- Human Terrain (Broken Nose Theatre) – Military drama loses the audience until the stakes raise.
- The Ben Hecht Show (Grippo Stage Company) – Famous screenwriter spins a warm, intellectual yarn.
- The Divine Sister (Hell in a Handbag Productions) – Nuns fail to fascinate in a weak camp comedy.
- World Builders (First Floor Theatre) – Isolated life, or the perils of human interaction? CHOOSE WISLEY.
- Out of the Blue (Organic Theater Company) – Russian boy comes out and melodramatic predictability ensues.
- Chicago Doo-Wop Dreams (MCL Chicago) – I’m still singing the main song to myself days later.
- The Irish Curse (Level 11 Theatre) – Sir, can I interest you in some theatrical male enhancement?
- Eurydice (BoHo Theatre) – New world discovered in the footnotes of a timeless story
- The Seagull (The Artistic Home) – Intimate venue and strong ensemble work generate a haunting revival.
- Once in a Lifetime (Strawdog Theatre Company) – Fitting end for old venue. Well executed. Fuffy, inane fun.
- Twisted Knots (TTKD Productions) – Two (maybe?) strangers meet in a hotel room, evoking snores.
- The Secretaries (About Face Theatre) – I can never unsee what happened between Dawn and Susan.
- The Lion in Winter (Promethean Theatre Ensemble) – Classic play about politics and family shines with fresh energy.
- Dreamgirls (Porchlight Music Theatre) – I can’t get the theme song out of my head!
- The House of Blue Leaves (Raven Theatre) – Weak script does not stifle strong performances in revival.
- A Splintered Soul (ARLA Productions) – Smart, sensitive direction and design work strengthen predictable story.
- The Land of Never-Lack (Cave Painting Theater Company) – Don’t cross Irish faeries, they’ll punish you with lackluster theater.
- In the Time of Butterflies (Teatro Vista) – Wonderful ensemble work a highlight of this poetic, political drama.
- A Number (Runcible Theatre Company) – At sixty minutes this play is an hour too long.
- The Women of Lockerbie (AstonRep Theatre Company) – Women in mourning attempt to heal after the Lockerbie disaster.
- Mary Page Marlowe (Steppenwolf Theatre) – A woman’s life; not the biggest revelation, but still beautiful.
- Trash (New American Folk Theatre) – Entertaining performances and sharp direction cannot salvage a divided script.
- The Misanthrope (Piccolo Theatre) – A Moliere translation for a new generation. This play matters.
- Adding Machine: A Musical (The Hypocrites) – Man is victim of own inertia in a whirlwind world.
- Mosque Alert (Silk Road Rising) – Strong performances anchor this spirited debate with no easy answers.
- The Life of Galileo (Remy Bumppo) – An ignorant populace helps the powerful maintain control throughout history.
- Dreams of the Penny Gods (Halcyon Theatre) – Clunky writing hampers script that aims to be something more.
- Broken Record: A Contemporary Musical (Stage 773) – This musical from hilarious Chicago improvisers packs an emotional wallop.
- How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients (Trap Door Theatre) – Off kilter reds do things. I hunger for an explanation.
- The Edge of Our Bodies (TUTA Theatre Chicago) – Precocious teenage schoolgirl emerges from high stakes situations rather unscathed.
- Rent (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre) – Play and venue meld together perfectly in this intimate production.
- Mary Poppins (NightBlue Performing Arts Company) – Chimney sweep steals the show, but we really don’t mind.
- Rolling (Jackalope Theatre) – Home: where family judges you in your hour of need.
- Muse of Fire (Genesis Theatrical Productions) – How important is comedy? It’s a life or death issue.
- The Explorers Club (Windy City Playhouse) – Silliness perpetrated by inept gentlemen scientists and one skillful woman.
- The Old Friends (Raven Theatre) – Family Feuds? Money Squabbles? Torrid Affairs? Everything’s bigger in Texas.
- The Drawer Boy (Redtwist Theatre) – We each live in a myth of memory. But whose?
- Sparky! (Lifeline Theatre) – A slow moving thing. Also, a play about a sloth.
- The Consultant (Signal Ensemble Theatre) – Signal Ensemble ends not with a bang, but a whimper
- Byhalia, Mississippi (The New Colony & Definition Theatre) – How, when, and why do you choose to forgive someone?
- London Wall (Griffin Theatre) – Leisurely day at the office could pick up the pace.
- The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (City Lit Theater) – Gilded Age, while beautiful, suffers under its own sparkly paint.
- Tail Eats Snake: Part Deux (The Side Project) – Sixteen plays celebrate 16 years of similarly solid new works.
