Spotlight on Reviews

**** Recommended **** Towle Theater’s new production, "Hope and Gravity", is hard to define as five actors play nine characters – four couples and an unmarried poetry professor.  Could be comedy, could be tragedy, but actually more like a mishmash of both.  I know I laughed out loud more than once, and shed a few tears!  Done in a series of scenes interspersed with blackouts, it had a feel of Second City.  I think you’ll enjoy "Hope and Gravity".  I know I did.  4 Spotlights 

**** Highly Recommended **** There are so many good things to say about Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s production of "All’s Well That Ends Well", it’s hard to decide where to start.  It is so well written it might just be Shakespeare’s best, although it was never staged during his lifetime.  The characters have more depth, the women’s roles are stronger, and it appeals to our 21st century selves.  Kudos to Director Shana Cooper who has assembled a stellar cast.  The CST production will keep you spellbound until the end.  4 BIG Spotlights

**** Highly Recommended **** As I’ve come to expect, the Joffrey Ballet’s Spring Program, Serenade and Of Mice and Men was an extraordinarily perfect blend of classic and contemporary ballet.  In fact, it’s not just an illustration of the company’s versatility, it’s a demonstration of all that makes the Joffrey such a leader in contemporary ballet.  The Joffrey’s incredibly talented dancers execute the most complicated choreography with flawless technique.  4 BIG Spotlights

Just in time for spring, the Chicago Children’s Theatre is back in bloom. Returning to live, in-person productions, Carmela Full of Wishes is a charming tale about the importance of imagination. Adapted for the stage by Alvaro Saar Rios from the children’s book by Matt de la Pena with illustrations by Christian Robinson. The quartet of actors here playing an array of characters. The primary, Carmela, is describe by Rios as a “fierce Latina with an awesome imagination”. More on that in just a moment. The show’s official opening attended by a cornucopia of ages, genders and races.