**** Highly Recommended **** Paramount Theatre’s production of "School of Rock" is a totally fun show. Although the story is rather predictable, nobody cares! From their first appearance until the final number, a dozen (or so) of the most amazingly talented kids steal the show. Take your family - kids, grandkids, even a rent-a-kid – "School of Rock" is the perfect musical to introduce them to live theater. 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** “Grease is the word…” at least through June 4th in Oakbrook Terrace. The kids at Rydell High are back in a colorful, exuberant and energetic production complete with plenty of teen angst and rock and roll! Overall, I liked the show but – and this is a big but – they never actually did the Hand Jive! They danced all over the stage, but those hand motions were only in evidence for about 10 beats. What’s that about? If you’re going to include the song, you’d better do the dance! I guess that makes me a Grease purist (lol). 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** "Galileo’s Daughter" is an absolute gem. There isn’t anything I’d change about this Remy Bumppo production. The cast is superb, the set looks/feels like Florence and the story is interesting and engaging. Only 85 enchanted minutes long, "Galileo’s Daughter" is on my top ten must-see list for 2023! 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** A jukebox musical is a story written to feature hit songs of a popular music group or genre. More often than not, these musicals turn out to be light, frothy musical romps. "Jagged Little Pill", which features the music of Alanis Morissette’s album of the same name, definitely breaks that mold. It’s dark, depressing and sad, but it did have a real impact. I thought Act I was somewhat over-choreographed and the music was so loud I had a hard time understanding the words in many of the songs. 3 Spotlights
*** Recommended *** Robert Falls has assembled a stellar cast for the Goodman Theatre’s production of "The Cherry Orchard". Although the story is about the Russian aristocracy in denial, Chekhov said it was a comedy (although I’ve always thought the story was tragic), so this cast played it for laughs and they got them. I thought everything – costumes, set, et al – was just about perfect, but I’m still not a Chekhov fan. By the way, is the term ‘Russian comedy’ actually an oxymoron? 3 ½ Spotlights
**** Recommended **** Unlike my husband, I’ve never been interested in books, movies or plays about the military. Honestly, I’ve always steered clear of them, so when I got the invitation to A Soldier’s Play, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. Obviously, I did go, and I’m so glad I did. A Soldier’s Play is one terrific play! It caught my attention immediately, and kept it! 4 Spotlights
**** Recommended **** It’s official, "The Book of Mormon" is just as funny the second time around! The show has lots of off-color jokes, one liners, pop culture references, and pratfalls. In fact, the show hadn’t even opened when some ministers were objecting to the off-color and/or offensive content. Bawdy content aside, The Book of Mormon, written by Trey Parker and Robin Lopez, the duo responsible for TV hit South Park, is a Tony-winning Broadway blockbuster musical, complete with a talented cast, sparkly costumes, snappy choreography, even a tap-dancing chorus line! I give The Book of Mormon 4 BIG Spotlights
****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** If you are hesitant to explore contemporary operas because you fear that the music will be too atonal or discordant, then you need to hear the soaring and oft-times ethereal score of "Proximity." If you shy away from modern operatic productions because you feel that they have nothing of any importance to state or that they are out-of-touch with reality and are completely irrelevant, then you need to let the profound importance of "Proximity" wash over you. And if all of that isn't enough to engage you, the visually stunning stagecraft of "Proximity" alone is well worth the price of admission to this bold, daring and highly inventive new work. 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS
**** Recommended **** Lookingglass Theatre’s production of "Villette", Sara Gmitter’s new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s 1853 novel, is a small, rather intimate story about a young woman without a family or means (money) must find a way to support herself when few opportunities were available to women. The enigmatic and self-contained Lucy Snowe (Mi Kang), a keen observer of human foibles, rarely revealed anything about herself. I remember saying that Mi Kang gave a tour de force performance in TimeLine’s production of
"The Chinese Lady" last year. It’s great to see her shine in a completely different kind of role. 3 ½ Spotlights
**** 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!
