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Articles tagged with: Catherine Combs

Theater as crucible: Two Arthur Miller classics bridge high peaks of Goodman, Steppenwolf

Oct 19, 2017 – 10:16 am
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Review: If you have not yet seen both “A View from the Bridge” at Goodman Theatre and “The Crucible” at Steppenwolf Theatre – well, it’s Miller time. These are mesmerizing productions of two of Arthur Miller’s finest plays, and impressive reminders of why Goodman and Steppenwolf hold such eminent places on Chicago’s – indeed, the nation’s – theater scene. Each of these parallel runs has only a handful of performances remaining. Together, they make for a stunning one-two theatrical punch. Both ★★★★★

‘Smokefall’ at Goodman: Revisiting a family frayed at seams, blessed with magical hope

Oct 11, 2014 – 8:28 am
The Colonel (Mike Nussbaum) dotes on his granddaughter Beauty (Catherine Combs) in 'Smokefall' at Goodman Theatre. (Liz Lauren)

Review: Mike Nussbaum, irrepressible at age 90, is like great Bordeaux wine. Need I amplify that? Chicago’s prince of perdurable actors is the single best reason – among many good ones – to catch Goodman Theatre’s almost-instant revival of “Smokefall,” Noah Haidle’s fine-stitched play about family, its profound fractures and its potential for healing. ★★★★★

‘Smokefall’ at Goodman: Behind worldly veil, tears and contentment fuse into force of life

Oct 23, 2013 – 2:42 pm
Mike Nussbaum at the center of a conflicted birthday party in 'Smokefall' by Noah Haidle at Goodman Theatre. (Liz Lauren)

Review: Life sucks, and then you die. If that dark existential view sometimes can seem like the only certainty, taxes being at least negotiable, it is repudiated – with gentleness and magical wit — in Noah Haidle’s new play “Smokefall,” presented in its “co-world premiere” at Goodman Theatre. ★★★★★