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: “Bull in a China Shop” (About Face Theatre)
So often, when iconic LGBTQIA characters appear in our cultural narratives, they don’t get the same freedom to be messy and flawed as heterosexual characters would in the same circumstance. […]
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 […]
“New Worlds: Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends,” or, White Privilege Ruins the Party Again
There should be a shorthand word for the loss of fidelity you feel when you’re sure that someone you’ve always considered a hero doesn’t speak for you any longer. There […]
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: “L’Imitation of Life” (Hell In a Handbag Productions)
A film as flawed, but as arguably compelling as 1959’s “Imitation of Life” deserves a much more scathing and nuanced take-down than it ever inspired during its original run. It’s […]
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 […]