Anne Spiselman

Chicago

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Theater Critic at Hyde Park Herald

Featured in: Favicon

hpherald.com Favicon

chicagoreader.com Favicon

chicagobusiness.com Favicon

airwaysmag.com

Articles

'Cats'

6 days ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

I've never cared that much for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats." Yes, it ran for 21 years in London after premiering in 1981 and for 18 years on Broadway, where it racked up loads of awards, including seven Tonys. And yes, it became one of the longest-running shows ever in both cities, has enjoyed countless productions all over the world and sparked the mega-musical trend.
Past, present and future in 'The Antiquities'

1 week ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

The best thing about Jordan Harrison's "The Antiquities" is the mind-bending concept. Fully titled "A Tour of the Permanent Collection in the Museum of Late Human Antiquities," the world-premiere co-production by Goodman Theatre, Playwrights Horizons and Vineyard Theatre is set far in the post-human future but asks us to imagine that we're back in time seeing how things got the way they are.
‘A Tale of Two Cities’ does a lot with little

2 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

Condensing a densely packed 450-page novel into 140 or so minutes of theater is no easy task, but that's just what Shattered Globe Theatre does with the Midwest premiere of Brendan Pelsue's new adaptation of “A Tale of Two Cities,” which had its first outing at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre last year.
‘Hymn’

2 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

When playwright Lolita Chakrabarti was asked in interviews what inspired her to write “Hymn,” she said she wanted to see something she hadn't seen on stage before: a nuanced relationship between two straight Black men.
‘Prayer for the French Republic’

2 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

There's a breathtaking scene in the middle of Joshua Harmon's “Prayer for the French Republic” — which is enjoying a beautifully acted and directed (by Jeremy Wechsler) co-production by Northlight Theatre and Theater Wit — that illuminates some of the play's thorny issues.
‘Bust’ combines sitcom and the surreal to explore rage

4 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

Zora Howard subtitles “Bust,” which is having its world premiere at Goodman Theatre in a co-production with Atlanta's Alliance Theatre (where it played first), “An Afrocurrentist Play.” But that subtitle doesn’t prepare you for the ultra-broad comedy and science fiction surrealism she combines to explore a very serious subject and a deeply pessimistic view of race relations.
‘Berlin’ sizzles in Court's production

1 month ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

Adapting a graphic novel for the stage without using any of its graphics seems like a fool's errand. Yet that's just what Court Theatre has done for the world premiere of “Berlin.” The show is based on Jason Lutes' epic, two-decades-in-the-making graphic novel about the decline of the Weimar Republic in Germany's most exciting city from 1928 to 1933.
‘Henry Johnson’ makes his own hell on earth

1 month ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

If the title character in David Mamet's 2023 “Henry Johnson” is the playwright's idea of an Everyman, humanity is in big trouble.
Two comedians bare their souls in ‘Obliteration’

1 month ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

When Andrew Hinderaker's “Obliteration” had its very brief, virtually sold out world premiere last summer as part of Steppenwolf's LookOut series, I was very sorry I missed it. Now it's back for a limited run at The Revival comedy club — a most suitable setting — and I urge you not to make the same mistake.
‘Translations’ tackles how language shapes our lives

1 month ago | hpherald.com | Anne Spiselman

You don't have to know much about Irish history to appreciate Brian Friel's “Translations,” but a little advance research will enhance your understanding of this potent, poignant play about the power of language to shape our perceptions and interactions. Written in 1980, a politically fraught time in Northern Ireland, “Translations” takes place in 1833, three decades after the Act of Union made Ireland part of the United Kingdom.