Saturday, 29 August 2026 13:29
In Sisters, Barrie Turns an AI Fable into an Impressive Character Study
Written by Angelo Campos
The rise of artificial intelligence raises many questions about its effect on humanity. What does it mean if we become increasingly reliant on AI to think for us, create for us, and entertain us? What happens if this tool encroaches into our lives in ways it never should? Matthew Libby’s…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 27 August 2026 14:56
Buddy Holly’s Brilliance, Reawakened on the Drury Lane Stage
Written by Kimberly Katz
Drury Lane Theatre opens its latest musical with a warm jolt of rock ’n’ roll energy as Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, by Alan James, returns to the stage, decades after its 1989 debut at the Plymouth Theatre Royal in England. What began as a modest jukebox biography has…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Buddy Holly
- Buddy The Buddy Holly Story
- Drury Lane Theatre
- Alan James
- jukebox musical
- Matthew D Carney
- Kenny Ingram
- Joey Chelius
- Alek Boggio
- Grant Alexander Brown
- Elliot Coe Esquivel
- Richie Valens
- The Big Bopper
- Waylon Jennings
- Samantha Sayah
- Eric Andrew Lewis
- Marta Bady
- Russell Mernaugh
- Peggy Sue
- Oh Boy
- 1950s music
- rockabilly
- Rock and Roll
Tuesday, 25 August 2026 19:25
Playmakers Lab’s That’s Weird Grandma’s 25th Birthday is a fine place to giggle
Written by Susan Lieberman
If you need an energy boost, skip the can of Monster and get yourself, plus loved ones of any age, to Playmakers Lab’s tasty birthday cake of a show. The very first edition of That’s Weird, Grandma, culled from Chicago elementary school students’ stories, occurred in the spring of 2001.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 18 August 2026 13:05
‘Anatomy of a Suicide’ Is Hard to Watch, But Not Because of the Subject
Written by Bill Esler
Perhaps surprisingly, Anatomy of a Suicide is not an overwhelmingly emotionally gripping play, nor is it horrifying. Instead, it vividly portrays the slow drip of suffering for Carol, a woman in the grip of depression, living always with suicidal tendencies. It also presents the impact of an intergenerational transference of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 August 2026 12:40
Hail Mary/Maria at Theater Wit – A Welcome New Slant on Crossing Over into Adulthood
Written by Mitchell Oldham
Coming of age stories resonate more profoundly when they mirror the lived reality of a real person. That’s why the firecracker of a play, Hail Mary/Maria, that’s just begun its far too short run at Theater Wit, is must-see theater for just about anybody who counts themselves as a member…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 August 2026 14:36
Oil Lamp's I Love You Because has heart, despite lukewarm romance
Written by Angelo Campos
Finding love has always been a challenge. In Jane Austen’s day, a time governed by strict rules of courtship, couples had to avoid mistakes that could potentially ruin a reputation. One might think that the complexities of dating would have eased over time, yet modern romance remains just as fraught…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 August 2026 01:20
Otherworld Theatre Boldly Goes Again with Starship Edsel Season 4
Written by Ken Payne
Otherworld Theatre blasts back into the cosmos with Season 4 of Starship Edsel: An Improvised Star Trek Parody, the latest chapter in its long-running improvised Star Trek satire. Now in its fourth outing, the misfit crew of the USS Edsel once again shows why the production remains a reliably funny…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Otherworld Theatre
- Starship Edsel An Improvised Star Trek Parody
- Star Trek
- Starship Edsel
- second city
- Wanjiku Kairu Oliver
- Edward Neequaye
- Matt Kawa
- Carlos Rivera
- Mike Mazzella
- Anthony LeBlanc
- Brandon Brylawski
- Parody
- Satire
- Camp
- Improv
- live theatre
- on stage
- Chicago events
- chicago theatre
- De Maat Theatre
- Trekkie
Theatre 31 Productions’ Gus and Alice has returned to the Greenhouse Theater Center this month. Written by Chicago playwright Mike Rago, the light‑hearted slice‑of‑life comedy follows an elderly married couple whose days revolve around avoiding gluten and surviving a game of Trivial Pursuit. As they enter their next chapter, Alice wonders…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 14 August 2026 12:58
From Subway Cars to Chicago Stages: Marcus Monroe at The Comedy Bar
Written by Ken Payne
Sometimes the best way to find a comedian who’s new to you is by stumbling onto a clip that stops your scroll cold. That’s exactly how I first encountered Marcus Monroe: a burst of chaotic silliness on Instagram that made me immediately wonder what his full stand-up looked like beyond…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 04 August 2026 01:08
ETA’s for colored girls Honors the Enduring Power of Ntozake Shange
Written by Wesley David
Nearly fifty years after its groundbreaking premiere, Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf remains one of the most important works ever written for the American stage. Neither conventional play nor musical, Shange called her work a "choreopoem," a seamless fusion of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- ETA
- ETA Creative Arts Foundation
- NTOZAKE SHANGE
- For Colored Girls
- for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf
- Black theatre
- Donn Carl Harper
- Nina Simone
- Madison Savannah
- Tina Marie
- Margo Harper
- Deborah Ross
- Tracey Renee
- LA Holts
- Kennedi Coleman
- live theatre
- chicago theatre
- Chicago events
- on stage
- Chicago plays
- powerful plays
Thursday, 06 August 2026 11:40
Love and Time On Our Side: The Notebook: The Musical at Broadway in Chicago
Written by Kendall Royzen
In times of stress, we often turn to familiar and comforting things: a favorite song, a dog-eared book, a movie we’ve seen twenty-seven times. We’re drawn back to the things we know because they have a certain salve to the severity and uncertainty around us. There’s a comfort in knowing…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 03 August 2026 15:18
yo ho. Delivers Queer Pirate Chaos, Big Laughs, and Fierce Swordplay
Written by Maddie Burroughs
A quick history lesson: Anne Bonny and Mary Read are two of history’s most famous female pirates. Both women disguised themselves as men and sailed under the command of Captain Calico Jack Rackham, where they became part of the same crew. There has long been speculation that they may have…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 28 July 2026 15:41
Mike Bartlett’s ‘An Intervention’ Zings in Chicago Premiere
Written by Bill Esler
A new company, Heart of Gold Theatre, is presenting the Chicago premiere of Mike Barlett’s An Intervention. Bartlett is a noted British playwright, whose future-conjectural work Charles III received five Tony nominations in 2016, including Best New Play. Bartlett’s Cock (2009) and its companion work Bull (2013) played to accolades…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Latest Articles
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In Sisters, Barrie Turns an AI Fable into an Impressive Character Study
Written by Angelo CamposThe rise of artificial intelligence raises many questions about its effect on humanity. What does it mean if we become increasingly reliant on AI to think for us, create for us, and entertain us? What happens if this tool encroaches… -
Buddy Holly’s Brilliance, Reawakened on the Drury Lane Stage
Written by Kimberly KatzDrury Lane Theatre opens its latest musical with a warm jolt of rock ’n’ roll energy as Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, by Alan James, returns to the stage, decades after its 1989 debut at the Plymouth Theatre Royal… -
Kokandy's JEKYLL & HYDE Extended by Popular Demand
Written by Buzz Center StageBroadway In Chicago is pleased to announce a darkly delicious Halloween surprise: Kokandy Productions’ critically acclaimed revival of JEKYLL & HYDE will be extended by popular demand through November 8. For a frightfully good group night, discounted group rates for parties of 10 or more may… -
Following Obama Center premiere, Manual Cinema's acclaimed productions return to Chicago's Studebaker Theater
Written by Buzz Center StageChicago-based Emmy Award-winning performance collective and film/video production company Manual Cinema premiered two new hand-animated films at the Obama Presidential Center Museum earlier this year. Now, the company is bringing two of its acclaimed live-action productions back to Chicago's historic Studebaker Theater at the Fine…
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