Spotlight on Reviews

"Falsettos" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** “Falsettos” is an unusual musical in that it defies classification. It’s about the angst-ridden lives of six New Yorkers, but it’s not annoying – at least most of the time. It has funny bits, but it’s not a comedy. It has really sad bits, but it’s not a tragedy. The entire script is sung, but it’s not an opera or even an operetta. It’s actually a musical soap opera about “homosexuals with children”, but it’s also a beautiful musical experience sung by six outstanding voices. 4 Spotlights

Reviews by Carol Moore

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"The Adventures of Augie March" - Review by Carol Moore

*** Recommended *** I’ve had a hard time writing about Court Theatre’s production of “The Adventures of Augie March”. If you haven’t read Saul Bellow’s 1953 coming-of-age novel about a man-child – and I haven’t – you’ll probably have a hard time with this adaptation. It was difficult to keep track of the forty-some characters played by an ensemble cast of thirteen. I read somewhere that Bellow’s novel meanders through several hundred pages – this stage production meandered through three long acts, coming in at a little over three hours (and two intermissions). 3 Spotlights

Reviews by Carol Moore

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“La Havana Madrid” - Review by Carol Moore

**** Highly Recommended **** I was delighted when I read that Teatro Vista was restaging “La Havana Madrid”, this time at the Den Theatre. Sandra Delgado’s well-researched play about La Havana Madrid, a nightclub which was located on the second floor of a building on the corner of Belmont and Sheffield, melds the sounds of mambo and salsa with some of the stories of the people of all ages who frequented the club. “La Havana Madrid” is in my top ten favorite shows of all time! 4 BIG Spotlights

Reviews by Carol Moore

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"Miracle" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Highly Recommended **** I have to confess, I am a Cub fan, so, of course. I loved “Miracle”. If I were a Sox fan – or a fan of any other major league team - I doubt if I’d be so excited. “Miracle” is the perfect musical for Cub fans of all ages, because the 2016 World Series win meant so much to so many people. I am here to tell all of those fans that for me, watching “Miracle” was like watching the World Series all over again! 4 BIG Spotlights

Reviews by Carol Moore

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"Next to Normal" - Review by Jeffrey Leibham

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** What a joy it is to have the supremely talented director David Cromer back at Writers Theatre. The North Shore native, who has been living in New York City for the past decade, returns to direct his sixth show (but the first in the new Writers Theatre building) with a touching and simply sensational rendering of the 2009 musical "Next to Normal." Chicagoland audiences once again have a chance to see the very special magic that a director as gifted as Cromer can bring to a show, and all of this only a year after Cromer's Broadway production of the musical "The Band's Visit" swept the 2018 Tony Awards ceremony, winning Cromer the coveted Best Director trophy. 4 SPOTLIGHTS

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"The Winter's Tale" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** I enjoyed everything about the Goodman Theatre’s production of “The Winter’s Tale”, which is so rarely produced I’d only seen it once before. “The Winter’s Tale” is not one of Shakespeare’s comedies, although it has some rather hilarious comedic elements. On the other hand, it’s not a tragedy, either. This tale of lost children, star-crossed lovers, murder and mayhem might just qualify as a rom-com. 4 Spotlights

Reviews by Carol Moore

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"Mama's Boy" - Review by Carol Moore

Highly Recommended **** Sometimes, I just can’t get to our local theaters on opening weekend, even though that’s always my preference. Excuses, excuses, you might say, but I really couldn’t see the Towle Theater’s production of “Mama’s Boy” until later in the run. On the other hand, I was there for a Talk-Back session with the cast, crew, and playwright, Rob Urbinati, who’d flown in from New York to see the show. I wish I could have gotten this review written before the show closed, because it was so very well done. Maybe because I remember watching Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV, this play really resonated for me. 4 Spotlights

Community Reviews

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"Dames at Sea" - Review by Carol Moore

**** Recommended **** If you’re looking for something fun to do, then Theatre at the Center’s new musical comedy, “Dames at Sea”, is the show for you. “Dames at Sea”, a 1969 off-Broadway hit, is an old-fashioned ‘boy-meets-girl, girl-becomes-star’ tap dance show, kind of. At any rate, this campy mash-up of “42nd Street”, “Anything Goes” and “On the Town”, this is the show that made Bernadette Peters a star! 4 Spotlights

Reviews by Carol Moore

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"West Side Story" - Review by Jeffrey Leibham

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** If you have never seen "West Side Story" on stage before, the current production at Lyric Opera of Chicago, part of their Broadway at Lyric series, may just be the most definitive version of this beloved musical that's available and you are highly encouraged to seek it out. Conversely, if you feel that you have seen this show too many times before, well, you have never seen it like this. Get your tickets now or you will be missing out on a unique opportunity to see it on such a grand scale. Regardless of your history with this show, Francesca Zambello's production of "West Side Story" is stellar for three very distinct reasons. 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS

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