CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review of the new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version of 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” the first film of one of the most successful film franchises in movie history, spun off from the original breakthrough sci-fi TV series of the 1960s. Beam me up.
HollywoodChicago.com Theater Reviews & Interviews
Theater Review: Reality is Analyzed in Passionate New Play ‘Loom’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 16, 2012 - 10:50amCHICAGO – Storefront theater is the lifeblood of new works in Chicago, and it is often where a performance of true fire can be found. The new play “Loom,” presented by the theater group “Nothing Without a Company,” is a prime case-in-point, advancing a passionate new voice for the stage.
Theater Review: Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s ‘Superior Donuts’ is Authentic Chicago
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 22, 2012 - 12:27pmCHICAGO – The characters of “Superior Donuts” – as brilliantly interpreted by the cast in this production at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre – feel as though they’ve stepped from a Chicago neighborhood and began to perform their lives in the theater.
Blu-ray Review: Stunning Production of ‘The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 13, 2012 - 12:45pmCHICAGO – We’re going to give you a number of HD choices in the next 36 hours for your Valentine’s Day sweetie. Some will be obvious (“Love Story,” “The Lady and the Tramp,” “The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn — Part 1”) and others will be less so. One that might fall in the latter category but would make for a lovely Hallmark holiday evening is the stunning Blu-ray release of the 25th anniversary show of “The Phantom of the Opera” at Royal Albert Hall. With incredible production values and amazing performances, this Blu-ray is a perfect gift for fans of the longest-running Broadway show of all time.
Theater Review: Evocative ‘For the Boys’ Must Blend Disconnected Song With Rich Story
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 7, 2011 - 6:04pmCHICAGO – Musical theater takes on the burden or blessing of twice the challenge as songless theater. To earn widespread acclaim and timeless durability, a show will seamlessly balance song and story in perfect harmony. The two living, breathing creatures must symbiotically advance each other. If one’s stronger, one suffocates the other and both die.
Theater News: Smash-Hit ‘The Book of Mormon’ Coming to Chicago in 2012
Submitted by TimBMartens on September 7, 2011 - 3:25pmCHICAGO – The biggest and most talked about musical to hit Broadway in years will have a mission in Chicago come December 2012. “The Book of Mormon,” winner of 9 Tony Awards this year including Best Musical, will be coming to the Bank of America Theater in downtown Chicago for at least a 12 week run.
Theater Review: Drury Lane’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ Deals Deftly With Demonic Passenger
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 1, 2011 - 10:44pmCHICAGO – In Chicago’s continuing trend of borrowing from Broadway high-accolade actors rather than drawing upon the profusion of genius in our own backyard, at least now-Broadway star and New York local Gregg Edelman is a Chicago native. And the TV voice of the peanut M&M.
Theater Review: Real Chicago in Timeline Theatre’s ‘The Front Page’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 25, 2011 - 4:45pmCHICAGO – The popular image of the newspaper reporter screaming into the phone with a hot scoop most likely began with the popular and oft-produced stageplay, “The Front Page.” Timeline Theatre of Chicago presents an essential restaging of the classic with superior attention to period detail.
Theater Feature: Casts of ‘Hair,’ ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ Benefit Marriage Equality
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 19, 2011 - 8:26amCHICAGO – The casts of two current theater spectaculars in Chicago lent their talents to benefit Marriage Equality in the United States. The “Be-In for Marriage Equality” took place on March 14, 2011, and featured performers from the road show Broadway version of “Hair” and the current cast of “Million Dollar Quartet.”
Theater Review: Magnificent ‘Macbeth’ at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 28, 2011 - 10:00pmCHICAGO – One of the jewels of Chicago is right on Lake Michigan. The Chicago Shakepeare Theater within Navy Pier continues to illuminate the immortal Bard resplendently for contemporary audiences. “Macbeth,” playing through March 5th, is part of their ‘Short Shakespeare!’ series.
Theater Review: Steppenwolf’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ With Tracy Letts Redefines Edge-of-Your-Seat Captivation
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 21, 2010 - 4:07pmCHICAGO – Amy Morton says she’s afraid of Virginia Woolf, but she’s actually terrorized violently – and masterfully – by her stage husband, Tracy Letts.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 45 Pairs of Bailiwick Theatre Tickets to Chicago Musical ‘Departure Lounge’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 23, 2010 - 12:26amCHICAGO – In our inaugural Chicago theatre edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Theatre, we have 45 admit-two Chicago theatre tickets up for grabs to the new musical “Departure Lounge” at the Royal George Cabaret Theater from Bailiwick Chicago!
Theater Review: ‘Rock of Ages’ Ain’t Nothin’ But a Good Time
Submitted by Alissa Norby on September 25, 2010 - 2:46pmCHICAGO – “I wanted to explore deep, thoughtful theatre,” deadpans a giddily vitriolic narrator, played here in a last minute swap-out by Mitchell Jarvis, during the eleventh hour of “Rock of Ages”. Although referring to any aspect of this rollicking, trenchantly self-aware jukebox ride in classical terms may either be mawkishly generous or downright offensive to its recalcitrant intent.
