Like many of the American musical theater greats, Cabaret is one of those shows that can suffer from style-creep, wherein an unwritten but generally agreed-upon aesthetic tradition grows into self-parody. For John Kander and Fred Ebb’s legendary pre-WWII Berlin-set romantic drama (based on the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten and […]
Tag: Michael Weber
Posted inArts & Culture
Taking the drama and dance outdoors
I spent most of the 90s in the Bay Area, where outdoor theater in the summer is a given, and the weather generally cooperates (if you’re not facing the threat of forest fires, that is). But in Chicago, extreme heat and thunderstorms go with the territory. Despite Mother Nature and other logistical challenges, outdoor theater […]
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Porchlight puts Passing Strange in the spotlight
For Chicago-based director Donterrio, the late-00s musical Passing Strange represents a road map for how an artist—no matter the medium in which they create—can live their life. The show’s story of a Black musician’s coming-of-age depicts “what happens once you have this crazy dream as a teenager to be an artist, and this is how […]
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Joel Grey (virtually) headlines PorchlightPalooza
The 88-year-old musical theater icon talks about staying home—and coming out.
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Hollis Resnik is big, but the score stays small in Porchlight’s Sunset Boulevard
A great star turn can’t quite overcome the limitations of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1993 musical.
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Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and more of the best things to do in Chicago this weekend
Comedian Tom Papa and more goings-on March 9-11
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Porchlight casting raises questions on the nature of ‘authentic’ theater
The Chicago theater community debates casting for Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’s In the Heights.
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Porchlight revives the two-time Broadway flop Side Show
But even improved, Henry Krieger’s musical about conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton remains pedestrian.
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Porchlight’s Sweeney Todd puts the demon barber back in business
Porchlight Music Theatre’s intimate Sweeney Todd adds pathos to the horror in Sondheim’s masterpiece.
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Young guys attract old dolls in Pal Joey
Rodgers and Hart’s 1940 musical Pal Joey, now in revival by Porchlight Music Theatre, pushed Broadway’s boundaries.
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Carrie Kaufman is Porchlight Theatre’s new GM
Longtime PerformInk publisher Carrie Kaufman is the new general manager of Porchlight Music Theatre
Posted inBlogs
Malachy McCourt and Gretchen Cryer Join Benefit Bill
Malachy McCourt and Gretchen Cryer will perform at a benefit for stricken producer Michael Cullen.