Stage Top 5: February 2023
Considerations of race, gender and the music of Earth, Wind and Fire make February a fierce month on Chiicago stages.
Gingerbread Redemption: A Review of Hansel and Gretel at Lyric Opera
The setting is updated to post-World War II with hunger as the theme. Sir Andrew Davis is back for his first opera as newly-announced Music Director Emeritus.
What’s In a Name? A Review of The Great Khan at Redtwist Theatre
Michael Gene Sullivan’s new play is a lively reminder that those who came before are not just names to memorize in grade school. Their legacies, infamous or not, follow us in ways seen and unseen.
The Social History of Swimming Pools: A Review of “the ripple, the wave that carried me home” at Goodman Theatre
The play is about a family from the fictional town of Beacon, Kansas, whose struggles with segregation nearly tear them apart.
Humdrum Horror: A Review of “The Birthday Party” at City Lit
Harold Pinter’s “The Birthday Party” suggests that what we think of as the habits of ordinary life are often a kind of smokescreen designed to block awareness of underlying arrangements and realities.
Are We Still Naive? A Review of Cabaret at Porchlight Music Theatre
You will be dazzled by the shimmering costumes a la Bill Morey, the incredible talent of the ensemble and enamored by Angela Weber Miller’s multifaceted set.
Razzle Not-So Dazzle: A Review of “Chicago” at Broadway in Chicago
Flashy lawyer Billy Flynn, cell matron Mama Morton, headline grabbers Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly all need to grab our attention and not let go.
A Second Company’s Saga: The Spirited Story of Fifty Years of Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago Opera Theater began as a handful of vocal students of company founder Alan Stone. It was formed by Stone to give his students actual performance practice and experience. Stone’s decision to present operas in English was a considerable break with convention back in 1973.
Blown Away! A Review of “tick, tick…BOOM!” at Boho Theatre
The work is a semi-autobiographical account of the life of its creator, Jonathan Larson, set between two major life events, the flop of his 1984 show “Superbia” and the success of his posthumous smash hit, “Rent.”
No One Throws A Party Quite Like The Communist Party: A Review of Krugozor at The Factory Theater
Theatre EVOLVE presents an endearing coming of age tale set in the former Soviet Union that features music spanning the entirety of the Cold War.
