All stories by Amanda Finn on BroadwayStars

Friday, January 27, 2023

What’s In a Name? A Review of The Great Khan at Redtwist Theatre by Amanda Finn

Michael Gene Sullivan’s new play is a lively reminder that those who came before are not just names to memorize in grade school. Their legacies, infamous or not, follow us in ways seen and…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Are We Still Naive? A Review of Cabaret at Porchlight Music Theatre by Amanda Finn

You will be dazzled by the shimmering costumes a la Bill Morey, the incredible talent of the ensemble and enamored by Angela Weber Miller’s multifaceted set.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Chicago Theater Is Home: An Interview with Marissa Lynn Ford About Her Plans for the League of Chicago Theatres by Amanda Finn

Now the new executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres, Ford’s love of the theater shines on in a unique way.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Monday, December 19, 2022

A Shadow of Ourselves: A Review of Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol by Amanda Finn

Manual Cinema’s amalgamation of puppetry, mixed between shadow and light, is the perfect homage to this beloved Victorian ghost story.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, December 15, 2022

Saving Hanukkah by Amanda Finn

During the holiday season there are traditions all over the world. I hope that Strawdog’s Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins maintains its place as a Chicago seasonal perennial. Now in its f…

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 04:30PM
Friday, December 2, 2022

No Humbugs: A Review of A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre by Amanda Finn

Equal parts imaginative holiday magic, Dickensian gothic style, and honest-to-goodness humanity.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Monologuing: Title Ten at Artemisia Theatre by Amanda Finn

Int. messy Chicago apartment, unseasonably hot end of November.  Being a theater critic can be so isolating when you don’t fit the story being told. Most of the time, I […] The post Mon…

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 01:13PM
Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Get Sparklejollytwinklejingley: A Review of Elf the Musical at Drury Lane by Amanda Finn

The show is everything you’d imagine for a staged version of Buddy the Elf’s coming-of-age story. You can practically taste the gooey gumdrop goodness from any seat in the house, even if…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, November 17, 2022

A death in the family by Amanda Finn

Death is an often unwelcome teacher. It descends into our lives suddenly, without warning, or takes its sweet time. No matter when it finds us, Grief is right behind Death, […] The post A …

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 12:52PM
Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Then There Was Music: A Review of Measure for Measure at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Amanda Finn

“Measure” is one of those bizarre Shakespearean plays that resides in the space between comedy and tragedy—something that few of the Bard’s works do. Yet you will find yourself mesme…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, October 13, 2022

Rich family fare by Amanda Finn

As someone whose older sisters are over a dozen years her senior, Sancocho (presented by Visión Latino Theatre Company as part of the fifth Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Fe…

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 03:26PM

We Didn’t Start the Fire: A Review of Botticelli in the Fire at First Floor Theater by Amanda Finn

This play is super-duper-ultra queer. And I’m here for it.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, October 11, 2022

A Eulogy for Eugene: A Review Of 1919 At Steppenwolf Theatre Company by Amanda Finn

Eve L. Ewing’s 2019 collection of poems deep dives into the archives of the 1919 Chicago Race Riots—the most noted moment of the country’s Red Summer.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Monday, September 26, 2022

Leave the Doors Open: A Review of Enough to Let the Light In at Teatro Vista by Amanda Finn

This psychological thriller lends itself wholeheartedly to the macabre.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, September 22, 2022

Crowded house by Amanda Finn

Chicago doesn’t have much in the way of immersive theater experiences like Sleep No More in NYC. So when Windy City Playhouse debuted Leslie Liautaud’s Southern Gothic in 2018 it […] T…

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 12:27PM

Slings and arrows by Amanda Finn

Never before has my Catholic upbringing been helpful in seeing theater. And yet, my mind couldn’t help but wander back to catechism class during Refracted Theatre Company’s inaugural pro…

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 12:12PM
Thursday, July 7, 2022

A New Path Forward? Exploring the State of Chicago Theater by Amanda Finn

Many of our city’s theatrical leaders agree that Chicago is at the forefront of defining the future of the American theater.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, July 1, 2022

The Winds of Change Are Here: Hurricane Diane at Theater Wit by Amanda Finn

madeleine george’s modern-day Greek comedy “Hurricane Diane” could not have come at a better time.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, June 24, 2022

The magic is gone by Amanda Finn

Every piece of art has a timeliness. When it is born and put into the world, it becomes part of its identity for better or worse. For Godspell, that time has come and gone. First staged in 1…

SOURCE: chicagoreader.com at 11:28AM
Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Preps Rally: A Review of Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical at Kokandy Productions by Amanda Finn

For fellow nineties nostalgia seekers, “Cruel Intentions” is one of those quintessential teen drama romps. Chock full of nineties music you will be compelled to sing along (but seriously…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, June 2, 2022

What Do Your Ghosts Want? A Review of “The Magnolia Ballet” at About Face Theatre by Amanda Finn

Rarely do you get such rich storytelling in just over ninety minutes.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, April 21, 2022

The Rise and Fall of a King: Lanise Antoine Shelley Brings the “The Tragedy of King Christophe” to the House Theatre of Chicago by Amanda Finn

In a world like ours so wrought with chaos and war, what happens when freedom is finally achieved? That is something that the play “The Tragedy of King Christophe” attempts to answer.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, April 1, 2022

Sisters in Crisis: A Review of “Spay” at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble by Amanda Finn

When one in four Americans are directly impacted by opioid addiction, any art we create on the subject will have a profound effect.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Monday, March 21, 2022

Men Need Not Apply: A Review of Wife of a Salesman at Writers Theatre by Amanda Finn

“Wife of a Salesman” is full of cogent points about being a woman that are just as relevant now as they were in the show’s 1950s setting.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Take It With You: A Review of Come From Away at Broadway in Chicago by Amanda Finn

Much like the show’s spirit, the cast of this production is an homage to togetherness.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, February 11, 2022

The Family Burdens We Bear: A Review of Queen of the Night at Victory Gardens Theater by Amanda Finn

travis tate’s play interrogates preconceived notions of ourselves and the ones we hold against others.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, November 19, 2021

Buggin’ Out: A Review of Bug at Steppenwolf Theatre by Amanda Finn

The audience is the fly on the wall of a dingy Oklahoma hotel room where Agnes White is taking refuge from her recently released, abusive ex-husband Jerry.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, September 23, 2021

Déjà Vu, I Think We’ve Seen This All Before: A Review of Mr. Burns a Post-Electric Play at Theater Wit by Amanda Finn

Playwright Anne Washburn succinctly crafted a show that demonstrated the cyclical nature of human storytelling, theater and life itself all in the span of three hours.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, August 31, 2021

A Fine Welcome Home: Kinky Boots at Paramount Theatre by Amanda Finn

The first thing you’ll notice stepping into the theater at Paramount is the electricity…. It’s the hum of anticipation.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Linking Up: Out of COVID Comes a Co-MISSION Festival  by Amanda Finn

“It’s interesting, we started conversations before the pandemic about what it might look like to create one big festival with residents and fellows presenting together,” Stephanie Pach…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Twenty-Four Hour Spin Cycle: A Review of “The Spin” at Interrobang Theatre Project by Amanda Finn

Spenser Davis' play, written for Zoom, takes advantage of where we are to tell a compelling story about what we’re up against.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM

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