Kim Campbell interviews author Wendy B. Correa about her memoir My Pretty Baby to investigate how the author took control of her life using somatic modalities and psychotherapy to overcome childhood trauma allowing her to create the happy loving family she always imagined.

Being blind is not Tim’s story. The fact that he has refused to let his visual impairment dictate his life is what makes him an inspiration to everyone he meets. Listen to learn more.

A dusty TV store on Ashland Avenue in Chicago is the flagging flagship of a once great regional empire that boasted multiple locations.  Over his tenure owner Pete (Francis Guinan) became a local celebrity, famous for his “Crazy Pete” commercials.  He is to be recognized for his forty years of service to the business community. The question becomes whether this publicity bump is truly the end of the road or does it signal the first step of a new journey.Now in his early seventies Pete still has dreams and ambitions but his daughter Sam played by Jenna Fischer known for her role as Pam Beesly on the popular sitcom The Office, has been at Pete’s side throughout her life and is ready for new adventures of her own together with her husband Mike (Chike Johnson).

The Chicago premiere of Amélie the Musical by Kokandy Productions based on the popular motion picture is a musical mosaic, composed by Daniel Messe, whose colorful jagged pieces eventually come together into an enjoyable if not perfectly clear image.Not a musical in the strict sense, but rather an extravaganza of a dozen singer musicians utilizing a myriad of instruments, who perform a dizzying array of Parisian characters, to tell a sweet boy meets girl tale based on the central character of Amélie, charmingly portrayed by Aurora Penepacker.Listen to our entire short audio review.

Over this past weekend I saw two world premieres written by local Chicago women authors. Buddha’s Birthday at the Edge Theater and Sentinels at Theo on Howard Street on the Evanston / Chicago border. Interestingly both plays have an academic connection. Buddha’s Birthday by Amy Crider features two college instructors while Sentinels by Marilyn Campbell-Lowe features five female undergrads.

MadKap Productions live up to their name in this production of Stephen Sondheim’s ridiculous musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at the Skokie Theatre outside Chicago, directed by Wayne Mell.The story ostensibly takes place in ancient Rome spoofing the absurdities of life, particularly romance and sex then and now. Using broad humor, slapstick shtick and endless innuendo this is very much like an extended skit, with music, that might have been performed at a Catskill’s resort. Listen to this entire podcast review by Reno Lovison.

Tragic, hilarious, loud, energetic, fun and heartwarming, The Color Purple on stage at Goodman Theatre in Chicago is nearly three hours of nonstop entertainment featuring an outrageously talented cast featuring Brittney Mack as Celie directed by Lili-Anne Brown with choreography by Breon Arzell.

Tom & Eliza is a fairly brilliant example of absurdist theater written by Celine Song, expertly directed by Aileen Wen McGroddy and beautifully performed by Clifton Frei as Tom and Seoyoung Park as Eliza.Reminiscent of Ionesco and Albee, Tom & Eliza focuses on ideas of existentialism, exploring the psychology of aging, marriage and sexual relationships with an attitude of absurd surrealism.Tom & Eliza at Tuta Theatre Chicago is a challenging and thought-provoking presentation that may not appeal to a wide audience but the entire production is an example of elegant stage craft achieved through the effort of the entire crew and company that will be appreciated by those willing to take a risk to enjoy something a little out of the ordinary.

Podcast review of FOREVER PLAID by Reno Lovison. Presented by MadKap Productions at Skokie Theater, the performance is reminiscent of a nightclub act from the fifties channeling the sounds of singing groups like the Four Freshmen, Four Aces or The Crew Cuts. Limited engagement through June 29, 2025.

Chicago's  Steppenwolf Theatre Company, concludes its 49th Season with Noah Diaz's whimsical, wild, unpredictable and deeply moving Chicago premiere of You Will Get Sick, directed by Artistic Director Audrey Francis through July 13, 2025.Podcast theater review by Kimzyn Campbell for Chicago Broadcasting Network.

A laugh-out-loud comical attack of geopolitical humor invades Lookingglass Theater in “Iraq but Funny.”  Playwright / performer Astra Asdou recalls the history of the Assyrian people through this semi-autobiographical story of five generations of the women in her family.

Feeling controlled by outside forces, two people on the opposite ends of life are each trying to manage their own destiny in the Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s “Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues” at American Blues Theater - Chicago.Podcast review by Reno Lovison

The world premiere of “Neighborhood Watch” written by Rehana Lew Mirza and directed by Kaiser Ahmed at Jackalope Theatre is a humorous look at what can happen when curiosity leads to suspicion. Recommended. "There is a lot to enjoy in this sitcom style production that relies heavily on broad humor and predictable stereotypes." Podcast theater review by Reno Lovison includes some insightful historical information about the interesting Edgewater venue.

If robots take over the world what would be their relationship to humans? Would it be a carefree utopia with happy automatons cheerfully laboring away while people enjoy a life of leisure or will the robots develop ideas and aspirations of their own, eventually viewing their human creators as archaic inferior predecessors, in-fact outdated models?This is the concept behind Bo List’s R.U.R. a world premiere production, freely adapted from the play Rossum’s Universal Robots by Karel Capek playing now at City Lit Theatre, directed by Brian Pastor.

Chicago's Trap Door Theatre presentation of “Galileo,” stays close to the heart of Bertolt Brecht’s script but is a revised challenging and thought-provoking interpretation. Fragments of the original dialogue featuring translation by Charles Laughton are there but the production has been reshaped and reimagined by director Max Truax into a postmodern avant-garde effort.This theater review by Reno Lovison includes information about the play, the performance, where to eat nearby and some information about the neighborhood.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost provides Chicago with a direct line to the Vatican, and we’re exploring how his roots in the Windy City shaped his journey to the papacy.

Long term friendships can be complicated and messy. Honesty can be dangerous and revealing.  A fourteen-year friendship between three friends explodes over the purchase of an expensive modernist painting in ART, presented by Remy Bumppo at Wit Theatre in Chicago.Theater review podcast by Reno Lovison

Berlin is a case study of how things can go wrong when a country has suffered losses and trauma. As its citizens and leaders slowly turn away from collaborative solutions and towards stark divisions in power and a dark fascist vision, slow motion disaster unfolds. Everyone can sense it but no one person has the power to prevent it. Based on the three volume graphic novel Berlin written by Jason Lutes it covers the time period between WWI and WWII  focusing on the conditions needed for fascism to arise. This new theatrical adaptation by Mickle Maher, directed by Charles Newell dives into the stories of 13 characters, illuminating the events through their perspectives. Its world premier was at Court Theatre on Chicago’s southside. Listen to this full review by Kim Campbell

A group of bridesmaids find reasons to bond in “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” produced by St. Sebastian Players.The bonding ritual begins with the common agreement that the dress chosen by the bride is perfectly ridiculous. The bond is further forged by the realization that they don’t even really like the bride that much. As each woman reveals something of herself they traverse a range of emotions; infuriated, anxious, remorseful, exasperated, frantic, exhausted, flirtatious, but overall hilarious. Highly Recommended. 

Charles Dickens’ expose of the French Revolution is cleverly performed and seems a little too close to home in today’s political climate. I would highly recommend this anyone unfamiliar with "A Tale of Two Cities" by DIckens, anyone unfamiliar with the history of the French Revolution and anyone interested in how a political movement run amok can affect the lives of every person involved resulting in unfathomable horrors perpetrated in the name of justice.