Jessie Bond

If/Then Review – If I Could Forget I Ever Saw It, Then I Would

February 5, 2020 Jessie Bond 0

If/Then sucks. The music shoots for Sondheim-esque and lands, not so much among the stars, but more floating aimlessly in the void of space, desperately searching for something to latch onto. What really makes me want to scream, though, is the story. […]

Goodman’s A Christmas Carol Review – A Tale of Hope

November 26, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

Why the Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol? The first aspect of the question is easy. Simply put, the Goodman does the best Christmas Carol around. It helps, of course, to have an enormous budget on […]

CLLAW XXXIV: Good vs. Evil Review – Or, Reasons to Attend an Arm Wrestling Competition

November 8, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

When I spotted the woman in the Gritty costume, I knew I had to ask for her picture to send my father. “Look who I found at the Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers!” I […]

The Hound of the Baskervilles Review – “Where There Is No Imagination, There Is No Horror”

October 16, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

I’ve been a fan of Sherlock Homes since my freshman year of college, when an obsession with BBC’s Sherlock led to an obsession with the original Holmes stories and eventually an obsession with CBS’ Elementary. […]

Bloody Bathory Review – A Fresh Horror Story from an Old Source

October 14, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

If you, like me, have grown tired of the usual rotation of Frankenstein and Dracula stories each Halloween, you might instead turn to the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a monstrous figure of both history and legend. […]

Bernhardt/Hamlet Review – A Woman Hamlet? Ah, There’s the Rub

October 4, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

Sarah Bernhardt is a name that has echoed through history. Although she played many leading roles in her six-decade career, the one she is perhaps best-known for is not one of the myriad she originated, […]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show Review – A Very Lovely Children’s Show

October 2, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle was the first book I ever read on my own, so it’s always held a special place in my heart. I’m not the only one, though; Carle’s classic […]

Now and Then Review – Great Music Carries Uninspired Story

July 22, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

One should not ruin a perfectly good country album by building a bad musical around it. Let’s back up. Now and Then is a new musical playing at Pride Arts Center, produced by Now & […]

Head Over Heels Review – An Absolute Treat

July 15, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

Head Over Heels is a queer reimagining of Sir Phillip Sidney’s 16th century text The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia set to the music of the hit eighties rock band The Go-Gos. On paper, it makes […]

Grace, or the Art of Climbing Review – Depression Takes Center Stage

June 17, 2019 Jessie Bond 0

My longest-held job to date was at an indoor climbing wall in my hometown, where I worked on and off through high school and college and for a few years after graduation. I never felt […]