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Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole grace the stage at the Goodman; Kelly and Jonathan grace the airwaves on Sunday mornings on WDCB!
J. and K. assess this world-premiere musical about the Haymarket bombing and its sequelae. We’re enthused: what can you expect from a pair of old lefties? Plus: K. raves over The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window by Lorraine Hansberry, now running at the Goodman.
We grapple with this world premiere; plus K. picks The Book Club Play at 16th Street Theatre and J. picks Carlyle at the Goodman.
We don’t agree on what the play is about, and that’s only the beginning! K. raves over Butler at Northlight while Jonathan recommends The Matchmaker (the proto- Hello, Dolly ) at the Goodman.
A one-man piece about music and depression at the Neo-Futurists; a 5-plus hour epic about the 20th Century at the Goodman. Jonathan holds forth.
(K., of course, is Ms. Congeniality.) Then J. recommends Le Switch at About Face Theatre.
Then K. picks the Pulitzer Prizewinning Disgraced at the Goodman while J. recommends August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean at Court.
The two critics take on one musical with two simultaneous stories. Plus, J. picks the Goodman’s Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike and explains about Chekhov for anyone who might not have gotten the reference.
Welcome to the on-line home of the Dueling Critics, Kelly Kleiman and Jonathan Abarbanel. Here you'll find the Critics' weekly conversations about Chicago theater. These verbal battles are broadcast every Sunday morning on "The Arts Section," WDCB's on-air culture magazine. Tune in to 90.9 FM to hear the Critics going at it.
On this site you'll also find written reviews by Kelly and Jonathan as well as links to their writing in other venues. Never fear, there are plenty of opinions to go around!
Please let us know what you think of the broadcasts, the written reviews and the opinions expressed therein. Thanks for listening and reading.
The best of 2016 in Chicago theater January 3, 2017
Which one of us whacks the other in the knee? We review Tonya and Nancy, The Rock Opera December 20, 2016
DC split over David Rabe world premiere at Steppenwolf October 11, 2016
K says “wunderbar” for WONDERFUL TOWN, J says “Hmmm.” October 5, 2016
The House does a dark take on Punch & Judy but it lights up J. & K. September 28, 2016
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Kelly Kleiman at the Huffington Post Jonathan Abarbanel at the Windy City Times