Theater – Page 170 –

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...

“Hairspray” in Chicago

By Contributed Content

January 31, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

The touring Broadway musical "Hairspray" arrives in Chicago for a two-week run at the CIBC...

Richard Christiansen in 2002. His famed tenure at the Tribune lasted from 1978 to 2002.

Richard Christiansen has died at 90 — a critic who sparked a glorious theatrical fire in a city he loved

By Chris Jones

January 28, 2022 at 6:39 p.m.

If any journalist could be said to have lit the spark for an artistic movement,...

Review: ‘Bachelor: The Unauthorized Parody Musical’ at the Apollo is funny, well sung and a fine night out

By Chris Jones

January 28, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.

The song list is a clue to the fun to be had: "Sob Story," "First...

Steppenwolf Theatre is opening its new in-the-round theater and education center on it's expanded campus on Halsted Street, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Chicago theater is in the midst of another lousy COVID winter, bruised but determined to recover — how will it?

By Chris Jones

January 27, 2022 at 12:02 p.m.

As temperatures plummet and snow flies, Chicagoans head to the theater. Or so they did...

Review: ‘The Moors’ at Red Orchid is a fresh take on a creepy, Bronte-like world

By Chris Jones

January 23, 2022 at 1:25 p.m.

Karen Aldridge, a Chicago actress of longstanding international acclaim, finds herself playing a bizarre but...

Anita Nicole Brown, left, and Valentine Azbelle, both of Chicago, dance at the year's first SummerDance event in Grant Park's Spirit of Music Garden in Chicago on June 23, 2017.

2022 will be the Year of Chicago Dance, with robust programs planned for summer

By Lauren Warnecke

January 21, 2022 at 10:47 a.m.

Chicagoans can expect an uptick in dance events this year. Announced Friday, 2022 is officially...

BoHo Theatre announces Elizabeth Swanson as new artistic director

By Doug George

January 20, 2022 at 1:52 p.m.

BoHo Theatre Company on Thursday announced that Elizabeth Swanson will be its new artistic director....

Daniel Fish attends the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 09, 2019 in New York City.

Touring ‘Oklahoma!’ has been controversial in Chicago — its director explains what he was thinking

By Chris Jones

January 20, 2022 at 2:47 p.m.

Many readers have written in with their thoughts about the radical touring production of the...

Jackie Taylor, founder and leader of Black Ensemble Theater, and Daryl D. Brooks, producing managing director, in the theater at 4450 N. Clark St. in Chicago on Sept. 2, 2020.

Black Ensemble Theater announces new shows for 2022

By Doug George

January 13, 2022 at 3:06 p.m.

Chicago's Black Ensemble Theater on Thursday announced a new season of shows for 2022, with...

Joffrey Ballet, Court Theatre in the latest COVID postponements for live shows

By Doug George

January 13, 2022 at 2:42 p.m.

As Illinois reaches what might be peak omicron, Chicago theaters and performance companies have announced...