Chicago Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: BEAUTIFUL THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - February 14, 2025

Director Jane Lanier (A Chorus Line) and this talented ensemble seamlessly tell Carole’s story to the fullest extent. The orchestra, under the direction of Chris Sargent, is the backbone to this music....

Review: FOOL FOR LOVE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - February 12, 2025

FOOL FOR LOVE has peak Steppenwolf energy. I’ve long associated Steppenwolf Theatre Company with gritty, messy, feral family and relationship dramas — Sam Shepard’s one-act fits the bill. It’s also only 65 minutes — that run-time is short, but it’s a logical choice in the TikTok era when attention s...

Review: CIRCUS QUIXOTE at Lookingglass Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - February 12, 2025

Lookingglass Theatre’s CIRCUS QUIXOTE provides Chicago audiences with a stunning dramatic adaptation of Don Quixote that is every bit as impactful and imaginative as its source material....

Review: MR. PARKER at Open Space Arts
by Zac Thriffiley - February 04, 2025

Open Space Arts in Uptown is quickly establishing itself as the go-to “storefront” theater for plays and films that consider the many nuances of queer experiences, and their latest offering—MR. PARKER—is no exception. Elevated by the sophisticated performance of its leading actor, MR. PARKER present...

Review: FUN HOME at Porchlight Music Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - January 31, 2025

Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s FUN HOME is a musical journey in sketches through the memories of Alison Bechdel. Based on the graphic memoir of the same name — and so called because the Bechdel family business was a funeral home — Porchlight director Stephen Schellhardt’s production brings each scen...

Review: FAT HAM Presented by Goodman Theatre and Definition Theatre
by Zac Thriffiley - January 24, 2025

The Goodman’s FAT HAM is an intelligent, uproarious adaptation that explores and celebrates Black joy and resilience. The co-production with Definition Theatre has already been extended through March 2....

Review: JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - January 21, 2025

With JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING, Jocelyn Bioh pulls off a challenging theatrical feat: She makes a slice-of-life play consistently engaging and entertaining. Set in Harlem at a hair salon of the same name, JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING follows a group of West African immigrant women working there —...

Review: JEKYLL & HYDE IN CONCERT at BrightSide Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - January 19, 2025

This is the moment – when Dr. Henry Jekyll decides to try an experiment. Jekyll and Hyde in Concert is the newest production from BrightSide Theatre. ...

Review: SHUCKED National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - January 09, 2025

SHUCKED is a corny musical...in the best way possible. Book writer Robert Horn and composer team Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally’s lyrics are chock-full (or should I say husk-full?) of puns, double entendres, and cringey punchlines. I was grinning ear-to-ear (of corn). SHUCKED is joyful, creative, a...

Review: LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL at Music Theater Works At The North Shore Center For The Performing Arts
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - December 23, 2024

This story is definitely geared to young females. They do identify with it. It was apparent in the audience. It is about respecting yourself but also treating each other with respect. Believe in yourself. Have faith in others but ultimately, have faith in yourself. We all need to remember these impo...

Review: TEATRO ZINZANNI at Cambria Hotel
by Rachel Weinberg - December 12, 2024

TEATRO ZINZANNI is still kicking it in the indoor Spiegeltent Zazou nestled on the fourteenth floor of the Cambria Hotel in the Loop. It’s still a reliably entertaining variety show, and this particular edition includes many returning performers....

& JULIET National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - December 05, 2024

& JULIET is an unserious jukebox musical that’s deeply serious about its commitment to fun....

Review: RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 24, 2024

This is the crucial moment in the current childrens’ theatre production at Marriott Lincolnshire of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical, Cinderella. The cast of ten, under the direction of Laura Rook, brings delight and joy to the littlest members of the audience, many of the girls dressed as ...

Review: FALSETTOS presented by Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - November 25, 2024

FALSETTOS, originally written as two-one act musicals set in 1979 and 1981, respectively, feels simultaneously dated and prescient. In this co-production from Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company, director Nick Bowling leads a first-rate ensemble that preserves the musical as a period piece bu...

Review: THE SECRET GARDEN at Theo Ubique
by Misha Davenport - November 22, 2024

What did our critic think of THE SECRET GARDEN at Theo Ubique?...

Review: FROZEN at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 10, 2024

What did our critic think of FROZEN at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL?...

Review: WHITE CHRISTMAS at Marriott Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - November 07, 2024

Read our review of WHITE CHRISTMAS at Marriott Theatre....

Review: LEROY AND LUCY at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
by Rachel Weinberg - November 04, 2024

In Ngozi Anyanwu’s LEROY AND LUCY, two strangers meet at a crossroads in Mississippi...and not much happens. Based upon the myth of Robert Johnson, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil to make it as a blues musician, the play finds Leroy (Jon Michael Hill) and Lucy (Brittany Bradford) in a limi...

Review: BEST KEPT SECRET: TELL EVERYONE at The Second City E.t.c.
by Rachel Weinberg - October 31, 2024

The Second City’s latest e.t.c. revue BEST KEPT SECRET: TELL EVERYONE wants to remind audiences that life is a cabaret, old chum. While some Second City revue themes hang together better than others, BEST KEPT SECRET slyly pays homage to the classic Kander and Ebb musical CABARET and the general ide...

Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts, Skokie, IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - October 26, 2024

What did our critic think of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts, Skokie, IL?...

Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT National Tour Present by Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - October 24, 2024

SOME LIKE IT HOT brings old-fashioned musical comedy, hijinks, and a ton of superbly executed tap dancing to the stage. ...

Review: BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA at BrightSide Theatre
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - October 20, 2024

What did our critic think of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA at BrightSide Theatre? ...

Review: PRIMARY TRUST at Goodman Theatre
by Rachel Weinberg - October 15, 2024

Namir Smallwood’s performance as Kenneth is a real testament to his superb abilities as a performer and the intimacy of PRIMARY TRUST becomes more profoundly emotional thanks to him. ...

Review: Siegfried Tieber at THE MAGIC PARLOUR
by Rachel Weinberg - October 14, 2024

Magician Siegfried Tieber’s sparkling, genuine charm is every bit as magical as his tricks in his special engagement at THE MAGIC PARLOUR....

Review: AN ACT OF GOD at Copley Theatre, Aurora IL
by Tina St. Angelo Wetzel - October 10, 2024

A question from Archangel Michael to God. The newest production in the BOLD Series at the intimate Copley Theatre in Aurora is An Act of God. Alex Weisman, in his bravura Paramount Copley debut as God, delivers each of the revised Ten Commandments to the audience in a way they do not expect. Sarcasm...