Chicago gets shout-outs as ‘Kinky Boots,’ Steppenwolf vie for Tonys
With abundant nominations for two productions first seen here — the Cyndi Lauper musical and the revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” — the city’s theater scene again proves it can take N.Y. by storm.
Joffrey Ballet’s ‘Othello’ positively stunning
HEDY WEISS: Revival of Lar Lubovitch’s masterpiece at the Auditorium Theatre suggests Shakespeare’s tragedy may best be told with dance.
‘Kinky Boots’ gets a leading 13 Tony Award nods
NEW YORK — The Cyndi Lauper-scored “Kinky Boots” has earned a leading 13 Tony Award nominations, with the British import “Matilda: The Musical” close behind with 12. “Kinky Boots” is based on the 2005 British movie about a real-life shoe factory that struggles until it …
Stage almost empty but full of emotion in ‘Yellow Moon’
HEDY WEISS: Scottish playwright David Grieg’s way with words is apparent in the Writers’ Theatre production of his play about a rebellious Glasgow teen on the run with a shy girl from a refugee family.
ACT II: A second look at area stages — Dancing Shakespeare
Choreographers of both classical ballet and modern dance have long found inspiration in Shakespeare. His plays have inspired many versions of “Romeo and Juliet,” as well as memorable takes on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Hamlet” and “The Tempest.” It was …
‘Anything Goes’ sails with sensational touring company
HEDY WEISS: The gloriously goofy Cole Porter musical arrives with powerhouse Broadway star Rachel York and one terrific song after another.
A Red Orchid Theatre’s youth ensemble probes intolerance, violence
HEDY WEISS: “Many more people need to be exposed” to plays about violence, says one teen cast member.
Cluchey, Beckett — unlikely collaborators forge friendship, stage works
This is the story of an inquisitive prisoner and a legendary playwright who would become unlikely friends and collaborators.
San Quentin State Prison seems the last place one would expect the avant-garde plays of Samuel Beckett to be appreciated. But Rick Cluchey is living proof …
The Guide — Theater Listings 04.26.13
OPENING BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS. Raven Theatre presents Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical story about growing up in Brooklyn in the years before World War II. Directed by Cody Estle. Previews April 30-May 4. Opens May 6. Thu-Sat, 7:30 pm; Sun, 3 pm. $22-$45. To June 29. Raven …
Rarely staged ‘Pal Joey’ a zippy affair at Porchlight
For much of “Pal Joey,” the edgy, funny, infrequently revived Rodgers and Hart musical now in a zesty Porchlight Music Theatre production, two women — Vera Simpson (Susie McMonagle), a winningly jaded middle-aged socialite, and Linda English (lovely Laura Savage), a pretty, smarter-than-she-seems young shop …
16th Street Theater nabs emerging theater award
The 16th Street Theater, which has developed into an important cultural outpost in the Berwyn community in recent seasons, has been selected as the recipient of the 2013 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award.
The award, overseen by the League of Chicago Theatres, comes with …
‘Still Alice’ at Lookingglass delivers powerful ‘long good-bye’
At once devastating and enthralling, “Still Alice” is not an easy show to watch, but it is riveting from first second to last. And for anyone who wishes to be reminded of the power of theater — and its ability to explore the most complex, …
OPENING BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS. Raven Theatre presents Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical story about growing up in Brooklyn in the years before World War II. Directed by Cody Estle. Previews April 30-May 4. Opens May 6. Thu-Sat, 7:30 pm; Sun, 3 pm. $22-$45. To June 29. Raven …
‘Happiest Song’ spins a tiresome, apologetic tale
HEDY WEISS: The homefront half of Quiara Alegria Hudes’s new play works, but the premise behind another storyline in the aftermath of war is hard to stomach.
‘Big Fish’ catches wave of America’s ‘Greatest Generation’
HEDY WEISS: In its world premiere, the Broadway-bound musical boasts impressive visuals but doesn’t really grab the heart until it gets real in Act 2. You can’t help but root for star Norbert Lee Butz, whose energy is both enormous and easeful.
