As you walk into the Marriott Theatre’s in-the round venue for a performance of Mamma Mia!, you immediately know that you are going to experience something interesting. You are greeted with a stage encompassed by water, and about a dozen shuttered windows on the walls surrounding the audience. But when the show begins and the…
The Marriott Theatre’s children’s production of The Nutcracker is a fantastic experience for young theatergoers. While The Nutcracker that many of us grew up with is the ballet composed by Tchaikovsky, this play is an ideal mix of adventure, entertaining characters, music and dance – the perfect combination for keeping the little ones engaged while…
Fun, vibrant and full of life, Goodman Theatre opens it’s brand new show Wonderful Town with lots of personality. This musical – composed by Leonard Bernstein and based on the play My Sister Eileen – is about two starry-eyed sisters who move from small-town Ohio to the big city of New York. Ruth is shy,…
If you only have time to see one show this summer, make it Marriott Theatre’s Man of La Mancha. This modern retelling of the classic story will reach into your heart and have you leaping to your feet by the last note. The ensemble cast (led by Nathaniel Stampley as Cervantes/Don Quixote) performs brilliantly and…
The Lake Forest Theatre’s new show The Secret Garden is the inaugural production for both this company as well as their newly renovated space (in the Nancy Hughes Theater in downtown Lake Forest.) With a new company and a new space comes a huge responsibility of starting off on the right foot and choosing the…
The Goodman Theatre’s new show The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window is not only their new production, but the centerpiece of a citywide celebration for Lorraine Hansberry. The playwright – famous for A Raisin In The Sun – was able to see Sign premiere on Broadway three months before her untimely death at age 34….
When I go to the theatre, I want to feel. I want to laugh, to cry, be moved, be angry – I want to feel. With the World Premiere of American Beauty Shop currently playing at the Chicago Dramatists Theatre, there is one thing that I can assure you of. You will feel. Written by…
The Marriott Theatre’s new production of Evita will remind you of the great artistry that can be created by two musical geniuses like Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. This is the story of Eva Peron, the fierce, driven and manipulative young woman (which was in itself a huge obstacle at that time) who changed…
Hello, Dolly! is often the first thing that people think of when hearing of Thorton Wilder’s comedy The Matchmaker. And while the Goodman’s production of The Matchmaker is entertaining, the acting entrancing and the costumes rich with flavor, the piece is sometimes lacking the same charm as the musical. The Matchmaker is a story about…
