Chicago Theatre Review

Chicago Theatre Review

[sound of door slamming shut]

December 5, 2018 News Comments Off on [sound of door slamming shut]

Deathscribe – Wildclaw Theater

For one night only, Lincoln Hall was home a collection of macabre and spine tingling stories. WildClaw Theater was holding its 11th annual competition for horror stories staged as radio plays. Five finalists were read aloud, accompanied by expert Foley artists on stage. The five stories, plus some songs and commercial breaks, run a gamut from the overtly scary to the deeply unsettling. This year’s winner, Whisper Trigger tells the story of a man trying to get help getting to sleep with the soothing sounds of the ocean, and gets more than he bargained for. My personal favorite was Migraine, a story about a woman who meets the personification of her migraine and chaos ensues. The other stories included the horror standards of being haunted by family members, terror at an insane asylum, and the horrifying experiments of a mad scientist, each with their own twist on the tropes. 
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Letters from Home

December 4, 2018 Reviews Comments Off on Letters from Home

The Holiday Radio Show of 1943 – Three Cat Productions

Holiday shows have a more difficult job than you might think. They have to appeal to everyone at once and find a way to present songs and stories most people know even if they don’t know they know them. The Holiday Radio Show of 1943, performed in the cozy confines of the Berger Park Coach House, finds a charming way to do that.

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Getting the Best of the Bogeyman

December 3, 2018 News Comments Off on Getting the Best of the Bogeyman

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins–at Strawdog Theatre 

Getting the Best of the Bogeymen

Presented like a holiday vaudeville show aimed at younger audiences, this lively, laughter-provoking entertainment is actually a play-within-a-play.

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Learning to Be True to Yourself

December 3, 2018 News Comments Off on Learning to Be True to Yourself

Book of Merman–by Flying Elephant Productions

Learning to Be True to Yourself

With the phenomenal success of Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez’s cleverly written, irreverent and infectious musical comedy, “The Book of Mormon,” it was inevitable that someone would eventually write a parody of this mega popular Broadway show.

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Derailed

December 1, 2018 News, Reviews Comments Off on Derailed

Holiday El Stories – Waltzing Mechanics 

For anyone not familiar with it, every holiday season, the CTA runs a holiday train around the city.

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The Grandaddy of Holiday Stories

November 30, 2018 News, Reviews Comments Off on The Grandaddy of Holiday Stories

A Christmas Carol–at the Goodman Theatre

The Grandaddy of Holiday Stories

And, as it has been for the past 40 years, this show is everything. It’s what Christmas is all about, and we are so lucky to have it back in Chicago for another holiday season.

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Something Old, Something New…

November 30, 2018 News, Reviews Comments Off on Something Old, Something New…

Familiar – Steppenwolf Theater

Danai Gurira’s most recent play, Familiar, gets its Chicago premiere at the Steppenwolf Theater this month.

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Confronting the Past, Dreaming of the Future

November 26, 2018 Reviews Comments Off on Confronting the Past, Dreaming of the Future

HeLa – Sideshow Theater Company

HeLa, a new play by J. Nicole Brooks, produced by the Sideshow Theater Company premiered at the Greenhouse Theater Center this weekend. The play weaves together three stories.  

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Twice as Nice

November 26, 2018 News Comments Off on Twice as Nice

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat–by Citadel Theatre

Twice As Nice

If you think you already know this show from seeing the countless productions of it that have already played in the Chicago area, a terrific holiday offering from Citadel may just possibly surprise you.

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Go, Go, Go, Go!

November 24, 2018 News Comments Off on Go, Go, Go, Go!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat–at BrightSide Theatre

Go, Go, Go, Go!

If you think you already know this much-produced family musical, the current  production at BrightSide Theatre may just surprise you.

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