All stories by Mary Wisniewski on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Life of an Immigrant: A Review of "Ironbound" at Raven Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

It's a powerful and rare play that puts a spotlight on a regular working-class woman, bravely negotiating a difficult life.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 17, 2024

The Game of Make-Believe: A Review of "Henry V" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Mary Wisniewski

"Henry V" is like one of those M.C. Escher prints where sometimes you see fish and sometimes ducks"it plays with your perception.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, September 9, 2024

Hogwarts From the Heartland: Chicago Actors Matt Mueller and Larry Yando on Their Roles in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by Mary Wisniewski

Yando, who played Scrooge in The Goodman Theatre's "The Christmas Carol" for sixteen years and is known for playing complicated, dark characters, will take on the prickly Severus Snape in th…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, August 26, 2024

If, If Only and What If: A Review of "Constellations" at American Players Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

The performances are real, and the play doesn't feel like a gimmick but a true portrayal of how life works. It's like cubism in story form"the variations are altogether at once.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, August 22, 2024

Successful Entertainment: A Review of "The Virgin Queen Entertains Her Fool" at American Players Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

"The Virgin Queen Entertains Her Fool" is a bawdy, witty, fast-paced tragicomedy, brilliantly acted and expertly plotted.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Villains By Necessity: A Review of "King Lear" at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin by Mary Wisniewski

There's no time wrong for "King Lear," and if you haven't seen a live performance, American Players Theatre's production is a great place to start.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Pantomiming the Middle Earth: A Review of "The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale" at Chicago Shakes by Mary Wisniewski

"The Lord of the Rings" musical, now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is a disappointing muddle. Despite some lovely music and amazing puppetry, it doesn't satisfy.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Oldies Made Edgy: A Review of Paramount's "Million Dollar Quartet" at Stolp Island Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

If you haven't seen this show before"this is the production to experience it. And if you've seen it a dozen times, come to Aurora and see it again.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 11, 2024

Southern Gothic: A Review of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" at the Goodman Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

"Midnight" is a sparkling, engaging night at the theater, and will make you want to book a weekend in Savannah. It's worth seeing, especially for Ghee.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, June 14, 2024

Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution Tells the Story of Stokely Carmichael by Mary Wisniewski

The new play by Nambi E. Kelley is currently running at Chicago's Court Theatre.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:24PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Cotton Candy Pop Concert: A Review of "Six: The Musical" at Nederlander Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

It felt like the end of an after-school special"we all learned something tonight. I'm glad this show is bringing young people into the theaters. And I hope they come back to see something be…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, June 7, 2024

Varieties of Romance: A Review of "A Little Night Music" at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

"A Little Night Music" celebrates mature love"the kind that happens after you've been around for a while; less fireworks, more bemusement.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 24, 2024

A Hard Punch: A Review of "Native Son" at Lifeline Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

Lifeline Theatre's new production of "Native Son" is brutal, powerful and relentless. Like a big, stiff drink, it hits you right in the gut, and you leave the theater reeling.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 8, 2024

A Song Factory: A Review of "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" at Paramount Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

With the abundantly talented Tiffany Topol as Carole King, backed by a great cast, the new production of "Beautiful" at Aurora's Paramount Theatre is irresistible.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Jason Alexander Is Returning to Stage Acting, This Time in Chicago by Mary Wisniewski

In Judgement Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Alexander plays a corrupt lawyer who may be looking for forgiveness.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:18PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Belle Époque: A Review of "Nana" at Trap Door Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

This show is alive. For the two hours spent in the tiny Bucktown theater, you can imagine you have stepped into a Toulouse-Lautrec painting"drinking absinthe and watching the can-can.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 12, 2024

A Mission in the Theater: An Interview with Harry Lennix by Mary Wisniewski

Lennix, known for his work on television's "The Blacklist" and "Dollhouse" and movies like "The Five Heartbeats" and "Ray," is a busy man around Chicago these days. He's going back on stage …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 11, 2024

Abridged Absurdity: A Review of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" at Court Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

Too much of Tom Stoppard's absurdist, existential tragicomedy about two minor Shakespearean characters has been trimmed from this production, which is too bad, because the play is brilliant …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Family Tree: A Review of "Purpose" at Steppenwolf Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

This is a moving, beautifully written and honest play that discusses generational conflict"between old ideas of "purpose" and spirituality and new ones, between the need for truth and the ne…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Monticello's Façade: A Review of "The Reclamation of Madison Hemings" at American Blues Theater by Mary Wisniewski

This play sees the contradictions at the heart of this country"the tragic infrastructure under its noble façade. Monticello won't look the same when you think of all the people who were m…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Spectacle and Gore: A Review of "Richard III" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Mary Wisniewski

You don't come to "Richard III" for history"you come for spectacle and gore, and Chicago Shakespeare delivers.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 12, 2024

Grace and Power: A Review of "Notes from the Field" at TimeLine Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

In presenting the words of real people talking about America's troubled education and criminal justice system in her 2015 play "Notes from the Field," writer and actress Anna Deavere Smith f…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 5, 2024

Medium Cold: A Review of "Highway Patrol" at Goodman Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

The social media world is a "cool" place (in Marshall McLuhan's term)"you have to fill in the details. The story might work better in a cooler medium, like television.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Soulful and Devastating: A Review of "Champion" at Lyric Opera by Mary Wisniewski

In its Chicago premiere, "Champion" has strong vocal performances, exuberant dancing and a creative, multi-level set by Allen Moyer, which uses projected images of real newspaper headlines a…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Unanswered Questions: A Review of "In Quietness" at A Red Orchid Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

The actors are telling a story that never finds its way, and leaves too many unanswered questions.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Feels Like Heaven: A Review of "Anything Goes" at Porchlight Music Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

It's January in Chicago, and we must somehow survive it. You could go to Miami, but not everyone has the time. So here's a closer source of heat"a dynamite production of "Anything Goes" at P…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 18, 2024

Coming of Age: Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois" Album is Brought to Life at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Mary Wisniewski

Both the poetry and the genre-defying nature of "Illinoise" made it a favorite of Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck. Peck worked with longtime friend and collaborator Stevens to c…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 7, 2023

Friendship and Whales: A Review of "Islander" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Mary Wisniewski

It's a sweet story, beautifully performed, about a friendship between two teenage girls. One of them is a mermaid or selkie who takes care of whales.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 30, 2023

A Joyous Mainstay: A Review of "A Christmas Carol" at the Goodman Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

This story has remained popular for 180 years because Scrooge is all of us, hurt by the world, trying hard to be tougher than we really are. Sometimes, we need to lower our defenses and reme…

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 16, 2023

Something Special: A Review of "The Lion in Winter" at Court Theatre by Mary Wisniewski

The moment Rebecca Spence steps on the Court Theatre stage as Eleanor of Aquitaine, the atmosphere changes. Here's something special.

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Everything's Gonna Be Alright: A Review of "Twelfth Night" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Mary Wisniewski

This new production of "Twelfth Night," directed by first-generation Jamaican American director Tyrone Phillips with a mostly Black cast and reggae music, captures the spirit, the language, …

SOURCE: www.newcitystage.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off