Theater – Page 133 –

Eddie Weaver and cast in "A Strange Loop" at Raven Theatre in a co-production with About Face. (Joe Mazza)

Review: ‘A Strange Loop’ at Raven Theatre is very off-Loop, and breathtakingly good

By Chris Jones

October 15, 2026 at 12:45 p.m.

Michael R. Jackson's musical won the Pulitzer and Tony Awards, but it's just now being...

Highland Park native Marina Franklin, who has TV and film credits, including HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” is one of the headliners at the Funny is Female Comedy Festival, Oct. 22-25, at Comedy Plex in Oak Park. (Ashley Chappell)

‘Now there’s a girls’ club’: Funny is Female fest draws 50 comedians to Oak Park

By Myrna Petlicki

October 15, 2026 at 10:20 a.m.

More than 50 comics from around the country will be performing at the Funny is...

Ferdinand (Lawrence Grimm) and Will (Lenin Izquierdo) in "Any Rebellion of Will" at Trap Door Theatre. (George Hudson)

Review: ‘Any Rebellion of Will’ is an absurdist breath of fresh air at Trap Door Theatre

By Chris Jones

October 14, 2026 at 1:24 p.m.

This world premiere, penned by S.L. Daniels and accurately billed as a dark, absurdist comedy...

The audience departs after the final performance of "Hamilton" in Chicago on Jan. 5, 2020 at the CIBC Theatre.

‘Hamilton’ the musical is returning to Chicago this fall

By Chris Jones

February 22, 2023 at 10:09 a.m.

In a boost for the fall fortunes of the Loop's entertainment district, the hit Lin-Manuel...

The Athenaeum Theatre, rebranded as the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, in Chicago on Feb. 13, 2023.

Separation of church and stage? Athenaeum Center’s mission shift divides former tenants and employees

By Hannah Edgar

February 22, 2023 at 3:27 p.m.

After debuting a new mission statement "to revitalize the great Catholic tradition of the arts,"...

Ronald Román-Meléndez and Mi Kang in "Villette" by Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Review: ‘Villette’ a welcome if uneven take on the Bronte story by Lookingglass Theatre

By Chris Jones

February 22, 2023 at 5:40 a.m.

Welcome back, Lookingglass Theatre! The distinguished Chicago company, taking risks on original work for a...

Sarah Cartwright and Kirsten Fitzgerald in "Grey House" by A Red Orchid Theatre in 2019.

Red Orchid’s ‘Grey House’ is moving to Broadway with Laurie Metcalf in the cast

By Chris Jones

February 21, 2023 at 10:58 a.m.

"Grey House," a creepy thriller by the Chicago-trained writer Levi Holloway that premiered in 2019...

Morgan Lavenstein in Alex Goodrich in "Fen" at Court Theatre, directed by Vanessa Stalling.

Review: ‘Fen’ at Court Theatre is a rare Caryl Churchill play, set in a bleak rural community

By Chris Jones

February 21, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

At 84 years old, Caryl Churchill is the elder stateswoman of British theater and the...

The cast of the touring production of the musical "Les Misérables," playing in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

Review: ‘Les Misérables’ at the Cadillac Palace is tour that’s both timelessly excellent and of the moment

By Chris Jones

February 19, 2023 at 11:50 a.m.

For years now, I've reviewed successive touring engagements of beloved, long-lived musicals like the 37-year-old...

Charles Andrew Gardner and Mildred Marie Langford in "Boulevard of Bold Dreams" at TimeLine Theatre.

Review: ‘Boulevard of Bold Dreams’ at TimeLine has a rich story to tell about a Black actor’s Oscar

By Chris Jones

February 17, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

In 1940, the actress Hattie McDaniel won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for...

Alberto Velazquez, Victoria Jaiani and ensemble in "Anna Karenina" by Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House.

Review: With angry protests outside the Lyric and great artistry on stage, Joffrey Ballet brings back ‘Anna Karenina’

By Lauren Warnecke

February 16, 2023 at 4:12 p.m.

On arriving at the Lyric Opera House, Joffrey Ballet audiences encountered about 50 protesters standing...

Dancers perform as the Chicago Tap Theatre rehearses "Chicago Tap Theatre at 20: Tempo, Rhythm and Time" on Feb. 6, 2023, at the Visceral Dance Center.

Chicago Tap Theatre celebrates with a 20th anniversary show in a ‘golden age of tap’

By Lauren Warnecke

February 15, 2023 at 5:45 a.m.

Chicago Tap Theatre is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — though it technically crossed...

A "Betty Boop" movie house lobby card, circa 1930s, for a film by Paramount Pictures.

A new musical about Betty Boop will have pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago

By Chris Jones

February 14, 2023 at 10:18 a.m.

Boop-Oop-a-Doop! Chicago will host the world premiere of a new, Broadway-bound musical about the famous...