Barbara Vitello
-
'Speech & Debate' makes a winning argumentMay 05, 2008 11:00 pm - The synopsis of Stephen Karam's "Speech & Debate" reads like a plot outline from a John Hughes film. Misfit teens form a high-school forensics team and, in the process, ...
-
Strong acting can't boost so-so political musicalMay 01, 2008 11:00 pm - The best moments in the new musical "Old Town" don't involve singing or dancing. The acting prowess of the Strawdog Theatre cast surpasses their singing in the company'...
-
Rogé finds his language with French composersMay 01, 2008 11:00 pm - Most youngsters consider practicing the piano a chore. French pianist Pascal Rogé saw it as a reward. His mother, and first piano teacher, took to locking the door of t...
-
'Neverwhere' drops the ballMay 01, 2008 11:00 pm - One gets a sense that somewhere in "Neverwhere: A Circus Underground," a weighty message lies buried. Watching this show, adapted from Neil Gaiman's novelization of his ...
-
Suburban alums have musical rootsMay 01, 2008 11:00 pm - "Old Town," the new musical by Brett Neveu and Mikhail Fiksel about an old-fashioned political dynasty and the old-school politics they practice is an anomaly for Strawd...
-
Attend the tale of 'Sweeney Todd'Apr 24, 2008 11:00 pm - The masses may prefer Harold Prince's meatier "Sweeney Todd," but adventurous gourmets will relish John Doyle's leaner yet still savory re-imagining of the masterful 197...
-
Lost in historyApr 24, 2008 11:00 pm - Playwright Robert Schenkkan has an ax to grind. Unfortunately his weapon, the dull and didactic "Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates," needs sharpening. The time-traveli...
-
'Driving Miss Daisy' gets a tuneup at First FolioApr 10, 2008 11:00 pm - Major events may throw people together, but minor moments build relationships. A kind word, a small but thoughtful gesture, the seemingly inconsequential niceties repea...
-
'Dead Man's Cell Phone' connects despite staticApr 10, 2008 11:00 pm - Sarah Ruhl's "Dead Man's Cell Phone," in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, begins with an intriguing premise. A woman, annoyed by the incessant ringing of her...
-
Great acting can't save 'Better Late'Apr 10, 2008 11:00 pm - Northlight Theatre's "Better Late" plays like a sitcom, or rather, a "very special episode" of a sitcom. You know, the tearjerker with the Important Message that airs du...