Murder is Such a Drag

A Fine Feathered Murder: A Miss Marbled Mystery – Hell in a Handbag Productions

Hell in a Handbag is back with it’s most ambitious project that I’ve seen. In the grand tradition of Clue or Gosford Park, David Cerda and company are tackling the country manor murder mystery. All the standards are here. The society maven. The aging aristocrat. Servants with secrets. And a quiet but shrewd spinster watching everyone from behind her knitting. The only way you can be sure that you didn’t accidentally buy tickets to The Moustrap is just about all the women on stage are drag queens.

Choir Boy

Choir Boy – Steppenwolf Theatre

Not often do I say a show is a must-see, but Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy most definitely is. The cast, set, music, and message all combine for a truly invigorating coming-of-age show that thoughtfully portrays the struggles of a young gay Black man trying to find acceptance from his peers. The production stars La Shawn Banks, Sheldon D. Brown, Richard David, William Dick, Gilbert Domally, Tyler Hardwick, and Samuel B. Jackson, all directed by Kent Gash. 

Life After

Life After – Goodman Theatre

There are only two things that are certain in this world: death and taxes. Although taxes can be quite annoying—especially when living in Cook County—death is something that lies far closer to our souls. For every human being, death is an important part of life; the show Life After, written by Britta Johnson, will tug on the heartstrings of every human who watches the performance for that very reason.

You’ll Be Charmed

Lucy Darling: Indulge – Rhapsody Theatre

Here’s a sentence I haven’t gotten to type very often in the last few years: a new theatre is opening! In the former space of the Mayne Stage in Rogers Park, the Rhapsody Theatre will host a variety of music and cabaret acts in its 200-seat theatre. To kick of their inaugural season, Carisa Hendrix dazzles as magician and all-around delight, Lucy Darling in an evening of magic, comedy, and a large number of martinis.

Tommy on Top

Tommy on Top – PrideArts

I don’t like giving bad reviews. I know how much work and energy go into a show and how vulnerable it makes the people who put in that work. I always try to respect that. I flatter myself that I am not in the class of reviewer who enjoys writing pans to make themselves feel smarter than everyone else who may have liked something. I always try to meet a show where it is and judge it not just for how I viewed it, but also through the lens of its intended audience. Even if something isn’t for me, it’s often for someone, and to me, a well written review looks for that. This is the long way of saying I can usually find something to hang my hat on to recommend a show to someone for some reason. Unfortunately, I cannot do that for PrideArts’ latest production, the Chicago premier of Tommy on Top, a farce by British playwright Chris Woodley. The story centers on hunky, young, and closeted actor Tommy Miller, on the cusp of winning an Oscar, having to deal with the possibility of being outed and the impact that will have on his career.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid – Music Theatre Works

Walking into the North Shore Theatre one feels as if they really are “under the sea”. The lobby has been transformed into an oceanic playground, complete with a mermaid posing for pictures.

Chicago Philharmonic, Maestro Scott Speck conducting, brings a creative collaboration of talent and artistry with Aretha Rising.

Aretha Rising – Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra

Capathia Jenkins and Darryl Williams, with back up singers Nick Trawick, DeShana Wooden, and Calli Graver amaze with their vocal talent along with this remarkable orchestra.  The acoustics of the Harris Theater create  a canopy of multilayered sound beauty. Darryl Williams singing A Change Is Gonna Come brings goosebumps and much needed hope after a heartbreaking week of violence in Texas.  And Aretha’s Gospel (What A Friend We Have In Jesus/Climbing Higher Mountains) simply lifts you up.

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations – Broadway in Chicago

Following successful runs on Broadway, both before and after the shutdown, Ain’t Too Proud has come to the Cadillac Palace for a two week engagement. The show tells the story of the Temptations, from their formation in 1950s Detroit through their rise to fame in the 60s and 70s, all through the lens of the incredible music they made.

The Winter of Our Discontent

Richard III – Promethean Theatre Ensemble

Promethean Theatre Ensemble is back with its first show since the shut down and is staging Shakespeare’s classic Richard III, the tale of the scheming duke who plots to seize the throne from his brothers then his young nephews by any means necessary.