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"Small Town Girls" by Jayne Anne Phillips book cover

Books

In ‘Small Town Girls,’ Jayne Anne Phillips leaves West Virginia then writes her way back

Lauren Emily Whalen Apr 21, 2026 0

In her new essay collection 'Small Town Girls,' Pulitzer Prize winner Jayne Anne Phillips turns a West Virginia childhood into…

A collage of best regional theater productions for April 2026.

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5 regional theater shows worth the trip this April

Lauren Emily Whalen Apr 1, 2026 0

Regional theater April 2026: Our top picks include a world premiere by James Ijames and revivals of three Tony-winning plays…

Reviews

‘Theater of the Mind’: David Byrne knows you better than you think

Lauren Emily Whalen Mar 28, 2026 0

David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar's immersive "Theater of the Mind" invites you in, shakes you up, and sends you home…

Art

Why ‘Matisse’s Jazz’ hits different in 2026

Lauren Emily Whalen Mar 9, 2026 0

Why does a 1947 art book feel urgent in 2026? "Matisse's Jazz: Rhythms in Color" at the Art Institute of…

Lenin Izquierdo in Goodman's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao."

Reviews

Goodman’s ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’ has a gifted cast and one glaring problem

Matthew Wexler Mar 5, 2026 0

Goodman's The Brief Life of Oscar Wao wants to celebrate Dominican lives. It just keeps stepping on the women to…

Kristin E. Ellis and Leslie Ann Sheppard in Morning, Noon, and Night.

Reviews

Lost in the algorithm: ‘Morning, Noon, and Night’ can’t find its human heart

Lauren Emily Whalen Mar 3, 2026 0

Shattered Globe Theatre's “Morning, Noon, and Night” has big ideas but thin characters. Too bad the humans got lost in…

Graphics for the five productions featured in the March round-up.

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5 regional productions worth the trip this March

Lauren Emily Whalen Mar 2, 2026 0

From a page-to-stage adaptation to a contemporary take on Chekhov, March offers regional productions worth writing home about.

Kemi-Bo Jacobs and Rory Alexander in "Hamnet."

Reviews

‘Hamnet’ chases modern grief, but sacrifices historical truth

Lauren Emily Whalen Feb 16, 2026 0

Visually captivating with moments of brilliance, the stage adaptation of Hamnet's modern approach to 16th-century loss never quite lands.

(l-r) ) Christiana Clark, Bryce Gangel, Luigi Sottile, and Jessie Fisher in Goodman Theatre's "Holiday."

Reviews

Goodman Theatre’s ‘Holiday’ reimagines vintage wit for a modern audience

Lauren Emily Whalen Feb 11, 2026 0

A glossy new stage adaptation of "Holiday" revival at Goodman Theatre starts strong but loses its effervescence by Act III.

Kathryn Erbe and Cliff Chamberlain in Steppenwolf's "The Dance of Death."

Reviews

Even with a stellar cast, Steppenwolf’s ‘The Dance of Death’ feels stale

Lauren Emily Whalen Feb 9, 2026 0

Kathryn Erbe shines in her Steppenwolf return, but "The Dance of Death" meanders through familiar toxic marriage territory.

In ‘Small Town Girls,’ Jayne Anne Phillips leaves West Virginia then writes her way back

5 regional theater shows worth the trip this April

‘Theater of the Mind’: David Byrne knows you better than you think

Why ‘Matisse’s Jazz’ hits different in 2026

Goodman’s ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’ has a gifted cast and one glaring problem

Lost in the algorithm: ‘Morning, Noon, and Night’ can’t find its human heart

5 regional productions worth the trip this March

‘Hamnet’ chases modern grief, but sacrifices historical truth

Goodman Theatre’s ‘Holiday’ reimagines vintage wit for a modern audience

Even with a stellar cast, Steppenwolf’s ‘The Dance of Death’ feels stale

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Inside the boot camp training America’s next theater critics

Bonnie Tyler dies at 75, leaving behind pop’s most unlikely vampire anthem

Dolly Parton’s new Broadway musical has us clocking in early, nerves and all

Roshan Sethi’s ‘The Simp’ turns Hollywood into one long audition