August 29, 2019Chicago Reviews “Trump in Space” is far too gentle to be effective. Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member; photo by Tyler Core. I strongly dislike writing negative reviews. I know that […]
July 26, 2019July 26, 2019Chicago Reviews Strong design work and good acting aren’t enough to make “And Then There Were None” work as well as the novel it’s based on. Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member; photo by Brett Beiner. At what point do we stop producing a “classic” […]
November 19, 2018November 19, 2018Chicago Reviews Rabe’s “Cosmologies” is an absurdist play that just doesn’t work Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member; photo by Claire Demos. You know how you can tell if your play […]
April 6, 2018April 6, 2018Chicago Reviews Bad Girls: The Stylists Is a Cut Below the Rest Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association; photos by Karl Clifton-Soderstrom There are fine plays set in hair salons. Steel Magnolias comes […]
March 12, 2018March 13, 2018Chicago Reviews “Dorian Gray” Ages Prematurely Review by Karen Topham; photos by Steve Graue City Lit’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those shows that ought to […]
December 3, 2017January 16, 2018Chicago Reviews Rock and Roll “Sir Gawain” Doesn’t Pass the Test At the start of Pearl Poet Productions’ Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, now playing at the Raven Theatre Complex, Sir Gawain (played […]
November 22, 2017November 22, 2017Chicago Reviews “Wild Boar” Can’t Overcome Confusing Script Since censorship of the press is a huge issue in this country right now, with the President telling his followers that anything he […]
November 17, 2017Musings Reviewing Plays: Why Most Shows Are Recommended Reviewing plays is a funny thing, as it turns out. I’m feeling a bit guilty these days for an absolutely stupid reason: […]
