*** Recommended *** "The Icicle Picnic: Journey for the Sun", produced by Cabinet of Curiosities in the downstairs space at Chopin Theatre, was a charming and deliciously hokey space odyssey including live music, beatboxing, giant puppets, ridiculous talking appliances and some of the most talented and creative teens I’ve ever seen. 3 ½ Spotlights
*** Recommended *** If you’ve read Louisa May Alcott’s "Little Women", you know that the March sisters, particularly Jo, spent their free time in the attic, so I loved that director Melanie Keller chose to set First Folio’s production of Heather Chrisler’s new adaptation of "Little Women" in the attic. On the whole I enjoyed the production, but sitting in the last row I had some difficulty hearing the cast at certain times. 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** Watching “Dear Evan Hansen” is a gut-wrenching experience. It’s like watching a train wreck – you know it’s coming so you just sit back and wait for the fall out. On the other hand, it’s a hauntingly beautiful musical about a troubled teen complete with redemption in the end. In case you haven’t figured it out, I thought it was magnificent, and I’ll even admit to a tear or two, too. 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** "A Magical Cirque Christmas" isn’t just magical, it’s enchanting, a perfect blend of holiday music, magical sleight of hand, awesome circus acts, amazing projections and dramatic lighting. The show is full of OMG moments – stunts that will have you on the edge of your seat! I have to say my favorite segment was the awesome light show – the entire theater was flooded with moving white lights – accompanying Audri Bartholomew’s rendition of classic carol, Silent Night. Truly marvelous! Hurry and get your tickets, "A Magical Cirque Christmas" is only in Chicago for a few more days. 4 BIG Spotlights
***** Highly Recommended ***** I’m a Jane Austen fan. I’ve read and reread all of her books, wry commentaries on the courtship rituals of the English gentry. The Bennett family, described so well in Pride and Prejudice, is dear to me. While I loved the first two installments in the Pemberley trilogy by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcom,"Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley" and "The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley", I think "Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley" is the best of the three. Everything is exactly as it should be – the costumes, the hairstyles, the setting, the accents – the feminist slant. Fresh and witty, Georgiana and Kitty fits right into Jane Austen’s world. 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Recommended **** After more than two years it was a joy to be back in the Theatre at the Center for the Dickens’ Christmas Carol Dinner Show. The Dickens’ classic was adapted into a radio-style script by Philip Potempa, who actually organized several dinner shows after the Covid shutdown. Those shows were in the CVPA dining room. This is the first to be back on stage in the theater – with scenery! 4 Spotlights
*** Recommended *** The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque opened with a flourish recently, moving from short runs at tiny out-of-the-way venues into the ‘big time’ with a month-long run at the Greenhouse Theater Center. The opening night audience was full of 30-somethings who were having a great time whooping and hollering all through the cocktail hour and then the show. My friend and I had no idea we’d be seeing a bawdy, risqué, colorful, burlesque/boylesque version of the famous ballet. 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** If you’re looking for some adults-only holiday cheer and a raucous good time, head for Theater Wit and the reprise of Who’s Holiday, a 2021 smash hit, one-woman show, starring Veronica Garza as 40-something Cindy Lou Who. You might remember a certain cartoon, and a cute little tot who caught a green guy stealing her Christmas tree. That was then, this is now! This Cindy Lou Who has a story to tell – and everything she says is in rhyme! Garza has incredible comic chops, so Who’s Holiday is raucous, raunchy and absolutely hilarious. 4 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** Do you need some holiday cheer? Holiday lights and garlands? Check. Adult beverages and yummy snacks? Check. Six zany cast members in Santa hats and ugly sweaters? Check. Hilarious holiday-themed sketches and improv? Check. Enough laughs to make your ribs ache? Check. The Second City’s holiday revue, What the Elf? has all that, and more! In fact, everywhere I looked, people were laughing – not polite little titters, either – I’m talking guffaws! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** Recently, someone asked me why so many theaters choose "The Sound of Music"? Simply put – it’s one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musicals, it’s family friendly and the love story is timeless. As we were driving to Aurora to see the Paramount Theatre production, I learned that my friend Helen loved the music and knew the words to every song, but that she’d never seen the show. Afterwards, she said she loved the show, and was glad to finally see how the songs fit into the story. The music was glorious, the cast is outstanding and the children were delightful. I give "The Sound of Music" 4 Spotlights
