Theater

Reviews of Chicago’s stage shows and news from the actors and actresses putting on the performances.

The actor-playwright is performing in “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at the Goodman Theatre, and Court and Lifeline are presenting two dramas she wrote.
Hollywood’s go-to character man has a star turn in a world premiere of “Turret” — from an ensemble he says is still “willing to go anywhere and try anything.”
A Gary concert by the Jacksons, a Goodman play with an all-Iranian cast and an exhibit focusing on four Chicago artists are some of the entertainment highlights of the week ahead.
There is something safe, distant, overly comfortable in how this show comes across, as much of the sharply timed acting carries with it a sense of commentary from the get-go.
The Revival is relocating from Hyde Park to South Wabash, and The Home Comedy Theater is providing an artistic residence for some iO and Second City veterans.
‘Seinfeld’ alum Jason Alexander channels George Costanza in Rob Ulin’s world premiere comedy at Chicago Shakespeare.
“Bluey’s Big Play” featuring Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and Chilli at the Auditorium Theatre, the Chicago Critics Film Festival, the Rooftop Cinema Club, and Mexico Fest at Navy Pier are among the highlights in the week ahead.
A total of 28 shows earned a Tony nod or more, with the musical “The Outsiders,” an adaptation of the beloved S. E. Hinton novel and the Francis Ford Coppola film, earning 12 nominations.
The show stars the veteran Chicago actress in a role she’s performed more than 2,000 times, in a musical built around the music of ABBA.
For her script about a misguided stage troupe, the indigenous playwright watched school holiday pageants and saw a lot of turkeys.
The Czech performer, who has fooled Penn and Teller, engages his audiences with a show of personality and interactive tricks.
The ensemble storyline captures not just a time and place, but a core theme playwright August Wilson continued to express throughout his Century Cycle.
‘Mamma Mia!’ at the Nederlander Theatre, the spring One of a Kind Show at the Mart, and the Joffrey Ballet’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” are among some of the entertainment highlights in the week ahead.
The Chicago Loop Alliance released its latest report on the Loop, finding that it offered some signs of a revival.
Actor Harry Lennix wears August Wilson’s persona with ease and grace. As he weaves together anecdotes from the playwright’s eventful life, the audience gets a direct look at the power within the man behind the pen.
English actor’s straightforward take on the tragedy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater prizes clarity above all.
Mark Montgomery, Cassidy Slaughter-Mason display great chemistry in John Patrick Shanley’s love story about hurt people.
Director/choreographer Dan Knechtges pushes the show to the outermost boundaries of broad comedy.
Alexander plays a sleazy lawyer who gets a lifechanging wakeup call in the world premiere comedy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
The play uses “hay” — actually raffia, derived from palm leaves — to cover the stage for each performance.
The veteran stand-up comedian, activist, marathoner stars as the title — and every — character in Shakespeare’s iconic work.
Expo Chicago, a Kane Brown concert and the Chicago Latino Film Festival are among the entertainment highlights of the week ahead.