Kishi Bashi is a well-known artist in the Indie music sphere. Based in Athens Georgia, where other Indie luminaries such as the B52s and REM launched their careers, his blend of classical, folk, and rock is unlike anything I have…
The American Ballet Theatre is a venerable institution also known as America’s National Ballet Company. Their stop through Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre proves that it is a title well-earned and deserved. Opening night was a delight of traditional European-inspired…
I remember Alanis Morrisette back in the mid-’90s on MTV. Her album Jagged Little Pill was ubiquitous on the radio and on a continuous loop in my daughter’s bedroom. The waifish singer was lauded as an “angry white female” in…
Survival of the fittest means that a species that adapts to its environment will be the best suited to reproduce—aka Darwinism. Playwright Jacqueline Goldfinger’s Babel presents a dystopian view of the fittest. It is a disturbing play that has some…
.Composer Justine Chen and librettist David Simpatico have worked for over a decade to bring The Life and Death[s] of Alan Turing to the opera stage. It was commissioned in 2012 by the American Lyric Theater, leading to Chicago Opera…
I grew up watching shows like Ed Sullivan and American Bandstand. The most memorable act was the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The Ikettes formed a backdrop to the long-legged Anna Mae Bullock—rechristened Tina by Ike Turner. Broadway in Chicago…
The Chicago Philharmonic is known as “the People’s Orchestra.” They have regaled audiences with a variety of classical, jazz, gospel contemporary, and the music of young composers from their Donna Milanovich Composer in Residence Program. They are a diverse group…
Quite a few people say they love the music of Billie Holiday, having heard only God Bless the Child or—the song controversial in its time—Strange Fruit. Those songs cannot come close to the immense gift of her talent. The depth…
What do you get when you mix Englebert Humperdinck, a visual homage to German expressionism, Weimar decadence, and gorgeous singing? The answer is Hansel and Gretel at the Lyric Opera. This telling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is how…
The Chicago Philharmonic mirrored the kaleidoscope of Chicago diversity of their performance of several works, including two concertos by composer Tan Dun and one by The Chicago Phil’s composer in residence, Reinaldo Moya. The concert featured solo performances by guitarist…
Theo Ubique’s Evanston home is a great place to stage The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The show is skillfully directed by Landree Fleming with music direction by Isabella Sherwood, and choreography by Jenna Schoppe. Traditionally, “sporting houses” have a…
The story goes that almost anybody Black from the South Side of Chicago either went to Mayfair Academy or knew someone who went there. The academy closed in 2021 after six decades of training dancers, musicians, and actors. The building…
Join Our Newsletter today!
