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A Visceral Masterpiece, “The Royale” Hooks the Audience
When the play opens, the lights come up revealing two lit parallel rectangles, with two men in a rhythmic boxing choreography stomp, clap of hip hop syncopation – step drag, beat, pivot, beat, drop step, beat, jab, beat, parry, beat… Your heartbeat spikes, brain waves on overdrive, excitement pulling you to edge of your seat; […]
Dominique Morisseau Writes It Again With “Mud Row”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The dramas of the brilliant Dominique Morisseau always say much and do so very credibly, like the well-detailed diners and pickup trucks of photorealist artist Ralph Goings. Remy Bumppo’s latest offering is a play that starts out during the civil rights movement in a black neighborhood called “Mud Row” […]
Three Siblings Working To Find Their Way Out Of “A Dark Wood”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The Chicago premiere of “A Dark Wood”, written by Eric Coble and presented by Tin Drum Theater, is an ambiguous dystopian story in three acts. The story starts with three carefree figures, a brother and two sisters, playing in a desolate place you feel before you see it – […]
Dance Theatre of Harlem Returns, Featuring “Firebird”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The Dance Theater of Harlem performed a one-night spectacular repertoire at the Auditorium. I was ecstatic that they were back to kick off the 2026 dance season; the last time they performed at this landmark in Chicago was a decade ago – this was the first time I had […]
A Mobius Strip Like Story In “A Strange Loop” (Extended until December 13th!)
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano “A Strange Loop” is a semi-biographical musical by Michael R. Jackson, who certainly has the chops for the work – a 2020 Pulitzer for Drama and 2022 Tony for Best Musical. The Chicago premiere is presented at Raven Theatre in collaboration with About Face Theatre. This is a play […]
Witness “A Winter’s Tale”
By Wes Hessel with D’Arcy Mies It’s exciting to see CST return to their repertory roots – it’s intriguing that they are doing “A Winter’s Tale” in tandem with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. What a cool idea to juxtapose the two “seasonal” shows, both so ethereal; Midsummer so popular and staged frequently, but Winter’s Tale […]
Make Your “…Escape To Margaritaville”
By Wes Hessel with Fran Besyk Music Theater Work’s production of “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape To Margaritaville” is an absolute delight to see. With book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, music and lyrics by Mr. “Frozen Concoction” himself, you can’t help but smile throughout the entire performance, as well as sing quietly (and sometimes not […]
Boleros De Noche Musica To Fans’ Ears
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano Boleros De Noche presented their second Chicago performance at the Harris Theater, “A Night of Romance and Rhythm” with Martha Gonzalez, a Grammy award-winning composer and activist, accompanied by Venezuelan pianist Marco Antonio Godoy. Her voice echoed with passion and emotion, connecting with the audience… Hailing from Los Angeles, […]
Dial M for Marvelous
By Cate Rees-Hessel Oil Lamp Theater’s production of “Dial M for Murder” is one of the best versions of this classic play I have seen. It is brilliantly directed, with stellar attention to details. The show adapts well to an intimate setting, relying on the enormously talented cast to set the atmosphere. The stage scenic […]
BrightSide Theatre Presents A Crazy Fun Musical
By Cate Rees-Hessel BrightSide Theatre’s upbeat and energetic production of “The Addams Family Musical” is very entertaining and humorous, a portrait of the crazy, eccentric, and creepy family we all know and love. True to the original New Yorker cartoons, they live in a spooky, kooky abode in Central Park, where daughter Wednesday met the […]
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