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The actresses and playwright of Dry Land at Rivendell are among our picks from the past year in Chicago theater.
Plus J. recommends Charm by Northlight at the Steppenwolf Garage.
Plus, J. rejoices at the extension of Lookingglass’s Moby Dick while K. recommends Free Street Theater’s new work about the undocumented young people known as the Dreamers.
Lookingglass’s tale of the white whale renders the critics speechful.
On WDCB’s The Arts Section, the Critics consider the one-man show Title and Deed , and Jonathan reports on the Humana Festival and the American Theatre Critics’ Association’s playwriting prizes.
Deanna Dunagan in the Lookingglass Theatre Company production of Death Tax by Lucas Hnath, directed by Heidi Stillman. Photo by Liz Lauren.
Kelly and Jonathan grapple with two plays by Lucas Hnath, a rising young playwright. Do they complement one another, or contradict one another? Is either one worth listening to? The same questions, of course, can be asked of the Dueling Critics!
And Jonathan eulogizes Sheldon Patinkin.
Rae Gray and Tim Chiou in The North China Lover at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Photo by Liz Lauren.
J. and K. search for a common thread between a 20th Century memoir of sex and abandonment and an 18th Century comedy of manners. Which is better adapted for the stage?
Sarah Price, Annabel Armour and Greg Matthew Anderson in Remy Bumppo’s production of Northanger Abbey. Photo by Johnny Knight.
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