Review: Soccer Mommy’s Evergreen Atmosphere Delights Thalia Hall
About every two years or so we get something special from Soccer Mommy, the fantastic pseudonym of Sophia Regina Allison. Since her demo album For Young Hearts came out in […]
Review: Circus Quixote at Lookingglass Theatre Retells the Classic Knight’s Tale With Heart and Magic
After much too long a pause, Lookingglass is back. And with style. Circus Quixote, Lookingglass Theatre’s adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel, Don Quijote of La Mancha, is a […]
Review: Hubbard Street Dance’s Winter Series Is a Journey for the Senses
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is in its 47th year of cutting-edge performances and innovations in modern dance. The Winter Series at the Harris Theater Millennium Park opens with a dance that melds […]
Review: Captain America: Brave New World Packs a Lot of Story, But Feels Jumbled and Rushed
If you only watch the Marvel movies and don’t mess with the adjacent Disney+ series, then the last time you saw Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) was when he was being […]
Review: In a Charming Third Installment, Paddington in Peru Goes for Big Adventure Without Losing Its Heart
He’s cute, curious and loves marmalade, and that’s all we really need to know about the bear Paddington in order to make his adventures in London so damn entertaining for […]
Review: An Impassioned Lauren Mayberry “Changes Shapes” at Thalia Hall
Last year, Lauren Mayberry stepped out from Chvrches to release her debut solo album Vicious Creatures. While in the past solo albums have gotten a bad rap, something Mayberry seemed […]
Review: Steppenwolf’s Fool For Love Perfects Sam Shepard’s Haunting Work
The script of Sam Shepard’s romantic drama Fool For Love begins with the stage direction, “This play is be performed relentlessly, without a break.” The superb actors at Steppenwolf Theatre […]
Review: Griffin MSI Black Creativity Art Exhibition Teems with Excellence
Review by Mitchell Oldham. Coupling innovation and exploration in the sciences with those of the arts represents an enlightened approach to advancing childhood and adolescent development. And for more than […]
Review: Paolo Sorrentino Searches for Beauty in Parthenope, the Story of a Woman Searching for Herself
There’s no getting around the truth that Italian writer/director Paolo Sorrentino (an Oscar-winner for 2014’s The Great Beauty; The Hand of God) is in love with beauty. Often, he focuses […]
Review: A Nuanced and Electric Performance from Complexions Contemporary Ballet
I have always viewed dance as an art of structure and discipline. Traditional ballet has an ethereal quality—tulle and tights with hands just so. Complexions Contemporary Ballet performed at the […]
Review: Oscar Winner Questlove Returns to Music Docs with Rousing and Insightful SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
There’s simply no way that Oscar-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer of Soul) would mess up a documentary about rock/funk/soul icon Sly Stone (real name Sylvester Stewart). But SLY LIVES! […]
Review: Collaborative Documentary No Other Land Offers a Harrowing First-Person Look at Pointless Conflict
Th news is…a lot right now. Sometimes the easiest, healthiest decision is to just look away. To look inward, to make our circle smaller and focus on what’s right in […]