Page 3 - Bubba Weiler News Today

Chicago acting always deserves extra recognition; here were my favorite performances in theaters in the city and suburbs in the past year.

Netflixs new drama "Kaleidoscope" will allow viewers to watch episodes in any order, telling the story of a heist 25 years in the making.

That Goodman Theatres superb "Swing State" moves audiences from laughter to tears is no surprise. What is noteworthy about Rebecca Gilmans powerful new drama is how it elicits those contrary emotions within nanoseconds of each other -- within a single line of dialogue, even. And more significantly, how its humor and its pathos are entirely earned.

Gilman's pithy new work, starring Mary Beth Fisher, is having its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre.

Even with Robert Falls at the helm, good portrayals, and good technical work, the poor script by Gilman overwhelms everything else in "Swing State."

We have a roundup of new Chicago restaurants, as well as reviews of "From Scratch" and "Till" for your weekend viewing.

"Swing State" is the 10th play by Rebecca Gilman to be staged at the Goodman Theatre in the past 25 years, and one of the last plays to be directed there by her long-time champion, Robert Falls, who is now working his way through his final season as the Goodman's artistic director.

Although there is very little actual politics in this play, playwright Rebecca Gilman does clearly delineate two different perspectives on the world reflective, to a degree, of our national divide.

Rebecca Gilman’s extraordinary new play deserves the broadest possible audience; it deserves a Broadway run.

What looks promising on Chicago stages this fall? We pick 10 shows with local artists, put on by Chicago theaters.