Over the last 15 years or so, chances are you’ve come across comedian, author, filmmaker, podcaster and storyteller Mike Birbiglia. It could be you’ve been a fan of his (like […]
If my records are correct (yes, I keep track of these things), the last production I saw at Hyde Park’s Court Theatre (before…you know) was the interesting and intriguing Photograph 51. […]
Full disclosure: I listen to standup to help me sleep. During these dystopian times, when I’m frequently unable to catch some ZZZs, I’ll play a comedy special on the bedroom […]
Joseph Bologne was a singular figure in the annals of music. Born in 1745 to a French plantation owner and a slave mother on the Caribbean island colony of Guadeloupe […]
I love a good evening out at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. For years now, they’ve put on top notch shows that aren’t just good ‘for the suburbs,’ but are […]
Black history is continuously under attack, even during Black History Month. Some jurisdictions and politicians are busily banning books and curriculums that even mention America’s original sin of slavery. Playwright […]
Chicago has long been a proving ground for new stage productions bound for Broadway, and the shows that head east from here go on to varying degrees of success on […]
The Magic Flute, a German opera by Mozart, first premiered in Vienna in 1791; Mozart himself conducted the orchestra that night. In the more than 200 years since, the show […]
Over the centuries, Shakespeare has been adapted in countless ways. It’s the appeal of his work, after all: universal in its appeal, timeless in its messages, and just as entertaining […]
The two works that began Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2021-22 season could hardly contrast more. The first opening, on September 17, was Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth: Dark, brutal, gory, filled with lust for power, rage […]
Music of the Baroque‘s COVID-shortened season of six monthly live-streamed concerts ended this month with its Musica Sacra – Bach & Purcell concert. The most important thing to note […]
In this brave new normal, ballet premieres come while you’re sitting alone on your couch, instead of in a glittering theater gathered with hundreds of other balletomanes breathlessly awaiting. Perhaps nowadays you […]