Theatre with a side of life
February was short and sweet… and bitter! It was SHORT which is particularly nice during a Chicago winter. It follows the long, dreary days of January. January is the official buzz killer after the merriment of the holidays. Those 31 days of resolution to make this year the best is exhausting. February is the calendar pause ...
Broadway In Chicago presents the Chicago Premiere of HADESTOWN, winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. HADESTOWN captivates from the first few notes of “Road to Hell”. The charismatic Levi Kreis (Hermes) welcomes us to this Greek Tragedy co-existing in the real world ...
Broadway In Chicago presents COME FROM AWAY. The details of September 11, 2001, both historic and personal, are embedded in my memory. The images of the planes crashing into the towers and my own urgent need to be with friends at a Chicago neighborhood bar co-exist in my mind as collateral damage to the tragic day’s ...
2022 started the same as 2021 ended with COVID-19 in the spotlight. The highly contagious Omicron was beating down on the world. Aside from the news reporting this oppressive phenomena, it got personal on a few levels. I was in meetings with several community health centers (CHC) overwhelmed with staff shortages and increased patients as a ...
Although COVID continues to wreak havoc in our civilization, this Christmas was definitely better than last year! The good news is we have a vaccination series that includes a booster. The bad news is we have 37% of Americans not completely vaccinated. People continue to choose to prolong this pandemic by being willfully obtuse. Chicago is ...
Lighthouse Immersive, along with British Illusionist Jamie Allan, present MAGIC IMMERSIVE. Do you believe in magic? You will! MAGIC IMMERSIVE is a multi-faceted, interactive, 360 degree theatrical spectacle. Before the show begins, guests can wander around a pop-up museum (and gift shop) featuring legendary magicians from Houdini to David Copperfield. The magic history lesson is peppered with ...
COVID, Delta, Omicron, ——— what’s next? This pandemic continues to live on. It mutates in unvaccinated hosts to survive and thrive as a new variant! It all makes me mad, cranky, disappointed and sad. I’ve got pandemic fatigue. If Americans refuse to listen to the science and get vaccinated, how can we expect for residents ...
Goodman Theatre presents CHRISTMAS CAROL. Larry Yando celebrates his 14th stint as Scrooge in Goodman’s 44th production of the Dickens’ holiday show. Yando owns this iconic miser role… in an almost unsettling way. He makes it impossible to hate the deplorable penny-pincher. His cruelty has biting humor. His curmudgeon stance has playful charm. Even before his ...
Broadway in Chicago presents the Pre-Broadway Musical PARADISE SQUARE. From the very first to the very last note, Joaquina Kalukango (Nellie) owns the bar, the stage, and the show. The phenomenal Kalukango welcomes the audience and patrons to her tavern with a rebel-rousing “Paradise Square.” Much later in the show, Kalukango belts out, literally and figuratively, ...
Steppenwolf Theatre presents BUG. A woman battles loneliness. A man fights to be free. They both want to escape their pasts. They meet at a party and it changes their lives… forever. Playwright Tracy Letts twists a rom-com-like premise into a demented nightmare. Letts lets his paranoia run wild and wacky. He pulls the audience into ...