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’
Michael Urie in ‘Buyer and Cellar’ Actor Michael Urie is best known for his work as colorful and meddling assistant Marc St. James in the long running ABC series, Ugly Betty. His scenes with the statuesque Vanessa Williams exemplified two actors at the top of their game who clearly delight in being bad. However, Urie,… Read More Interview with ‘Buyer & Cellar’ Star, Michael Urie
Amanda Drinkall and Rufus Collins in Goodman’s “Venus in Fur” Where to start with David Ives’ twisting, tantalizing and tawdry dark comedy? This is the kind of work that delights and surprises in the moment, yet following the event you begin to look past the intoxicating veneer to unravel the underlying puzzle. And you wonder:… Read More Goodman’s Venus in Fur: A Power Play with a Twist
The joint is certainly jumpin’ at Stage 773. Porchlight’s rollicking production of the “Fats” Waller revue, Ain’t Misbehavin’, playing through March 9, is the kind of show that offers enough heat and harmony to melt through the layers of ice that have crystallized Chicago. This isn’t the shiny, slick production of this oft-produced musical revue… Read More Porchlight’s ‘Ain’t Misbehavin” Delivers Smoldering Sass
David Cromer, Patrick Andrews and Mary Beth Fisher in Timeline’s “The Normal Heart” Watching David Cromer as gay rights activist Ned Weeks storm the stage, with his hands over his face in a perpetual mixture of anger, outrage and fear, is not unlike watching a staged panic attack. And rightly so: the world is crumbling… Read More HuffPo Review: Timeline’s ‘The Normal Heart’ Proves a Sobering, Searing Reminder
You’d be hard pressed to think of anything more intimate than the act of making music. Through music, one exposes themselves in a way that transcends mere talking or movement. It’s the ultimate exposure of one’s soul. And such rawness makes for compelling storytelling. Once, the 2012 Best Musical Tony winner based on the 2006… Read More HuffPo Review: A Heartbreaking and Healing ‘Once’ at the Oriental Theatre
High hopes surrounded Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Cyrano de Bergerac, the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand translated for the stage by Anthony Burgess. This is Harry Groener’s return to CST following his triumphant, award-winning turn in The Madness of George III in 2011. In that production, directed by Penny Metropulos, he created a character so grandly realized, it remains one… Read More HuffPo Review: CST’s Sleepy ‘Cyrano’ Lacks Passion
Evita is a touchstone in the modern musical theater canon. When the sung-through rock opera debuted in the late ’70s, it broke many rules. A musical about a polarizing political icon featuring a score (by a young and ambitious Andrew Lloyd Webber and his collaborator Tim Rice) that required the lead actress to rock belt… Read More HuffPo Review: High-energy Evita needs a touch of star quality
Alexander and Adrian Aguilar harmonize in Porchlight’s “Double Trouble” Donald and Gene. Bing and Danny. Adrian and Alexander. What do these three pairs have in common? Why, they’re vintage sweater vest-sportin’, Brilliantine in the hair-wearnin’, singin’ and dancin’ duos who charm with their smooth moves and crooning tunes. They all have a song at the… Read More Porchlight’s ‘Double Trouble’ Creaks with Old-School Charm
Nora Dunn knows how to tell a story. Particularly when she’s telling it from the perspective of a character. From an old-school Hollywood agent to a precocious girl who attends a school for the creatively gifted, Dunn uses these characterizations as a conduit to tell her side of the showbiz story. The side where a… Read More HuffPo Review: Nora Dunn presents a funny, if fragmented, one woman show
Alex just wants to dance! When asked to describe how she feels about dance, she chooses one word: passionate. She “is the music.” She looks good in a skimpy two-piece dance suit and legwarmers. Trouble is, she’s a steel mill welder who moonlights as an exotic dancer at the neighborhood bar and grill. How can… Read More HuffPo Review: It’s All About the Dance in ‘Flashdance – The Musical’
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a show that either resonates deeply, or you walk away slightly disoriented. For me, Hedwig is one of the best rock musicals written in the last 45 years, ranking right up there with Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair. Conceived by the brilliant John Cameron Mitchell (who played Hedwig in its famed Off-Broadway run as well… Read More HuffPo Review: Haven Theatre Presents a Glam, if Glum, ‘Hedwig’
The cast of Theo Ubique’s “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” As a powerhouse songwriting duo, Jerome “Jerry” Leiber and Mike Stoller cranked out some significant hits in the ’50s and ’60s, including “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Stand By Me” and “On Broadway.” When producers Stephen Helper, Jack Viertel and Otis Sallid decided to create a musical revue… Read More HuffPo Review: Visit ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ for a Toe-Tapping Good Time
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