**** Highly Recommended "BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical" is just awesome! I was more than a bit skeptical going in – how would they, could they, possibly turn a classic adventure movie into a musical? Well, they did, and "BACK TO THE FUTURE" blew me away! The special effects are, as my friend Al Bresloff says, mindboggling! Hurry, hurry, hurry and get your tickets! 4 Spotlights
**** Recommended Kokandy Productions always seem to choose edgy, unique, sometimes odd, but always interesting musicals. "Alice by Heart" definitely fits that criteria. "Alice by Heart" is definitely fantastical, but it’s also really confusing and difficult to follow. The long narrow set (down the middle of the room) doesn’t help. On the other hand, the cast, filled with talented newcomers, is terrific. The music is haunting and beautiful, so in spite of my confusion, I give it 4 Spotlights.
**** Highly Recommended The Copley Theatre’s production of "Peter and the Starcatcher", a tongue-in-cheek prequel to Peter Pan, is totally demented! Well, maybe I meant insane, or twisted, or hysterical. I might even call it a melo-dramedy! The entire cast totally embraced the essential zaniness of the play, and thanks to some very clever staging with ladders and planks, the campiness factor has gone off the charts. Peter and the Star Catcher is awesome! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended Chicago Shakespeare Theatre has scored a hit with the U.S. premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale" which is absolutely fabulous! The musical as a whole is amazing, but if you break it down, each and every element – casting, staging, costumes, scenery, lighting, special effects, choreography, music – is exactly right. It's also interactive - you'll see characters running through the audience, climbing up and down the stairs, even lowering from the upper gallery on a rope! Audience members arriving in costume are loving it! This is a MUST SEE!!! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Recommended Dunes Summer Theater’s production of "The Bridges of Madison County", is a beautiful show, a love story that will move you to tears. Don’t that worry you though, it’s not at all a cloyingly schmaltzy chick-flick kind of musical. I can’t quite figure out why it wasn’t more successful on Broadway (only 137 performances). The score is magnificent, with elements of the blues, folk, twangy bluegrass, country, pop and opera. The talented cast, particularly the leads, Kristianna Dilworth and Max DeTogne, does full justice to the amazing score. 4 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended Although "Million Dollar Quartet" is one of my favorite shows, I’ve never seen a production quite like total MDQ experience at the brand new 98-seat Stolpe Island Theatre in Aurora. From the moment you walk in the door you’ll be immersed in Sun Records. In fact, you’ll be sitting IN the studio with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis! "Million Dollar Quartet" was 90 minutes of pure fun. 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended The Towle Theater’s production of "Pippin" was a joy to watch. The choreography is very Fosse (of course, Bob Fosse choreographed the original), the music is amazing and I loved the funky costumes. By the way, the cast is incredible! I watched carefully as they were dancing and every hand/head/hip was in exactly the same place at exactly the same time. I did hear a tiny bit of feedback about the sad story, but otherwise, it’s a hit! Kudos to Co-Directors Jeff Casey and Jim LaPietra and Choreographer Nikki Dizon. Even more Kudos to Kevin Bellamy for the set and really unusual costumes – or in some cases, semi-costumes! 4 BIG Spotlight
**** Recommended I don’t know what I thought Northlight Theatre’s production of "2 Pianos 4 Hands" would be – a concert, maybe – but it turned out to be something quite different. It does feature concert-level performances but it’s more about the process of learning to play the piano than it is about the final product. It’s funny, heart-wrenching and a very good story. 4 Spotlights
**** Recommended If country music is your jam – like my friend Nancy - you’ll definitely want to see "Country Is: The Music of Main Street in Concert", the last musical of the Canterbury Summer Theatre’s season. Even though country music is not my jam, I really did enjoy the show. The three cast members are talented, enthusiastic and energetic, although they were a teensy bit pitchy on a couple of songs. 3 ½ Spotlights
**** Recommended "The Mystery of Amelia Earhart" starring Leslie Goddard was an absolutely fascinating show. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about Earhart. Goddard, a historian, author, actress and lecturer, did extensive research into Earhart’s childhood and private life as well as her more public persona. In fact, she was totally immersed in Earhart, so much so that she never broke character, even in the Q & A after the show. 4 Spotlights
