterious characters and a finale that’s open to interpretation. Theatergoers be warned: a ghostly voyage awaits you on North Wacker Drive.
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