Spotlight on Reviews

**** Recommended **** Kudos to Ron OJ Parson and the Court Theatre for their fresh, funny, totally charming production of "Arsenic and Old Lace".  In a way, Arsenic and Old Lace is a contradiction.  It bounces between comedic farce and scary horror.  As a viewer, you might find yourself laughing, then gasping, then laughing again.  It’s Teddy running up the stairs yelling “Charge!” but it’s also Mortimer finding a body or Jonathan terrorizing his aunts.  In the end, it’s so much fun!  I loved this production and I know you will too.  4 BIG Spotlights

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED****  Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2022/2023 season is off to a blazing start, thanks in large part to a cast that includes a quartet of world-class performers each delivering a knock-out performance. Music Director Enrique Mazzola, a driving force behind Lyric's Early Verdi Series, also conducts this stellar production of Verdi's 1844 work "Ernani."  4 SPOTLIGHTS

**** Highly Recommended **** From the cinematic opening to the final conclusion, Drury Lane’s "Murder on the Orient Express" is not to be missed!  Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s iconic mystery is suitably dramatic, with just enough humor, and above all, true to the original.  You don’t have to love mysteries to enjoy this show!  I loved it!  4 BIG Spotlights

*** Recommended *** Black Ensemble Theatre’s latest production, "My Brother Langston" is a play with music, a tribute to poet and civil rights leader, Langston Hughes, written and directed by Rueben Echoles.  Based on the title, I thought this would be a bio play about Hughes, but it’s much more autobiographical, with Hughes (brilliantly portrayed by actor Chris Taylor) telling his own story.  The production struggles –his life story jumps willy-nilly from personal relationships to the Harlem Renaissance and back again, but the moments of his poetry shine brightly.  3 Spotlights