What's happening on the arts scene – on stage, in museums and at fairs and festivals
(Maddy Shilts, Whitney Wolf, Ben Isabel, Ben Paynic, Luis Del Valle, Elizabeth Bushell, Madelynn Oztas) Recommended Directed by Wayne Mell, this Madkap Production of “A Chorus Line” at the Skokie Theatre, is on pointe. It taps into the essence of love and dedication to the art of dance. “A Chorus Line” is an anthology of … Continue reading “For the Love of Dance”
Highly Recommended Music Theater works brings Pippin to the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in a production that is a feast for the senses and uses the entire spectrum of theater craft. Explaining the plot of Pippin is as useful as trying to recall the details of a dream. What exactly happened is not … Continue reading “Music Theater Works does justice to the Pippin dreamworld”
Highly recommended For a professional theater experience in Chicago this month you can’t do much better than West Side Story at the Lyric Opera. This Leonard Bernstein / Stephen Sondheim musical deemed cutting edge and somewhat avantgarde when first introduced, is now a classic. The story by Arthur Laurents is a rather faithful mid-century … Continue reading “A tragic love story and cautionary tale of intolerance”
Somewhat recommended Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon by Matthew C. Yee is a light romp with a dark twist followed by a hasty, muddled ending wrapped up in a cloud of very good music – all of which is performed by a remarkable cast of actor musicians. This adventure revolves around Asian identity, Asian stereotypes and … Continue reading “Good ‘Lucy and Charles’ music and cast are not enough”
Lighthouse ArtSpaceChicago, known for its presentations of visual artists, celebrated Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 267th birthday with a sneak-peak kickoff of “Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius,” The birthday celebration included complimentary treats of Prosecco and Eli’s Cheesecake.” Past Artspace presentations featured the works of such artists as Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo by … Continue reading “Celebrating Mozart at Lighthouse Immersive”
Somewhat Recommended 2 Stars Skillfully presented, this streaming audio play “A murder in the court of Xanadu” presented by A Theater in the Dark is a jumble of characters and events that in the end I simply did not care about. I truthfully cannot give you a synopsis of this play. I enjoyed listening … Continue reading “Xanadu is a relaxing trip to nowhere.”
( Open House Chicago is a great way to see some of the city’s landmarks and neighborhoods. The following Old Town / Gold Coast Open House Tour was taken by videographer/podcast editor Reno Lovison during Oct. 15-16 but it is specific enough to copy down and take anytime. ) You don’t need to be … Continue reading “An Open House Chicago walking tour to try”
Recommended The duo of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were the genius songwriters behind several hit Broadway musicals with many of their numbers going on to become standards in the Great American Songbook. This Madkap Production of “Falling for Make Believe” at the Skokie Theatre purports to be “The Real Story Behind the Music … Continue reading “A ‘Hart’ felt story of hidden love”
4 Stars If your idea of summer fun included telling spooky tales around the campfire or listening to audiobooks during your cross-country road trip you might enjoy beginning the fall theater season with Brian McKnight’s “Dracula,” a Glass Apple Theatre production at the Raven. Based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, the production is an … Continue reading “Dracula”
Thanks to a $15 million gift from Roxelyn and the late Richard Pepper, Lincoln Park Zoo broke ground on a $41 million renovation of their lion house in December 2019. After being closed for about 2 years, the new Lion House opened in October 2021 and is home to a pride of lions that … Continue reading “Up close at Lincoln Park Zoo Lion House”