SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED Where: Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn Ave. When: through Sept. 14 Tickets: $27-$38 Phone: 773-649-3186 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic Deliberately impenetrable plays are not my cup of tea. Add an ample dose of violence, and I’d just as soon be elsewhere, especially if the theater is very intimate. British playwright Alistair McDowall’s […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Drury Lane Theatre, 10 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace When: through Sept. 1 Tickets: $50-$65 Phone: 630-530-0111 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic In her program note for Drury Lane Theatre’s production of “And Then There Were None,” director Jessica Fisch discusses how she grappled with presenting a play burdened with not one but two […]
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Where: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. When: through Aug. 18 Tickets: $35-$105 Phone: 800-775-2000 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic It may be hard to imagine a feel-good musical about 9/11, but the touring production “Come From Away” is one of the wittiest and most warm-hearted shows I’ve seen so far this […]
RECOMMENDED Where: American Blues Theater at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. When: through Aug. 17 Tickets: $19-$39 Phone: 773-654-3103 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic The Spitfire Grill,” James Valcq (music and book) and Fred Alley’s (lyrics and book) 2001 musical based on Lee David Zlotoff’s 1996 movie, is a sentimental show offering few, if […]
SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED Where: Kokandy Productions at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. When: through Aug. 25 Tickets: $40 Phone: 773-975-8150 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic I’m probably not the right audience for Kokandy Productions’ Chicago premiere of “Head Over Heals” at Theater Wit. Although I get a kick out of original writer Jeff Witty’s (“Avenue […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. When: through Aug. 25 Tickets: $20-$96 Phone: 312-335-1650 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic When Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s original production of Sam Shepard’s “True West” moved to New York in 1982, it put the storefront Chicago ensemble on the national theater map. In the 37 years since, […]
RECOMMENDED Where: The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave. When: through Aug. 18 Tickets: $40-$50 Phone: 773-283-7071 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic The Chicago premiere of Hansol Jung’s “Wolf Play” at The Gift Theatre is simultaneously hopeful and heart breaking. Sensitively directed by Jess McLeod, it also makes surprising use of the small stage, thanks […]
By M.L. RANTALA Classical Music Critic Once again, the Grant Park Music Festival proved to be stronger than the worst weather. Last Wednesday, a sudden downpour drenched the Pritzker Pavilion and sent the audience scrambling for umbrellas, blankets, and locations under cover. As the wind intensified, the glass doors to the Pavilion’s stage were closed […]
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Where: Lookingglass Theatre Company, Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. When: through Aug. 4 Tickets: $45 to $86 Phone: 312-337-0665 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic In a program interview for the world premiere of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” writer and director David Catlin is asked what makes the story right for his […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Goodman Theatre, Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. When: through Aug. 18 Tickets: $25-$142 Phone: 312-443-3800 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic When I reviewed the Lyric Opera of Chicago production of “West Side Story” a couple of months ago, I couldn’t believe that Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece lost the 1957 Tony Award for Best […]