**** Recommended Of Light and Shadow, a performance by Ballet 5:8 demonstrated the company’s versatility with the world premiere of Celestia; a beautiful pas de deux danced to a live piano solo, Corinthians 13:13; a dark, dark and more contemporary piece, The Cave; and finally, an interpretive piece, The Space In Between. Since I love ballet, I was delighted to be in the audience for this performance. 3 ½ Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended Paramount Theatre’s new production of "Cats" is nothing short of spectacular. Kudos to Director Trent Stark for his circus-inspired production. In spite of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s lush musical score, "Cats" has always been my least favorite musical, so I totally shocked my family and friends by even seeing the show, but guess what? I loved it from start to finish. When you see a trapeze hanging above the audience, you’ll know you’re in for something special. "Cats" is a family friendly show. 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended I think Second City’s 113th Mainstage Revue, "This Too Shall Slap" is the funniest I’ve ever seen. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard! Everywhere I looked, people in the audience were laughing. There’s only one really political sketch, although some zingers fly by. Although there’s a little less audience participation, there’s more sketches and zingers to keep you laughing. 4 big Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended Remy Bumppo’s production of "Art", now playing at Theater Wit, is a witty, stylish, intelligent and sometimes hilarious play, skillfully directed by Marti Lyons. The first time I saw "Art", back in 2006, I remember that a friend asked if the play debated the nature of art. My answer is the same today as it was then – while art is integral to the plot, "Art" is much more about the nature of friendship. When friends get mad at each other, they know exactly which buttons to push. This is a terrific show! 4 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended "Hymn" is the play I never saw coming! I knew it would be a good play. After all, it’s a Chicago Shakespeare production – and it’s directed by Ron OJ Parsons, a terrific director. I just didn’t know it would be that good! I laughed, I cried, I even danced in my seat. Kudos to everyone involved! By the way, although the actors aren’t wearing microphones, I heard every word they said – even sitting in the dress circle! Hurry and get your tickets now. 4 BIG Spotlights
** Somewhat Recommended People are flocking to the Court Theatre for the world premiere of "Berlin", Mickle Maher’s adaptation of Jason Lutes’ best-selling graphic novel about the fall of the Weimar Republic. A word of warning, what works in a graphic novel doesn’t necessarily translate to the stage. In a series of living snapshots – not even long enough to be called vignettes – we learn tiny factoids about twelve people, but we never get enough information to care about them. It wasn’t enough for me. 2 Spotlights
**** Recommended "BUST, An Afrocentrist Play", a world premier currently playing at the Goodman Theatre takes a rather scary look at encounters with the police, situations African Americans must face with unfortunate frequency. Although this play seems like it might be a comedy at the beginning (lots of laughs), as it progresses, things change drastically and dramatically. At the end, I thought it moved into the Twilight Zone, leaving everyone trying to figure out exactly what it meant. 4 Spotlights
**** Recommended I loved "POTUS Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive", a new political comedy at Hammond’s Towle Theater. POTUS doesn’t have enough doors to be a farce, but it has most of the other elements – an absurd situation, stereotypical characters, over-the-top personalities, witty dialog, lightning fast timing, pratfalls, and bawdy humor. It also has an all-female cast, a rarity in comedy. The language is a bit salty but it fits the situation. 4 Spotlights
*** Recommended Shattered Globe’s production of "A Tale of Two Cities" is definitely not the Dickens I remember. It’s been a long time since I read the book but it seemed to me that playwright Brendan Pelsue put the characters in a bowl, stirred them up, then dumped them out all catawampus. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy the play. I did, but when the dialog got too ponderous, I found my attention drifting. My friend Helen didn’t like it at all. 3 ½ Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended Joshua Harmon’s "Prayer for the French Republic", a Northlight Theatre co-production with Theater Wit, is an exceptional family drama which spans 70 years. This is not a short story, so it runs a bit long, three acts with two intermissions. I’ve had a hard time writing a review because this is an excellent play, but I didn’t become emotionally involved and I’m not sure why. 4 Spotlights
