Recent Articles
Jackalope Reminds Us What to “Watch” Out For
By Flo Mano with Wes Hessel A fictional man just after 2024’s election waits with baited breath for the fallout of a presidential contest that should have been no contest. In “Neighborhood Watch” at Jackalope Theatre, Frank Nall and Harsh Gagoomal lead a cast who demonstrate what happens when people forget what “neighbor” is supposed […]
Building Up From a Firm Foundation
By Flo Mano with Wes Hessel The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (GDDF), an organization dedicated to support of the arts in small and mid-level institutions, brought together a wide cross-section of individuals who are part of or work with these providers. They convened the first Chicago Artistic Vitality Arts Symposium, an opportunity for discussion […]
“The Legend of Kingdom Come” is Born
By Wes Hessel The rise of realism in the progression from comic books to graphic novels, through into the 21st century superhero films, can be traced back to the 1996 ground-breaking masterpiece series by Chicago native Alex Ross and Mark Waid, “Kingdom Come”. A recently debuted documentary masterwork “The Legend of Kingdom Come”, produced by […]
“The Love of Three Kings” Royally Produced
By Flo Mano with Wes Hessel The Opera Festival of Chicago opened its fifth season at the Atheneum with “The Love of Three Kings” (L’amore dei tre Re) composed by Italo Montemezzi. It is an opera that has been neglected – kudos to the festival that made a bold decision to revive it. Directed by […]
“Cats” is Pawsitively Purrfect
By Cate Rees-Hessel I have had the pleasure of seeing numerous productions of “Cats”, including the Broadway touring company some years ago, and I can confidently declare that Paramount Theater’s version is the best I have ever seen. This extravaganza is brilliantly directed by Paramount favorite Trent Stork – once again, his innovative vision and […]
“Time is a Color…” Worth Appreciating
By Flo Mano with Wes Hessel Sunday was the Chicago debut at Avalanche Theatre for the opening of the world premiere of “Time is a Color and the Color is Blue” by Melanie Coffey at the magnificent Bramble Arts Loft. Avalanche is a new company founded by Zoe Sjogerman and Alexander Attea with their vision […]
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 […]
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