Jessie Bylander – Splash Magazines

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Review – Premier Accommodations and Much More in Milwaukee

January 27, 2020 Jessie Bylander 0

The Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has the distinction not only of being the only casino in Milwaukee’s city limits, but is transforming into a true destination, one that not only offers elegant and spacious rooms, […]

West Side Story Review – Breathtaking Revival at The Rep

September 22, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

I believe there are gaps that develop in every theater enthusiast’s personal record. Even after 20+ years of regular attendance, I have to admit that until last night, I had never seen a live production […]

2 Pianos 4 Hands Review – Musical Comedy Tickles Ivories and Funny Bone

September 17, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

Billy Joel’s famous ballad “Piano Man,” was written while he was still very young, still waiting to make his big break. Joel’s final studio album to date, Fantasies & Delusions, is a recording of classical-styled […]

Henry V Review – Coates Commands as Henry

July 29, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

Many Chicagoans expound on the joys of a patio brunch, an outdoor music festival, or a neighborhood block party. Rarely as acknowledged is the treat of a well-produced Shakespeare production in the park, but that […]

And Then There Were None Review – A Well-Executed Late Summer Spine-Tingler

July 26, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

I fondly remember a screening of the original Psycho at my college many moons ago–in particular, the way the audience of jaded Gen Xers laughed nervously before giving in to unintended yelps, shrieks, and gasps. […]

August Rush Review – Melody Without Much Rhyme or Reason in Paramount World Premiere

May 6, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

Nearly 60 years ago, Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist was adapted into the blockbuster musical Oliver! 40 years later, a motion picture titled August Rush was released. Though it wasn’t directly promoted as an adaptation of […]

Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash Review – The Man in Black, Front to Back

April 22, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

Scenic designer Michelle Lilly looked into Johnny Cash’s history and has represented it through giant penny-colored cotton blossoms planted onto a gritty, graffiti-covered wall that could be in a bathroom of a music venue or […]

A Bronx Tale Review – A Tale of Two Fathers Brought To Life By Lively Company

March 17, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

Only a few lyrics into the opening number of A Bronx Tale, “Belmont Avenue,” the young narrator, Calogero (later nicknamed “C” by his boss and mentor Sonny), sets the expectations for the musical based on […]

Things I Know To Be True Review – A Backyard Family Drama Blooms in Milwaukee

March 9, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

Family relationships are a delicate dance–the parents relating to one another, parent and child, siblings–and in Andrew Bovell’s sublime play, making its American debut at the Milwaukee Rep, that dance is sometimes figurative, sometimes literal, […]

All Childish Things Review – Nearly Mint Condition Heist Comedy

January 30, 2019 Jessie Bylander 0

The character I find myself coming back to in First Folio’s sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt production of All Childish Things is the basement. During the act break, I marveled over each detail provided by eight-time […]