**** Recommended **** Hammond Community Theatre’s latest show is a totally macabre musical revue – and it’s hilarious! No kidding, "Madwomen’s Late-Nite Cabaret" will have you laughing from the very first song all the way to the finale. You will not believe how perfectly certain well-known songs certain maligned women’s lives/death scenes. This is a don't miss show!
*** Recommended *** I’m still not sure how I feel about Goodman Theatre’s production of "Layalina". On the one hand, the cast was superb and I loved the set! On the other hand, although I could figure out how the first act led into second, there were just too many unanswered questions. Layal is a complete mystery. What was she doing during the missing 17 years? Did she resent being forced to raise her siblings? How/why was she also raising Amin. Was he her cousin or her husband’s brother? 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** Chicago Shakespeare’s production of The Comedy of Errors is Barbara Gaines last gift to Chicago audiences – and it’s a great one! I can’t think of anything I’d change. Gaines collaborated with Second City’s Ron West to update and reprise their 2008 version – putting Shakespeare’s shortest play literally inside another play. The result is hilarious – with a ton of sight gags, slapstick and pratfalls. Shakespeare lover or not, I think everyone will enjoy The Comedy of Errors! A must-see! 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** Music Theatre Works production of "Avenue Q", an adults-only spoof of a well-known public TV children’s show, will have you laughing out loud. Set in a shabby, down-at-the-heels neighborhood where people, puppets and monsters alike can afford the rent, "Avenue Q" is not for the faint of heart. It’s charming, sweet, raunchy, profane and really, really funny. 3 ½ Spotlights
****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** Ask anyone that you may know, whether they are an avid patron of the arts, merely possess a casual interest in classical music or have never attended a theatrical production in their lifetime, to name an opera -- any opera -- chances are extremely high that they will mention Carmen, Georges Bizet's 1875 work is so universally beloved that even non-opera fans will be familiar with much of its iconic score. Carmen is one of the top three operas that are presented by opera companies, both large and small, throughout the world each year. With its popularity notwithstanding and many feeling that it may be presented much too frequently, some may shy away from seeing yet another production of Carmen. However, the current offering at Lyric Opera of Chicago, featuring two stellar leads and one sensational soprano in her Lyric debut, is not-to-be-missed. 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS
*** Recommended *** If you’re planning on seeing TINA – THE TINA TURNER STORY you should know that it is not a juke box musical. There’s plenty of music, but it’s Broadway musical music, not Top 40 hits music. In other words, this is Tina Turner’s life story, and it’s very, very dark. That said, the audience was cheering at the opening night performance, the 200th performance. I thought the was too long, coming in at 2 hours, 45 minutes; the encore performance after the bows redeemed the show for me. 3 Spotlights
I would say that this is highly recommended and go see it but, “The Christians” is over. Based, however, on this as well as the quality of all the other Citadel productions, don’t miss their next one, “Airness”, plying April 21 to May 21. I, for one, will be there opening night. “The Christians” was a lesson learned about preconceived opinions.
**** Highly Recommended **** Towle Theater opens their 20th season with a one-woman show, Love, Linda (The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter), an absolute tour de force for star, LInda J. Wilczynski. Love, Linda is an autobiographical musical about Linda Lee Thomas who was married to Cole Porter for 35 years. This show is not to be missed! 4 Spotlights
*** Recommended *** Court Theatre's production of Fen is very dirty - and no, I don't mean raunchy, I mean dirty, really really dirty. If you sit in the first two rows (as I did), you need to wear a mask because there are clouds of dust arising from the stage. Why, you might ask. All I can say is that Fen is set in/on a farm (that used to be part of a marshy area that was drained and recleaimed - i.e.
My two sons, ages 4 and 2, my mom, and I went to see "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" at the Marriott Theatre on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 10:00 am. The play follows Charles Schulz’s famous “Peanuts” bunch. All of the actors did a great job. The performance lasted a little over an hour. My kids were entertained the whole time. The actors had colorful costumes and the music was great. The entire show came together nicely.
