Changes in how comedy is consumed have switched the artistic emphasis from being the best to being the first.
Theater
At Goodman, Vera Stark confronts race, Hollywood
Tamberla Perry plays the titular character, a black actress struggling to make it in early Hollywood, in Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s new work, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.
From shtetl to stage, Foer adaption illuminates historical void
There is nothing “not so premium” about Next Theatre’s staging of Everything is Illuminated
Korean Student Organization brings sass act to Mandel
In KSO’s winter show, two students from different worlds initially clash, but not for long.
UT/TAPS stage heists and lows of twenty-something scam artists
In Keith Bunin’s The Credeaux Canvas young people make art, and a lot of mistakes.
Director’s Chicago theater debut tries for meaning already manifest
British director Jonathan Munby’s modern take on Julius Caesar seeks to “release” the play for modern audiences. From what, exactly, remains to be seen.
Off-Off stages economic collapse, minus the depression
Two veterans of the campus sketch comedy and improv group discuss their upcoming performance, “Great Moments in Financial History.”
UT embraces the surreal with Hotel Nepenthe
The latest from UT/TAPS promises a show to satisfy all of its audience’s senses.
Pinter’s The Birthday Party takes the cake (tastes like sadness)
Steppenwolf’s latest production is a sobering, minimalistic portrayal of the Harold Pinter classic.
Skylight on a family reunion, with failed political undertones
Like an awkward dinner with your family, Court’s new production is often difficult to relate to.
At Court Theatre, a Feast of Epiphany to be thankful for
The Dead masterfully balances holiday-themed spectacle with maudlin, Joycean truths.
For young, frustrated lovers, the play’s The Real Thing
All the world’s a stage, including your petty romances.
Logan’s black box theater lights up with youthful glow
This Is Our Youth, the latest production from UT/TAPS, proves that time doesn’t change everything.
At Lookingglass, millenia-old story’s still got the muse
For its 25th anniversary, Metamorphoses revisits the Lookingglass stage to captivating and nuanced effect.
Sondheim production scores points with hat tricks
Chicago Shakespeare Company’s staging of Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George isn’t pointless, it’s pointillist.
U of C student moves away from the YA in Steppenwolf’s The Book Thief
Third-year Rae Gray discusses her starring role in Steppenwolf’s new production and the upside of mortality.
Steppenwolf stages class act with Good People
Good people live tough in this new production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s resonant play.
More than just math problems: UT stages ‘Proof’
An unbalanced U of C math professor makes things complicated for his daughter.
At Goodman Theatre, a simple trick of fate
The Goodman Theatre stages Tennessee Williams’s play, in which an aging actress and an aspiring actor grapple with the fleeting power that sexuality affords.
The Woman in White, the audience in blankets
A Victorian mystery novel gets adapted for the Lifeline Theatre stage.
O-Issue 2012: Chicago Theater
Home to literally hundreds of theater companies, Chicago is regarded as one of the best theater scenes in the world. This is the home of improv troupe Second City, which birthed stars John Belushi, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, and…
O-Issue 2012: Campus theater
Never in my life have I been a “theater kid.” I don’t get the jokes, I haven’t read much Shakespeare, and I pride myself on having never sat through an episode of Glee. The stage is cool and all but,…
‘The Iceman Cometh,’ bearing cold comfort
O’Neill’s sometimes sobering tale of dreams and drinking problems comes to the Goodman.
Mediocre production can’t compensate for ‘Teseo’s dull plot
Chicago Opera Theater’s production of ‘Teseo’ leaves much to be desired.
When trouble calls, ‘The Receptionist’ picks up
Steep Theatre’s production of ‘The Receptionist’ is a well-acted, though uneven play.
Love among the nuptial ruins
Marguerite Duras’s play ‘La Musica’ gets a claustrophobic interpretation at the Alliance Francaise.
At Logan, a theatrical method to an artist’s madness
University Theater stages the world premiere of an adaptation of Stanislavski’s book on how to act, “An Actor Prepares.”
With fire and water, “Beowulf” wages war in Hutch Courtyard
The Classical Entertainment Society, along with the Dance Council and members of Le Vorris & Vox circus put on a fiery production of “Beowulf” in Hutch Courtyard.
Civil War drama at Steppenwolf covers scorched ground
As General Sherman marches his Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas, a moving historical drama unfolds.
Court Theatre stages America’s demons with ‘Angels’
Kushner’s epic dramatization of America anguish comes to the South Side.
Theatre Zarko’s new production is thin on plot, thick on puppets
“He Who” uses puppets, Latin chanting, and eerie music to explore the patriarchal structure of modern society.
If Shakespeare be a labor of love, play on
Dean’s Men and UT ‘Twelfth Night’ collaboration promises music, comedy, and military fatigues.
Brotherly love takes a tumble in ‘True West’
Two brothers duke it out in UT’s ‘True West.’
‘Bittersweet’ leaves a bad taste
Hyde Park Community Players’ ‘Bittersweet Love’ is well-intentioned but could use a little work.
RSO Spotlight | Korean Students Organization
The University’s longest-running culture show graces the stage once again.
UT’s Weekend of Workshops is a theatrical grab bag
This year’s batch of UT Weekend of Workshop is a theatrical potpurri.
‘Dark Play’ proves that all’s fair in love and cyberwar
Collaboraction’s latest play explores the darker dimensions of cyberspace.
War and peace: ‘Time Stands Still’ grapples with both
Steppenwolf’s ‘Time Stands Still’ garners powerful but unpolished performances.
In Mamet’s ‘Race,’ nobody wins
At the Goodman Theatre, David Mamet’s ‘Race’ examines more than just skin color.
Court shines light on ‘Invisible Man’
Court Theatre’s ‘Invisible Man,’ successfully captures the spirit of Ellison’s novel.
Esteemed professors get silly in Quad Club Revels
In Quad Club Revels, University staff and faculty lampoon community and university traditions.
True story or tall tale? Either way, it fails
True Story has great tales but poor delivery.
‘Tis the season to be rat king
House’s piece is an atmospheric tour-de-force, that gives us moments of both levity and menace.
A single Iliad launches a thousand stories
The message is clear, and the horrors of war are apparent.
Maple and Vine opens a whole can of worms
Is happiness really possible in 1955? And if not in 1955, when?
UT stages a rocky family reunion
Minimal words, props and settings build the play’s madness.
At Court Theatre, an epic 24-hour reading
The University of Chicago’s Classical Entertainment Society has set out to read all 24 books of Homer’s Iliad this weekend in promotion of Court Theatre’s upcoming play, An Iliad.
Graham Cracker grows up with director Mendoza
Graham Cracker is a drama with just the right mix of humor and romantic comedy thrown in.
The little Encyclopedia Show that could
Though not perfect, The Encyclopedia Show ultimately makes for a quirky, humorous, and very entertaining performance.
Steppenwolf spotlight on U of C alum
The Chicago Maroon sat down with Weber to discuss his new play Want and to dole out a bit of advice to aspiring U of C actors.