Theater-Food-Music in Chicago

Mitchell Oldham

The Singularity Play Peers into a Dystopic Techno Driven Future

The monumental strike that brought Hollywood to a standstill for much of the latter part of last year stayed front of mind during The Singularity Play now running at Jackalope Theatre in Berger Park.  In that strike, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio …

The Singularity Play Peers into a Dystopic Techno Driven Future Read More »

On the Question of Immigration, English Lets Courage and Sacrifice Lead

Frustration and anger can fuel beautiful art that sheds essential insight on the world and the people who inhabit it.  Sanaz Toossi’s, English, now on the Goodman’s Owen stage, does that and much more as it takes us inside an Iranian classroom where three adults and an eighteen-year-old are struggling to learn English as their …

On the Question of Immigration, English Lets Courage and Sacrifice Lead Read More »

Hubbard Street’s Spring Program Dusts Brilliant Dance with Va Va Voom!

Sometimes walking out of a dance concert leaves you feeling as if dancers are divinely endowed creatures with natures, qualities and abilities that set them far apart from not only “the rest of us”, but also from all other artists.  Those feelings were surging like hurricane force winds at the end of Hubbard Street Dance …

Hubbard Street’s Spring Program Dusts Brilliant Dance with Va Va Voom! Read More »

Sisters Struggling to be Sisters Dominate Into The Earth with You at BTE

Psychological trauma in family’s holds a macabre fascination.  By definition painful and lingering, it attracts and retains our interest because we never know its depth or where it will lead.  Will the structure and direction of the lives in question lead to catharsis or tragedy?  Or will the outcome rest somewhere in between; a hazy …

Sisters Struggling to be Sisters Dominate Into The Earth with You at BTE Read More »

Using Art to Relive History in the Nation’s Capitol

Two arts institutions housed under the same roof in Washington DC have complementary missions.  One tells the story of America by focusing on the “people who shape the nation’s history, development and culture”.   The other shares the stories of our nation through arts and craft. Together, the collections of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and …

Using Art to Relive History in the Nation’s Capitol Read More »

Joffrey’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Turns Matchless Dance into Phenomenal Theater

Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman seems hardwired never to limit his imagination.  His drive to test the elasticity of dance’s boundaries may have been awakened in his mid-teens while dancing professionally with the Royal Swedish Ballet.  By his early twenties, he was creating his own dances and freelancing as a professional choreographer.  Although the types of …

Joffrey’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Turns Matchless Dance into Phenomenal Theater Read More »

ALL-NEW AILEY an Explosion of Exemplary Dance

For the 55 years Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (AAADT) has been returning to the Auditorium to share its unique contributions to the arts community, audiences have consistently been captivated by its unerring commitment to dance excellence.  Spanning that half century plus, AAADT has showcased the timeless resonance of works created by its founder, Alvin …

ALL-NEW AILEY an Explosion of Exemplary Dance Read More »

Look Closer at Rhapsody Gives New Luster to Magic’s Glow

Wonder, surprise, incredulity, excitement, joy.  Maybe a rush of adrenaline.  They’re all the things you’d hope to find in a magician worth his or her salt.  And in Look Closer with Joshua Jay at Rhapsody Theater, they’re not only all present, each shine like newly minted gold.  But in this magic show, you’re also enthralled …

Look Closer at Rhapsody Gives New Luster to Magic’s Glow Read More »

Giordano Dance Chicago Raises the Bar in Unlimited

Some things, no matter how wonderful, seem to only get better over time.  Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC), with 61 years of formidable dance legacy under its belt, is still finding ways to make its art form more imaginative, more beautiful and increasingly relevant to our times.  Unlimited, the company’s biannual concert performed at the Harris …

Giordano Dance Chicago Raises the Bar in Unlimited Read More »