Recent Articles
Riveting “’night Mother” Not for the Faint of Heart
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The Redtwist production of the intense play “’night Mother” portrays the broken relationship of a controlling mother and the daughter who now lives with her. Jessie (the daughter) has been sorting through things and finds her dad’s old gun. Years of hurt and resentment, loveless marriages for both, the […]
On the Hunt for “The Movement You Need”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The talented Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso’s co-creator/writer/“Coach Beard”) wrote and performs a witty one-man autobiographical show “The Movement You Need” at the Steppenwolf Theatre. He goes down memory lane: his connection to Chicago as a Southsider (Oak Lawn) and Northsider (Rogers Park), an ode to his lifelong love for […]
“Poor Behavior” Plays at Oil Lamp Theater
By Cate Rees-Hessel “Poor Behavior”, currently running at Oil Lamp Theater in downtown Glenview, is billed as a dark comedy, but I feel it is more of a serious drama with some comedic moments. This play is both edgy and gritty, laced with cynicism and raw intensity; betrayal, parental death, and suicide are among the […]
A Study of the “Fault” Lines in a Marriage
By Wes Hessel The world premiere of the intense, striking, deeply dark comedy of “Fault” boldly demonstrates what world class theater looks like – being the play is making its debut at Chicago Shakespeare, that’s not at all a surprise. The riveting work onstage by Enrico Colantoni and Rebecca Spence as the husband and wife […]
The Real “…Wives of Windsor” Make Merry
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano A who’s who of elite actors is the crux of this hilarious modern ensemble version of “The Merry Wives of Windsor”; the two wives – the outstanding Ora Jones as Mistress Page and the agile, lissome Issy Van Randwyk (Alice Ford) are the thread weaving schemers of this raucous […]
Be a Fly on the Wall of “The Angel Next Door”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano What do you do when you eavesdrop and your world turns upside down? “The Angel Next Door” is a screwball romantic comedy directed by Linda Fortunato. Oliver (Garrett Lutz) wrote a novel about a young actress he met once and fell in love with – now it’s about to […]
Experience “Theater of the Mind”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano Goodman Theater’s 100th season expands beyond their brick and mortar home to the landmark Reid Murdoch building with the immersive production of “Theater of the Mind”, created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar, directed by Andrew Scolville. Groups of 16 people at a time are escorted in punctual 15 […]
Join Court Theatre “Out Here”
By Wes Hessel with D’Arcy Mies “Out Here” is a delightful show, with fourth wall breaks from the very beginning – the audience is acknowledged and part of the show. I always say Court is theater for theatre people; this play is very self-aware, the characters saying things like, “I’m aware it’s a metaphor!” A […]
A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Confine
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano Wild Door Theater presents the Midwest premiere of “Maybe Tomorrow” in Studio B at The Athenaeum Center – the play is a Rubik’s Cube about a masterful psychological downward spiral of a game, with a play-acting couple starting in what appears to be a jail cell at first, but […]
Elvis Has Entered The Building At Marriott Theatre
By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel Marriott Theatre’s production of “Heartbreak Hotel” is a huge hit – the official Elvis Presley bio-musical is absolutely magnificent. The music is fabulous, with spectacular Broadway-worthy finales at the end of both acts. I especially loved the gospel numbers – the integration throughout of “Peace in the Valley” being […]
Follow Us!