LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS…STAGE VS SCREEN - Review by Bob Rubin For TSP News
“Little Shop of Horrors” is a smorgasbord of genres. It is sci-fi, drama, horror, romance and comedy supported by rousing classic pop rock music.
"The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bush" - Review by Carol Moore
**** Highly Recommended Hell in a Handbag is one of my absolute favorite Chicago theater companies. Their unauthorized parodies of old black and white films and favorite TV shows, packed with double entendres, puns, running sight gags and bad wigs, never fail to make me laugh! This fall’s offering, "The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bush," is a farce so ridiculous, it’s hysterically funny! If you need some laughter in your life, this is the show for you. I loved it and you will too. Kudos to playwright David Cerda, Hell in a Handbag’s Artistic Director. "The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bush" is one of his best! 4 BIG Spotlights
"Becky Nurse of Salem" - Review by Carol Moore
**** Recommended Shattered Globe Theatre’s production of "Becky Nurse of Salem" is a play that grew on me. I didn’t think I liked it, but the more I thought about it, the more it intrigued me. Playwright Sarah Ruhl always seems to pick an interesting topic for her plays, and then takes the story in a really unexpected direction. In this case, Ruhl uses a real person, Rebecca Nurse, a hard-of-hearing, 71-year-old mother of nine, who was hung as a witch in 1692, as a starting point for a modern tale about an outspoken woman with modern problems. 4 Spotlights
"Ghost Writer 1989" - Review by Carol Moore
Over the years I’ve been to many a Halloween show at M & M Productions’ Center Stage Studio Theatre. This year, the show is "Ghost Writer 1989" written & directed by Mike and Melinda’s son, Jacob Reinhart who took the tired “teens in an isolated cabin” trope and added his own creative plot twists. Kudos! Don’t miss this show.
Leonora - Review by Jeffrey Leibham
***RECOMMENDED*** You certainly have to hand it to the clever folks at Chicago Opera Theater, especially their forward-thinking General Director Lawrence Edelson, for perfectly timing the North American premiere of the rarely seen Ferdinando Paer opera "Leonora." Edelson, who also serves as the stage director of this production, has waited many years for the chance to present this obscure work to Chicago audiences. When it was announced that Lyric Opera of Chicago would be presenting Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera, "Fidelio," during their 2024/2025 season, Edelson knew that his company needed to act fast to prepare for their own version of the same story.
"Ironbound" - Review by Carol Moore
*** Recommended I have real mixed feelings about "Ironbound", the first production of Raven Theatre’s season. It was dark, dystopian and very intense, but really confusing. The story jumped back and forth in time leaving me wondering when was this, who is that person and why was he there. Darja (Lucy Carapetyan), the central character, is abrasive, aggressive and angry, making it difficult to empathize with her. The cast was spot on, however, especially Carapetyan who never left the stage! 3 Spotlights
"Fidelio" - Review by Jeffrey Leibham
****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** Ludwig van Beethoven composed only one opera during his lifetime. That work was first performed at Theater an der Wien in Vienna in 1805. Beethoven, who wasn't completely satisfied with his efforts, did some major revisions and wrote several different versions for the overture of the same opera that, by 1814, became what we know today as "Fidelio." Lyric Opera of Chicago first presented "Fidelio" in November of 1961, which was the seventh season of the company's existence. It has now been over two decades since "Fidelio" has been staged at Lyric. Which makes this moment, and this particular production, the perfect time to acquaint yourself with Beethoven's only opera. 4 SPOTLIGHTS
"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" - Review by Carol Moore
**** Highly Recommended "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is phenomenal! Really, I’m not exaggerating. Harry Potter is wizardly and action-packed. The special effects are awesome, in fact, mindboggling. It’s a true continuation to J.K. Rowlings’ original series, AND it’s not a musical. It’s a tad long at nearly three hours, but you’ll never notice while you’re watching! I loved this show! 4 BIG Spotlights
"Rigoletto" - Review by Jeffrey Leibham
****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Excitement was in the air at Lyric Opera of Chicago's opening night performance of Verdi's "Rigoletto." Two of the three principals are making their highly-anticipated company debuts and fresh new talent abounds everywhere in this production. As a matter of fact, eight of the twelve cast members are appearing on Lyric's stage for the very first time. Combine that with the insightful and sensitive direction of Mary Birnbaum (also a Lyric debut) as well as the impeccable leadership in the orchestra pit of Music Director Enrique Mazzola, and you have one of the most solid and wholly satisfying productions that Lyric Opera has presented in many, many years. What a glorious way for Lyric to launch their 70th anniversary season. 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS
"Inherit the Wind" - Review by Carol Moore
Highly Recommended Goodman Theatre’s thoughtful revival of "Inherit the Wind", directed by Henry Godinez, is incredibly timely. To paraphrase a baseball pundit, it was like déjà vu all over again. The play, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, is loosely based on the famous 1925 Scopes ‘Monkey’ trial. There’s a lot of religious ranting and bigotry but the trial comes down to a battle of wits between two larger than life lawyers. The title comes from the Bible, Proverbs 11:29. For me, the mark of a good play is in the discussion on the way home. My friend Crista, who happens to be a prosecutor, and I had a great time dissecting "Inherit the Wind". 4 Spotlights