Sunday, 26 July 2026 14:11
Metropolis’ Wizard of Oz Rekindles Pure Childhood Wonder
Written by Kimberly Katz
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s new staging of The Wizard of Oz sends audiences down the yellow brick road with a production that balances classic nostalgia with a warm, community centered spirit. Before the story unfolds, it’s worth remembering the legacy behind it: L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel first introduced readers…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
- The Wizard of Oz
- L Frank Baum
- Tor Campbell
- Nora Wragg
- Jake Elkins
- Genevieve Thiers
- Judy Garland
- Gabriel Fries
- David Omari
- Corey Barlow
- Nolan F Robinson II
- Caliban Marie Spence
- Danielle Spence
- live theatre
- classic
- on stage
- Arlington Heights
- Chicago events
- Chicago stage
- Musical theatre
- family theatre
Thursday, 23 July 2026 11:53
& Juliet Turns Shakespeare Upside Down in a Burst of Pop Brilliance
Written by Kimberly Katz
Broadway in Chicago’s latest offering at the Auditorium Theatre, & Juliet, bursts onto the stage with the kind of vibrant confidence that makes it clear this isn’t your high school Shakespeare. The production arrives as a full-throttle pop spectacle, gleefully mashing up Elizabethan trappings with late ’90s and early 2000s…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Juliet
- Broadway in Chicago
- Auditorium Theatre
- JOEY FATONE
- Max Martin
- Brittany Spears
- NYSNC
- Katy Oerry
- Romeo and Juliet
- Shakespeare
- Musical theatre
- chicago theatre
- Chicago events
- Chicago stage
- on stage
- live theatre
- Fabiola Caraballo Quijada
- CJ Eldred
- Crystal Kellogg
- Nico Ochoa
- Kathryn Allison
- oseph Torres
- Noah Marlowe
- Backstreet Boys
- David West Read
- Jennifer Weber
- Luke Sheppard
- 90s pop music
Kokandy Productions’ HAIR revival lets the sunshine in this summer at the Chopin Theatre. Directed and choreographed by Brennan Urbi, this remount is a fresh, funky and poignant riff on the classic 1960s tribal love-rock musical by Galt MacDermot. The large cast of new and returning Kokandy faces bring this…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Kokandy Productions
- HAIR
- Chopin Theatre
- 1960s musical
- hippies
- Brennan Urbi
- Galt MacDermot
- The 5th Dimension
- Aquarius
- Let The Sunshine In
- Gerome Rangi
- James Rado
- Zac Richey
- Catherine Rodriguez OConnor
- Rachel Sypniewski
- G Max Maxin IV
- Musical theatre
- anti-war
- live theatre
- chicago theatre
- Chicago events
- Chicago stage
- on stage
- Wicker Park
Saturday, 18 July 2026 15:51
Pure Vocal Magic: Goodman’s Octet Redefines Musical Innovation
Written by Mark Hermann
Dave Malloy’s Octet is a musical with daring aspirations, currently gracing the stage in a powerhouse co-production between the Raven Theatre and the Goodman Theatre. This staging, directed by Keira Fromm, first debuted at the intimate Raven Theatre, where it enjoyed a highly successful run before its move to the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
The timeless magic of Arnold Lobel’s beloved children’s book series comes to life in the Marriott Theatre’s delightful production of A Year with Frog and Toad. With book and lyrics by Willie Reale and a score by Robert Reale, this whimsical musical adaptation perfectly captures the endearing spirit that resonates…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the greatest farces ever written. His wordplay caricatured high society, and clever pay-offs are hilarious when executed properly. The play was first performed on February 14, 1895 (Valentine's Day). The premiere took place at the historic St James's Theatre in…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 12 July 2026 12:09
A Legendary Transformation: John Mulaney’s Historic Night at Wrigley Field
Written by Ken Payne
John Mulaney didn’t just perform at Wrigley Field. He made history there. In a venue synonymous with baseball legends, rock icons, and century-old Chicago lore, Mulaney became the first comedian ever to headline a full stand-up show at Wrigley Field, and, depending on which version of the truth you prefer,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 12 July 2026 16:10
A Thoughtful Evolution of Her Own Making: Overshadowed Theatrical Productions’ My Fair Lady
Written by Kimberly Katz
Overshadowed Theatre Productions brings fresh energy to one of musical theatre’s most enduring classics, offering a spirited and thoughtful take on My Fair Lady. This production leans into the story’s sharp contrasts - class and aspiration, control and independence - and invites audiences to see Eliza Doolittle’s transformation with new…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 11 July 2026 13:01
Powerhouse Performances on Display in Gwydion's Dry Powder
Written by Angelo Campos
In the sharp-tongued world of Sarah Burgess’s Dry Powder, presented by Gwydion Theatre Company at the Greenhouse Theater Center, the pursuit of money is a blood sport. The play centers on a high-stakes private equity firm caught in a massive public relations nightmare after laying off thousands of grocery store…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 09 July 2026 13:35
Production of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Does Not Fully Recognize Its Importance at Oak Park Festival
Kerstin Broockmann
It is possible that Oak Park Festival Theatre’s production of Oscar Wilde’s 1895 “trivial comedy for serious people,” The Importance of Being Earnest, was suffering from some opening night jitters and that the actors will settle in and trust the verbal comedy in the script, but on this beautiful evening…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
- Oak Park Festival
- OAK PARK FESTIVAL THEATRE
- August Forman
- Chad Bay
- Kathryn Walsh
- Oscar Wilde
- Sonia Goldberg
- Aurora Pennepacker
- Jodi Gage
- Gabriel Armstrong
- Austin Gardens
- Oak Park
- Drew Bos
- summer theatre
- outdoor theatre
- live theatre
- Chicago events
- on stage
- comedy theatre
Friday, 10 July 2026 00:09
The Beautiful Overthinking of Gary Gulman’s 7th Hour
Written by Ken Payne
Gary Gulman brings his new tour, 7th Hour: An All New Standup Show, to The Den Theatre, offering Chicago audiences a chance to see a comic who has spent decades refining the long-form, slow-burn style that has become unmistakably his. His five sold-out shows over the weekend are being recorded…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Suffs is a musical about history, yes, but more importantly, it is a musical about momentum: who creates it, who resists it (and why), who gets left behind by it, and what it costs to keep pushing it forward. Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement in the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Suffs
- CIBC Theatre
- Broadway in Chicago
- Musical theatre
- Suffrage
- Suffragette
- National Womans Party
- Alice Paul Ida B Wells
- Leigh Silverman
- Carrie Chapman Catt
- Marya Grandy
- Maya Keleher
- Woodrow Wilson
- Merrill Peiffer
- Danyel Fulton
- Trisha Jeffrey
- Victoria Pekel
- live theatre
- on stage
- chicago theatre
- Chicago events
- Chicago plays
Wednesday, 01 July 2026 18:55
Absurdist Satire ‘Do You Feel Anger?’ Captures Toxicity in Workplace Today
Written by Bill Esler
Set in a debt collection call center, Do You Feel Anger? captures how a toxic workplace manifests itself in today’s theoretically more “enlightened” world. Much of that toxicity, at least in this 2019 script by Mara Nelson-Greenberg, is propelled by male bonding and power. But it’s not an oppressive tale.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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