The musical’s latest visit to Chicago, which will run through December at the Nederlander Theatre, is as grand-scale and exuberant as ever.
Stories by hedy weiss
Arthur Miller Classic ‘A View From the Bridge’ Gets a Powerful Revival by Shattered Globe Theatre
Shattered Globe Theatre’s vividly acted and deeply disturbing revival of the Arthur Miller classic “A View From the Bridge” could not have been revived at a more ideally timely moment.
Chicago Dance Crash Stages an Intriguing Exploration of Human Interaction
The pieces were brilliantly danced by five men and two women. Founded in 2002, Dance Crash continues to develop intriguing works that are a unique and seamless fusion of hip hop and contemporary dance.
Black Ensemble Theater Cooks Up a Broadway-Worthy Show With ‘A Taste of Soul’
Featuring nearly 40 hit songs, “A Taste of Soul” takes an exceptionally clever approach to celebrating the irrepressible exuberance and heartache of soul music, WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss writes.
Pared Down to the Singers and Orchestra, ‘Sunday in the Park With Lyric’ Soared
Lyric Opera’s free outdoor concert in Millennium Park served as an ideal introduction to the six operas to be performed during the 2023-24 season. The absence of scenery and costumes only put the focus entirely on the singers, but also made the characters come fully to life.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a Stunning Ravinia Performance of Shostakovich’s ‘Symphony No. 5’ and More
For the second half of its Ravinia Festival concert this past Thursday the Chicago Symphony Orchestra delivered a bravura performance of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s extraordinary “Symphony No. 5” and it couldn’t have been more timely in subtle way.
The Complex Genius of Michael Jackson Brought to Life in ‘MJ: The Musical’
Michael Jackson was an iconic singer, dancer, songwriter, producer, philanthropist and intensely complex (and controversial) figure who transformed pop culture in the second half of the 20th century.
‘Rock of Ages’ Captures the Music and Decadence of the US in the 1980s
“Rock of Ages” is a funky, feverish, hard-driving musical that is now storming across the stage of the Mercury Theater. A large, fearless and very talented cast, along with an exceptional band, capture the tumultuous beat of a decidedly “rocky” decade.
The Unfulfilled Lives of Four Men Intersect in ‘No Man’s Land’ at Steppenwolf Theatre
Four lost souls are the variously screwed-up men living in “No Man’s Land,” Harold Pinter’s strange, angry, status-conscious and somewhat absurdist talkathon of a play. It first opened in London in 1975 and is now on stage at Steppenwolf Theatre in a production directed by Les Waters.
Gospel Meets R&B as Two Stellar Performers Capture the Lives of ‘Marie and Rosetta’
“Marie and Rosetta” tells the tale of singers Marie Knight and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The play is a story of personal liberation as achieved through a hybrid of musical styles and the friendship of opposites.
Heather Headley Works Magic With a Wide-Ranging Songbook Winningly Backed by the CSO and Others
Whether she is performing songs from a Broadway musical, a familiar hymn or a gospel classic, Heather Headley possesses a voice and personality that can easily mesmerize an audience. And so she did with a grand-scale performance at Ravinia Pavilion.
CSO’s ‘Concert for Chicago’ Signals a Change of Title for Maestro Riccardo Muti, But It’s by No Means a Farewell
With an audience approaching about 8,500 people, Maestro Riccardo Muti led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the “Concert for Chicago” in Millennium Park. He ended his 13-year tenure as CSO music director but will continue to conduct some performances.
CSO’s Performance of Beethoven’s ‘Missa Solemnis’ Marks Maestro Riccardo Muti’s Symbolic Goodbye
Maestro Riccardo Muti chose Beethoven’s “Missa solemnis” as the work he wished to conduct to mark “the official end” of his glorious 13-year tenure as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has been named music director emeritus for life and will continue to lead occasional CSO performances.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Salutes the Tuba, With Musician Gene Pokorny Performing Work by Lalo Schifrin
The tuba may be one of the largest instruments in a symphony orchestra and an important source of the brass sound, but it is rarely celebrated in a work that puts it front and center by way of a masterful composer and musician.
Complex Relationships and Jazz-Driven Score Key to South Chicago Dance Theatre Premiere
Chicago’s dance scene is in high gear these days with formidable performances by ballet, modern, jazz, tap, Spanish and classical Indian companies on stages in and around the city. A case in point was this past Saturday’s one-night-only world premiere performance of “Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley” by South Chicago Dance Theatre.
A Mahler Masterwork Played Masterfully by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
If one needs any proof that calamity, whether personal and/or political, also has the power to inspire great works of art, Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 9 in D Major” can easily serve as a prime example.
Two Musicals, Both Focusing on Immigrant Life in America, Showcase Different Stylistic Approaches
Two very different musicals now on stage in Chicago — a revival of “West Side Story” at Lyric Opera, and a new work, “Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon,” at Lookingglass Theatre — are in many ways driven by the issue of immigration.
A Bravura CSO Concert Featuring Violinist Vadim Gluzman in a Shostakovich Concerto, Plus Works by Debussy and Ravel
GluzmanGuest conductor David Afkham led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Vadim Gluzman, the extraordinary guest violinist, in a riveting performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s fiendishly difficult, emotionally intense “Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor.” Perfomances of works by Ravel and Debussy rounded out the program.
At the CSO: Knockout Timpani Concerto and Glorious Rendering of Respighi Masterworks
A recent Chicago Symphony Orchestra program juxtaposed works by three masterful yet radically different composers of classical music: Wolfgang Mozart, William Kraft and Ottorino Respighi.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Celebrates Concertmaster and Performs Dazzling Works by Mozart
The latest program by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra honors Robert Chen, the orchestra’s invaluable concertmaster and masterful violinist. It also features a glimpse of a rarely revived opera.
Maestro Riccardo Muti Still on Fire at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Something magical happens when Maestro Riccardo Muti arrives on the podium at Orchestra Hall to lead the invariably superb musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
‘Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ a Stellar Musical That Grabs Hold of Mercury Theater’s Stage
The Mercury Theater production of this show, with its tragi-comic book by William Hauptman drawn straight from the Mark Twain classic and a wonderfully varied score by country music master Roger Miller, is ideally realized on every front.
Bravura Ballerina Leads a Strange but Stunningly Performed Take on ‘The Little Mermaid’
The ballet, now receiving its Chicago premiere in a grand-scale production by the Joffrey Ballet on the Lyric Opera House stage, is a strange but compelling work inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s enduring classic and features impeccible dancing.
Chekhov’s Play About Change Also Marks a Moment of Change for Director Robert Falls
“The Cherry Orchard,” Anton Chekhov’s masterful play, is about change — social, historical, financial and emotional. And change is of the essence at the Goodman Theatre too, with this production marking the retirement of artistic director Robert Falls.
Bell and Trifonov on Fire at Orchestra Hall
Violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Daniil Trifonov dazzled an Orchestra Hall audience Wednesday night, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss. The musicians, in top form, even treated the enthusiastic crowd to two encores.
‘Alan Turing’ Opera Captures the Tortured Private Life of a British Genius
Alan Turing was a genius — a brilliant English mathematician and logician who is renowned for his invaluable work as a codebreaker during World War II. But he also was a tragic figure, driven to an early death by chemical castration (and possibly by suicide) because of his homosexuality, which during his lifetime, was treated as a crime.
