You Can’t Stop the Beat

Hairspray

Do you wanna forget your troubles and just get happy? Well then hurry over to the Grand Theater in Highland Park High School. Bursting with happy hits, heaps of heart and clouds of hairspray for days, Uptown Music Theater’s Summer production is an entertaining, energetic and infectious confection that absolutely should not be missed! It also delivers a strong, positive message about equality. From the snappy opening number, “Good morning Baltimore,” to the show’s rousing finale so filled with pep that “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” this magnificent, multi Tony Award-winning musical comedy is definitely a crowd pleaser for theatergoers of all ages.

Losing is Not an Option

Billie Jean

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” That’s how legendary tennis pro Billie Jean King summed up the initiative and motivation that propelled her life and, in fact, her entire career. Losing is not an option because “Victory is fleeting and losing is forever,” Ms. King quipped during a news interview.

Opposites Attract

True West

As the lights come up, we find Austin at work on his screenplay, sitting at the kitchen counter of his mother’s clean and tidy house. Through the windows we can see that we’re in the picturesque foothills of Southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains, not far from Lost Angeles. All is calm and orderly, but that’s about to change. Lee, Austin’s resentful and ill-tempered estranged older brother, unexpectedly drops in. Swaddled in dirty, sweat-stained clothing and badly in need of a shower and haircut, Lee is clearly the polar opposite of well-groomed, preppy and highly-educated Austin. But as they say, “Opposites Attract.” And by the final curtain of this dark comedy, the kitchen has turned into a ragged desert landscape, the two brothers seem to have swapped identities and they’ve both become part of the wild, True West.

Being True to Yourself

Arthur & Friends Make a Musical

At Lakewood Elementary School, Mr. Ratburn’s class is getting ready to write and perform a show for everyone in Elwood City. All of Arthur’s classmates are excited, inspired and busy writing stories that showcase an aspect of each kid’s personality. But Arthur, who most of his friends find boring, needs some creative motivation. After envisioning his buddy Buster’s mystery thriller, his friend Muffy’s fashion forward fantasy, Arthur is inspired by his schoolmate Brain’s dinosaur drama and even swayed his little sister DW’s obsession with extraterrestrial aliens, Arthur tries to write a story that’s equally as exciting. 

A Journey Beyond the Music

Twisted Melodies

When we’re privileged to enjoy the creativity of a talented artist of any kind—visual, musical, theatrical—the public usually has no idea of the struggles that person has endured. The only way we see, hear or know the creator is through his or her art. For most of us, that’s the only way we know the Soul Music Legend Donny Hathaway. But when we become immersed in the complicated world of this talented musical genius, in a show researched, written and performed by Chicago and National super talent, Kelvin Roston, Jr., we are treated to something far more than your typical jukebox musical. We find that we’re listening more closely in a journey beyond the music.

Passion

I was very excited for Tuesday’s opening of Blank Theatre Company’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Passion. First, I am an enormous Sondheim fan, and this is on the short list with Pacific Overtures of Sondheim shows I had never seen done live. Second, I absolutely love this theater company and still think about their wonderful productions of She Loves Me and On the Twentieth Century. They seem to have the knack for tackling complicated or rarely produced shows, so I had high hopes and expectations when I sat down. I am happy to report that Blank Theatre has once again knocked it clean out of the park.

A Royal Comic Drama

Queen For a Day

“This program is one of the most ghastly shows ever produced.” Then the critic went on to call the show “tasteless, demeaning to women, demeaning to anyone who watched it.” Finally he called the program “cheap, insulting and utterly degrading to the human spirit.” Do you know what early television show earned this scathing criticism?  

Be Our Guest

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

After 25 years, the first North American National Tour of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST—one of the best loved musicals of all times—just opened in Chicago. And it’s a real cause for celebration because this first class polished production was well worth the wait! The new, revised production is a visually stunning, absolutely gorgeous and totally captivating experience for audiences of all ages. Directed and Choreographed by talented Matt West, a master of both skill sets, he’s remembered for bringing life to Broadway’s Anne Rice/vampire-inspired musical, LESTAT. And when we read that Matt West also Directed and Choreographed the touring version of CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, we’re not a bit surprised. His inventiveness and expertise is evident in this energetic and athletic production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. It’s a magical and magnetic production that invites the audience to Be Our Guest.

That Old Fashioned Magic

Ryan Plunkett’s Old Fashioned Magic

Second only to comedy shows, I think magic shows might be the hardest thing to effectively review, and for the same reason. It’s really hard to talk about them in any detail without spoiling the surprise that both effective comedy and magic depend upon. So you’re just going to trust to me when I say that Chicago Magic Lounge’s newest show, Ryan Plunkett’s Old Fashioned Magic, is an absolute delight and you simply must see it as soon as possible.