world premiere Archives - Chicago On Stage

June 4, 2023June 5, 2023Chicago Reviews

Great characters, fun live music, and lots of laughs make Lucy And Charlie’s Honeymoon perfect for a summer evening

Photo by Matthew C Yee I admit it: when I first saw the title Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon, the first thing I […]

March 28, 2023March 28, 2023Chicago Reviews

Promethean’s world premiere, “A Town Called Progress,” is interesting but needs work

I admit to being a fan of Promethean Theatre’s Cameron Feagin. Each time I see her in a play, no matter the […]

February 22, 2023February 23, 2023Chicago Reviews

“Happiness is not a potato.” Charlotte Brontë, in Villette, cultivates a more realistic and complicated kind of love

Photo by Liz Lauren Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Our heroine is a young, intelligent 19th Century woman with no […]

October 28, 2022October 30, 2022Chicago Reviews

For its final show, 16th Street Theatre produces the beautiful and emotional Man and Moon

(photo by Glenn Felix Willoughby) It’s always a joy to discover a new play that is lovely, entertaining, and thoughtful, and when […]

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022Chicago Reviews

“The Locusts” is a good idea with strong acting ruined by inconsistent writing and a poor set design

Jennifer Rumberger’s The Locusts, now playing at Theater Wit in a production by The Gift Theatre, is grounded by excellent acting, especially […]

October 20, 2022October 20, 2022Chicago Reviews

Goodman’s highly personal Swing State is about people, not politics

Rebecca Gilman’s new play Swing State, now playing at the Goodman Theatre, is not, as you might imagine from the title, about […]

October 7, 2022October 8, 2022Chicago Reviews

Chicago Shakespeare’s stellar world premiere of the musical adaptation of The Notebook won’t be here for long

Was it just a few years ago that Chicago Shakespeare Theatre hosted the American premiere of the Broadway-bound Six? That joyful and […]

May 20, 2022May 20, 2022Chicago Reviews

The Yellow Brick Road to the USA: Teatro Vista’s brilliant new musical shows the sacrifices many immigrants must make to fulfill their dreams

Somewhere Over the Border, a new musical by Brian Quijada, now being presented by Teatro Vista at Windy City Playhouse, is not […]

February 22, 2020February 22, 2020Chicago Reviews

Factory Theater invites us to the “Last Night in Karaoke Town” (but don’t worry: no one will make you sing)

Review by Karen Topham, ChicagoOnstage, member American Theatre Critics Association, photo by Michael Courier. Full disclosure: I’m a total sucker for karaoke. […]

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019Chicago Reviews

"The Land of Forgotten Toys" may have a few issues but it's still a tremendously entertaining holiday show

Review by Karen Topham, ChicagoOnstage, member American Theatre Critics Association. Photo by Zeke Dolezalek. It’s time to review the second new musical […]