Which has the greater importance to Chicago: The Chicago Blues Festival or the Chicago Jazz Festival? If you love our city's musical heritage, you'd rightly answer "both." But what about the…
As bookends go for any first act, you could do a whole lot worse than killer renditions of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Lady Marmalade," replete with its aspirational sing-along chorus,…
Sam Shepard's "Buried Child" now feels like it was unearthed from another era. Three acts, close to three hours in duration and as relentless in post-modern formative experiment as it is in …
"The Light Fantastic," now in its world premiere at the Jackalope Theatre, is a fascinating departure for gifted Chicago playwright Ike Holter. Standing apart from Holter's terrific ongoing …
On Wednesday, Steppenwolf announced the complete lineup for its summer 2018 Lookout series, featuring more than 20 different artists from an array of performance-based media including standu…
On Wednesday, Broadway in Chicago announced that 'Anastasia,' the musical inspired by the 1997 animated film, will have a two-week engagement during the BIC's 2018-19 season. The production …
On Tuesday, Broadway in Chicago announced that 'A Bronx Tale' will make its Chicago debut at the Oriental Theatre next spring during BIC's 2018-19 season. It will play for a limited engageme…
Niala Boodhoo, the charming host of the Illinois Public Media radio show "The 21st," had a question for me Tuesday. What can people coming to Chicago this summer plan to see at the theater? …
On Tuesday, Tony Award-winning actor Len Cariou, Starry Night Productions and Aruba Productions announced the Chicago staging of "Broadway and the Bard: an Evening of Shakespeare and Song," …
Much has changed since I first heard the inimitable Delany sisters have their say from stages in New York and Chicago. Conversational references to Dan Quayle and David Duke " touchstones of…
The bad henna tattoos. The flimsy, "personalized" keychains. Jimmy Buffett. The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Jimmy Buffett. The droves of hormone-addled high school students away from their parents…
Like a barking mashup of Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain, the demon-filled chef at the heart of Will Snider's very lively new play "How to Use a Knife," now at Theater Wit from Shattered …
Friday "Cry It Out": Two new moms cooped up on maternity leave work through the (sometimes) hilarious absurdities of motherhood. Through June 17 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Sko…
On Monday, the Goodman announced casting for its upcoming world premiere of "Support Group for Men" by Ellen Fairey. The comedy, which tackles shifting gender norms and social paradigms thro…
On Monday, Broadway In Chicago announced that the first national tour of the Lincoln Center's "Falsettos" will run for a limited engagement during BIC's 2018-19 season. The Tony Award-winnin…
The next time there are problems with phones or iPads in our house, I'm sending for E. Faye Butler. I made this resolution on Wednesday morning at Chicago Children's Theatre, alongside a cou…
When visiting Hamlin Park Theater for the annual Dance Shelter series, it's important to know a couple things: 1) This is an iconic modern dance space, developed by Chicago Moving Company (C…
On April 29, Tribune critic Blair Kamin lamented the sorry state of the pedestrian and bike path in Northerly Island Park. Instead of a bucolic circular bike ride or stroll around the lakesi…
When are penguins " those adorable, tuxedo-clad flightless waddlers " the stuff of controversy? When they're in a same-sex relationship, of course. The true story of Roy and Silo, two chinst…
Should police officers " or agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives " use mentally disabled people in their sting operations? The answer to that question, it seem…
"Birdland" âœâœâœâœ Playwright Simon Stephens' "Birdland," the fabulous new show at Steep Theatre, is a totally gripping examination of what it's like to be a rock star. Can…
Bessie and Sadie Delany, two pioneering sisters and daughters of a former slave, first had their say 20 years ago. But I speak only of matters theatrical. Annie Elizabeth "Bessie" Delany, a …
On Wednesday, the Chicago Children's Theatre announced programming for its 2018-19 season, including a handful of shows produced with sensory sensitivities in mind. Kicking things off will b…
On Wednesday, the Windy City Playhouse announced the shows included in its 2018-19 season, which begins with an extension of Leslie Liautaud's "Southern Gothic" that runs until December 9. T…
On Tuesday, the Second City announced a June run for "Let's Make It Perfectly Queer: a Salute to Pride," a sketch show performed by an entirely LGBTQIA cast. The program marks the comedy mai…