Bigger, Brighter, Louder: 150 Years of Chicago Theater as Seen by Chicago Tribune Critics

by Chris Jones

Overview

“A constantly engaging and illuminating lesson in the role a great newspaper played in developing and sustaining a great theater town.” —Artvoice

Chicago is regarded as one of the world’s premier cities for theater, and no one has had a more consistent front-row seat to its ascendance than the Chicago Tribune theater critics. Bigger, Brighter, Louder weaves together more than 150 years of Tribune reviews into a compelling narrative, pairing full reviews with commentary and history. With a sharp eye for telling details and a keen sense of historical context, Jones, longtime chief Tribune theater critic, takes readers through decades of highs and lows, successes and failures.

The book showcases fascinating early reviews of actors and shows that would go on to achieve phenomenal success, including a tryout of A Raisin in the Sun with newcomer Sidney Poitier and the first major review of The Producers. It also delves into the rare and the unusual, such as a previously unpublished Tennessee Williams interview and a long conversation with Edward Albee’s mother. With reviews from Claudia Cassidy, Peregine Pickle, William Leonard, and more, many never collected before, Bigger, Brighter, Louder offers a unique lasting record of an ephemeral art and a riveting look at the history behind Chicago’s rise to theatrical greatness.

“Bigger, Brighter, Louder gives us dozens of reviews—some perceptive, some notorious, and some bitingly funny. I warrant that you will find Mr. Jones’ Chicago-eyed view of theatre sharp, amusing and incisive.” —Playbill

“Bigger, Brighter, Louder is a fascinating read, with Jones providing a thoroughly accessible exegesis.” —Time Out Chicago

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226090719
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	12/22/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	370
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Chris Jones is the chief theater critic and a Sunday columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He has covered culture, the arts, politics, and entertainment at the paper for more than fifteen years. Prior to theTribune, Jones was a national critic and touring Broadway analyst for Variety and Daily Variety and a frequent contributor to American Theatre. He is also adjunct professor at the Theatre School at DePaul University, where he previously served as associate dean after serving for many years as associate director of the School of Theatre and Dance at Northern Illinois University. A native of Manchester, England, he received his PhD from Ohio State University. 

Table of Contents

Chicago Tribune drama critics 1   Introduction /“The Theatre,” March 25, 1853 2   “Jefferson’s ‘Rip Van Winkle,’” Peregine Pickle, September 6, 1868 3   “The Blondes,” Peregine Pickle, February 20, 1870 4   “A Doll’s House,” March 9, 1890 5   “The Wizard of Oz,” June 17, 1902 6   “Mr. Blue Beard,” W. I. Hubbard, November 24, 1903 7   “Iroquois Theater Fire,” December 31, 1903 8   “The Melting Pot,” December 16, 1908 9   “Make It Loud for Chicago, Managers Tell Their Players,” Percy Hammond, January 16, 1910 10   “Music and the Drama: Still the ‘Rural Drama,’” Percy Hammond, May 7, 1910 11   “The Little Theater Begins Its Adventure,” Percy Hammond, November 13, 1912 12   “Roosevelt Skips Banquet to See Hull House Play,” December 10, 1912 13   “Under False Pretenses,” Sheppard Butler, October 3, 1922 14   “Beulah Annan Awaits Stork, Murder Trial,” Maurine Watkins, May 9, 1924 15   “Chicago,” f. d., September 12, 1927 16   “Tobacco Road,” Charles Collins, September 3, 1935 17   “Waiting for Lefty,” Charles Collins, May 18, 1936 18   “Voodoo Macbeth,” Charles Collins, August 30, 1936 19   “Mulatto,” Charles Collins, December 28, 1936 20   “Wilder’s ‘Doll’s House,’” Charles Collins, December 5, 1937 21   “The Swing Mikado,” Cecil Smith, September 26, 1938 22   “Our Town,” Cecil Smith, January 24, 1939 23   “Romeo and Juliet,” Cecil Smith, April 18, 1940 24   “Porgy and Bess,” Cecil Smith, November 29, 1942 25   “Carmen,” Claudia Cassidy, August 1, 1943 26   “Abie’s Irish Rose,” Claudia Cassidy, March 20, 1944 27   “Early to Bed,” Claudia Cassidy, August 29, 1944 28   “The Glass Menagerie,” Claudia Cassidy, December 27, 1944 29   “Follow the Girls,” Claudia Cassidy, October 23, 1946 30   “All My Sons,” Claudia Cassidy, November 18, 1947 31   “Miller Responds,” Claudia Cassidy, November 23, 1947 32   “The Firefly,” Claudia Cassidy, December 27, 1947 33   “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Claudia Cassidy, September 23, 1948 34   “When an Audience Boos and Demands Its Money Back—How Bad Can Opera Get?,” Claudia Cassidy, May 3, 1949 35   “Theater Needs a Present as Well as a Past to Have a Future,” Claudia Cassidy, June 12, 1949 36   “Detective Story,” Claudia Cassidy, November 2, 1949 37   “Private Lives,” Claudia Cassidy, March 21, 1950 38   “South Pacific,” Claudia Cassidy, November 15, 1950 39   “The Rose Tattoo,” Claudia Cassidy, December 29, 1950 40   “Actor Keane Speaks Up; Assails Tribune Critic,” January 26, 1951 41   “Williams and Mielziner Make Some Theater Suggestions,” Claudia Cassidy, April 22, 1951 42   “The Fig Leaf,” Claudia Cassidy, October 9, 1952 43   “Gigi,” Claudia Cassidy, November 6, 1952 44   “Producer Takes Issue on How Plays Should Be Welcomed,” Claudia Cassidy, March 29, 1953 45   “The Coming of Bildad,” Claudia Cassidy, August 20, 1953 46   “The Children’s Hour,” Claudia Cassidy, November 10, 1953 47   “Amplifying Theater for Chicago Piece, with Sights on the Moon,” Claudia Cassidy, January 9, 1955 48   “Anniversary Waltz,” Claudia Cassidy, January 1, 1957 49   “Lysistrata,” Claudia Cassidy, March 13, 1957 50   “Waiting for Godot,” Claudia Cassidy, May 15, 1957 51   “Are Broadway’s Leftovers Enough or Shall We Try Rolling Our Own?,” Claudia Cassidy, July 4, 1957 52   “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” Claudia Cassidy, January 7, 1958 53   “IBM Critic, or How to Talk Yourself Out of a Perfectly Good Job,” Claudia Cassidy, January 25, 1959 54   “A Raisin in the Sun,” Claudia Cassidy, February 11, 1959 55   “A Glance at the Past, Present and Future of Chicago Cafes,” William Leonard, December 27, 1959 56   “Too Many Hats,” William Leonard, February 21, 1960 57   “The Millionairess,” Claudia Cassidy, October 30, 1963 58   “‘Camelot’ and Other Road Shows,” Claudia Cassidy, December 15, 1963 59   “The Brig,” Claudia Cassidy, January 13, 1965 60   “The Cassidy Years,” William Leonard, January 13, 1966 61   “Tears Flowing over the State of the Theater,” William Leonard, November 13, 1966 62   “Albee and His Mother Discuss His Writing,” William Leonard, March 19, 1967 63   “Loop No Longer Has Monopoly on Theater,” William Leonard, July 2, 1967 64   “Animal Farm,” William Leonard, March 15, 1970 65   “The Body Politic Exciting, Maybe Revolutionary,” William Leonard, April 19, 1970 66   “Grease,” William Leonard, February 12, 1971 67   “Tennessee Williams—a Theater Orpheus Who Looked Back,” Claudia Cassidy, July 4, 1971 68   “Tennessee Williams’s ‘Outcry,’” Clifford Terry, August 22, 1971 69   “Warp,” William Leonard, December 17, 1971 70   “Boss,” William Leonard, May 25, 1973 71   “The Night They Shot Harry Lindsey with a 155 mm. Howitzer and Blamed It on Zebras,” William Leonard, October 20, 1973 72   “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” Linda Winer, June 21, 1974 73   “Beyond the Horizon,” Roger Dettmer, February 14, 1975 74   “American Buffalo,” Roger Dettmer, October 25, 1975 75   “The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year” and “The Dumb Waiter,” Lawrence Kart, December 17, 1976 76   “Bleacher Bums,” Linda Winer, August 3, 1977 77   “Thesmo,” Larry Kart, August 12, 1977 78   “The Woods,” Linda Winer, November 17, 1977 79   “Working,” Linda Winer, January 6, 1978 80   “Chicago,” Linda Winer, February 25, 1978 81   “The Glass Menagerie,” Richard Christiansen, May 18, 1979 82   “True West,” Richard Christiansen, April 22, 1982 83   “In the Belly of the Beast: Letters from Prison,” Richard Christiansen, September 30, 1983 84   “Glengarry Glen Ross,” Richard Christiansen, February 7, 1984 85  “Hamlet,” Richard Christiansen, February 1, 1985 86   “Never the Sinner,” Richard Christiansen, September 11, 1985 87   “King Henry V,” Sid Smith, August 5, 1986 88   “The Grapes of Wrath,” Richard Christiansen, September 19, 1988 89   “Marvin’s Room,” Richard Christiansen, February 20, 1990 90   “Wings,” Sid Smith, October 27, 1992 91   “Metamorphoses,” Richard Christiansen, October 27, 1998 92   “The Producers,” Richard Christiansen, February 19, 2001 93   “Pacific Overtures,” Richard Christiansen, October 19, 2001 94   “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” Richard Christiansen, March 6, 2002 95   “Gem of the Ocean,” Michael Phillips, April 30, 2003 96   “Bounce,” Michael Phillips, July 2, 2003 97   “August: Osage County,” Chris Jones, July 9, 2007 98   “A Steady Rain,” Chris Jones, September 29, 2007 99   “Our Town,” Chris Jones, May 3, 2008 100   “Clybourne Park,” Chris Jones, September 19, 2011 101   “The Iceman Cometh,” Chris Jones, May 4, 2012 Acknowledgments Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"Bigger, Brighter, Louder is a natural for those already hooked on the theater. It also may appeal to others such as those just starting to attend stage shows and to movie die-hards who are wondering what some people find so fascinating about live theater."

Chicago Book Review

An invaluable addition to the history of our city.” 

Roche Schulfer

From Joseph Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle in 1868, to the notorious critic of the ’40s & ’50s, Claudia Cassidy, to the Goodman Theatre's The Iceman Cometh with Nathan Lane in 2012, Chris Jones writes a rich and rewarding history of Chicago theatre. It’s a must for any theatergoer.

Roy Leonard

" A constantly engaging and illuminating lesson in the role a great newspaper played in developing and sustaining a great theater town."

Artvoice

"Bigger Brighter Louder is more than an anthology of reviews; Jones follows each of them with a commentary, and these tell us things—not necessarily flattering—about the critic, the production, the state of Chicago theater at the time, and sometimes even the Tribune. Jones has done his homework; he's consistently interesting. . . . So-called lost writing rarely gets this good."

Chicago Reader - Michael Miner

Bigger, Brighter, Louder is a must read for all theater lovers; for all young Thespians; and for all critics. I thought I knew a few things after seeing and writing 3,000 reviews over the last 12 years but I learned much from Chris Jones’ terrific book. This book should be required reading before anyone writes another theater review."

Chicago Critic

"Bigger, Brighter, Louder is a fascinating read, with Jones providing a thoroughly accessible exegesis."

Time Out Chicago

"I devoured these pieces, and the accompanying commentary by Chris Jones, as if I were working my way through a jumbo bag of M&Ms. There is pleasure in reading about plays, writers, players, and productions that few today could have seen. . . . One can trace the evolution of both the theatre and the society it serves through columns originally assumed to be of temporary value."

Dramatics - Jeffrey Sweet

"Bigger, Brighter, Louder gives us dozens of reviews—some perceptive, some notorious, and some bitingly funny. I warrant that you will find Mr. Jones' Chicago-eyed view of theatre sharp, amusing and incisive."

Playbill