Top 5 Dramas of 2016
“Sunset Baby,” TimeLine Theatre Company
“The Flick,” Steppenwolf Theatre Company
“Dry Land,” Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
“good friday,” Oracle Productions
“Bobbie Clearly,” Steep Theatre Company
—Kevin Greene
Top 5 Comedies of 2016
“Le Switch,” About Face Theatre
“Carlyle,” Goodman Theatre
“Thaddeus and Slocum,” Lookingglass Theatre Company
“Hand to God,” Victory Gardens Theater
“King Charles III,” Chicago Shakespeare Theater
—Kevin Greene
“Bat Boy,” Griffin Theatre Company
“Fun Home,” Broadway In Chicago
“End of the Rainbow,” Porchlight Music Theatre
“Tonya and Nancy,” Underscore Theatre Company
—Kevin Greene
Top 5 Genre-Defying Productions of 2016
“The Hairy Ape,” Oracle Theatre
“Pop Waits,” The Neo-Futurists
“Learning Curve,” Albany Park Theater Project and Third Rails Project
“How We Got On” – Haven Theatre Company
“Octagon,” Jackalope Theatre Company
—Kevin Greene
Top 5 Operas of 2016
“Der Rosenkavalier,” Lyric Opera of Chicago
“Das Rheingold,” Lyric Opera of Chicago
“Dark Sisters,” Third Eye Theatre Ensemble
“Don Quichotte,” Lyric Opera of Chicago
“Les Troyens,” Lyric Opera of Chicago
—Aaron Hunt
Top 5 Chicago Choreographers of 2016
The Era Crew
Khecari (Jonathan Meyer and Julia Antonick)
Alejandro Cerrudo
Ayako Kato
Michelle Kranicke
Top 5 Stand-Up Sets in Chicago in 2016
Louis CK at Chicago Theatre (both times)
Maria Bamford at Athenaeum Theatre
Aparna Nancherla at The Hideout
Jerrod Carmichael at UP Comedy Club
T.J. Miller at The Vic Theatre, The Revival and Laugh Factory
—Zach Freeman
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Newcity’s Top 5 of Everything 2017: Stage The best in Theater, Opera and Comedy.
Write For Newcity Stage Newcity Stage is currently accepting applications for Contributing Writers Mission Statement: Newcity Stage believes that it’s the critic’s responsibility to advocate for high quality, inclusive theater for all Chicagoans. Job Description: A Newcity Stage Contributing Writer is responsible for regularly contributing to the critical output of the publication. A Contributing Writer (CW) will be expected to review at least one…
Stage Top 5 1 Hir (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) Taylor Mac's crusade to shake up the patriarchy is disarmingly funny, absurd and surprising as it looks at an American family forced to build a new world out of the pieces of the old Opens July 8 2 Beauty's Daughter (American Blues Theater) This Obie Award-winning play by Dael Orlandersmith depicts one woman’s journey through…
Stage Top 5 1 The Christians (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) Going to church, Steppenwolf style 2 The Magic Flute (Lyric Opera of Chicago) A spectacular reminder of simpler times 3 Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth (Lookingglass Theatre Company) A rousing adventure, meta noir and heartbreaking love story all in one 4 The Winner...of Our Discontent (The Second City) Fixing America, one laugh at a time 5…
Stage Top 5 1 Learning Curve (Albany Park Theater Project) A gift of knowledge in the form of world class immersive theater 2 Good Friday (Oracle Productions) A tense and thought-provoking world premiere about the meeting point between feminism and violence 3 The Promise of a Rose Garden (Babes With Blades Theatre Company) These women are fighting for the right to destroy everything, including…
Stage Top 5 1 1776 (E.D.G.E. Theatre) Winning the war was the easy part 2 Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip (Lucky Plush Productions) A band of washed-up supers form a think tank for do gooding. Hilarity ensues. 3 Dutchman/TRANSit (American Blues Theater) A timely double feature on the persistence of racism in America 4 Belonging: For Our Purposes // In Sync…
