Spotlight on Reviews

**** Recommended **** Marriott Theatre’s new production of "Kiss Me Kate" is just plain wonderful.  This 1948 backstage musical about a theater company doing The Taming of the Shrew has all the right elements – battling stars who also happen to be exes, bumbling gangsters who get hooked on Shakespeare, young lovers with issues, and fabulous songs by Cole Porter.  Who would have thought that Porter and Shakespeare had anything in common?  4 BIG Spotlights

**** Highly Recommended **** Don’t tell anyone, but I was just as excited to see Disney’s "Frozen" as any of the little girls in the audience.  I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen the movie, and then there was "Disney’s Frozen on Ice" – hey, I have granddaughters! "Frozen" had all the glitter I expected – with fabulous voices, great choreography, gorgeous costumes and phenomenal sets and special effects.  Wow!  4 BIG Spotlights

** Somewhat Recommended ** "Hundred Days" is another casualty of the pandemic, forced to close on opening night.  Kokandy Productions has chosen to bring it back in a new venue, the Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park.  I’m not quite sure what to say about "Hundred Days."  On one hand, I saw incredible talent, on the other, I really didn’t like the show.  I think this show is one that people will either love it or hate.  2 Spotlights

*** Recommended *** Here’s my dilemma, I saw a play that totally creeped me out – and yet, it was incredibly well-acted.  Who knew that Tracy Letts’ 1996 tragi-comedy; "Bug," which literally made my skin crawl, is a cult classic.  Although it played a couple of Chicago’s small stages back in the day, I’d never seen it.  Unfortunately, I could see the tragic end coming almost from the beginning.  If you want to scare yourself silly, then this is the play for you.    3 Spotlights