Chicago Theatre Review
Dead as a Dodo
The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival kicked off its 8th season with a jaw dropping production at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building tonight. Dead as a Dodo, a production from Norwegian/US theater company Wakka Wakka, tells the story of a skeleton boy and his best friend, a skeleton dodo. If the other 100+ events scheduled over the next twelve days are half as good as the show we saw tonight, you simply have to see as many of them as you can.
Read MoreMelodie de Paris
Phantom in Concert
Gloriously incandescent singing voices and soaring orchestral accompaniment are the hallmarks of Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass’ incredible concert production of Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s PHANTOM. Sadly, playing for just two weeks at Naperville’s BrightSide Theatre, this musical is based on the Gothic horror novel by Gaston Leroux. It tells the same story as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s more visually spectacular PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, now playing in Broadway in Chicago’s touring production at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. But the greatest difference is that BrightSide’s harmonic, highly enjoyable version of this book musical focuses far more on the characters and their story. It’s a production filled with soaring strains of music that doesn’t simply impress with bravado, as in the other version. The songs further the plot and define each character in a way that often brings the audience to laughter or tears. This is truly a captivating production, filled with Yeston’s “Melodie de Paris,” that absolutely should not be missed.
Read MoreLeapin’ Lizards!
Annie
Music Theater Works, under the fine Direction of Kyle Dougan-LeBlanc, assisted by Andrew Lund, is joyfully celebrating the holiday season with this lovable, tuneful, heart-warming family musical. It’s an appropriately spirited and Christmasy finale to the company’s 2025 season. And, Leapin’ Lizards! It’s hard to believe that this beloved musical classic, that’s become a part of theatre history, is now almost 50 years old!
Read MoreEverybody
Spoiler alert: No one gets out of here alive. Everybody dies.
If you had ninety minutes to find someone to accompany you in death, could you do it? Who would be your true companion? Or must we all die alone? These are the eternal questions, and the quest, that Everybody faces in this timeless, hilarious, and though-provoking production of Everybody by Couch Penny Ensemble.
Read MoreA Holiday Gift
Much Ado About Nothing
You know how every once in a while you receive an unexpected present that feels like it was created especially for you? It’s the perfect color, size and style that you would’ve chosen for yourself, but your Secret Santa knew it was exactly what you wanted. It’s like a cup of warm cocoa or a warm hug from a friend—something that only the theatre can give. Well, that’s the very special holiday gift that the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre has waiting for every theatergoer. For several reasons, I was late to this party. But I’m so very glad that, despite the bitter cold and snow, I finally made it to Navy Pier. This delightful, delectable production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING delivers so much joy, laughter and music that theatergoers may want to return to enjoy it again…and again…and again…
Read MoreDeck the Halls With Desperate Divas
The Real Housewives of the North Pole
Every year, theatergoers familiar with the work of Hell in a Handbag’s multitalented Artistic Director, David Cerda, anxiously anticipate his holiday productions. It may be either a revisit to one of their happy holiday classics, or an exciting, brand new production. This year, in celebration of the company’s 24th season, Mr. Cerda has created another original and campy Christmas confection. And this fresh and hilarious holiday production is as au courant and astonishing as it is gaudy and goofy.
Read MoreCharles Dickens Begrudgingly Performs ‘A Christmas Carol’ Again
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ timeless classic, was first published in 1853. Dickens himself publicly performed the story more than 120 times before his death in 1870. At Theatre Wit this holiday season, Dickens is still going, and he is not happy about it. I was joined for this night at the theater by my friend Gino, who is also joining me in writing this review. We both agree that this inventive show, and its strong performance by its charismatic lead, put this high on our list of shows to see this season.
Read MoreEvery creature is dancing in Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…
If there was ever a perfect, baked in opening line for a Cirque du Soleil show, it is Clement Clarke Moore’s “Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” It begs for a mischievous night in motion – and that’s what it gets.
Cirque du Soleil has been making human-powered magic for audiences since 1984, performing on 6 continents and in 86 countries in the past 40 years. ‘Twas the Night Before… is the company’s first and only holiday show.
The classic poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore, sparks Cirque’s story about a young girl who rediscovers the magic of the holidays and reconnects with her dad thanks to a fall into a magical, winter realm. But of course, the plot is incidental here. Really, it’s just a framework for an evening of the incredible acrobatics and larger-than-life staging that Cirque du Soleil is known for. Director James Hadley seamlessly brings together 26 artists from all over the world who dance, amaze and entertain to a soundtrack of many Christmas favorites re-invented with a Euro-pop beat by Cirque du Soleil.
The show has all of the classic acts you’d expect, clown, acrobats, dancers, etc. and, as you’d also expect, they are all excellent at what they do. This show in particular has a “Corps de Kpop” dance troupe that was as fun as it was of-the-moment. Another running theme of the night was the passage of small, bright lights – they were thrown, shared, and spread across the stage in several set pieces, creating a holiday appropriate festival of lights without taking away from the performances.
The audience is first ushered into the wintery realm by acrobats and dancers Arthur Morel Van Hyfte and Guillaume Paquin, as Snowflakes whirling and flying about the stage using straps. Their physical strength and grace were enough to make it feel as though we had left the real world.
Anastasiia Shlokhova took us completely out of the real world with her number, a “Hair Suspension” act, which was difficult to believe even as I watched it, and I was surprised to discover it is common enough to have a name. Shlokhova does as the name suggests – she dances, flying up and down and through the air, suspended by a strap connected only to her bun. You have to see it to believe it.
Another logic-defying act was a roller skate dance performed by Alina Suvorina and Jordan Smith, dressed like 1980s Barbie Dolls escaped from a box and living it up till caught. Suvorina came so close to the ground in several of the twists and spins she performed with Smith that the gasps from the audience became part of the soundtrack.
The Hoop Diving and Acro Table act was also wildly popular with the crowd, leaping and bounding across the stage as if gravity did not pertain to them.
What all these acts had in common, is that everyone on stage was not only at the pinnacle of their personal best physically and theatrically, they all worked together seamlessly and appeared to be having the absolute time of their lives – that is a heady mix of energy I would defy anyone to resist.
What is most fascinating, and most wonderful about Cirque du Soleil, is that the artists and production team are creating shows built on, and inspired by the work of circus arts that have been honed across many cultures for centuries, and yet, every performance feels new and exciting. This is in part because of the updated music or color, the youth of the performers or the theme, but because it is also based on the one thing that is most powerful through the ages – the miracle of what a human being, and human body can do. It simply never gets old.
This night is perfect for family and friends coming in from out of town, for a special family night out, or if you simply need to be reminded that there is magic in the world.
Highly Recommended
Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia
The Chicago Theatre is at 175 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601.
Tickets start at $39 in person at the Ticketmaster Box Office at The Chicago Theatre and at $51 when purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com. For groups of nine or more, please contact the Group Sales Department at 212-465-6080 or Group.Sales@msg.com. Accessible and companion seats are available for these shows via the Accessibility Services Department.
For more information please visit www.msg.com/the-chicago-theatre/accessibility-services.
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.
Merry Almost Christmas
A Year with Frog and Toad
Two best friends and next door neighbors, Frog and Toad share a whole year of everyday adventures that children will both identify with and enjoy watching. From baking cookies to frolicking at the beach, from raking Autumn leaves to sledding down the hillside, Frog and Toad, plus their other forest friends, enjoy their lives in the woodland together. As the year goes by lessons are learned and problems are solved because these two devoted friends care so much about each other. Children (and their grownups) will definitely be warmed by the joy and comradery found in their close friendship.
Read MoreWarm your holiday spirit with this delightful spin off the Dickens’ classic.
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol
Everyone knows the iconic Ebeneezer Scrooge and the original A Christmas Carol. Scrooge has become so ubiquitous the name is an insult, sometimes a pejorative verb, and productions and parodies abound.
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