Next Theatre's Return to Haifa is the latest interpolation of a story that began as a novella by Palestinian Ghassan Kanafani and later found life on the screen and stage. The brand-new version by Evanston playwright M.E.H. Lewis is about Ishmail (Anish Jethmalani) and Safiyeh (Diana Simonzadeh), a Palestinian couple driven from their home during the 1948 fighting leading up to Israel's founding. Shortly afterward, Jakob (Daniel Cantor) and Sarah (Saren Nofs-Snyder), Auschwitz survivors who've come to settle in Israel, move into the house, only to find Ishmail and Safiyeh's five-month-old son who was left behind in the chaos. Nineteen years later, following the end of the Six-Day War that briefly freed up travel for Palestinians, Ishmail and Safiyeh visit their old home and find out that not only is their son not dead, he's been raised by Jakob and Sarah and fights proudly in the Israel Defense Forces. more ›

At the center of End Days is the Stein family. There’s Sylvia (a neurotic mother who, despite her Jewish upbringing, has recently found Jesus and Evangelism), her husband Arthur (a former corporate bigwig who lost his entire staff on 9/11), and their daughter Rachel (a high schooler in a goth phase). Add to the picture Nelson Steinberg, a newcomer to Rachel’s school who’s in love her (and his Elvis costume, which he always wears), Jesus, and Stephen Hawking, and it sounds like a ridiculous farce. But it isn’t. On the contrary, its earnestness is what makes it both successful and a bit too neat. more ›

In the lobby at Thursday’s performance of Next Theatre Company’s The Overwhelming, we were struck by Artistic Director Jason Southerland’s explanation for the sold-out weeknight crowd - “It’s amazing what two outstanding reviews can do for ticket sales.” Though we hadn’t read either at the time, we knew he was referring to the write-ups from two of Chicago theatre’s most prominent critical voices, Hedy Weiss (Chicago Sun-Times) and Chris Jones (Chicago Tribune). While we don’t pretend to have the same kind of influence as either critic, we’re glad to add our voice to the songs of praise about this production: it’s fantastic. more ›

There will never be a Netflix for theater. Actors generally aren’t at your disposal to mount a show in your few free hours. You’ve got to juggle your other commitments and, gasp, actually get out of the house. Maybe you’ve caught the actors on an off night, theirs or yours. So any attempt at a “best of” list is unfair and incomplete. With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s our very unscientific Top 6... more ›

Christopher Durang is still Christopher Durang, more or less. A generation after skewering religious hypocrisy (Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You), theatrical pretensions (The Actor’s Nightmare), and pop psychology (Beyond Therapy), Durang brings his wacky situational humor tinged with the dark and surreal to Miss Witherspoon, a reincarnation fairy tale now playing at the Next Theatre. Durang fans may be relived to know the playwright is still feeding his inner 16-year-old drama geek:... more ›

Note: This is Part 2 of an occasional series. Part 1 can be found here. Theater companies have been working overtime lately, killing a forest to print their brochures and flooding inboxes with exciting emails—You Just Can’t Miss This Season!, We’ve Got Stuff You Can’t See Anywhere Else!, and Its’ Our Anniversary! Are You Going To Stand Me Up On Our Anniversary?!?! It’s a lot of clutter and noise, but it’s far more interesting than... more ›

Get down on your knees and pray you’re never invited to a dinner party like this one. more ›

Aida more ›