Theater
Running home to the circus
Reminiscent Circus’s Way Home examines place and memory.
Latest stories
The Physical Theater Festival turns 11
A lonely clown, a one-man version of Black Brazilian history, and “an inter-genre cinematic caper” take the stage this year.
Get stories like this via e-mail twice a month! Subscribe to our Arts & Culture Newsletter!
theater Previews
Savannah songs
Taylor Mac and J. Harrison Ghee talk about the Goodman’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Summer sensations
Our critics highlight some of the most intriguing live performances of the season.
Token Theatre adds a gay romantic comedy to the Asian American canon
Two fortysomething gaysians look for romance in David Rhee’s Zac Efron.
Exploring queer Middle Eastern identity in Dummy in Diaspora
Esho Rasho’s show draws on his own coming-of-age experiences.
Transforming young lives through theater and journalism
Water People Theater’s NOTICIAS KIDS spreads good news.
Garters upends the norms of fantasy fiction
Otherworld’s world premiere places nontraditional heroes in a traditional realm.
Theater reviews
Star-cross’d lovers by daylight
Midsommer Flight’s outdoor Romeo and Juliet streamlines the tragedy without losing its passionate heart.
Blank! The Musical builds a brand-new show each night
The off-Broadway improvised musical helps launch Revival’s new South Loop home.
A honey of a show
Beehive at Marriott pays tribute to women singers of the 60s.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ hits its stride at Drury Lane
The songbook of the legendary Fats Waller soars in E. Faye Butler’s stellar production.
Community kitchen
The Hot Wing King celebrates Black men’s lives and loves.
Corduroy, clown style
The beloved bear comes to crowd-pleasing life at Chicago Shakespeare.
Ghost light by kerry reid
Remembering Jonathan Wilson 1949-2024
The longtime director and Loyola theater professor influenced generations of artists; the Chicago Theater Bike Ride hosts a benefit, and longtime songwriter-singer-critic Richard Knight Jr. unveils original songs at Space.
Can You Hear Us Now? celebrates queer history through dance
Molly Smith of Chicago Tap Theatre on the inspirations for the company’s Pride month offering; Field Foundation announces 2024 Leaders for a New Chicago.
Stages of survival
About Face marches on
New voices help the LGBTQ+ company expand their reach.
La compañía UrbanTheater sigue arraigada en Humboldt Park
“Sabían que si querían ver una obra que los representara, que fuera puertorriqueña, éramos nosotros.”
UrbanTheater Company stays rooted in Humboldt Park
“They knew that if they wanted to see work that represented them, that was Puerto Rican, it was us.”
A Lifeline to great storytelling
The 42-year-old Rogers Park theater company adapts to the times.
![Chicago Reader print newspaper cover art for volume 52 number 25 featuring an illustration of the fine arts building in chicago surrounded by other buildings on michigan avenue](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i0.wp.com/chicagoreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-21-small.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)
The room where it happens, again
Hamilton holds up in the latest tour.
Fall Theater & arts preview
‘125 is feeling very good’
Celebrating Chicago’s cultural past and present at the Fine Arts Building
The quest for Eleven
A young theater artist searches for Gary Tucker and the Godzilla Rainbow Troupe.
Setting the stage for queer stories
A seasonal preview of LGBTQ+ theater
You won’t be my neighbor
Class and internalized racism explode in WELCOME TO MATTESON!