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Chicago Theatre Review

Chicago Theatre Review

A Tree Without Roots

November 7, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on A Tree Without Roots

Yasmina’s Necklace

 

Abdul Samee, or Sam, as he prefers to be called so as to be more accepted, is a product of several different cultures. Ali, his father, is an Iraqi immigrant; Sara, his extremely

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49th Annual Jeff Awards

November 7, 2017 News Comments Off on 49th Annual Jeff Awards

Paramount Theatre and Court Theatre Take Top Honors

at the 49th Annual Jeff Awards

The Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace hosted a star-studded evening November 6, 2017. The mega event was the 49th Annual Equity Jeff Awards. It celebrated a splendid

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You’re in the Band

November 7, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on You’re in the Band
School of Rock – Broadway in Chicago
 
 
 
In 2003, and for many years thereafter, “School of Rock,” starring Jack Black and a classroom of musically talented kids, was the most popular, highest grossing comedy film of all time (until “Pitch Perfect 2,” two years ago). The movie came to the attention of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Soon thereafter the iconic British composer acquired theatre rights and work began on Webber’s newest musical. Julian Fellowes, known for writing such popular television series as “Downton Abbey,” the script for the Oscar-winning film, “Gosford Park,” as well as the libretto for the theatrical musical “Mary Poppins,” was asked to adapt Mike White’s cinematic screenplay. Webber, best known for his soaring, romantic scores for such theatrical classics as “Phantom of the Opera” and “Evita,” returns here to his earlier roots, so prominent in rock musicals like “Jesus Christ Superstar.” This time around, Webber worked with his “Love Never Dies” lyricist, Glenn Slater (“Sister Act,” “The Little Mermaid”), developing a fleshed-out score for the theatrical treatment that also featured several of the rock songs from the film. 
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Football and Phantoms

November 4, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on Football and Phantoms

Welcome to Jesus – American Theatre Company 

 

Sound, shadows and sudden shocks of light spin a tension-filled tale that combines ghosts and

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Something From a Dream

November 4, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on Something From a Dream

The Bridges of Madison County – Brightside Theatre

 

When life feels so confining that it’s like being in a prison cell, and suddenly an opportunity presents

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Voodoo and Medea Combine

November 1, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on Voodoo and Medea Combine

Marie Christine – Boho Theatre 

 

BoHo Theatre is fast becoming one of the finest, most respected companies in Chicago. With every

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Pulchritude and a Second Chance

November 1, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on Pulchritude and a Second Chance

Akeelah and the Bee – Adventure Stage

A precocious 11-year-old girl named Akeelah Anderson lives on Chicago’s rough, gritty South Side.

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Memorializing a Tragedy

November 1, 2017 Reviews 2 Comments

Upstairs: A Musical History – One-Eyed Puppy Productions

 

On June 24, 1973, which also happened to be the final day of Gay Pride Week in the Big Easy, as well as the fourth anniversary of the riots and uprising at the

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Good Vibrations

October 27, 2017 Reviews Comments Off on Good Vibrations

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) – Timeline Theatre 

 

Playwright Sarah Ruhl, one of America’s finest contemporary playwrights, is known for devising

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Poco brings a bit of nostalgia to City Winery

October 27, 2017 concert reviews Comments Off on Poco brings a bit of nostalgia to City Winery

Poco – City Winery

 

For the last few years I have had the good fortune of seeing many of the bands I grew up with. Some of them have been playing for decades and sound as good as

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