Chicago Is Lit: February Literary Events, News, and More
Third Coast Review writer Elizabeth Niarchos Neukirch is stepping away from writing the Chicago Is Lit column, though she will continue to contribute to TCR. In the meantime, Lit editor […]
Review: Cairn—A Brutal, Beautiful Struggle Against the Mountain
We are, seemingly, in the middle of a climbing game renaissance. Following the meditative flow of Jusant in 2023 and the high-stakes co-op of 2025’s Peak, Cairn arrives to offer yet another […]
Review: Redtwist Theatre’s Confederates Navigates Nuanced Conversations in Two Eras
It’s evening, and Sandra (Monique Marshaun) is alone in her office. She pulls out a bottle of wine and is set to unwind until co-worker and assistant professor Jade (Toccara […]
Review: Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile—A Family Delight With Ingenious Puppetry
The Enormous Crocodile by the Roald Dahl Story Company is adapted from Dahl’s 1978 book about a greedy crocodile that wants to eat children. This gigantic creature is rumbling through the […]
Review: Heartbreakingly Real, Where Is My Sister?, by Shannon Gibney, Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee
Where Is My Sister, written by Shannon Gibney and illustrated by Huy Voun Lee, is a heartbreakingly real way to approach the loss of a sibling. Infant death is an […]
Review: Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte Is Great Fun Set in the 1920s at the Lyric Opera
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a classical music genius from the 16th century. He was also something of a rock star in the 20th century. Mozart was one of the few […]
Preview: Warm Love Cool Dreams Fest Returns to the Salt Shed in May
Let’s look past the current state of freezing temps and icy roads to a warmer, more inviting season where festivals rule the weekends. It’s never too early to start planning […]
Dispatch: Puppet Theater Festival Ends With Shows Featuring Sexy Puppets, a Hungry Crocodile, a Cat and Two Dogs
The 8th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival concluded Sunday, after 12 days of puppet theater productions at dozens of venues around the city. Our Third Coast writers are puppetry fans […]
Review: Living In Some Kind of Free Association with Friendship at Empty Bottle
I’ll admit that I am extremely rusty—with both concert-going and writing reviews. A slew of changes in my personal life have made it hard for me to focus on either […]
Review: Theatre L’Acadie’s Rising Water Is a Slow Stream
Rising Water is one of a trilogy of plays by John Biguenet about Hurricane Katrina; the other two plays are Shotgun and Mold. It has been 20 years since America […]
Review: When A Witness Recants Is a Powerful, Evidence-Driven Revisiting of a 1980s Murder and the Resulting Wrongful Convictions
This review is part of our ongoing coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The latest impactful and emotionally charged documentary from director Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble; Luther: […]
Review: John Turturro Stars in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, an Ode to Small Time Crooks, Character Actors and the City
This review is part of our ongoing coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. One of the festival’s biggest and most welcome surprises comes from actor-turned-writer/director Noah Segan (Blood Relatives), […]