**** Recommended **** The Paramount Theatre production of “Newsies” is nothing short of spectacular and it’s based on a true story. In 1899, a ragtag bunch of orphans and runaways forced Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst to fairly compensate their newsboys. “Newsies” has terrific choreography, athletic, high energy and exciting! You’ll want to put “Newsies” on your must-see list. “Newsies” gets 4 Spotlights.
Highly Recommended ***** I have often said that when Janet Ulrich Brooks is in a play, any play, anywhere, I will make sure that I am in the house. I love watching her work! No matter the characters she is asked to play, they are always played to perfection. That is pretty much proved again in her latest triumph, “Tiny Beautiful Things” based on the book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos.
**** Highly Recommended **** I am not embarrassed to admit that my siblings and I are “Monty Python aficionados. At our house, reciting passages of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” verbatim was normal dinner conversation for my siblings and me. When I heard Eric Idle had written a musical version of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, I knew I had to see it. So, long before I started writing reviews, I saw “Spamalot” in Chicago before it went to Broadway. I’ve seen at least five productions of the show, and it still makes me laugh. Mercury Theater’s production of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” was hysterical! 4 Big Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** “Midsummer (A Play with Songs)” is a delightful rom-com about two people who fell madly in lust on a wild weekend in Edinburgh. It’s been compared to “Once” but I think it’s unique. It’s just these two quirky people who go completely off the rails, alternately narrating the story of their weekend, while picking up a guitar or a ukulele or even a keyboard and singing about their feelings. Like I said, unique! 4 Big Spotlights
**** Recommended **** Remy Bumppo’s production of “Howard’s End”, based on E.M. Forster’s classic novel, is a beautifully staged play about life in Victorian England; and an illustration of that old adage – what goes around, comes around. The cast is outstanding, the costumes period-perfect, and it was fascinating to watch as a simple rearrangement of the same 3 or 4 pieces of furniture and a new projection on the wall transformed the set into different drawing rooms, a tenement, a park bench and even a car. 4 Spotlights
**** Recommended **** The Towle Theatre's production of “The Smell of the Kill” is a really funny but dark comedy. Three couples get together for dinner once a month. After cleaning up, the women are having after-dinner drinks in the kitchen while their husbands play some kind of golf (?) in the dining room. Everything seems to be normal – until it’s not! You’ll be laughing all the way home from this one. 3 ½ Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** “Something Rotten” is an absolutely zany romp through Elizabethan England – with some modern tongue-in-cheek cracks added for the fun of it. Be prepared for rapid-fire delivery, huge production numbers, slapstick humor, silly costumes, double entendres, a dab of Mel Brooks, a pinch of “Spamalot” and bits and pieces of almost every Broadway musical ever written. I loved the Broadway in Chicago touring show, but I have to say seeing it done on Marriott’s more intimate stage really worked. I laughed so much my cheeks hurt! 4 BIG Spotlights
★★★★ With age comes wisdom — at least that is the hope regarding the careers of our most relevant writers. Over the course of the past four decades, Harvey Fierstein has made a significant mark on the theatre world, not only as a playwright but also as an actor.
Somewhat Recommended ** Often, when one adapts a classic work, those familiar with the original have a difficult time following the new and modern version. On The Spot Theatre Company is a brave, fairly new company that dares to be creative with classic works. Their current production, now on the upstairs Studio at The Greenhouse Theater Center is a U.S. Premiere of “Sons and Lovers”, based on the novel by D.H.Lawrence. which has been adapted and directed by Mike Brayndick.
**** Highly Recommended **** I didn’t know too much about “The Band’s Visit” before it came to Chicago, other than it had won 10 Tony Awards in 2018, including Best Musical. Just knowing that, I had pretty high expectations, and I’m happy to say that “The Band’s Visit” was even better than I expected. It’s not a huge Broadway musical, but it’s funny and poignant and heart-warming and I really enjoyed it. 4 Spotlights
