Jack Helbig
Chicago Reader
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Past articles by Jack:
The one that got away
A revival at Marriott highlights the flaws in the 2013 musical version of Big Fish. → Read More
Chagall's Camelot
Jewish artists after the Russian Revolution inspired James Sherman's latest play. → Read More
Pleasant posies
Robert Harling's play about Louisiana women bonding in a beauty parlor gives each actor a star turn at Drury Lane. → Read More
Working the program
A new play by former sports radio personality Harry Teinowitz and Spike Manton takes a clear, but comedic, look at addiction. → Read More
Del Marie: locked down, but not out
The rapper-dancer-performance poet rolls with the pandemic punches. → Read More
iO past, present, and nonfuture
Remembering the comedy theater’s humble beginnings and reflecting on its dramatic end → Read More
The Upright Citizens Brigade shutters its New York venues
A critic reflects on UCB's early history in Chicago. → Read More
Shear Madness is retro, but not rewarding
Mercury Theater Chicago's revival of this murder mystery party game can't overcome the dated material. → Read More
Route 66 can't kick into high gear
Roger Bean's jukebox musical has pleasant songs, but no point to its journey. → Read More
How a Boy Falls stumbles at Northlight
Steven Dietz's family drama doesn't give us enough reasons to care. → Read More
Grease revs up the revival engines at Marriott
Scott Weinstein's staging is far more knock-out than knockoff. → Read More
Gina DeLuca walks the live lit line between funny and tragic
Her new monthly showcase at Duke of Perth creates a community for newbies and vets alike. → Read More
Rose Valley Theatre Group debuts with Sunday Evening
Bulgarian playwright Zachary Karabashliev's drama shows promise, but falters. → Read More
Nestor Gomez and 80 Minutes Around the World land at Fillet of Solo
The Guatemalan immigrant shares his own perspectives on failure and finding his voice. → Read More
A Xmas Cuento Remix suffers from last-minute cast shuffling
Maya Malan-Gonzalez's contemporary Latinx take on A Christmas Carol shows promise despite production difficulties. → Read More
The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story finds the broken heart in the horror
Oak Park Festival Theatre's production promenades through the Cheney Mansion. → Read More
I'm Not a Comedian . . . I'm Lenny Bruce captures the complexities of a comic genius
Ronnie Marmo's one-man show isn't hilarious, but it's arrestingly honest. → Read More
A small pond makes a great home for Big Fish
It flopped on the Great White Way, but BoHo Theatre's production finds the heart in this musical about tall tales and father-son relationships. → Read More
Opposites unite in The Best of Enemies
Mark St. Germain's play outlines an unlikely friendship between a Black civil rights activist and a onetime member of the KKK. → Read More
The Color Purple fills Drury Lane's stage with triple threats
Lili-Anne Brown's staging of the musical based on Alice Walker's classic novel brings down the house. → Read More