Review: “Crumbs From the Table of Joy” (Raven Theatre Company)
Ernestine Crump’s family is in dire straits. She and her sister have lost their mother to illness, and their father to grief. He has moved the family from down South […]
Sarah Bowden
Review: “Nightmares & Nightcaps: The Stories of John Collier” (Black Button Eyes Production)
Sharing stories is part of human nature. The act bonds people together, showing us how others’ experiences reflect and rhyme with our own. Stories tell us we are not alone. […]
Review: “The Harvest” (Griffin Theatre Company)
Faith is an uncertain thing. It is meant to provide surety about all of life’s highs and lows, planting the faithful in a philosophy that demonstrates how belief outlasts turmoil […]
Review: “Hamlet” (The Gift Theatre)
“Hamlet” is essentially a play about oppression. The prince of Denmark is kept from being king by a tyrannical leader, he is being spied upon at every turn, and he […]
Review: “The Revolutionists” (Organic Theater Company)
In general, there is not much to celebrate about the French Revolution. The Reign of Terror claimed innocent lives, and the massacre that spread from Paris to the countryside is […]
Review: “Damascus” (Strawdog Theatre Company)
“You don’t know what I’m thinking.” So says Hasan (Terence Sims) to Lloyd (Sam Hubbard), and the tense silence they share in the wake of these words defines “Damascus,” a […]
“The Call To Criticism In Uncertain Times”
Kris Vire was laid off from Time Out Chicago this week. He was a senior editor, he covered theatre and LGBTQ events, and he had been writing for the outlet […]
Review: “Birds of a Feather” (Greenhouse Theater Center)
Love is a rare bird. Maybe it’s as majestic as a hawk, or as utilitarian as a penguin, but it is always unique, and all metaphorical bird-watchers would do well […]
Review: “9 to 5 The Musical” (Firebrand Theatre)
The problems that the secretaries of Consolidated Industries faced in “9 to 5,” that 1980 blockbuster comedy now turned stage musical, are depressingly present in the workplace today. There is […]
Review: “Through the Elevated Line” (Silk Road Rising)
When asked to compare where he’s from to his new Uptown existence, Iranian immigrant Razi says that his homeland feels like another universe. The Mexican immigrant he’s talking to quickly […]