What's happening on the arts scene – on stage, in museums and at fairs and festivals
The Pilsen area on the near south side of Chicago has been evolving into a significant arts destination, partly due to the presence of the Chicago Arts District on Halsted Street and the National Museum of Mexican Art which is a kind of anchor for the neighborhood’s art community. A number of small art galleries … Continue reading “Four Wisconsin artists exhibit in Pilsen”
RECOMMENDED HAIR The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a revival of the infamous hippie era production that raised many eyebrows in its day and contributed significantly to the evolution of American musical theater. It might be easy to simply see this current production of HAIR as riding a “permanent wave” of nostalgia. Or you … Continue reading “‘HAIR’ is still relevant”
Lolla ticket raffle Just found out there are a few free Lollapalooza tickets waiting to be won. The Boundary at 1932 W. Division St. and the Old Town Pour House at 1419 N. Wells St. have a raffle going for impossible-to-get tickets to Lolla-land. The deal is that patrons at either bar who purchase … Continue reading “Around Town: Find Lollapalooza tickets and a great pub or listen to writer secrets”
OK, so a famous rock and roll group, a mega-hit musical and a play that has inspired musicals and operas may or may not appeal to different audiences. But they all are Chicago performance news. Romeo and Juliet reenact their love story in Chicago parks The internationally renowned Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is returning … Continue reading “Kiss and Hamilton and Shakespeare, really?”
RECOMMENDED “Little Fish” is a musical adventure of a young woman’s journey to get her life on track as she leaves a bad relationship, gives up smoking and ultimately finds a core group of friends who are willing and able to support each other through life’s challenges. Even though I quit smoking thirty years ago … Continue reading “Little Fish Searches for Her Place in the Big Pond”
When the list of nominees for 2017 Best Leading Actress in a Play were read at the Tony Awards Sunday, June 11, Laurie Metcalf’s name would have sounded familiar to many Chicago theater-goers. They also could have predicted she would win even though the field was extraordinary. The other nominees were Cate Blanchett, “The Present,” … Continue reading “Familiar Chicago figure Laurie Metcalf wins Best Actress Tony”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Theater-goers lucky enough to have seen Mark St. Germain’s ‘Freud’s Last Session’ at Mercury Theater when Mike Nussbaum took on the role of Freud (as of June 3, 2012) will have an idea of how Albert Einstein is portrayed in the world premiere of ‘Relativity’ at Northlight Theatre. Once again, Nussbaum, now 93, … Continue reading “It is all relative”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED It was a very appreciative audience, some dressed as flappers, who packed the house opening night of “Chicago” at Drury Lane Oak Brook. The Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb script with music by John Kander is iconic due in no small part to its signature song “All that Jazz.” This new production … Continue reading “Old is new again in refreshed ‘Chicago’”
RECOMMENDED Two doctoral candidates are compelled to examine their morals, their friendship and their futures as they re-examine the data that has driven their scientific careers for the past six years. Priya Mohanty (Sanam Shah), a statistician, and Darci Nalepa (Ariel Spiegel), an apiologist, are on the verge of presenting scientific evidence proving that pesticides … Continue reading “Scientific moral dilemma bumps against friendship and ambition”
There’s still a chance to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra do the “Funeral Song,” a recently rediscovered work of Igor Stravinsky. Conducted by renowned Stravinsky interpreter Charles Dutoit who is guest conducting the CSO now through April 15, the “Funeral Song” is on the program tonight, April 8, at 8 p.m. and again April 11 … Continue reading “CSO features Stravinsky and Fauré Requiem”