All stories by Brian Hieggelke on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Stage Top 5: October 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

Two plays featuring seven women each and a gender-swapped Sondheim give October feminist flavor.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, September 1, 2023

Stage Top 5: September 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

The fall season kicks off with some laughs, some music and some heavy themes about America, race and capitalism.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, August 31, 2023

Can’t-Miss Stage Events (Fall Arts Preview 2023) by Brian Hieggelke

Fall festivals in comedy and Latino theater? Boop-Oop-a-Doop!

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Monday, July 31, 2023

Stage Top 5: August 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

Big musicals, star comedians and a show on the beach: summer's last dance.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, June 29, 2023

Stage Top 5: July 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

Shakespeare outdoors, or Pinter and more in the theater.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Woke Up: A Review of “Don’t Quit Your Daydream” at The Second City Mainstage by Brian Hieggelke

"Don't Quit Your Daydream" is one of the most consistently funny shows—maybe the funniest—I've ever seen on The Second City's stage.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, May 26, 2023

Stage Top 5: June 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

Take your pick: musical or off-center romantic comedy

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, April 28, 2023

Stage Top 5: May 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

May is for musical comedy and edgy new work.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, March 30, 2023

Stage Top 5: April 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

April musicals contemplate bluegrass music, serial killers and Alanis Morissette.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Stage Top 5: March 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

Four world premieres and one fond farewell make March a must-go month for theater and opera fans.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Stage Top 5: February 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

Considerations of race, gender and the music of Earth, Wind and Fire make February a fierce month on Chiicago stages.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, January 6, 2023

Players 2023: Who Really Performs for Chicago Right Now by Brian Hieggelke

The spirit of art on our stages is undaunted, the quality of work unsurpassed.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, January 5, 2023

Stage Top 5: January 2023 by Brian Hieggelke

The new year kicks off with gusto, with opera, performance and theater both local and global.

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

Stage Top 5: December 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

If you've had enough holiday theater already, here are five shows that are not about Christmas.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, October 28, 2022

Stage Top 5: November 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

The month starts serious and ends with farce, with a bit of comedy and opera in between.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, October 6, 2022

Almost Heaven: A Review of Luminaire at Cabaret ZaZou by Brian Hieggelke

The thought popped into my head that if there was a heaven, it could not be better than this.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Stage Top 5: October 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

Four world premieres and "Rent" — now that's a good month in theater.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, September 30, 2022

Can’t-Miss Stage Events (Fall Arts Preview 2022) by Brian Hieggelke

This season brings out bold new work by some of the city's most creative

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, September 27, 2022

One Sick Family: Playwright Brett Neveu Channels Orson Welles, Sort of, with “The Malignant Ampersands” at A Red Orchid by Brian Hieggelke

Brett Neveu debuts his "unofficial sequel" to the Welles film, "The Magnificent Ambersons."

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Mother American Dream: A Review of The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington at Steppenwolf by Brian Hieggelke

Playwright James Ijames makes the case that there's more than one way to tear down a monument with his fever dream of a play about a fever dream.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, August 26, 2022

Stage Top 5: September 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

A vibrant month in Chicago theater with all the major stages coming back to life, almost at once.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Welcome to the Jungle: A Review of Campaigns, Inc. at TimeLine Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

Will Allan's "Campaigns, Inc." is an origin story of modern political mendacity, found in the 1934 governor's race between the incumbent buffoon Frank Merriam and the visionary progressive U…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Monday, August 8, 2022

After A Fashion: A Review of “The Devil Wears Prada, The Musical” at the James M. Nederlander Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

Early in the first act of "The Devil Wears Prada,The Musical," Andy, a frumpy self-important recent college grad, is up for a job as a personal assistant to Miranda Priestly (a thinly veiled…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 01:47AM
Thursday, July 28, 2022

Stage Top 5: August 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

August stages are filled with famous people, both living and dead.

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

Stage Top 5: July 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

An eclectic month of performances culminates with the Broadway-bound "The Devil Wears Prada"

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, June 17, 2022

Sign of the Times: The Story Behind Natalie Moore’s Playwriting Debut, “The Billboard: A Play About Abortion” by Brian Hieggelke

Moore's show is set in Englewood, mostly at the fictional Black Women's Health Initiative, inspired loosely by an amalgamation of real-life events back in 2011 that she covered as a journali…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, June 9, 2022

All Alone in the Moonlight: A Review of “Skates” at Studebaker Theater by Brian Hieggelke

"Skates," the creation of Chicago native Christine Rea (book and lyrics) and her husband Rick Briskin (music and lyrics) has its heart in the seventies, at a South Side roller rink called Wi…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Friday, June 3, 2022

Stage Top 5: June 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

A music-infused month of theater

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Thursday, May 26, 2022

The Dreams That You Dare to Dream: A Review of “Somewhere Over the Border” at Teatro Vista by Brian Hieggelke

A mashup of a mother's memories of crossing the border with the "Wizard of Oz" is a masterpiece in the making. "Somewhere Over the Border" reminds us that the world is full of common folks j…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Dueling in Dystopia: A Review of “Last Hermanos” at A Red Orchid Theatre by Brian Hieggelke

Two Mexican American brothers who've grown up separately in the United States are together on the run, hoping  to make it across the border to Mexico and escape the unfriendly confines that…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM
Monday, May 2, 2022

Stage Top 5: May 2022 by Brian Hieggelke

A big month for new musicals

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

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