Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson star in Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” Ooh-la-la! As John Oliver mentioned in response to the recent attacks on France’s capital, Paris will endure – largely due to its rich culture and passionate people. And the delightful comic operetta by Hungarian composer Franz Lehár, The Merry Widow, celebrates the very… Read More A Buoyant ‘Merry Widow’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Colleen Fee, Brit-Marie Sivertsen and Evan Tyrone Martin in Porchlight’s “Side Show” A lucky handful of commercially-produced shows become flat-out hits that run for decades. Yet more than often, most shows buckle under the pressures of modern commercial theatre and are sadly forgotten. And then there are shows like Side Show — a show that… Read More ‘Side Show’ at Porchlight Music Theatre
Christopher Tierney and Gillian Abbott get their dirty on I’m supposed to write a review about the stage version of Dirty Dancing, currently playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through August 30. However, I’m pretty sure that anything I say about this production won’t really add much value to your ticket buying decisions because a)… Read More ‘Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story Onstage’ can’t be blamed for false advertising
Chris Logan and Michelle Lauto as Peter Allen and Liza Minnelli in Pride Films and Plays’ “The Boy From Oz” In an age of reality TV and viral videos, star-making stage turns are few and far between. When Hugh Jackman headlined in the Broadway production of The Boy From Oz in 2003, he made such… Read More ‘The Boy From Oz’ at Stage 773
Editor’s note: I had to bow out of reviewing this production due to a massive sinus infection, but the lovely book nerd Jamie Prahl, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen’s, stepped in to cover. Take it away, Jamie! Everything about Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new musical version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is… Read More A satisfying ‘Sense and Sensibility’ at Chicago Shakes
They say tragedy is easy, yet comedy is hard. And in watching Porchlight’s delightful production of the hit 1962 musical comedy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, I took note of how deftly this hard-working cast navigates Burt Shevelove’s farcical book and Stephen Sondheim’s daffy yet deceptively dense music and lyrics.… Read More A funny and fine “Forum” at Porchlight
Faith Prince. Those two words served as the motivation for me to visit this pre-Broadway tryout of The First Wives Club: The Musical. I consider Prince among the very best musical comedy stars — right up there with Carol Channing and Judy Holliday. The Tony-winning actress is the sort of artist who can spin comedic… Read More First Wives Club Musical Feels Like a First Draft
Unlike Guys and Dolls, Fiddler or The Music Man, Carousel isn’t a show that can simply rest on the strengths of its material. While a good number of classic musicals can lean on their score and inner charms to suffice for a pleasurable evening, Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1945 masterpiece requires a director and design team… Read More A Transcendent ‘Carousel’ at Lyric Opera
The cast of Porchlight Music Theatre’s “Putting it Together” In the new musical revue, Sondheim on Sondheim, the chorus opens the second act with a self-deprecating number about how Stephen Sondheim is a “God.” Though the purpose of this second act opener is tongue-in-cheek (Sondheim himself wrote it), I’d argue that most people in the… Read More Porchlight’s ‘Sondheim on Sondheim’ Explores the Art of Making Art
The challenge was simple: Three wildly different shows in four days. My 68-year-old mother joined me and provided her input. Here’s the recap: Living the History — 125 Years of the Auditorium Theatre Chicago’s historic landmark performance venue, the Auditorium Theatre, received a classy and compact 125th birthday celebration on Dec. 9. Following an introduction… Read More Black Ties, Boleyns and News Boys: Three Shows in Four days
Kids and animals onstage in a daffy and heartwarming musical comedy? Depending on whom you talk to, this could either be a horror show or a holiday delight. Typically, I lean toward the latter — one can only take so much sweetness in one sitting. However, Annie, especially this unashamedly endearing new tour directed by… Read More The Sun Does Come Out in This Delightful ‘Annie’ Tour
Rebecca Finnegan and David Girolmo in Porchlight’s “Sweeney Todd” Sweeney and I go way back. It was the first musical where I found myself blown away by not just the music, but also the plot. I still recall my 15 year-old self sitting in my grandparents living room giving the original Broadway cast album a… Read More A Satiating ‘Sweeney’ at Porchlight
There are essentially two reactions I get when telling people I’m going to see Carrie: The Musical: – Reaction 1: People who know the musical’s sacred lore as one of the biggest flops in musical theatre history and are incredibly pumped to find out how truly bad the show was/is. – Reaction 2: People who… Read More Bailiwick Chicago’s ‘Carrie’ Hits the Heart But Not the Horror
Twice a day, on the way to and from work, I pass the Oriental Theatre, where the national tour of Motown the Musical is running through August 9. Of all the shows that have played at the Oriental, this one is unique in that I constantly see couples, groups and families pausing when seeing the… Read More An energetic but emotionally empty ‘Motown the Musical’
Rachel Farmer, Megan Johns and Thea Lux in The New Colony’s “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” Long live the egg! I remember when I first encountered The New Colony’s wacky, wild creation that is 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche. It was June 2010, and “The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein”… Read More It’s still a tasty good time at ‘5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche’
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