UPDATE: The 10-time 2025 Jeff Award–nominated musical JEKYLL & HYDE will make its Broadway In Chicago debut at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.), September 8 through October 25. Visit https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/shows/jekyll-hyde/ for tickets and information. For those unfamiliar with the …
The highlight of The Dance of Death at Steppenwolf is the outstanding set design of Collette Pollard, that dominates the stage. Featuring an impressive, ancient, oppressive, dimly lit three story plaster and brick edifice, that apparently was a former jail, it is now the military …
On one level this is a joyous expression of the Irish people through song but it is also a reminder of pain and struggle but with a wink and nod because Frank McCourt wants us to see the absurdity of life and the humor in being human.
You’ll probably love this if you’re of Irish heritage because of the familiarity of the songs and background message. If you’re a few generations removed or have no Irish heritage you will likely find some insight into this segment of America that makes up about 10% of the overall population.
The Irish and How They Got That Way by Porchlight Theatre Company is at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, through March 15, 2026. Runtime is about 110 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight box office at 773.777.9884.
This podcast concludes with an original live rendering of Danny Boy recorded by Reno Lovison at the Roots Room a few years ago.
Be sure to click through and listen to the entire review.
More about Irish music– Learn about Chief O’Neill, the Chicago policeman who saved Irish music.
There are two good reasons to see Harvey, by St. Sebastian Players. One is the humorous quirky Pulitzer Prize winning script by Mary Chase and the other is the exceptional performance of Jeff Broitman as Elwood Dowd, the pleasant oddball fellow whose companion and best …
Confederates by playwright Dominique Morrisseau and directed by Aaron Reese Boseman is the level of writing and performance I hope to see when attending a play. This intimate drama at Redtwist Theater delivers a message of unconscious bias and institutional slavery put into motion generations …
“Holiday” at The Goodman is a fresh world-premiere adaptation of the classic boy meets girl – – boy meets girl’s sister romcom by Richard Greenberg based on the original 1928 version by playwright Philip Barry and featuring an outstanding cast.
This is a story about familial love, romantic love and sexual attraction as well as the influence of money and in both cases – – those who have too much, those who do not have enough, and those who want more.
I may be a bit old fashioned but this production is the gold standard of everything I feel traditional theater should be. Good story, great writing, excellent cast and spectacular set.
Holiday directed by Robert Falls is at The Goodman – Albert Theatre 170 N Dearborn Street, Chicago through March 8, 2026. For tickets and information call (312) 443-3800 or visit goodmantheatre.org
Be sure to listen to the entire podcast review. Approx. 9 minutes
If you’re a subscriber or regular listener to our podcast this is going to be a busy week. Beginning with this review of Company at Skokie Theater, followed immediately by Holiday at the Goodman Theater then Dance of Death at Steppenwolf followed by Confederates at …
February has started out with a mix of interesting one-off events which I did not include as a podcast episode because I try to reserve those for events that run awhile, giving listeners a chance to see them based on my comments.
However, there are often times when one-off events deserve a mention so that performers can get recognition for their efforts and alert others – – not to what they’ve missed – but to artists they should be paying attention to and looking out for in the future.
NOTE:Look for a BONUS REVIEW added at the bottom of this review page.
There will be 100 puppet-based events over 12 days in Chicago this January from the Chicago International Puppet Fest running January 21st to February 1st 2026.
This festival has quickly (over 8 editions) become a favorite for theater-goers, and Chicagoans are grateful for having something to look forward to other than flus and blizzards. Out of towners who visit for the festival are usually gobsmacked by Chicago’s cultural offerings during the darkest time of year, and as one of the few international theater festivals Chicago hosts, it’s no surprise that it has become wildly popular, with many shows selling out quickly.
This year, several regional puppet companies have decided to run adjacent and complimentary programming featuring Chicago-based puppeteers offering shows and puppet slams for folks who may have jumped too late and encountered sold out festival tickets, or who cannot afford festival ticket prices. (See below for a partial listing of these shows.)
The Chicago International Puppetfest is the brainchild of Blair Thomas, artistic director & festival founder. I’ve interviewed Blair a few times over the years as the festival has grown (links) but this time around I spoke to Sandy Smith Gerding (Executive Director) and Taylor Bibat (Festival Coordinator & Director of Education) about what to expect this January when the puppets take over the city, how the Fest is working to reach a wider audience in Chicago and trying to keep the local puppet-show going community looped in to the events while providing a diverse sampling of puppetry styles from around the world. Tune in as we dig deep into the programing and the fest philosophy.
Besides the festival, there are other January Puppet & Puppet Adjacent Stuff to See:
January 15-17 The Uncanny Attic Chapters E-H, Steppenwolf Theatre
January 17 Clowntown Playground -YOLO Fundraiser for Albany Park Mutual Aid9:30 PM – 3 AM, follow @clowntown.playground for more details
January 25th Stop Motion Plant, exact dates/times TB follow @stopmotionplant
January 26th Rust Belt, award winning show from Theatre Nobody, exact dates/time TBA @xtheatrenobodyx
February 1 Pooky Puppet Slam , location TBA, @pookiepuppets
This is a wonderful interview conducted by Chicago Broadcasting Network contributor Kim Campbell with guests Sandy Smith Gerding, executive director of the Chicago International Puppet Festival and Taylor Bibat, the festival coordinator and Director of education.
I urge you to listen, not only, for details of the 2026 festival events but also interesting tidbits about the art of puppetry and the world of puppetry as a creative art form.
BONUS REVIEW:The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness was produced by Untitled Theater Company No. 61 (with additional support by Yara Arts Group). It’s a long name, and the play itself follows suit, being a 2 hour puppet performance, itself an adaptation of a book that is over 300 pages long. But puppet fans wisely didn’t let that stop them from attending the sold out performances. Directed by NY director/writer Edward Einhorn and Tom Lee puppeteer/designer/teacher, this play presents in stunning detail the exquisite backdrop of Ursula Le Guin’s 1969 epic exploration of interplanetary politics, the universality of love and the futile constructs of gender.
As Genly becomes an emissary on an alien world, attempting to bring the residents into an inter-galactic alliance, he is greeted by suspicion, avoidance and hostility, except for his initial contact with Estraven, a gender fluid being with whom he develops a growing bond, until he gains insight into the alien culture and ultimately is forced to abandon his mission. It’s a love story at its core, beloved by so many because of Le Guin’s prescience in her understanding of gender. Lee and Einhorn have carefully attended to every detail of this complex, political, culturally rich world, creating a flawless rendition. Einhorn had floated the idea of it by Le Guin herself before she passed away. He says she softened to the concept of a stage rendition when he suggested puppetry as a medium for the adaptation.
Using multiple levels of staging and scale, the scenography and puppetry carry the story along across frozen tundras into hearts. Puppeteers Tom Lee, Chih-Jou Cheng, Gandul Gandulero, Justin Otako Perkins, Emma Wiseman and Fletcher Pierson provide the magic. They switch effortlessly between large Bunraku style puppets, table top puppets and shadow puppets, and the stately beauty of the story is upheld with every detail, even as the action and dialogue dictate where to look for transitional moments. The beautiful alien contraptions and fashions are as richly complex as the live music by composer Michael Zerang, and live acting from Winter Jones (playing Estraven) and Miguel Long (playing Genly). The level of design coordination itself is epic, with a large team, featuring Daphne Agosin (lighting) Chris Carcione (video), Jacky Kelsey (costumes, puppets), Grace Neddleman (set and puppets) and Linda Wingerter (shadow puppet), to name just a few. The end result is a triumph for the powers of medium scale puppetry on the stage.
This year we reviewed over 30 Chicago plays and events. This podcast recaps favorites and highlights of the 2025 season plus a few ideas for 2026. We have prepared both an audio and a video version of this podcast. Some productions mentioned include:Iraq But Funny, …
“Amadeus” presented at Steppenwolf is a story of two men, one believed to be beloved by God and one who believed he could negotiate to win God’s love. It is easy to assume this is a biographical sketch of Mozart, and indeed the story written …
The uplifting story of a distinctively red haired, hopelessly optimistic, depression era orphan named Annie is firmly rooted in the early 1930s where the stark contrast between the haves and have-nots was plainly evident everywhere and especially true in urban centers like New York City where fortunes large and small were lost in the 1929 stock market crash.
The play with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan is based on a popular comic strip that debuted in 1924 in the New York Daily News (then owned by the Chicago Tribune) that continued to run in various newspapers for the next 86 years.
This is a comic come-to-life, and though there are some serious aspects to the message it is easily consumable by all ages. I was surrounded by a number of children between 5 and 10 years old who seemed absolutely captivated and not the least bit bored throughout the entire production.
Director Kyle Dougan-Leblanc kept the pacing quick with captivating projections accompanied by Linda Madonia’s orchestral incidental music during scene changes, keeping the audience involved and focused.
This company always does a great job but this production is perfection.
“Annie” by Music Theater Works at The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL through January 4, 2026. Running time about 2 hours and a half with one 15-minute intermission. For tickets and information visit musictheaterworks.com or call (847) 673-6300.
Be sure to listen to the entire podcast theater review by Reno Lovison via the player above. With some interesting details about this production and the history of the play.
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The cast of Annie includes, in alphabetical order, Catharina Araujo (she/her, Tessie); Diana Marilyn Alvarez (she/they, ensemble/U/S); Eric Amundson (he/him, ensemble/Sound Effects Man/others); Audrey Bucholz (she/her, Molly); Kristin Brintnall (she/her, ensemble/Bonnie/others, U/S Lily St. Regis); Jenny Couch (she/her, ensemble/Ronnie/others/U/S Grace Farrell); Eric Desnoyers (he/him, ensemble/Henry Morgenthau/others/U/S Franklin Roosevelt); Molly Dibble (she/her, Duffy); Riley Dominiak (she/her, ensemble/Connie/others/U/S Star to Be); Marianne Embree (she/her, ensemble/Mrs. Greer/others); Quinn Frances (she/her, youth ensemble/U/S Molly); David Geinosky (he/him, Rooster Hannigan); Eliza Monté Gilbert (they/them, ensemble/U/S Drake); Desiree Gonzalez (she/her, Grace Farrell); Jimmy Hogan (he/him, ensemble/U/S Bundles/Bert); Emily Holland (she/her, Lily St. Regis); J’Nae Howard (she/her, ensemble/U/S Bonnie); Brielle Horwitch (she/her, Pepper/U/S Annie); Rebecca Hutchinson (she/her, youth ensemble/U/S July); Albert Johnston (he/him, ensemble/U/S Sound Effects Man); Léa Juat (she/her, Kate); Kylie Kaplan (she/her, youth ensemble/U/S Kate); Charlotte Keefer (she/her, youth ensemble/U/S Pepper); Katie Kotila (she/her, ensemble/U/S Ronnie); Larrah Lambo (she/her, July); Allison Rose Macknick (she/her, ensemble/Mrs. Pugh/U/S Miss Hannigan); Michael Metcalf (he/him, Oliver Warbucks); Jojo Nabwangu (she/her, youth ensemble/U/S Tessie); Asia Posey (she/her, ensemble/Star to Be/U/S Mrs. Greer); Callan Roberts (he/him, ensemble/Bundles/Bert/others/U/S Rooster Hannigan); Katie Romanski (she/her, youth ensemble/U/S Duffy); Peter Ruger (he/him, ensemble/Drake/others/U/S); Bob Sanders (he/him, ensemble/Franklin D. Roosevelt); Elin Joy Seiler (she/her, Annie); Sarah Smith (she/her, Miss Hannigan); Raymond Cam Truong (he/him, ensemble/U/S Dog Catcher); Korey White (he/him, ensemble/Dog Catcher/others/U/S Oliver Warbucks), Nosi (he/him, Sandy/owner: Desi & Evan Thorne) and Teddy (he/him, Sandy/owner: Jojo Nabwangu). Annie’s orchestra includes Linda Madonia (she/her, piano/conductor); Alison Tatum (she/her, violin/concert master); Emily Fischer (she/her, violin); Annika Porter (she/her), viola); Lewis Rawlinson (he/him, cello); Cara Strauss (she/her, reed 1); Lara Regan (she/her, reed 2); Eva Butcher (she/her, reed 3); Greg Strauss (he/him, trumpet 1); Amy Nelson (she/her, trumpet 2); Stephanie Lebens (she/her, trombone 1); Luke Malewicz (he/him, tuba/trombone 2); Mike Locker (he/him, guitar); Eric von Holst (he/him, bass); Justin Kono (he/him, drums) and Tina Laughlin (she/her, percussion). Annie’s creative team includes Kyle Dougan-LeBlanc (any pronouns, director); Mollyanne Nunn (she/her, choreographer); Michael McBride (he/him, music director); Andrew Lund (they/him, assistant director); Amber Wuttke (she/her, intimacy & violence choreographer); Kathy Logelin (she/her, dialect coach); Erin McCarthy (historian and dramaturg); Alex Villaseñor (he/him, youth advocate lead); Rachel Rock (she/her, stage manager); Carolyn Goldsmith (she/her, assistant stage manager); Jacqueline Penrod (she/her, co-scenic designer); Richard Penrod (he/him, co-scenic designer); Nga Sze Chan (she/her, props designer); Rachel M. Sypniewski (she/her, costume designer); Kristen Brinati (she/her, wardrobe head); Alice Salazar (she/her, hair, wig and makeup co-designer); Melanie Saso (she/her, hair, wig and makeup co-designer); Chelsea Lynn (she/her, lighting designer); Adam Jezl-Sikorski (he/him, master electrician and board programmer); Anthony Churchill (he/him, media designer); Stephanie Farina (she/her, sound designer); Lex Steiner (she/her, sound assistant); Forrest Gregor (he/him, production sound engineer); Matt Reich (he/him, production sound engineer coverage); Will Hughes (he/him, Andersonville Scenic Studios); Ben Lipinski (any pronouns, Andersonville Scenic Studios); Keely Vasquez (she/her, casting director); Chris Chase (he/him, production manager) and Katie Meine (she/her, company manager).
Cast details and sound snippets provided by SHOUT Marketing & Media Relations • www.shoutchicago.com Photos by Brett Beiner.
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