Theater News
1. In this zesty 'Zorro,' the secret weapon is James Elly
By Chris Jones - May 14, 2008
The joint has barely enough room to swing a rapier. And it could never have accommodated the egos, spittle or fiscal demands of Tyrone Power or Douglas Fairbanks. But when it comes to swashbuckling literary adaptations, Lifeline Theatre has the corner on the retro market. Even by Lifeline's lofty...
2. Navy Pier provides the perfect setting for Barbara Gaines to serve up Shakespeare, Chicago-style
Chris Jones - May 14, 2008
With its gorgeous balcony overlooking tall ships, promenading visitors to Navy Pier and a shimmering Lake Michigan, the neatly arranged office of the artistic director of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater is probably the nicest such digs of any theater in America. Especially on a sunny July...
3. Tony Award goes to Chicago Shakespeare; Steppenwolf gains 7 nominations
By Chris Jones - May 14, 2008
Shakespeare Theater wins regional award; 'August' grabs 7 nominations
4. Second City e.t.c. offers a fireball of funny
By Chris Jones - May 13, 2008
Second City e.t.c. always faces a tough conundrum. It has to be sufficiently edgy and experimental that its parent institution doesn't seem in a creative rut. But on weekend nights when the main stage sells out, it also has to deliver enough laughs for a general audience out on the town and in...
5. Credit goes to rewrite man for this 'Comedy of Errors'
By Chris Jones - May 10, 2008
William Shakespeare must have a much better agent than Ron West. Open the playbill to Barbara Gaines' long, rollicking and bifurcated new production of "The Comedy of Errors" for Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and there's Bill's moniker in its usual spot right below the title. Heck, they named this...
6. Tony Awards
Tribune wire reports - May 13, 2008
"In the Heights," a lively snapshot of Latino life in Upper Manhattan, received 13 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, more than any other show. A lush, lavish revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" took 11 nominations, followed by "Sunday in the Park With George" with nine. Three shows...
7. Complete list of nominees for the 2008 Tony Awards
By The Associated Press - May 13, 2008
A complete list of nominations for the 62nd annual Tony Awards:Play (and playwrights): "August: Osage County" (Tracy Letts), "Rock 'n' Roll" (Tom Stoppard), "The Seafarer" (Conor McPherson), "The 39 Steps" (Patrick Barlow).Musical: "Cry-Baby," "In the Heights," "Passing Strange," "Xanadu...
8. Eddie Izzard: Sorry no stilettos, let's talk about God
By Chris Jones - May 8, 2008
When the English actor and monologist Eddie Izzard showed up in Chicago in 2000 and 2003, he appeared exactly as advertised. High heels, sparkle and all. But for his upcoming weekend of shows at the Chicago Theatre, the multivalent, multilingual, stream-of-intellectual-consciousness entertainer has...
9. 'Our Town' director David Cromer does this town proud
By Chris Jones - May 8, 2008
Last week in New York, David Cromer picked up best-director nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk. He won a Lucille Lortel award this week for outstanding direction. All were for his critically acclaimed production of "The Adding Machine." Also last week, Cromer opened a...
10. This week
FRIDAY 10 Virgins: Laura Jacquin's fanciful new play follows 10 girls who live alone in a swamp. Jacquin, a Chicago writer, recently won the $25,000 Wendy Wasserstein Prize for an outstanding script by an emerging female playwright. Through June 1 by Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.; $...
11. Victory Gardens is selling its Greenhouse
—Chris Jones - May 8, 2008
Victory Gardens Theater announced Friday that it is selling its former long-time home (2257 N. Lincoln Ave.) for $2.5 million.The building, known as the Victory Gardens Greenhouse, is now home to such rental troupes as Remy Bumppo and Shattered Globe—and also once housed the legendary Body...
12. The recipe for 'Shout': Fun music and cocktails in the lobby
By Chris Jones - May 2, 2008
NEW YORK—"Let's face it," says Victoria Lang, the New York producer of the musical revue "Shout! The Mod Musical," "most buyers of theater tickets are women over 50 years old. But my husband likes this show too. There are a lot of pretty young girls in miniskirts."There you have it. The great...
13. '9 Parts of Desire' explores Iraqi women's lives
By Nina Metz - May 2, 2008
As a kid from suburban East Lansing, Mich., Heather Raffo's years growing up in the 1980s were typically Midwestern. Only as an adult did she became fully aware of her Iraqi lineage, thanks to the war and the ignorance among Americans concerning Iraqis. This weekend, the 37-year-old...
14. 'Love' and laughs at the Noble Fool; 'Cake' and confidences at the Citadel
By Kerry Reid - May 2, 2008
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change: In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to love—and savvy producers start thinking of ways to capitalize on it. Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Rogers' show, the longest running musical comedy revue in off-Broadway history, also enjoyed a years-long run...
15. Looptopia returns
—Kevin Williams - April 28, 2008
Overnight fest promises to be one 'L' of a time
16. John Waters' 'Cry-Baby' treads line on Broadway between camp and crass
By Chris Jones - April 25, 2008
The titles of the musical numbers alone reveal that "Cry-Baby," the new Broadway musical version of the 1990 John Waters film, is a very different beast from "Hairspray." Instead of the sweetly aspirational "Good Morning Baltimore," this time the Waters-inspired curtain rises on "The Anti-Polio...
17. This week
Saturday Old Town: The Chicago playwright Brett Neveu turns to the ripe arena of classic Cook County politics for his first play with music. Through May 31 at Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway; $20; 773-528-9696 and strawdog.org. Sunday Around the World in 80 Days: In the centerpiece of...
18. This week
FRIDAY Not a Game for Boys: Simon Block's new British comedy probes the dog-eat-dog world of table tennis. No Ping-Pong here. Through June 1 by A Red Orchid Theater, 1531 N. Wells St.; 312-943-8722 and redorchidtheatre.org. Macbeth: The long-lived Chicago company with an emphasis on the...
19. 3 ways to approach a killer tale
By Web Behrens - April 22, 2008
From the stage to the screen and back, 'Sweeney Todd' adaptations prove versatility of Sondheim play
20. Boomer nostalgia invades Broadway
By Sid Smith - April 22, 2008
Fractured nostalgia spurs recent blitz on Broadway
21. Robert Falls sets goals for a global Goodman Theatre
By Chris Jones - April 22, 2008
After 20 years at the artistic helm of Chicago's pre-eminent theater company, Robert Falls was feted, saluted and otherwise glorified so many times that even the honoree became sick of it all. With a glass in his hand, an attentive audience of Chicago's wealthiest arts philanthropists and a...
22. An unflinching look at 'The Oldest Profession'
By Kerry Reid - April 22, 2008
The Oldest Profession: "The Golden Girls" was never like this. Paula Vogel's early Reagan-era piece traces the diminishing fortunes of an aging madam and four of her employees who are also "of a certain age" through 50 years of friendship. Containing echoes of both Brecht and Bessie Smith (the...
23. Would Broadway be game for a musical about football?
By Chris Jones - April 22, 2008
'Rockne' has great characters, and even guys will buy tickets
24. 'Kid From Brooklyn' to call Chicago home
" The Kid From Brooklyn" is headed to Chicago. Subtitled "The Danny Kaye Musical," this new show was penned by Mark Childers and Peter J. Loewy and is based on the troubled life of the iconic entertainment figure. Brian Childers (the brother of the writer) will star as Kaye under Loewy's direction,...
25. Steppenwolf giving 'Steady Rain' scribe a first look
By Chris Jones - April 22, 2008
A new play by Keith Huff, the Chicago playwright who penned the hit drama "A Steady Rain," is slated for this summer's annual First Look Festival at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.Huff's "Pursued by Happiness" is a meet-the-parents comedy with a twist: The lovers are biochemists in their 40s. Also...
