Weaponizing the American Dream: “Alma” at American Blues Theater by Hugh Iglarsh

“Alma" sensitively weaves together the personal and political in this tale of an immigrant single mother originally from Mexico and her rebellious U.S.-born teenage daughter.

Slumming in Bohemia: A Review of “Hay Fever” at City Lit Theater by Hugh Iglarsh

Under Terry McCabe’s crisp direction, this 1925 play comes saucily to life, its portrayal of showbiz self-absorption and social insensitivity as fresh and stinging as an Oscar-night slap.

Magical Realism, Shakespeare-Style: A Review of The Winter’s Tale at Oak Park Festival Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

Well cast and imaginatively staged by adapter/director Kevin Theis, Oak Park Theatre Festival’s telling of “The Winter’s Tale” is a consistently engaging and occasionally enthralling…

Coarse Contrasts: Antigone at Redtwist Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

“Antigone” is perhaps the oldest depiction we have of civil disobedience, focusing on the tension between the state and the individual conscience.

Not Quixotic Enough: A Review of the Joffrey Ballet’s “Don Quixote” at the Lyric Opera House by Hugh Iglarsh

World Without Pity: A Review of “Rasheeda Speaking” at Shattered Globe Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

A real minefield of a drama, focusing on how the macro issues of race, class and gender affect the micro world of workplace relationships.

Complementary Opposites: A Preview of “Serenade” and “Of Mice and Men” by the Joffrey Ballet by Hugh Iglarsh

“Both [ballets] are trying to deal with a particular time: One by healing with the beauty of dance, the other by trying to create empathy for beaten-down humanity. Right now, we’re facin…

Pass This One Over: A Review of “In Every Generation” at Victory Gardens by Hugh Iglarsh

The drama takes place over a non-sequential series of Passovers, beginning in 2019 Los Angeles, as three generations of a Sephardic Jewish clan come together.

Theater Is Participation: A Review of Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight at American Blues Theater by Hugh Iglarsh

Featuring a bravura performance by Jim Ortlieb, this show is all about getting reacquainted with the joys, stresses and sheer sensation of real life after a too-long hibernation.

Journey to Inner Space: A Review of Solaris at Griffin Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

“Solaris” takes us on a mind-bending philosophical and spiritual journey, probing into the nature of reality and identity.

Reluctant Romance: A Review of Outside Mullingar at Citadel Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

The play focuses on Anthony and Rosemary, forty-ish neighbors whose farms and personal histories are deeply enmeshed.

A Jewel of a Show: A Review of Gem of the Ocean at the Goodman Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

As with the epic tales of the ancient world, the characters’ stories blend together into one complex, interrelated narrative that gives insight into the past and offers moral and practical…

Sheer Wonderment: A Review of The Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The Lyric Opera House by Hugh Iglarsh

Joffrey Ballet performs a miracle, turning this holiday chestnut into something not just fresh and new, but also relevant and provocative.

All Hat and No Dickens: A Review of Mr. Dickens’ Hat at Northlight Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

The story revolves around Kit, a loyal young daughter struggling to pay off the debts of her father, who as the play opens is languishing in a debtors prison.

Bodily Grace, Spiritual Fire: A Review of Joffrey Ballet’s “Home: A Celebration” at the Lyric Opera House by Hugh Iglarsh

The Joffrey Ballet's triumphal return to live performance is a multi-sensory delight that serves as a joyful homecoming for a crown jewel of Chicago’s cultural scene.

Drama of Survival: A Preview of Teatron 2021, A Festival of Jewish Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

The festival is a testament to the resourcefulness and survival skills of the theater community at a tough moment.

Against the Silencing: New Medina Theater Collective Tells the Stories of Muslim and SWANASA Communities by Hugh Iglarsh

Radical Wonder: ShPIeL-Performing Identity and Bunbury Theatre Co-Present “Imagining Heschel” by Hugh Iglarsh

A new production reflects on the life of the twentieth-century Jewish scholar and activist who was moved by faith to confront injustice.

Doomed to Live: A Review of The Two Character Play at Theatre L’Acadie by Hugh Iglarsh

The great test facing the fearful protagonists of this rarely produced Tennessee Williams play—simply going outside—is disturbingly pertinent at this moment.

Toxic: A Review of Poison at The Plagiarists by Hugh Iglarsh

The real poison at work here isn’t strychnine or hemlock, it’s a dreary self-seriousness that leaches the play of any hint of wit, humor and humanity.

Adapt and Perish: A Review of Adaptation at Theatre Above the Law by Hugh Iglarsh

Hardly seen in the past fifty years, the enterprising thespians at TATL offer a timely revival of this biting one-act satire by comic genius Elaine May.

With a Thud: A Review of How a Boy Falls at Northlight Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

Underneath the well-wrought exterior of this gratuitously convoluted, neo-noir drama is a conspicuous absence of heart, soul and meaning.

Something to Chew On: A Review of The Tasters at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble by Hugh Iglarsh

The world premiere of Meghan Brown's play seems less a futurist fantasy than a parable of life in a failed state turned patriarchal prison-house.

Commedia Delight: The Conspirators’ Wm. Bullion and Sid Feldman on Their Stylized Approach to Theatricality by Hugh Iglarsh

"Theater should be an intimate experience. It's supposed to feel dirty and rough."

Dog Eat Dog: A Review of The Dog, the Night, and the Knife at Silencio by Hugh Iglarsh

This play reveals the power of theater when pared down to its rawest, most primal elements.

Still Waiting: A Review of Waiting for Godot at Victory Gardens Theater by Hugh Iglarsh

Those hoping for a memorable production of Beckett's existential classic will have to do what his infamous protagonists have done for decades: keep waiting.

Sweet Smell of Succession: A Review of Rutherford and Son at TimeLine Theatre Company by Hugh Iglarsh

Featuring Francis Guinan in his TimeLine debut, Githa Sowerby's unjustly neglected 1912 play is a bracing tonic against the notion of "the good old days."

No Accident: A Review of Accidental Death of a Black Motorist at The Conspirators by Hugh Iglarsh

The Conspirators update Dario Fo's 1970 farce "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" for the times we live in to excellent, albeit overstretched, ends.

The Passion of Lenny Bruce: A Review of I’m Not a Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce at the Royal George by Hugh Iglarsh

This one-man show is Lenny Bruce in his truest form, his provocations from beyond the grave like pleas for decency in an increasingly indecent world.

A Winter’s Worth of Discontent: A Review of Richard III at Eclectic Full Contact Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

While there’s no more cautionary character for our day in the Shakespearean canon, gimmicky anachronism is no substitute for theatrical vision and professionalism.

Life and Liberty: A Review of Be Here Now at Shattered Globe Theatre by Hugh Iglarsh

A poignant and pertinent exploration of the pursuit of happiness.