4,886 stories by "Chris Jones"
On Nov. 17, Alison C. Vesely, the 59-year-old artistic director of the First Folio Theatre in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, was told by her doctor that her ovarian cancer had spread to he…
The Cirque du Soleil will be back in Chicago for the summer of 2017 with its latest tent show. Titled "Luzia" and inspired by the sights, sounds and soul of the nation of Mexico, this will b…
It is almost the end of "Give It All Back" " Calamity West's deliciously sardonic and offbeat new play about the music business and artistic compromise " before a character appears who has a…
How long has "Stomp" been kicking around? Longer than you think, I'll wager. This fusion of street-wise performance and percussion has been banging all over the world now for more than 22 ye…
Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz " performers who fell in love after meeting at Coney Island " have a critically acclaimed show, a familiar title, a run under their belts at London's Young Vic…
There is a venerable funky tradition at The Hypocrites " a great little theater company in Wicker Park " of the offbeat holiday show, the kind of seasonal attraction that both urban hipsters…
When Jane Austen wrote "Pride and Prejudice" in the early years of the 19th century, there was no heroic place for the unreconstructed nerd in the throbbing romantic novel. Even though Auste…
The New York cast of "Hamilton" was not only justified in politely but directly addressing Mike Pence, the courteous vice president-elect, from the stage Friday night, it had a moral, artist…
The story of the murderous siblings Electra and Orestes holds a particularly crucial place in the world of classic Greek drama because it is the only extant ancient yarn to be dramatized by …
Anyone who ever has worked in customer service will tell you that the actual provision of service " doing something nice for someone who might well appreciate your effort " is not the main d…
An audience disruption took place at the Saturday evening production of "Hamilton" at the PrivateBank Theatre in downtown Chicago. According to audience member Brea Hayes of Batavia, who …
For much of the 20th century, being a hemophiliac likely meant a short, unhappy, unemployed life, crippled by repeated bleeds. But by the 1970s, work had progressed on what, in Karen Hartman…
The Theo Ubique Theatre, since 2003 a mainstay of the Rogers Park cultural district and well known for its skilled, hyper-intimate productions of Broadway musicals, is likely moving to Evans…
Looking for some classy gifts this holiday season for the performing arts lover in your life. Here are some arty, fun, original choices " perchance a little cooler and smarter than most. Hec…
Those who make art belong to a mostly urban-based creative class that is not without political diversity but, let's be honest, was overwhelming opposed to President-elect Donald J. Trump and…
Mike Bartlett's formidably crafted play "King Charles III" is one of those juicy dramas based on a big, audacious, outrageous idea: What if, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the…
There never is a dull moment at the Royal George Theatre, the venerable but unpredictable commercial venue in Lincoln Park. "Chick Flick the Musical," a previously announced lighthearted sho…
No Broadway theater ever has been physically transformed quite like the creaking, aptly named Imperial Theatre has been revolutionized for "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," a wild…
"Crime Scene." "Crime Scene: The Next Chapter." "The Gospel of Lovingkindness." "How Long Will I Cry?" "It Shoudda Been Me." "Jabari Dreams of Freedom." "The Project(s)." "Prowess." "Track 1…
In 2003, About Face Theatre produced an early version of an unusual solo play called "I Am My Own Wife" at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Starring the actor Jefferson Mays, who then w…
To understand the new Drury Lane Theatre production of "Crazy for You," a title that feels apt given recent political events, you really had to see its director and choreographer, Matt Crowl…
"King Charles III," the remarkable 2014 play in blank verse by Mike Bartlett that enjoys its fresh Chicago premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Wednesday night, relies on the audie…
You have to be pretty deep into Westeros and Essos (no Trumpos, except in symbolic referent) to give a hoot about "Graeme of Thrones," the expediently silly touring parody show that has land…
When it comes to Judy Garland and the theatrical depiction thereof, there are any number of highly discriminating experts living within a few blocks of Stage 773, the North Side theater play…
There are elephant-sized holes in "Out of This World," the latest edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. And especially for anyone for whom the Greatest Show on Earth has …
