Current shows we think are hot!
Cabaret, Porchlight Theatre, through Dec. 7. Rebecca Finnegan's awe-inspiring cross-gender portrayal of the sly Emcee should inspire directors to search for vehicles to utilize her talents to their fullest. Can-Can or Hello, Dolly!, anyone? (Barnidge)
Detective Story, Strawdog,through Dec. 20. The NYPD Blue of 1949. Sidney Kingsley's well-crafted, station house slice-of-life is highly engaging entertainment powerfully executed by Strawdog. Cast of thousands. (Reed)
Nickel and Dimed, Naked Eye at Steppenwolf, extended through Dec. 7. Good theater should be provocative, and this is: Joan Holden's thoughtful adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich's book chronicling her life undercover in the minimum wage realm. (Reed)
Twelfth Night, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre through Dec. 14. One of the hottest tickets in town, Shakespeare's cross-dressing comedy is presented by candlelight with an all-male cast—just as in Shakespeare's day—by London's Globe Theatre Centre. (Abarbanel)
By Jonathan Abarbanel, Mary Shen Barnidge and Rick Reed