I saw the morning performance of The Hobbit by Young People’s Theatre Saturday, expecting the house to be full of squealy kids with parents. I was only slightly surprised to […]
Over the last few years, Chicago’s young Gwydion Theatre Company has proven itself a reliable protectorate of great literature. In October, I favorably reviewed its production of Death of a […]
You may appreciate the play Hamnet because you loved Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel or the 2025 film directed by Chloé Zhao. In either case, your view of the Hamnet story […]
The Outsiders, a 2024 musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton novel about coming-of-age in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, returns to Chicago in its first national Broadway tour. The word “returns” […]
Hedda and Nora. A 19th century Norwegian playwright created two female protagonists that resonate with us strongly today. Nora, in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879) reminds us of the […]
There is so much good about the Goodman Theatre’s current production of Holiday that I wish it were better. It’s an understatement to say that the play arrives with some […]
That sketch comedy tends to be a predominantly white art form is a bit of a “chicken and egg” situation—it took seven years before Bob Curry became the first Black […]
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamnet makes its U.S. premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this week—but the title is already a familiar one. Book lovers know that Hamnet originated […]
It’s evening, and Sandra (Monique Marshaun) is alone in her office. She pulls out a bottle of wine and is set to unwind until co-worker and assistant professor Jade (Toccara […]
The Enormous Crocodile by the Roald Dahl Story Company is adapted from Dahl’s 1978 book about a greedy crocodile that wants to eat children. This gigantic creature is rumbling through the […]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a classical music genius from the 16th century. He was also something of a rock star in the 20th century. Mozart was one of the few […]
The 8th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival concluded Sunday, after 12 days of puppet theater productions at dozens of venues around the city. Our Third Coast writers are puppetry fans […]