Review: The Sixth Symphony calls for an expanded orchestra with double woodwinds, eight French horns, two harps and a percussion group that famously includes a giant sledgehammer. Like conductor Simon Rattle, who led without a score, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra’s performance April 28 at Orchestra Hall displayed a collective mastery of this complex music to its core – its heavy tread and its lightness of being, its massive sonorities and its consummate finesse.
Read the full story »CSO Chorus joins city salute to Shakespeare with tragedy, comedy from Berlioz and Verdi
Preview: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus help to observe the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in April with performances of two major works under the baton of CSO music director Riccard Muti – Berlioz’s dramatic symphony “Roméo et Juliette” and a concert version of Verdi’s last opera, “Falstaff.” The demands the two works place on the chorus, says director Duain Wolfe, could hardly be more different.
‘The Matchmaker’ at Goodman: A (very) funny thing happens when sly widow decides to wed
Review: It’s Dolly’s world, the charming milieu and crazy circumstances of Thornton Wilder’s perdurable farce “The Matchmaker.” All the other characters on stage just live in it. So say hello to a delightful Dolly whose world is well worth a visit in the Goodman Theatre production starring — with a capital S — Kristine Nielsen. ★★★★
Tenor Javier Camarena gives a debut of note, make that a generous bouquet of high C’s
Review: He premiered in 2004 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in his native Mexico, popping off Tonio’s nine high C’s in Donizetti’s “La fille du régiment.” Ten years later, onstage at the Met in Rossini’s “Cenerentola,” he rocked as the third singer since 1942 to be granted an encore. Thus Javier Camarena’s appearance at the Harris Theater was hotly anticipated.
Mälkki’s return to Chicago Symphony podium shows why Finnish conductor’s star is on rise
Review: Expectations were running high for the Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki on her return March 30 to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which she first guest conducted in 2011. And put simply, she delivered. She led a fresh, enthralling interpretation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” infused with apt doses of wonderment and exoticism.
‘Othello’ at Chicago Shakespeare: Evil cedes center stage to a figure tragic and splendid
Review: What is so striking about the current, altogether marvelous production of “Othello” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater is that the beleaguered Moor is no mere catalyst in the very events of which he is the object, but rather presents himself as a man – a great military general — worthy of his reputation. In the person of James Vincent Meredith’s Othello, and in the care of British director Jonathan Munby, Shakespeare’s play for once does not seem to be first and foremost about Iago. ★★★★★
‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ at Court: Dissembling, denial and a family on the edge
Review: The Court Theatre’s production of Eugene O’Neill’s brutal masterpiece “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is the blazing star of Chicago’s stage season. Here, with a magnificent cast directed by David Auburn, is a close-up photograph of the human condition at its most vulnerable, unretouched and utterly devastating. ★★★★★
Role Playing: Mierka Girten, actor with MS, knows wound behind her character’s scars
Interview: In the most intimate and empathic way, Mierka Girten connects with Trinket Dugan, the character she plays with disarming honesty in Tennessee Williams’ “The Mutilated” at A Red Orchid Theatre. Actor and character share deep, physical, albeit invisible, wounds.The big difference is that while Trinket conceals her mastectomy – her mutilation — in sorrow and shame, Girten talks openly about the multiple sclerosis she has struggled with since her days as a drama student at DePaul University.
World premieres by Jeffrey Mumford, Kahil El’Zabar set in Fulcrum Point ‘Proclamation!’
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
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FULCRUM POINT CELEBRATES AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS WITH PROCLAMATION! THE BLACK COMPOSER SPEAKS AT PROMONTORY, IN ONE PERFORMANCE …
In 2016-17, TimeLine plans Midwest premiere of ‘Paradise Blue’ by Dominique Morisseau
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
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TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 20TH ANNIVERSARY 2016-17 SEASON
Chicago, IL — TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious …
‘2666’ at Goodman: Epic saga of lust, murder and other scholarly pursuits in old Mexico
Review: After five and a half hours spent watching the dramatic evolution of “2666,” the adaptation by Robert Falls and Seth Bockley of Roberto Bolaño’s sprawling novel at the Goodman Theatre, I could think only of that sublimely ironic lyric made famous by Peggy Lee: Is that all there is?This ambitious enterprise affords a goodly share of rewards along its meandering narrative as a sort of whodunit for intellectuals. But in the end, in its totality, “2666” as theater is a shaggy-dog story of St. Bernard proportions. ★★★
World premiere comedy by Tracy Letts among new works in Steppenwolf’s 2016-17 season
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
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STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2016/17 SEASON
First Season Curated by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro Features Expanded …
Writers Theatre announces plans for 2016-17 – company’s first full season in new Studio Gang home
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
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Writers Theatre announces 25th Anniversary Season — the company’s first full season in its new home …
Conductor Delta David Gier to step in for John Nelson March 11 at Chicago Bach Project
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
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MAESTRO JOHN NELSON IS SUFFERING FROM PNEUMONIA, AND THIS PHYSICIANS HAVE ADVISED AGAINST AIR TRAVEL
GLEN ELLYN, …
Salonen, embracing history and the present, leads CSO anniversary concert to celebrate
Review: Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen’s recent concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra came as a multifaceted, indeed exhilarating reminder of the CSO’s grand legacy and at the same time pointed up the orchestra’s undiminished prowess as well as its still-rising arc of achievement.
Under Navy Pier’s tent, Chicago Shakespeare Theater expands for flexible family-friendly spectacles
News Release: Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Navy Pier announce partnership that will expand Chicago Shakespeare’s campus and establish a year-round cultural hub on Navy Pier
Baritone Hvorostovsky, in poignant recital, rewards ardent fans with profound singing
Review: The excitement surrounding Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s solo recital presented by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, on Feb. 26, was palpable even blocks away from the opera house, in an enormous din of anticipatory chatter in the parking garage elevator – much of it in Russian as that sizable Chicago community turned out in droves. The celebrated Siberian baritone did not disappoint.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Lyric Opera: Raising tragedy quotient in fusion of music, theater
Review: For the authentic meaning of music-drama, as an ideal melding of theater with the emotional accentuation of words buoyed by music, look no further than the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s riveting and vocally splendid production of Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet.” ★★★★
‘The Flick’ at Steppenwolf: A double feature of illusions — or reel life vs. the digital option
Review: Annie Baker’s “The Flick,” at Steppenwolf Theatre, offers a clear-eyed meditation on friendship as it flowers and fades in the workplace, where strangers of different backgrounds grope toward a rhythm of working together and easing through their days, perhaps getting a little wiser in the process. ★★★★
Manfred Honeck steps in with CSO, tweaks program, delivers exhilarating ‘Pathétique’
Review: On Feb. 27, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will observe the 120th anniversary of its founding with a celebratory concert under its present music director, Manfred Honeck. As patrons of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have just witnessed, Honeck surely will give Pittsburgh reason for celebrations to come.
The Hypocrites wins $200k MacArthur Award for creativity and effectiveness
News Release: CHICAGO (February 18, 2016) – The Hypocrites today was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The Award recognizes exceptional nonprofit organizations who have demonstrated creativity and impact, and invests in their long-term sustainability with sizable one-time grants. The Hypocrites will use the $200,000 that accompanies the Award to build a working capital reserve for the company and as seed capital for a variety of diversity initiatives.
American Theater Company names Will Davis as its new artistic director
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY NAMES WILL DAVIS ITS NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
February 18, 2016 (CHICAGO, IL)—Following a six-month national …
Next season’s ‘Live in HD’ Met broadcasts continue at local cinemas through May 13
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA’S 2016-17 SEASON, ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY AT LINCOLN CENTER, WILL FEATURE 10 HD BROADCASTS …
Chicago Sinfonietta receives $625k grant for creativity, effectiveness
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
CHICAGO SINFONIETTA RECEIVES MACARTHUR AWARD FOR CREATIVE AND, EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS
Chicago, Illinois, February 18, 2016 – Chicago …
Lookingglass Theatre receives $1 million MacArthur grant for creativity, effectiveness
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
LOOKINGGLASS: RECIPIENT OF THE 2016 MACARTHUR AWARD FOR CREATIVE AND EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS
We’re honored to have been …
Timeline Theatre receives $625k MacArthur Award for creavity, effectiveness
This Just In: The following is a news release written by an arts organization, submitted to Chicago On the Aisle.
TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS MACARTHUR AWARD FOR EXTRAORDINARY CREATIVITY AND EFFECTIVENESS
Chicago, IL — TimeLine Theatre Company …
Silk Road Rising probes life in Muslim society from the Far East to Middle East to America
Preview: Preview: The spirit of Chicago’s Silk Road Rising theater lies in its name, says artistic director Jamil Khoury. It’s about the global span of connectedness along the ancient corridor linking Middle Eastern desert peoples to the Far East, and the modern extension to life in America, Silk Road Rising opens its winter season Feb. 20 with the premiere of Ronnie Malley’s “Ziryab: The Songbird of Andalusia,” about a famed 9th-century musician.
‘Mothers and Sons’ at Northlight: Gay peace achieved, bitter mom presses her private war
Review: There is a quality, an esprit, about Terrence McNally’s “Mothers and Sons” that transcends mere affirmation of what one might characterize as gay normalcy. The play, now in a tightly knit and persuasive production directed by Steve Scott at Northlight Theatre, has a spiritually cleansing essence – and a resolute narrative that is nothing short of celebratory. ★★★
What good is sitting alone in your room? Willkommen to a beautiful, bleak ‘Cabaret’
Review: If there are two words not commonly associated with touring Broadway shows, they are daring and courageous. Both apply in stunning fashion to “Cabaret,” a not-to-be-missed experience presented by Broadway in Chicago at PrivateBank Theatre. ★★★★★
Broadway in Chicago rounds out 2016-17 season with ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Aladdin’
News Release: CHICAGO (Feb. 15, 2016) – Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce its next season lineup: the Broadway musical HAMILTON, the North American tour premiere of Disney’s ALADDIN, 2014 Tony Award®Winning Best Revival of a Musical HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, the 2015 Tony Award®Winning Best Play THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME and THE BODYGUARD. The upcoming Season will go on sale to the public March 1, 2016.
Love with knife in heart or tongue in cheek, Valentine’s Day brings out kiss and scratch
Critic’s Pick: In a tribute to the downside of love, Chicago theaters send superb “anti-Valentines.” If you favor sarcastic greeting cards on the subject of romance, and aloof lyrics about love affairs “too hot not to cool down,” here are some shows that serve up the subject of love on Cupid’s big day with an appropriate grain of salt.
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