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“Sister Act” Shines
By Cate Rees-Hessel Drury Lane’s stellar production of “Sister Act” is a must-see production this holiday season. Audiences can enjoy this trip to the 1970’s in this beautifully decorated theater, and this production has something for everyone: innovatively wonderful costumes, illuminating lighting, beautiful vocals, and an enormously talented cast. In the role of Curtis Jackson […]
“Much Ado About…” So Much
By Wes Hessel with Beth Tomas Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier is at it again, delivering The Bard’s best. This time the play is “Much Ado About Nothing”, but in their production, there is much about everything, starting with a striking minimalist stage jutting into the audience – the design in the back of the […]
Ensemble Español 50th Anniversary Celebration
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The Auditorium Theatre’s 50th Anniversary of Ensemble Español commemoration was a sold out house for this unique dance company that started with Dame Libby Komaiko’s dream, going on to make its mark significantly on the Chicago dance scene. Irma Suarez Ruiz took over the reins as artistic director in […]
“White Christmas” Sparkles This Holiday Season
By Cate Rees-Hessel Paramount Theater’s “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the Musical” is an absolutely perfect holiday show. The sets are charming: a huge barn with wonderful backdrops, a busy train, the quaint Vermont Inn itself, the Ed Sullivan Show studio, and an exclusive New York City club are welcoming and colorful. There is actual cold […]
It’s Worth a Million
By Cate Rees-Hessel If you can only see one holiday show this season, make it Lincolnshire Marriott Theater’s “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas”. This high energy production is a Christmas gift wrapped in fabulous music; the entire cast is truly amazing. Jed Fedder is one of the best drummers I have seen onstage, not to mention […]
As You Will Love It
By Wes Hessel & Cate Rees-Hessel When you wait for Writers Theater’s production of “As You Like It” to start, the pre-show music one might think is a nice little bookend to get you in the mood and set the stage. But when the band starts playing a song introduced by the band leader Jaques […]
Prepare The Way of the Lord
By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel Originally a masters thesis project in 1970 at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, 55 years later this iconic play continues to be popular. Musical Theater Works updated production of “Godspell” is the best rendition of this musical I have seen to date. The entire cast is extremely talented, with […]
“Gaslight” Demonstrates Well Where the Word Comes From
When a term or phrase becomes so associated with a concept that it is the definitive description, it takes on a life of its own. Such is “Gaslight” – the play, originally written in 1938, illustrates the idea of someone, in this case a woman in the Victorian era, being manipulated with the intent of […]
There’s No Place Like “Rome”
By Catherine Rees-Hessel with D’Arcy Mies Chicago Shakespeare favorites the Q Brothers Collective bring their upbeat vibe and style of genius to the stage. We loved their Othello, and absolutely couldn’t get enough of a Q Christmas Carol. Now they give us “Rome Sweet Rome”, which is hip, highly entertaining, and colorful. This thought-provoking play […]
Ride the “Greased Lightnin’” (Extended Until October 26th)
By Wes Hessel & Fran Besyk Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights presents a fun, very entertaining production of the classic, “Grease”. The music is beyond wonderful; the dancing, right along with the singing, is fantastic. Everyone is so talented. Eric Amundson, who portrays Danny Zuko, is so good that if you close your […]
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