RECOMMENDED Where: various Chicago parks (including Garfield Park Aug. 15 and Piotrowski Park,4247 W. 31st St., Aug. 23) When: through Aug. 26 Tickets: free For more information: www.chicagoshakes.com/parks By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic During the pre-show announcements for the performance of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Eckhart Park, the actress playing Helena […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Griffin Theatre Company at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. When: through Aug. 25 Tickets: $36 Phone: 773-697-3830 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic Samuel D. Hunter’s “The Harvest,” which is enjoying a well-acted Chicago premiere by Griffin Theatre Company, begins with five twentysomethings in a grubby church basement. They are standing or […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Goodman Owen Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. When: through Aug. 19 Tickets: $25-$90 Phone: 312-443-3800 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic Jim McGrath’s “Pamplona” begins with Ernest Hemingway holed up in his usual hotel room in the titular Spanish town famous for bullfighting and the annual running of the bulls. It’s October 11, 1959, […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Manual Cinema at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. When: through Aug. 5 Tickets: $30 Tickets at: www.manualcinema.com/cal By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic As the name suggests, Manual Cinema is dedicated to creating cinema by hand. Sort of. What the company actually does is combine handmade shadow puppetry, live action, and cinematic […]
RECOMMENDED Where: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St. When: through Aug. 5 Tickets: $50 Phone: 312-943-8722 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic A Red Orchid Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special summer reprise of one of its first shows: Eugène Ionesco’s “Victims of Duty.” Originally staged by the company in 1995, […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave. When: through Sept. 9 Tickets: $35-$65 Phone: 773-325-1700 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic I missed director L.Walter Stearns’ homegrown production of “Avenue Q” at the Mercury Theater Chicago in 2014, so I’m delighted to say that the current reprise of Jeff Witty (book) and Jeff Marx […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. When: through Aug. 5 Tickets: $20-$93 Phone: 312-335-1650 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic Two women of “a certain age” trying to reinvent their lives are at the heart of Jen Silverman’s 90-minute “The Roommate,” which premiered at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2015 and is […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Goodman Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. When: through July 29 Tickets:$25-$80 Phone: 312-443-3800 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic Ellen Fairey’s “Support Group for Men” at Goodman Theatre begins with four guys gathered for their weekly Thursday night meeting at a North Side apartment joking about the fact that they’re drinking “pink wine” […]
SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED Where: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. When: through July 22 Tickets: $27-$105 Phone: 800-775-2000 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic “Waitress” could be an enjoyable musical. Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film about a talented pie maker who finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy and longs to escape an abusive marriage, its […]
RECOMMENDED Where: Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. When: through July 22 Tickets: $20-$94 Phone: 312-335-1650 By ANNE SPISELMAN Theater Critic Rajiv Joseph’s “Guards at the Taj” weaves together a buddy story and myths about one of the eight wonders of the world to create an 80-minute character study and meditation on the costs […]