Review: Hamilton Returns to Remind Us That Today’s Politics Is History
Hamilton has landed in Chicago and I was not prepared for the mania that was opening night. The line wound down State Street from the Nederlander on Randolph for people […]
Kathy D. Hey writes creative non-fiction essays. A lifelong Chicagoan, she is enjoying life with her husband, daughter and three dogs in the wilds of Edgewater. When she isn’t at her computer, she is in her garden growing vegetables and herbs for kitchen witchery.
Review: Congo Square Theatre Illuminates an Uncomfortable Truth in Welcome to Matteson
Congo Square Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary of staging a full spectrum of the Black experience in America. A part of that celebration is the world premiere of Welcome […]
Architecture, History, and Neighborhood Pride Abound in Logan Square
The Logan Square Preservation House and Garden Walk last Saturday was on a beautiful and sunny—perfect for a house and garden tour, particularly in Logan Square. Some of the homes […]
Preview: Take a Walk on the Historic Side to See Logan Square’s History
Okay, it’s not quite Lou Reed but Logan Square is near where Nelson Algren wrote A Walk on the Wild Side. The 34th Logan Square Preservation House Walk is on […]
Chicago Jazz Festival in Review: Honoring History and Celebrating the Now on the Final Day
The final day of the Chicago Jazz Festival is always a blast and a perfect sendoff to summer. Now, I say summer until the Autumnal Equinox and dare anyone to […]
Chicago Jazz Festival 2023 in Review: Music Is a Healer and Teacher on Day 3
Tammy McCann is a classically trained singer who could easily grace the world’s stages singing Mozart, Purcell, or Bizet. McCann felt a calling encouraged by Von Freeman and Ramsey Lewis, […]
Chicago Jazz Festival 2023 in Review: A Perfect Cap on Summer and Joy Post-Pandemic
The Chicago Jazz Festival is 47 years old! I am trying to get my head around how long that is, and what a gift it is to know that Chicago […]
Review: Hell in a Handbag Stages a Hilarious Parody with Murder Rewrote
Hell in a Handbag puts Joan Crawford, The Bad Seed, Jane Wyman, and Mad Magazine in the Wayback Machine and produces a delicious satire with Murder Rewrote. This show is […]
Review: Music Theater Works Presents Madcap Ribaldry and Great Music in The Producers
Mel Brooks is one of the great geniuses of comedy hands down and The Producers is one of his many masterpieces. Music Theater Works celebrates its 150th show under the […]
Review: A Rebirth of the Cool at the Lighthouse
It was a wondrous summer night with jazz on the menu at The Lighthouse Artspace. I consider August to be Jazz Month in Chicago even though you can hear the […]
Review: Northlight Brings the Soul and Brilliance of Musical Icons in Marie and Rosetta
Imagine in your mind Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze with the opening chords howling out of his Fender Stratocaster. Feel that rolling left hand or bass line in the music of […]
Review: A Distinct Society at Writers Theatre Shows the Collateral Damage of Bigotry
The Muslim Ban. Those words still make me angry about the 45th president creating borders to keep the “undesirables” from entering the United States. Most sentient people are still unpacking […]