Throughout its history, the Joffrey Ballet’s dancers have been renowned for their ability to create characters as well as to put their superb technical skills to work. They also are capable of carrying over their acting ability to contemporary “plotless” works.
Stories by Hedy Weiss
Musical Version of ‘Emma’ Taps Into Enduring Allure of Jane Austen
The flaws and fancies, and triumphs and comeuppances of Jane Austen’s characters continue to ring true two centuries after the publication of her books. The latest proof can be found in this utterly charming production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Lyric Opera Announces 2020-2021 Season of Classics, New Works and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
The formidable full schedule will feature 10 major productions, eight of which will be “new to Chicago.” The season also will mark the grand finale of Sir Andrew Davis’ tenure as music director of the Lyric Opera.
Chicago Opera Theater’s World Premiere of ‘Freedom Ride’ a Triumph of Art and History
In its airtight, fervent, emotionally riveting 90 minutes, “Freedom Ride” vividly captures a pivotal moment in American history and the civil rights movement of the early 1960s in the most sophisticated yet accessible way.
The Music Speaks for Itself in the CSO’s Riveting Concert Version of ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’
The true magnificence of Mascagni’s 1890 opera – now focused entirely on the beauty of the music and the truthfulness of the singers, and stripped of the distractions of scenery, melodramatic acting and all the rest – was a great revelation.
Elusive Identities at the Center of 2 Whodunits Separated by Many Decades
Agatha Christie’s play, “The Mousetrap,” is now receiving a wonderfully entertaining revival at Court Theatre, while Northlight Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Steven Dietz’s “How a Boy Falls,” a compelling whodunit with very dark overtones.
Paul Lewis and CSO in Astonishing Performances of 2 Beethoven Piano Concertos
Fresh off a grueling but much heralded European tour, the CSO has returned to the Symphony Center stage with Sir Andrew Davis.
Porchlight Sets the Stage on Fire With Duke Ellington Revue ‘Sophisticated Ladies’
This knockout revival could easily be airlifted onto a New York stage without a single alteration. Come and see it if you can.
Revisiting the Power and Pain of ‘Top Girls’ in Bristling Remy Bumppo Production
The all-female cast of Caryl Churchill’s play made a statement from the very start, and now, the eight bravura actresses in the current cast turn in a collection of blistering performances that suggest the intentional irony of using the word “girls” (rather than “women”) in the title.
Swept Away by a Hurricane of Love and Betrayal in ‘Once on This Island’
The show is full of exuberant dancing and performances by strong actor-singers, but the crucial intimacy of its storytelling too often gets lost in the carnival atmosphere that has been generated to give this 90-minute gem a Broadway gloss.
In ‘Juliet,’ A Mother and Her Children in Time of Extreme Political Distress
At once haunting, sad and beautiful, Andras Visky’s “Juliet” – now in production by Theatre Y – is a work of both real life and pure poetry.
Hershey Felder to Make Goodman Debut With Portrait of French Composer Claude Debussy
The multitalented actor, pianist (and yes, composer in his own right) brings the eighth installment in his renowned “Great Composers Series” to Chicago in June and simultaneously makes his Goodman Theatre debut.
‘Whisper House’ a Haunting Musical About Love, Loneliness, Betrayal and War
The stylishly macabre, morally challenging show by Duncan Sheik (of “Spring Awakening” fame) and Kyle Jarrow is now receiving its Chicago premiere by Black Button Eyes Productions.
‘Dance Nation’ and ‘Mean Girls’ Offer Sad Portrait of Adolescent Girls
If you were to consider the dominant feelings expressed by the adolescent girls in these two shows, the obvious conclusion would be that for all the talk, the feminist movement of the past five decades has failed to reach a whole generation or two of girls.
CSO in a Dazzling Triumvirate of Works by Stravinsky, Dvorak and Adams
Talk about ending the year with a bang. Just a few weeks before the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is to embark on a whirlwind tour of Europe, the orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Edo de Waart, is performing an altogether thrilling program.
‘Working’ Sings of Something More Profound Than 9-to-5 Drudgery
Based on Studs Terkel’s 1974 best-selling book of oral history, this musical is now in a wonderfully realized, sweat-and-dreams production at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, where six actors portray the many and varied attitudes about work.
Deeply Rooted Dancers Set the Stage on Fire
Two questions invariably come to mind when I see Deeply Rooted Dance Theater: Why is this company not more famous? And why isn’t it championed as Chicago’s counterpart of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater?
‘The Light in the Piazza’ Dimmed By a Grand-Scale Venue
Created for Broadway, “The Light in the Piazza” is a profoundly intimate work and belongs in a space that can fully embrace that intimacy. The Lyric Opera House, where it is now being presented, is not such a place.
The Surprising Power of 2 Plays Captured on National Theatre Live
A fervent believer in the unique power of live theater, I have become quite a convert to broadcasts of live performances after seeing two superb National Theatre Live productions this past weekend.
Taking Stock of Chicago Theater as 2019 Draws to a Close
It would be all but impossible to survey the many great, good and sometimes disappointing productions of the past 12 months. But three recent shows suggest the great variety of work produced in Chicago – and the immense amount of talent here.
A Radiant Moment in Chicago History Key to Magic of Joffrey’s ‘Nutcracker’
This highly original reimagining of the classic holiday tale is a monumental production both in its storytelling and its design, yet it manages to beautifully interweave its grand scale elements with human scale emotions.
Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky Vividly Conjures ‘Three Queens’ Betrayed
In “The Three Queens,” the trilogy of semi-staged excerpts about the lives of Anne Boleyn, Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I now in a brief run at Lyric Opera, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky captures their essence to sublime vocal and dramatic effect.
Revisiting the Unique Poetry of Simon & Garfunkel’s Soundtrack
Listening to the richly faithful performances by Taylor Bloom and Ben Cooley was in many ways like stepping into a time machine. As I left the theater awash in memories, I wondered whether Simon and Garfunkel have seen the show in which they are so winningly captured.
Chicago Opera Theater Captures Extreme Passions in Pair of Life-and-Death One-Acts
As Robert Frost famously wrote: “Some say the world will end in fire, / Some in ice.” And in a very real sense it was those two opposing endgame scenarios that Chicago Opera Theater conjured this past weekend as it opened its 2019-2020 season.
‘The Wickhams’ Puts a Beguiling Twist on a Jane Austen Sequel
Northlight Theatre’s production of “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley” has a playfully feminist spirit that Jane Austen surely would have appreciated, but it also remains true to its Regency era mentality.
