T.I.C. TOP LIST - The Highest Rated Shows In Chicago
The "Theatre In Chicago (T.I.C.) Top List" is a list of the top rated plays now running in the Chicago area based on what the current reviews are saying. To see all of the play reviews go to Review Round-Up.
It's one enchanted evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC! Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, SOUTH PACIFIC is considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. Based on James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific, the ground breaking story follows U.S. nurse Nellie Forbush, a “Cockeyed Optimist,” who falls in love with a French plantation owner yet struggles to accept his past. The legendary score includes “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Younger Than Springtime,” and the haunting “Bali Ha’i.”
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Highly Recommended
ShowBizChicago-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review-
Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
THE MOTHER was originally written in 1930 as a Lehrstücke, or learning play, with the intent of educating the German people about the values of Marxism. Set during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, THE MOTHER tells the story of Pelagea Vlassova, a widow whose only son is embroiled in dangerous political activities. Her desire to protect him draws her deep into a growing labor movement, which ultimately leads her to both catastrophe and triumph. Oracle Theatre holds its lens to Brecht's notion of how a common cause can unite people in overcoming any kind of obstacle, be it personal, economic, or political. Guillen's music transforms Brecht's socialist poetry into an anthemic call to action, while Truax's staging draws the audience into Brecht's conflict, placing them at the very feet of the revolutionary movement.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
Centerstage-
Recommended
ShowBizChicago-
Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Now-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Sheridan Road-
Highly Recommended
THE BOOK OF MORMON is the Winner of 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical! From Trey Parker and Matt Stone, four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of "South Park," and Tony Award-winner Robert Lopez, co-creator of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Avenue Q, comes THE BOOK OF MORMON, a new Broadway musical that Jon Stewart of The Daily Show describes as, "a crowning achievement, so good it makes me angry" and by Entertainment Weekly as "the funniest musical of all time." Featuring choreography by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw, THE BOOK OF MORMON Chicago is directed by Nicholaw and Parker. Don't miss your chance to see what Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls "the best musical of this century." Don't miss THE BOOK OF MORMON Chicago.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Centerstage-
Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Highly Recommended
ShowBizChicago-
Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Recommended
Chicago Now-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Standard-
Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review-
Highly Recommended
Huffington Post-
Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
Blue Man Group is best known for its award-winning theatrical productions which critics have described as "ground-breaking," "hilarious," "visually stunning" and "musically powerful." These performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
Centerstage-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat-
Highly Recommended
This fresh urban take on Shakespeare's tragedy returns home for a limited engagement on the heels of an acclaimed world premiere at Shakespeare's Globe in London, and wildly successful tours to Germany and Edinburgh. The CST-commissioned hip-hop adaptation of Othello is spun out and lyrically rewritten over original beats by The Q Brothers-America's leading re-interpreters of Shakespeare through hip-hop (Funk It Up About Nothin', The Bomb-itty of Errors). Whether you're looking for a rockin' night of rhythm and rhyme or a new way to think about Shakespeare, Othello: The Remix delivers an intense, high energy spin like no other.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Somewhat Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Highly Recommended
ShowBizChicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle-
Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Now-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
A coming-of-age comedy about Eugene Jerome and his family, fighting the hard times - and sometimes each other - with laughter, tears, and love. Based on Simon's memories of growing up in Brooklyn in the years just before World War II.
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Recommended
ShowBizChicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Now-
Highly Recommended
A spiritually-lost reverend battles to save himself amid the denizens of a dilapidated Mexican hotel. Caught between the women who tempt and taunt him, Shannon faces his own personal Gesthemane during the dark tropical night where everyone learns exactly what happens when you come to the end of your rope.
Chicago Tribune-
Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Now-
Highly Recommended
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the smash-hit musical inspired by the famed 1956 recording session that brought together rock 'n' roll icons Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley for the first and only time. That legendary night is brought to life in this thrilling musical which features a score of hits including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Great Balls of Fire," "Walk the Line," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Hound Dog" and more. Don't miss your chance to be a fly on the wall of fame... at MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET!
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Daily Herald-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
Examiner-
Recommended
EpochTimes-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Free Press-
Highly Recommended
Copley News Service-
Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway-
Recommended
Edge-
Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Recommended
Chicago Stage Review-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat-
Highly Recommended
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is the theater's signature show and one of the longest-running shows in Chicago. A one-hour blitz of 30 extremely brief plays, it changes every week as ensemble members add new plays.
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
Centerstage-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review-
Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Recommended
Based on real experiences, this explosive, multimedia story of a young woman trafficked into prostitution combines direct, chilling performances with video and animation to create a site-specific experience that is both intimate and immersive.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Highly Recommended
A group of unsuspecting passengers boards a westbound CTA train that takes them on the ride of their lives in Incident on Run #1217, a highly-charged new play written by Factory Theater ensemble member Manny Tamayo and directed by fellow ensemble member Matt Engle. From loitering winos to folks just trying to get home, this motley crew soon realizes that their train is destined for a truly terrifying final destination: hell. Founded in Chicago in 1992, Factory Theater is dedicated to the writing, directing, performance and production of original works written by ensemble members.
Chicago Tribune-
Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Highly Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Set in Vienna in 1938 and London during the Blitzkrieg, The Pianist of Willesden Lane tells the true story of noted pianist and author Mona Golabek's mother, Lisa Jura. As a young Jewish pianist, Lisa dreams of a concert debut at the storied Musikverein concert hall. When Lisa is swept up in the Kindertransport to London in an attempt to protect her from the Nazi regime, everything about her life is upended -- except her love of music. Golabek performs some of the world's most beloved piano music in this poignant tribute to her mother's experience in wartime Europe. Adapted and directed by local favorite Hershey Felder, The Pianist of Willesden Lane is a riveting tale of hope that is a powerful testament to how music can help us survive through the darkest of times.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Somewhat Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review-
Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
Set in the dismal slums of nineteenth-century London, OLIVER! follows the adventures of Oliver Twist, a resourceful young orphan. Forced from a seedy workhouse into pick-pocketing, Oliver finds himself caught in a tug-of-war with his family and the sinister characters he has met in the streets. OLIVER! is a poignant story that features a spectacular score including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, and As Long As He Needs Me.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Somewhat Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Recommended
ShowBizChicago-
Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review-
Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
As the sordid tale unfolds of England's most opulent king-notorious for his habit of wedding and beheading-Anne Boleyn rises to power, Queen Katherine is ousted from her throne, and the political machinations and exploits of a king's reign are laid bare.
Chicago Tribune-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Somewhat Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Recommended
Stage and Cinema-
Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Now-
Recommended
Chicago Stage Standard-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
This spy thriller-named one of the Top 10 plays of 2011 by The New York Times - goes deep inside the secret United States intrigue that powered the Soviet-Afghan War of the 1980s. A CIA operative struggles against conditions on the ground and politics in the halls of Washington to stop the Soviet Army's destruction of Afghanistan. As alliances shift and the outcome of the Cold War appears to hang in the balance, he and an Afghan warlord find that the only one they can trust is each other. This bold new play unmasks the actions of men behind one of recent history's greatest events - the repercussions of which still shape our lives.
Chicago Tribune-
Somewhat Recommended
Chicago Sun Times-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader-
Recommended
NewCity Chicago-
Somewhat Recommended
Windy City Times-
Highly Recommended
Centerstage-
Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago-
Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle-
Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic-
Highly Recommended
Chicago Now-
Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago-
Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Theater Reviews-
Highly Recommended
