What a treasure this theatre is for the city of Chicago. It's home is in the Chicago water works…read morebuilding across the street from the water tower. One of the founding members is David Schwimmer. You can't beat the location and if you are planning a night on the town or better yet a weekend, you should plan on hitting up one of their shows. It is a small theatre which results in, not a bad seat anywhere in the house. The current show is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Forget Boris Karloff and the many retellings of the story as you have seen the countless movies and television versions. This is a very faithful tale, true to the book and a very stimulating thought provoking version. The ideas of creation from death is handled with great care by the excellent ensemble cast. Shelly's book is the result of a weekend with friends , where each participant was challenged to tell a chilling ghost story. Mary's story found its roots in the practice of grave robbing and selling cadavers for medical research. Her chilling take follows the creator Victor Frankenstein on his quest to cheat death by recreating the spark of life. The cast all play dual roles, the original guests at the party and the major characters in the story. Walter Biggs is challenged with the dual roles of Mary's husband Percy Shelley and the creator Victor Frankenstein. His faithful quest for creation, with every intention for good comes to a sad realization that some things are better off left to the ultimate Creator. Cordelia Dewdney leads us on this journey playing Mary Shelley ,Victor's doomed wife and Victor's vision of the mate he plans to create for his man brought back to life. I don't want to say monster, because by the end of the play you will not see him that way. Keith D. Gallagher plays Lord Byron and the Creation with an amazing range of emotions that will leave you rethinking how we view Shelley's work. You will feel sympathetic towards this man that did not ask to be created and in the end wanted only family, caring and love. The staging is unique and the scenes are memorable, especially Victor's vision of both of his potential creations. Dewdney and Gallagher are electric in their creation scenes, grace and beauty exemplifying the visions of Frankenstein's goal in creation. The play runs through August and is highly recommended. The actual address for the theatre is on Southport, however they use the Water Tower Facility for many of their productions.

My wife and I saw Treasure Island, and it was impressive. The acting was fantastic, the set was the…read moredeck of a ship with the cast adding and subtracting tables, chairs, or whatever was needed to set the scene with amazing choreography. The venue is small, which means the LG crew has to be creative, which makes for a unique theatre experience. I would definitely recommend seeing a show here.

MANTENO DAN'S THEATRICAL REVIEW…read more Porchlight In Concert: Follies Studebaker Theatre * N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago There are shows you attend... and then there are shows you carry with you for decades. Having worn out my cast albums of Follies to the point where the needle practically filed a complaint and retired, I walked into the historic Studebaker Theatre with high expectations and a heart already tuned to Sondheim's bittersweet symphony. I am delighted to report... Porchlight delivered. And then some. This concert staging, stripped down to its bones, trusted the material, the music, and the performers to do the heavy lifting. And oh, did they lift. The orchestra sat proudly onstage alongside the cast, the setting evoked with just a handful of tables, stand microphones, and a runway that seemed to whisper with the footsteps of ghosts. No grand spectacle, no towering sets... just theater in its purest form. And it worked beautifully. The cast? Simply sensational. Michelle Duffy (Phyllis) commanded the stage with elegance and emotional precision. Angela Ingersoll (Sally) delivered a performance rich with longing and vulnerability. Felicia Fields (Hattie) brought the house to its feet with warmth, power, and presence. And the gentlemen were equally compelling: Anthony Rapp (Benjamin) anchored the story with quiet complexity, Stephen Wallen (Buddy) balanced charm and heartbreak with finesse, John Cardone (Roscoe) added texture and depth, And I must give a personal nod to James Harms (Theodore)--a familiar face and a wonderful presence on that stage. But there was a moment... a deeply personal one... that caught me completely off guard. Honey West (Stella Deems) appeared, and suddenly I wasn't just in the Studebaker Theatre. I was transported back in time. Back to Gentry's on Rush Street... later Halsted... back to nights filled with music, laughter, and memories of someone I once knew and cared for deeply. Honey, you didn't just perform--you unlocked a vault of memories. And for that, I thank you. That is the magic of Follies, isn't it? A crumbling theater. A gathering of ghosts. A collision of past and present. And this production leaned into that magic. It asked the audience to imagine--and in doing so, it gave us something far richer than scenery. It gave us a feeling. Real theater doesn't require excess. It requires truth. Music. Story. Performers who know how to reach into your chest and gently (or not so gently) remind your heart that it still beats. Now... as my readers well know, I do have one standing note--and it echoed again this afternoon. At times, the orchestra swelled just a bit too enthusiastically, occasionally overshadowing the lyrics. Whether it was my perch in the balcony or a touch of acoustic imbalance, there were moments where I strained to catch Sondheim's razor-sharp words. And with Sondheim, every word matters. A slight adjustment in sound balance would elevate an already strong production to near perfection. But make no mistake--this was a triumph. An afternoon of nostalgia, beauty, memory, and music that lingers long after the final note fades into the rafters of that grand old theater on Michigan Avenue. Bravo to the entire cast, crew, and creative team of Porchlight Musical Theatre. You reminded me why I fell in love with theater in the first place. And dear readers... I'm still here.

I saw Titanique in its recent long run at the Porchlight Theatre, and while it was the only time I…read morehad been there, the theatre is overall pretty solid. It was easy to access and simple to navigate, didn't have long lines, and was a venue that didn't appear to have a bad seat. I could see this being a good place for a wide variety of shows, musicals, etc.

A friend invited me to a show at Chase Park Theater. Community theater? I wasn't enthused. The show…read morewas Romeo and Juliet no less. The whole bike ride there I was trying to think of things I could say after the show to look on the bright side, fully expecting to feel as if I had just wasted two precious hours of my life. However, I could not have been more wrong. The play was a delight! The staging and direction was really well done. It was a HUGE risk to update the play with modern costumes and settings, while retaining the certain authentic aspects (most notably the weaponry). The risk payed off! The play was sophisticated and yet accessible to a much wider audience. The actors were very diverse and represented the whole community. Some were really fantastic (I'm talking to you Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Tybalt, Mercutio.). Among them were recent theater grads from DePaul and other respectable programs. From the opening scene I was really impressed with the high quality of acting (Gregory and Sampson nailed it!). The fight choreography was intricate and fun to watch. I'm not saying this play was perfect, but it was really, really good and worth way more than the cost of admission. I look forward to seeing what Chase Park Theater is putting on in the future.

The stage is small and so is the audience space. The actors for romeo and juliet were awesome…read more All those lines by shakespeare they learned holy appraisal to them rehearsing that stuff. I laughed hard I cried hard. This romeo and juliet play was fun and long. It was magically majestic. Beautifully performed. Colorful and creative. Wildly entertaining. Thank god for this friday night walk in the park date. Living around the corner to this theater park is a real impressive place to be. The actors were out of this world brilliant in their acts.

I would see anything by this company. Caged Dames at the Wit was hilarious The use of puppets was…read moreinnovative and endearing

I have a degree in English Literature. I took opera lessons as a child. I have been to the Prado…read moreand the Musee D'orsay. Yet somehow Hell in a Handbag Productions knows JUST what trashy and tacky pop culture button to press for my maximum lowbrow pleasure. I just attended their fourth annual screening The Poseidon Adventure at the Music Box for NYE. Best NYE ever! Great crowd, charmingly smarmy host (sloppy smooches to the one and only Dick O'Day), and signature outbursts of drunken public irreverence. My favorite part of the evening was the fact that the audience was encouraged to yell "Shut the f*ck up!" whenever a particular character said his lines. For some reason, bellowing "Shut the f*ck up!" at the top of my lungs with a bunch of other classless moviegoers cracked me up everytime. I also will say without a trace of irony that attending their "Sing Along Xanadu" was one of the greatest nights of my life. Say what you will, scoffers and haters, but Xanadu is AWESOME. The soundtrack is like sugar-spun clouds of sassy sunshine with a twist of fabulousless. And screeching the lyrics along with other inebriated Xanadu enthusiasts gave my life purpose and meaning. You deign to disagree? Shut the f*ck up! Other notable productions include an interactive Mommy Dearest (can you imagine the sheer joy of howling, "No wire hangers, EVER!") , as well as a staged version of The Poseidon Adventure. It's not Shakespeare, but so what? The HIAH crew hustles like a one-armed paper hanger to ensure everyone has a good time. And that, dear reader, is more than good enough for me.

Very fun spot for some comedy or a show!! Everything that I've seen here has been great!…read more It's a very intimate theater with open seating (at least the show that I saw). If you're seeing something similar, I'd definitely recommend getting there early to grab enough seats for your group because it fills up fast.

I'm not sure how to review the Young People's Theater of Chicago, but it is housed inside of the…read moreGreenhouse Theater, so here we go. What a great theater for kids around Chicagoland. We've loved every single show we've seen here. They also seem to love performing for the kids. HIghly recommend!

Went to see Beast Women with friends last night and had a fabulous time. Everyone was great, but…read morethere were some particularly outstanding performances by Kelsie Huff (who almost made me wet my pants), Brywn Arlwyn (there's nothing to say other than Wow!), Tamale Sepp (unique -- you have to see her to believe it), Roberta Miles (reminded me of performances by Saffire Uppity Blues Women) and Jillian Erickson (can't wait to see her one woman show). The shows are different every night and we will definitely be back for another round with new friends in tow (and maybe the old ones too). EXCEPTIONALLY WELL DONE! STANDING OVATION! APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

All female late night review - everything from spoken word to belly dancing to comedy to anything…read moreand everything in between. Each night of the series features different performers so no two shows are ever the same. The highlights last night were a dramatic and moving spoken word performance by Beasties Co-Producer, Jillian Erickson. I've seen her perform several times - she'll make you laugh, cry and blow your mind. What can be said about comedy by Tamale? She is an experience. I almost wet my pants! What can beat a biker chick who rides a motorcycle with an eyebrow!?! There were other comics - including musical. There were a variety of dancers - the husband loved it - that were each fun to watch and very different and unique - everything from fusion belly dancers to sword dancers. There isn't room to mention every act that Beast Women offered but the variety is enough to make me go back again next week to see what else they have to offer. I LOVE BEAST WOMEN!

I was so glad to support a local theatre. It was a terrific experience…read more The best part of this theatre is indeed how tiny it is - it feels intimate and so welcoming as a result. Walking in, multiple people greet you at the bar (drinks are donation-based and not fancy, per se, but you can get Kirkland brand wine or a local beer, so that's fine!). My ticket's barcode refused to print, but they found my ticket quickly. The stage itself is completely overlapping with the seating. In other words, you sit onstage: it's all one level. The seats, at least when I went, are all one row deep. It is great for short people like me, because we don't have to look over people in front of us. It is also great for tall people, who don't have blocked legroom of any sort (unless you have to pull in some long limbs if the actors are close enough to you where they might trip!). There are two large, ADA-compliant bathrooms, including one within the stage/seating area! Despite being a tiny theatre without a ton of publicity, you can still see brand new plays and similar works, as well as well established plays that have been performed worldwide. There is a personal, inclusive touch here, which is great to see. It was nice that the artistic director welcomed us all before the show started and gave us information about other upcoming productions!

If you want to laugh, see great acting and an entertaining play go to Gary at the Red Twist. The…read moreprice is right (we got a senior discount) and we found the intimacy of the theater inviting. Appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and the devotion to craft (with an irreverent twist :)

My husband and I saw this acting troupe last evening for The Front Page. The set really did look…read morelike something out of the 1920s so hats off to the set designer! We heard lots of positive comments in the crowd about the set. The play took place in the basement of a church. We weren't sure which door to go in but we saw a few people hanging around and then a sign was put outside so that made it much easier to find. (We were a bit early to begin with.) There is a parking lot behind the rectory and we found parking right on the street in the neighborhood. The play had a lots of actors in it. Act One was just okay, but Acts Two and Three were much better and funnier. I would come again to a production by them.

Recently saw the SSP's current production of "Arsenic & Old Lace" by Joseph Kesselring, and it's…read moredelightful! This comedy's plot centers around two eccentric Victorian sisters who secretly knock off lonely old gentlemen with their homemade elderberry wine which is spiked with arsenic. The two sisters aren't the only family members who are up to no good. The play is well cast and the actors' timing is impeccable. I never felt bored. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ticket prices were very reasonable and items at the concession stand were a bargain! I recommend this show.