Uncategorized
South Chicago Dance – Innovative, Inspiring
By Flo Mano with Wes Hessel Saturday night’s performance at the Auditorium Theatre by South Chicago Dance Theatre, titled “In/Within”, was incredible. The first piece was the company premiere of “Temporal Trance”, by choreographer extraordinaire Frank Chaves. Quite simply, it blew me away. It was an Olympic-athletic, architectural delight – transitioning seamlessly as if the […]
“Hymn” Hits the Right Notes
By Cate Rees-Hessel Once again, Chicago Shakespeare at Navy Pier brings a thought provoking and entertaining theatrical work to its beautiful Courtyard Theater. This one act is both powerful and intense; “Hymn” explores brotherhood, male bonding, and friendship. I personally can connect with finding siblings in adulthood and having loving relationships with them. A cast […]
“The Infinity Play” Puts Things in Perspectives
By Cate Rees-Hessel Curious Theatre Branch continues its stellar 36th season with a wonderful world premiere, “The Infinity Play”, being presented at the Jarvis Square Theater. This theatrical work features ten different scenes chronicling different places, proportions, and times. Pairs of players take shots at cleaning up messes left behind by the previous players created, […]
Light and Shadow
By Cate Rees-Hessel Ballet 5:8’s latest production, entitled “Of Light and Shadow”, made its stellar premiere April 26th at the Harris Theater. This pertinent piece is an excellent exploration in transcendent truth and perception. Headlining this marvelous work is “The Cave”, Plato’s allegory reimagined – it is both compelling and thought-provoking. This extra special show […]
A Wondrous Sound, Indeed…
By Flo Mano with Wes Hessel Lyric Opera presented a one night only concert experience titled “A Wondrous Sound”; the phenomenal Lyric conductor Enrique Mazzola and choral director Michael Black led their respective orchestra and chorus in a night of classical opera arias and Broadway memorable songs. The program started with excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen: […]
Parsons Dance Lifts the Spirit
By Nick Nicholas with Wes Hessel The gold dust of magic in dance has to settle down before I can attempt to review an evening of Parsons Dance at Auditorium Theatre. An evening which energized, awed, solidly defined and redefined the sanctity of the human body in motion with thousands in attendance. David Parsons, born […]
Greeks Parade Their Independence
By Nick Nicholas with Wes Hessel Chicago’s Greektown celebrated Greek Independence Day on April 6th with their annual parade, showcasing Greek American culture and heritage, and commemorating Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire. Chicago’s Greek American community, second largest after that of New York City, gathered on Halsted to celebrate and commemorate Greek independence from […]
Race to Discover “The Da Vinci Code”
By Cate Rees-Hessel “The Da Vinci Code” is certainly a very different type of theatrical experience for Drury Lane audiences, but it is very consistent in having the excellence we have come to expect from this beautiful theater. Although as a devout Catholic Christian I don’t agree with the premise of this work, I find […]
On a Wing and a “Prayer” (extended until May 25th)
By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel Northlight Theatre, in conjunction with Theater Wit, have created a production of “Prayer for the French Republic” which is, by far, one of the finest pieces of live theater I have ever seen. As a woman of faith with a Jewish heritage, this show touched my heart in so […]
Nothing Lost in “Translations” at Writers Theatre
By Wes Hessel The setting would seem attached to a time many of us can remember: in Ireland, preceded by the favorite son returned, British army officers of the occupation arrive at a local school on a mission of area mapping and place name standardization. Being the play was penned in 1980, one might presume […]
Follow Us!