Chicago Broadcasting Network

Have you ever heard the name or term Scaramouche ? Maybe you remember it in the bohemian rhapsody or maybe you’ve seen the 1952 film? This may not have the scale of many modern blockbusters and might seem a bit old-school to some but this world premiere musical by Kingsley Day is a well-conceived, well written production with a good balance of drama and humor that includes thoughtful and approacha...

The challenge of Putting a Price on Loss . A widowed father is informed that his child has been killed during a protest, forcing him to consider whether a cash settlement can possibly soothe his grief – in the process, we witness how public institutions and policies, in an attempt to remain impartial, reduce tragedy to a transaction that ignores the emotional needs of individuals. The world premie...

Montrose Beach in Chicago was raised from landfill. Cricket Hill has a surprising origin story. The Dock was once a Cold War command center and the quiet bird sanctuary nearby grew out of land that once held radar towers and housed military personnel. Montrose Harbor is a reminder that places evolve, they carry layers of history — some visible, some buried, some forgotten — and all of them shape t...

Set circa 1927 -- at the height of the Great Migration, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is rooted in personal trauma, systemic racism and economic exploitation. Ma Rainey is the leading artist of a struggling Chicago based blues label..Four of her backing musicians sitting in a rehearsal hall of the recording studio examine their lives while waiting for the prima donna to perform. In true blues tradition...

Journey to 1850s Dublin where faith, repression, and desire intersect.  When a formerly enslaved African‑American woman and her companion arrive for a ten‑week stay, their presence disrupts the household’s carefully maintained façade. What follows is a revealing examination of integrity, sexual power, and the quiet bargains people make to reconcile their beliefs with their actions. This U.S. premi...

A thoughtful review of Itamar Moses’ The Ally at Theater Wit — a sharp, timely drama about identity, activism, and conflicting truths. This episode explores the play’s themes, performances, direction, and why one “good deed” spirals into chaos. Perfect for listeners interested in Chicago theater and contemporary social issues. #chicagotheaterreview #chicagotheater #israelpalestine

Blending spooky folklore with offbeat humor, White Rooster by Matthew C. Yee a world Premiere at Lookingglass Theatre is a haunting tale of grief, family and the messiness of moving on.  Chicago Theater Review by Kim Campbell. 

This campy, opera style, cabaret performance mostly in drag is oddly compelling. The unconventional storyline comprised of seven sexually ambiguous individuals has the show living up to its tagline of a queer extravaganza .  Thompson Street Opera Company is worth keeping an eye on. Their recent premiere production of Off-Nights at the Sometimes Café at Bramble Arts Loft in Andersonville was a shor...

In “Changing Channels” at City Lit Theater in Chicago, Maggie Carlin and boss Eddie Gilroy abruptly learn that creating what will become an iconic TV comedy show is not all fun and games.  Currently appearing on the fledgling DuMont TV network, Gilroy has an offer to move his wildly popular show to CBS. However, his manager, “Bullets” played by Johnny Moran informs him due to suspected communist i...

A nonstop “catcaphony” of frenzied feline fun that will create a lasting memory. With elements of musical theater, dance, opera and acrobatics there is definitely something for everyone in Music Theatre Works production of CATS at Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. 

There are two good reasons to see Harvey , by St. Sebastian Players. One is the humorous quirky Pulitzer Prize winning script by Mary Chase and the other is the exceptional performance of Jeff Broitman as Elwood Dowd, the pleasant oddball fellow whose companion and best friend is a six-foot rabbit.

You’ll probably love this if you’re of Irish heritage because of the familiarity of the songs and background message. If you’re a few generations removed or have no Irish heritage you will likely find some insight into this segment of America that makes up about 10% of the overall population. The Irish and How They Got That Way by Porchlight Theatre Company is at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, tic...

This intimate drama at Redtwist Theater in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago delivers a message of unconscious bias and institutional slavery put into motion generations ago but messages that are still very much alive and grappled with today on both sides of the racial divide. Review by Reno Lovison approximately 5 minutes. Highly recommended.

Featuring an impressive, ancient, oppressive, dimly lit three story plaster and brick edifice, that apparently was a former jail, it is now the military home of a company commander and his wife located on an offshore island.  Set in Scandinavia sometime in the late 19th or early 20th Century, Alice (Kathryn Erbe) and Edgar (Jeff Perry) will soon be marking the 25TH anniversary of their mostly unha...

“Holiday” at The Goodman is a fresh world-premiere adaptation of the classic boy meets girl - - boy meets girl’s sister romcom by Richard Greenberg based on the original 1928 version by playwright Philip Barry and featuring an outstanding cast.  ChicagoBroadcastingNetwork.com  #Theater #Review #Podcast. #Chicago

Stephen Sondheim’s vintage musical “Company” presented by Madkap Productions explores the life choices of Bobby (Graham Todd) the only one of his friends still unmarried at a time when marriage by thirty was expected.

The Chicago International Puppet Festival is a 12 day event that has been taking place in Chicago for several years that has attracts about 22,000 audience members who travel from around the world to be a part of the biggest event dedicated to puppetry in North America.   This is a wonderful interview conducted by Chicago Broadcasting Network contributor Kim Campbell with Sandy Smith Gerding, Exec...

This year we reviewed over 30 Chicago plays and events. This podcast recaps favorites and highlights of the 2025 season plus a few ideas for 2026. Some productions mentioned include: Iraq But Funny Amelie Tom & Eliza Galileo Hedda Gabler and a few more.

The uplifting story of a distinctively red haired, hopelessly optimistic, depression era orphan named Annie is firmly rooted in the early 1930s where the stark contrast between the haves and have-nots was plainly evident everywhere. This was especially true in urban centers like New York City where fortunes large and small were lost in the 1929 stock market crash. 

Part of the success and charm of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is its simple elegance. The story is easy to understand even by the youngest theater goers yet it does not talk down the audience. It’s a kind of secular parable with a strong moral lesson to change your ways before it’s too late and The Goodman Theatre has continued the lesson in Chicago for 48 years.

“Amadeus” presented at Steppenwolf Theatre Chicago is a story of two men, one believed to be beloved by God and one who believed he could negotiate to win God’s love. On the surface it is easy to assume this is a biographical sketch of Mozart, and indeed the story written by Peter Shaffer does allude to the final years of the composer’s life, but actually this is a story of one man’s envy of anoth...

Performed in modern dress using original Elizabethan vernacular, Much Ado About Nothing is a quintessential Shakespeare comedy and seminal rom-com that has a little something for everyone.  A humorous love story with a touch of drama that pokes fun at everyone no matter their rank.  Presented by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Company in their Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier, through December 21st...

For those unfamiliar with the 1886 original story of Jekyll and Hyde - - it is a tale of the strange case of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a fictional 19th century London physician who decides to experiment on himself using what might be described as psychotropic drugs.  In doing so he unleashes his own demon in the person of his alter ego Mr. Hyde. This excellent musical version is presented by Kokandy Produ...

Written in 1978 by Ira Levin DEATHTRAP holds the record for the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway, offering multiple plot twists over two acts with one set and five characters. This now classic play presented by Madkap Productions onstage at the Skokie Theatre will capture you in a web of illusion and deceit, with just enough humor to take the edge off the murderous treachery taking plac...

Taking place in New Orleans around 1813, the dialog by playwright Marcus Gardley skillfully explains that Napoleon has recently sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States and with statehood, the status of many free people of color and those of mixed-race heritage is going to change.  This story deals with some dramatic and weighty subjects but the script by Marcus Gardley is not overbearing...