Review: Second City’s This Too Shall Slap Is a Knockout
For 66 years, Second City has set the standard for sketch comedy in Chicago and beyond. Its Mainstage shows are rooted in the theater’s long-perfected formula—a two-hour mix of political […]
Review: The Majestic Sounds of Japanese Breakfast Flourish at the Salt Shed
It’s pretty obvious that both Chicago and the Salt Shed adore the sensational indie-pop outfit Japanese Breakfast. I get the impression that the band has a rather devoted cult following in […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 5/8 and Beyond
It’s Mother’s Day weekend and we have you covered with this weekend’s event roundup. There are so many excellent concerts at our favorite venues, film festivals throughout the city, markets, […]
Review: Avalanche Theatre’s Time Is a Color and the Color Is Blue Builds Dramatic Pressure Despite Its Flaws
This Avalanche Theatre world premiere, at the Bramble Arts Loft, might win the Adam Kaz Critic Award for Year’s Coolest Title. Time Is a Color and the Color Is Blue by […]
Review: Remy Bumppo Theatre Brings Art to Life and Life to Art with Yazmina Reza’s Comic Drama
Serge buys a painting. Marc hates it. Yvan is verklempt over his friends’ feud and his coming wedding. That’s the plotline of Yazmina Reza’s comic drama Art, now being staged by […]
Review: Thomas Wilkins Leads the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in Symphonies by Florence Price and Antonín Dvořák
With Thomas Wilkins taking the podium, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago gave a lovely performance at Symphony Center on Monday evening. Being the professional training ensemble for the Chicago Symphony […]
Review: A Stellar Evening at Radius with Empire of the Sun
There are a handful of staple bands that undoubtedly carried the alternative music scene in the 2010s and sure enough the eclectic electronic duo, Empire of the Sun, is one […]
Review: The Surreal Journey of South Chicago Dance Theatre’s Season Eight
South Chicago Dance Theatre’s season eight, featuring surreal themes that challenge the mind and the body, premiered at the Auditorium on May 3. Although I had seen another company attempt a […]
Dialogs: Talks About Tyranny Triumph at the Chicago Humanities Fest and ACLU Lunch
For “Lakeview Day 2025,” the Chicago Humanities Festival featured two tyranny experts, each for an hour-long interview followed by a brief Q&A, on April 27 at the Athenaeum Theatre. The […]
Review: Sadness at the End of a World, Unstaged Grief: Musicals and Mourning in Midcentury America, by Jake Johnson
The title of Jake Johnson’s latest book—Unstaged Grief: Musicals and Mourning in Midcentury America—is more than a bit jarring. It’s that part about “Musicals and Mourning” that seems so odd. […]
Review: Theatre of the Absurd Festival With Surreal Plays by Three Master Playwrights Launched by Gwydion Theatre and Chopin Theatre
Theater fans can get a new appreciation of theater of the absurd this month with eight short plays being staged by Gwydion Theatre over the next few weekends. We saw three of […]
Review: Frankenstein’s Creature, Played by Neurodivergent Performers, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
The ensemble A.B.L.E., Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations, presented a 90-minute “re-wiring” of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein April 25-27 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Upstairs Studio. Nine neurodivergent actors, including a team […]