Review: Jane Eyre at the Joffrey Tells an Old Story
To open its final season in the glittering 130-year-old Auditorium Theatre before it moves across town to the Lyric Opera digs, the Joffrey Ballet doubled down on its recent commitment […]
Review: Drury Lane’s Mamma Mia Knocks It Out of the Park
What can I say about Mamma Mia that hasn’t already been said? It’s an international phenomenon, with a Broadway run that spanned 14 years, has been adapted into two movies, with all […]
Review: Joffrey World Premiere of Anna Karenina Shines Through Its Darkness
Opulent lifestyles, unbridled passion, and endless joy…all the while a thread of darkness and deceit lurks underneath. Such is the tale of Leo Tolstoy’s 1878 novel masterpiece, Anna Karenina, adapted into […]
Review: Raks Inferno is a Lot of Fiery Passion in an Intimate Space
If you’ve been around the performing arts scene in Chicago enough, you might have heard tales of a bellydancing Wookiee. We certainly had, and found ourselves mesmerized by the fun […]
Review: Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker Continues Its Chicago 1893 Focus
The bottom line is this: if you find yourself in any seat at the Joffrey’s production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, it is a good seat. Being in the room for this […]
Review: Sixth Annual Nerd Comedy Fest Remains Full of Heart
It’s been about a week since the sixth annual Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival. In its sixth year at Stage 773, this festival has always been an intimate favorite, truer to […]
Review: Acrobatica Infiniti is Nerdy and Amazing After Dark, With No Pants
Tana Karo started Acrobatica Infiniti, billed as the world’s first “nerd circus” back in the era of Gaper’s Block. It was 2015, and “nerd culture” was on the rise, as was the […]
Calling All Nerds: It’s Time to Assemble for the Sixth Annual Chicago Nerd Comedy Fest
It’s time once again to buckle up for three days of nerdy performance fun at Stage 773 tonight as the sixth annual Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival begins. This year’s […]
Chicago Dreams About Summer with A Midsummer Night’s Dream–Joffrey Ballet’s North American Premier
The midsummer night’s dream that choreographer Alexander Ekman and artistic director Ashley Wheater are alluding to in this contemporary ballet is not the Shakespearean comedy of marriage and interwoven plots, […]
Oprah and Oppression in MCA’s Poor People’s TV Room
Oprah is a leitmotif in the multimedia movement narrative Poor People’s TV Room, at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art from April 12-15. United States Artist Fellow Okwui Okpokwasili and director-designer Peter […]
Doug Varone and Dancers Return to Chicago
Thirty years into choreographing for his company Doug Varone and Dancers, Doug Varone believes he has become somewhat of a pointillist. He said looking back, his early choreography resembled the […]
The Joffrey Ballet’s Flawless, Revitalized Nutcracker
There is no ballet so ingrained in the public consciousness as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Even those who profess no interest in the art form have likely seen a […]