Barbara Vitello
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'Big Blue Nail' lacks focusFeb 14, 2008 10:00 pm - One of my colleagues insists good writing has as much to do with what a writer leaves out of a story as what he or she includes. He's right. Paring down the narrative, ...
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A lush 'Garden' in full bloomFeb 09, 2008 10:00 pm - It would be easy to attribute the onstage chemistry between Carmen Roman and James Leaming, stars of Todd Logan's "Botanic Garden," to their offstage relationship. Easy...
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Sentimental 'Time' benefits from lyrical writingFeb 07, 2008 10:00 pm - A lot of emotion and very little plot describes "The Time of Your Life," William Saroyan's 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama in a revival at Chicago's Provision T...
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Foote's take on small-town life sparkles at GoodmanFeb 07, 2008 10:00 pm - There's nothing flashy about "Talking Pictures," Horton Foote's graceful portrait of small-town life on the eve of the Depression. A genteel, bittersweet play about loss...
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Drama burrows deep into family unrestFeb 07, 2008 10:00 pm - In true Chekhovian fashion, there is all talk and little action in "Dolly West's Kitchen," Irish playwright Frank McGuinness' telling examination of family, love and war...
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First Folio pulls off sharp revival of comedy of mannersFeb 07, 2008 10:00 pm - If any midwinter show can entice theater lovers from the warmth and comfort of their homes, it's a comedy. And if any comedy is worth braving subzero temperatures, it's ...
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Raven Theater takes an provocative look at ColumbineJan 31, 2008 10:00 pm - Returning to their seats after intermission at Sunday's opening of Raven Theatre's "columbinus," audience members had to sidestep Jamie Abelson. Abelson sat on the floo...
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'1776' relevant, but lacking as a musicalJan 31, 2008 10:00 pm - As musicals go, "1776" makes a pretty fair civics lesson. Centered around the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the musical by Sherman...
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Strong cast drives 'Cadillac' to excellenceJan 31, 2008 10:00 pm - Specters from David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" linger around the periphery of its successor, "Cadillac," Bill Jepsen's terrific drama about the used car game, in its ...
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Goodman's 'Shining City' cast luminousJan 24, 2008 10:00 pm - Conor McPherson sure can spin a satisfying yarn. Moreover the Irish playwright has a special talent for ghost stories as evidenced by his oblique yet satisfying "Shining...