Emily McClanathan – Page 16

Patrons take their seats for a performance of "And Neither Have I Wings to Fly" at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook on Feb. 1, 2023. The play is First Folio Theatre's final production.

After more than 25 years, a fond farewell and a final show for First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook

February 7, 2023 at 5:45 a.m.

After more than 25 years in residence at the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, First Folio Theatre will sunset when its current show, "And Neither Have I Wings...

Ishmael Falke performs in "Invisible Lands" by the Livsmedlet Theatre during the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival at the Chopin Theatre on Jan. 22, 2023. "Invisible Lands" transforms the performers' bodies into the physical terrain on which refugees — represented by miniature figurines — travel after leaving home.

Chicago Puppet Theater Fest’s first week had a whale of a ‘Moby Dick,’ tiny figures and a marionette made of ice

January 23, 2023 at 2:22 p.m.

A terrifying whale, a delicate marionette made of ice and a collection of intricate figurines that travel across the terrain of human bodies were several of the sights on offer...

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Goodman Theatre tells Scrooge’s lesson anew every year

December 6, 2022 at 5:45 a.m.

During intermission at the Goodman Theatre's 45th annual production of "A Christmas Carol," I overheard a member of the audience say that he attends every year and enjoys looking for...

Review: ‘Elf: The Musical’ at Drury Lane Theatre: The cast does its best with a misguided coal lump of a musical

December 5, 2022 at 1:05 p.m.

On paper, "Elf" — the 2003 comedy starring Will Ferrell and written by David Berenbaum — seems like a great candidate for a screen-to-stage adaptation. After all, protagonist Buddy, a...

Review: ‘Mosque4Mosque’ by About Face Theatre is a comedy about a gay Muslim man that gets complicated

November 28, 2022 at 5:30 a.m.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that mothers must meddle in their children's love lives, and the Syrian American family in Omer Abbas Salem's new play, "Mosque4Mosque," is no different....

The trucks carrying the ‘Lion King’ tour have a whole Serengeti full of puppets, costumes and creatures aboard

November 15, 2022 at 5:45 a.m.

Taking a Broadway show on tour is always a massive undertaking, but for Disney's "The Lion King," the set pieces and costumes aren't the only materials that must be transported...

Review: ‘Blue Heaven’ at Black Ensemble channels blues legends from B.B. King to Muddy Waters

November 10, 2022 at 9:25 a.m.

In Black Ensemble Theater's new jukebox musical, "Blue Heaven," the dearly departed wait to enter paradise, not in a fiery purgatory where they are purified of their sins, but in...

Review: ‘Man and Moon’ is a moving play about unlikely friends in a hospital oncology waiting room

October 25, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

During one of their recurring meetings in a hospital waiting room, 12-year-old Luna asks 28-year-old Aaron why no one accompanies him to his chemotherapy appointments. "Because I'm an adult," he...

Review: ‘Sancocho’ by Visión Latino Theatre: Secrets are spilled as sisters cook an old family recipe on stage

October 19, 2022 at 11:55 a.m.

Two-hander plays starring Latinas are having a moment in this year's Destinos, the fifth annual Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Among the festival's 13 productions are Teatro Vista's "Enough to...

Review: Raven Theatre’s revival of ‘Private Lives’ is stylish but lacks that romantic fizz

October 11, 2022 at 9:12 a.m.

On a balmy summer evening on the northern coast of France, two honeymooning British couples settle into side-by-side suites, only for one half of each pair to discover a dreadful...

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