Edna Ferber

When Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were not reigning supreme on the Broadway stages of the 1930s and 1940s, they were reposing at Ten Chimneys, their summer house in Genesee Depot, Wisc. The Midwestern location — as distinct from the usual celebrity...

The Algonquin Hotel, famed as the 1920s martini-swilling location of choice for some of the era's great literary figures -- Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and "The New Yorker" founder Harold Ross -- has entered a partnership with the Marriott hotel......

A list of 29 top literary films, from 1982 to 2010....

Glenn Davis, Phillip James Brannon and K. Todd Freeman in "The Brother/Sister Plays." The biggest asset of the Chicago theater? No question, it's the quality of the acting. In 2010, distinguished performances lit up Chicago-area stages from Evanston to...

The new Manhattan Theatre Club revival of the 1927 George S. Kaufman-Edna Ferber comedy "The Royal Family" has the critics bowing down. "The Royal Family" is a sly satire of the fabled Barrymore acting clan. This acclaimed production is sure to be among...

The new musical "Memphis" and the old chestnut "The Royal Family" lead with seven Outer Critics Circle nominations apiece. Not surprisingly, the latter -- a George S. Kaufman-Edna Ferber 1927 comedy based on the Barrymores -- netted three acting bids,...

"Fences" -- the 1987 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner by August Wilson -- opened Monday to rave reviews for its first rialto revival. Two-time Oscar champ Denzel Washington was praised for his performance as Troy, a one-time baseball star turned...

Jan Maxwell earned two Tony Award nominations Tuesday for her leading performance in "The Royal Family" and her featured turn in "Lend Me a Tenor." Both of these comedies are contenders for the best play revival award. One of Maxwell's rivals in the...

Jan Maxwell is the fourth person to earn two acting bids in one year at the Tony Awards. She's nominated for her lead performance in "The Royal Family," the 1927 George S. Kaufman-Edna Ferber chestnut about an acting dynasty modeled on the Barrymores....

It isn't all about music, but inevitably, a "Summer Under the Stars" involves some. The annual Turner Classic Movies festival that presents a different actor's movies each day of the month begins anew Sunday, Aug. 1. This time, the highlighted performers...

Open Fist, a company best known for staging edgy contemporary works, scored a surprise hit with last year's a pitch-perfect revival of Moss Hart's classic satire of Broadway foibles, "Light Up the Sky." Following up with "Stage Door," another historical.....

THEATER REVIEW: "Stage Door" ★★★½ Through May 23 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes; Tickets: $18-$28 at 773-327-5252 or ticketmaster.com. With Stacie Barra, Mechelle Moe and Caroline Neff. Toward...