Tuesday, 01 September 2026 10:54
Vape! The Grease Parody Is High-Energy Fluff
Written by Angelo Campos
Vape! The Grease Parody, currently running at Chicago’s Apollo Theater through January, takes a satirical swing at the iconic 1978 film. The production leans heavily into campy, low‑brow humor, poking fun at the original and the characters who appeared in it - Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, made famous by…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Vape The Grease Parody
- Grease
- John Travolta
- Olivia Newton-John
- Apollo Theater Chicago
- chicago theatre
- parody theatre
- theatre camp
- Danny Zuko
- Sketchworks Comedy
- Pink Ladies
- TBirds
- musical comedy
- Musical theatre
- on stage
- Chicago events
- 1950s
- Jack Plotnick
- Catie Hogan
- Rydell High
- Ashley Marinelli
- Will Leonard
- Jenna Smith
- Suzanne Sole
- Sophia Brazada
Monday, 31 August 2026 20:03
A Loving, Delight‑Packed Celebration: Joan Crawford Goes to Hell Marks 25 Years of Handbag
Written by Kimberly Katz
Hell in a Handbag Productions celebrates its 25th year with a revival of Joan Crawford Goes to Hell, a sharp, mischievous look at the Hollywood icon through the company’s signature parody lens. It is truly perfect timing that Handbag's guiding force David Cerda has chosen to do this play in…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Hell in a Handbag
- JOAN CRAWFORD GOES TO HELL
- David Cerda
- Joan Crawford
- The Joans
- The Clutch
- Cheryl Snodgrass
- Christina Crawford
- My Way of Life
- Mommie Dearest
- Parody
- Gretchen Greear
- Nicholas Ian
- TJ OBrien
- Haley Gillman
- Ryan Kenny
- Lori Lee
- Michael Rashid
- Anna Rose Steinmayer
- Tyler Calhoun
- DJ Douglass
- chicago theatre
- live theatre
- Chicago events
- on stage
- Funny
- comedy
- camp comedy
Thursday, 20 August 2026 17:46
Rising star Jacob Moskovitz to play Marlon Brando in the Chicago presentation of Kowalski at Lookingglass Theatre
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Rising star Jacob Moskovitz ("Elle") has joined the cast of Kowalski as Marlon Brando, alongside previously announced Chicago theater veteran Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory," "The Little Dog Laughed") as Tennessee Williams. The celebrated new play by Gregg Ostrin, directed by Colin Hanlon, will come to Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company at the historic Water Tower Water Works, 163 E Pearson St. at Michigan Ave. in Chicago,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 31 August 2026 16:24
An Immersive Sunday in the Park with George at Kokandy Productions
Written by John Accrocco
Composition, tension, balance, light, and harmony come together seamlessly in Kokandy Productions’ revival of Sondheim’s opus, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. Director Derek Van Barham transforms the basement of the Chopin Theatre into a three dimensional reproduction of Georges Seurat’s ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 30 August 2026 11:27
City Lit’s Shane Saddles Up a Classic Western With Fresh Heart
Written by Angelo Campos
City Lit Theatre’s world premiere of Shane, adapted for the stage and directed by Mark Pracht, brings a fresh, nostalgic perspective to Jack Schaefer’s classic novel - a story immortalized by Alan Ladd in the memorable 1953 film. Pracht, who has been developing this piece since the 2000s, crafts the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 29 August 2026 13:29
In Sisters, Barrie Turns an AI Fable into an Impressive Character Study
Written by Angelo Campos
The rise of artificial intelligence raises many questions about its effect on humanity. What does it mean if we become increasingly reliant on AI to think for us, create for us, and entertain us? What happens if this tool encroaches into our lives in ways it never should? Matthew Libby’s…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 27 August 2026 14:56
Buddy Holly’s Brilliance, Reawakened on the Drury Lane Stage
Written by Kimberly Katz
Drury Lane Theatre opens its latest musical with a warm jolt of rock ’n’ roll energy as Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, by Alan James, returns to the stage, decades after its 1989 debut at the Plymouth Theatre Royal in England. What began as a modest jukebox biography has…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Buddy Holly
- Buddy The Buddy Holly Story
- Drury Lane Theatre
- Alan James
- jukebox musical
- Matthew D Carney
- Kenny Ingram
- Joey Chelius
- Alek Boggio
- Grant Alexander Brown
- Elliot Coe Esquivel
- Richie Valens
- The Big Bopper
- Waylon Jennings
- Samantha Sayah
- Eric Andrew Lewis
- Marta Bady
- Russell Mernaugh
- Peggy Sue
- Oh Boy
- 1950s music
- rockabilly
- Rock and Roll
Tuesday, 25 August 2026 19:25
Playmakers Lab’s That’s Weird Grandma’s 25th Birthday is a fine place to giggle
Written by Susan Lieberman
If you need an energy boost, skip the can of Monster and get yourself, plus loved ones of any age, to Playmakers Lab’s tasty birthday cake of a show. The very first edition of That’s Weird, Grandma, culled from Chicago elementary school students’ stories, occurred in the spring of 2001.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 18 August 2026 13:05
‘Anatomy of a Suicide’ Is Hard to Watch, But Not Because of the Subject
Written by Bill Esler
Perhaps surprisingly, Anatomy of a Suicide is not an overwhelmingly emotionally gripping play, nor is it horrifying. Instead, it vividly portrays the slow drip of suffering for Carol, a woman in the grip of depression, living always with suicidal tendencies. It also presents the impact of an intergenerational transference of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Monday, 17 August 2026 12:40
Hail Mary/Maria at Theater Wit – A Welcome New Slant on Crossing Over into Adulthood
Written by Mitchell Oldham
Coming of age stories resonate more profoundly when they mirror the lived reality of a real person. That’s why the firecracker of a play, Hail Mary/Maria, that’s just begun its far too short run at Theater Wit, is must-see theater for just about anybody who counts themselves as a member…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 August 2026 14:36
Oil Lamp's I Love You Because has heart, despite lukewarm romance
Written by Angelo Campos
Finding love has always been a challenge. In Jane Austen’s day, a time governed by strict rules of courtship, couples had to avoid mistakes that could potentially ruin a reputation. One might think that the complexities of dating would have eased over time, yet modern romance remains just as fraught…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 August 2026 01:20
Otherworld Theatre Boldly Goes Again with Starship Edsel Season 4
Written by Ken Payne
Otherworld Theatre blasts back into the cosmos with Season 4 of Starship Edsel: An Improvised Star Trek Parody, the latest chapter in its long-running improvised Star Trek satire. Now in its fourth outing, the misfit crew of the USS Edsel once again shows why the production remains a reliably funny…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Otherworld Theatre
- Starship Edsel An Improvised Star Trek Parody
- Star Trek
- Starship Edsel
- second city
- Wanjiku Kairu Oliver
- Edward Neequaye
- Matt Kawa
- Carlos Rivera
- Mike Mazzella
- Anthony LeBlanc
- Brandon Brylawski
- Parody
- Satire
- Camp
- Improv
- live theatre
- on stage
- Chicago events
- chicago theatre
- De Maat Theatre
- Trekkie
Theatre 31 Productions’ Gus and Alice has returned to the Greenhouse Theater Center this month. Written by Chicago playwright Mike Rago, the light‑hearted slice‑of‑life comedy follows an elderly married couple whose days revolve around avoiding gluten and surviving a game of Trivial Pursuit. As they enter their next chapter, Alice wonders…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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