Spotlight on Reviews by Carol Moore

"Short Shakespeare! Macbeth" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** I am always in awe when I see one of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s “Short Shakespeare!” performances. The very idea that someone can abridge one of Shakespeare’s complicated plots into 75 minutes is mind-boggling. That said, “Short Shakespeare! Macbeth” is an intense immersion into a dark world of greed and ambition. Although geared to younger audiences, Marti Lyons’ original adaptation doesn’t lose a thing in the translation. This is dynamite! 4 Spotlights

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"The Abuelas" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** Last year, in the Teatro Vista production of Stephanie Alison Walker’s gripping drama, “The Madres”, we watched a mother’s desperate search for her daughter, one of Argentina’s disappeared. This winter, Teatro Vista brings us the sequel, “The Abuelas”, an equally gripping drama about a modern and very successful young woman living in Chicago, whose DNA leads us right back to that mother. 4 Spotlights

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"Dear Evan Hansen" - Review by Carol Moore

**** 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. By the way, the actor who plays Evan Hansen, Ben Levi Ross, has a gorgeous voice! 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

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"A Doll's House, Part 2" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** Sometimes, after reading a really good book or seeing a really good play, I wonder what happened to the characters after the story ended. Apparently playwright Lucas Hnath liked to speculate about that same topic. Evidently his curiosity led him into writing “A Doll’s House, Part 2”, a sequel to Ibsen’s classic play, “A Doll’s House”. Fifteen years after she left her husband and children, Nora has returned. “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is both funny and insightful as it takes on the pitfalls and complexities of relationships. 4 Spotlights

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"The Producers" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Highly Recommended **** There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Paramount Theatre has a huge hit with “The Producers”, the outrageously funny musical based on Mel Brooks’ 1968 Academy Award winning black and white cult classic film. An outrageous plot, fast-paced dialogue, clever lyrics, slapstick comedy, pratfalls and sight gags, guarantee you’ll love this show. No matter how many times I’ve seen “The Producers”, it always makes me laugh. It’s totally worth the drive to Aurora. 4 BIG Spotlights.

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"All Childish Things" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** Like the characters in “All Childish Things” at First Folio, I’m an avid collector of all things “Star Trek”. Although I might pay a lot of money to get something really rare – like the ComicCon Limited Edition of the U.S.S. Enterprise – I don’t think I’d become a thief to get it, unlike the characters in Joseph Zettelmaier’s comedy. Although it’s immediately obvious that these people are obsessed with “Star Wars”, you won’t need to know anything about the movie – or the toys it launched – to enjoy “All Things Childish”. 4 Spotlights

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"The Woman in Black" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Highly Recommended **** Are you a fan of old-fashioned thrillers? I’m not talking about the stories about monsters that go bump in the night. I’m talking about stories with a slow build-up leading, leading, leading to some kind of a terrifying incident. You know, stories about odd people or eerie happenings, punctuated with sudden noises or shriek-y music which makes you gasp out loud. I love those stories, so I loved “The Woman in Black”, which made London audiences “shriek in fear for 30 years”. 4 BIG Spotlights

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"Million Dollar Quartet" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Highly Recommended **** My friend Helen said that “Million Dollar Quartet” was 90 minutes of pure joy. It’s definitely an evening of in-your-face rock and roll. While Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley are rockin’ on Marriott’s intimate stage, audiences are rockin’ right along with them! “Million Dollar Quartet” is a blast from the past! 4 BIG Spotlights

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"Noises Off" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** Windy City Playhouse’s production of “Noises Off” is getting big laughs. That’s because it’s a very funny play within a play in which a cast of second rate British actors is rehearsing/performing “Nothing On,” a lame comedy featuring mistaken identities, slamming doors, pratfalls, a pretty girl in her underwear and sardines. Playing comedy, particularly farce, requires split second timing – and the ability to take a fall – and this cast is brilliant. No matter how many times I’ve seen “Noises Off”, it always makes me laugh! 4 BIG Spotlights

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"Ajijaak on Turtle Island" - Review by Carol Moore

Highly Recommended **** The 3rd Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival kicked off with an appearance by Festival Founder and Artistic Director Blair Thomas, followed by a performance of “Ajijaak on Turtle Island”. By show time, there weren’t any empty seats in the beautiful Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building, the festival’s home. We saw an awesome show incorporating Native American tradition, costumes, music and dance, along with Heather Henson’s (daughter of Jim Henson) graceful, expressive puppets. 4 Spotlights

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