Caleigh Pan-Kita

#1 The Who’s Tommy – Goodman Theater

The cast was led by Ali Louis Bourzgui (Tommy), Alison Luff (Mrs. Walker) & Adam Jacobs (Captain Walker)

There are so many incredible aspects of The Who’s Tommy to discuss (the lead actors, the ensemble, the choreography, the lighting effects – to name a few) that one forgets what a high-stakes gamble this must have been for the Goodman Theater’s new Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. Original Broadway director Des McAnuff’s reimagining of this rarely-performed rock opera earned nine Jeff awards, set new box-office records for the Goodman, and secured a Broadway production beginning March 8. It was truly a sensation from start to finish.

Continue reading →

My list of the top 10 musicals of 2022 is a little belated. Note that I focused on Chicago-based productions, but this was also an outstanding year from Broadway-in-Chicago with traveling companies of Hadestown and Come From Away visiting early in the year, and Six holding a residency for several months at the CIBC.

#1 Fiddler on the Roof (Lyric Opera)

In the opening scene of director Barrie Kosky’s production (which he originated in Berlin), a modern American boy opens his bedroom closet to find not just Tevye but the entire tremendous cast stream through a set of double doors onto the crowded stage. The impact is a masterful articulation of the way that Fiddler connects the decedents of immigrants to the cultural hardships their ancestors reluctantly left behind. Steven Skybell as Tevye led an outstanding cast, and set designer Rufus Didwiszuz created the most memorable effect I can even remember viewing by covering the vast Lyric Opera stage with snow for the second act.

Continue reading →

theater in chicago reviews

Year in Review–2023’s Best Musicals

Year in Review–2022’s Best Musicals