Articles filed under Performing Arts

Show Articles : prev 20 next 20

Sunday picks: British comedian Eddie Izzard plays ChicagoJun 8, 2014 12:00 AM
Acclaimed British actor and comedian Eddie Izzard holds court with his hilarious comic ramblings at the Chicago Theatre. Trekkies will be out in force for The Official Star Trek Convention, which prominently features appearances by actors William Shatner and Kate Mulgrew in Rosemont. Learn all about the singing siblings whose songs like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” will forever be tied to World War II in the musical “Sisters of Swing: The Andrews Sisters Story” starting Thursday at Fox Valley Repertory at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.
How meeting her idol changed Jesse Mueller’s lifeJun 7, 2014 12:00 AM
When Jesse Mueller first sat behind the piano to portray Carole King on Broadway, she had no idea what kind of year she was going to have. It was when the real Carole King showed up unexpectedly at a recent performance that put it all into perspective. During a curtain call in early April of the Tony Award-nominated “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” the legendary musician walked out on stage and hugged Mueller and the cast. “There was sort of a calm that came over me. I was also kind of losing my mind, because I couldn’t believe she was actually there."
Weekend picks: Cher is always a sight to beholdJun 7, 2014 12:00 AM
Expect plenty of over-the-top stage spectacle when legendary pop diva Cher brings her Dressed to Kill Tour with opening act Cyndi Lauper to the Allstate Arena Saturday. Trekkies will be out in force for The Official Star Trek Convention, which prominently features appearances by actors William Shatner and Kate Mulgrew in Rosemont. Learn all about the singing siblings whose songs like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” will forever be tied to World War II in the musical “Sisters of Swing: The Andrews Sisters Story” starting Thursday at Fox Valley Repertory at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.
A new start for Suburban Chicago’s Got Talent contest and contestantsJun 6, 2014 12:00 AM
The preliminary rounds of auditions for Suburban Chicago's Got Talent are underway at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg. The summerlong talent competition is co-sponored by the Daily Herald, the Prairie Center and the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce. “You know pretty much right away whether somebody’s performance is going to be pretty good,” said new judge John Flamini, of the village of Schaumburg.
'Ask Aunt Susan' exposes online exploitationJun 6, 2014 12:00 AM
In Seth Bockley's “Ask Aunt Susan,” a cocky twenty-something tech guy becomes an Internet sensation as a phony female advice columnist. The plot of the drama, in a world premiere at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, is milder than other online hoaxes perpetrated in real life. Yet Bockley brings a literary pedigree to “Ask Aunt Susan” as a modern-day response to Nathanael West's 1933 novel “Miss Lonelyhearts.”
Led Zeppelin reissues offer meager fareJun 4, 2014 12:00 AM
Perhaps we should admit the truth about Led Zeppelin: It’s time to move on. Yes, even you superfans. If the unreleased material included on reissues of landmark albums “Led Zeppelin,” “Led Zeppelin II” and “Led Zeppelin III” is any indication of what’s to come, there’s little hope of hearing anything truly new — let alone interesting — over the rest of the band’s ambitious plan to rerelease all nine of its studio albums.
‘Frozen’ writers behind new show ‘Up Here’Jun 3, 2014 12:00 AM
Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez — the Oscar-winning husband-and-wife team behind the film “Frozen” — are preparing an original romantic comedy for the stage called “Up Here.”
Japan Festival this weekend in Arlington HeightsJun 3, 2014 12:00 AM
The 32nd Annual Japan Festival, a celebration and demonstration of Japanese culture, will be held this weekend at Forestview Educational Center, 2121 Goebbert Road in Arlington Heights. It will include demonstrations of traditional arts, a marketplace, a pop culture exhibit and a food court. A pop concert will be held Saturday night.
Miranda Lambert shines on 'Platinum'Jun 3, 2014 12:00 AM
Country star Miranda Lambert describes her fifth album “Platinum” as transitional: She wanted to show the maturity of an award-winning artist who has turned 30 and settled into marriage. But don't worry, she's still the wildest risk-taking Nashville singer roaring through the back roads. She frontloads the new 16-song collection with a saucily slurred lyric about the power of bleach jobs (“What doesn't kill you only makes you blonder” she cracks in “Platinum”) and another that rips a would-be Romeo with a string of putdowns delivered with punkish glee.
50 Cent shows rust on ‘Animal Ambition’Jun 3, 2014 12:00 AM
50 Cent made a ginormous splash more than a decade ago with his multiplatinum platinum debut “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” pushing out early career hits from “In da Club” to “P.I.M.P.” But the rapper has been unable to live up to his first album’s success.
Weekend picks: Trekkies, beam over to RosemontJun 2, 2014 12:00 AM
Trekkies will be out in force for The Official Star Trek Convention, which prominently features appearances by actors William Shatner and Kate Mulgrew in Rosemont. Learn all about the singing siblings whose songs like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” will forever be tied to World War II in the musical “Sisters of Swing: The Andrews Sisters Story” starting Thursday at Fox Valley Repertory at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.
Sunday picks: Paul Rodriguez plays Schaumburg's ImprovJun 1, 2014 12:00 AM
Veteran comedian Paul Rodriguez aims to get his humor across this weekend in English with a sprinkling of Spanish at the Improv Comedy Showcase. See a variety of art from 150 artists at the 12th Annual Deerfield Festival of Fine Arts. The annual Rose Festival promises a parade plus loads of games and rides this weekend at the Roselle Metra Station.
Weekend picks: Bike safety course both fun and educationalMay 31, 2014 12:00 AM
The Village of Libertyville and Advocate Condell Medical Center host a Bike Safety Rodeo at the Advocate Condell Conference Center. Get your sea legs ready to raise funds for downtown Waukegan development at the 3rd Annual Scoop the Lake Regatta & Dinghy Poker Run at the Waukegan Yacht Club Saturday. Our neighboring state is famous for its breweries and dairy farms, so don't miss the Wisconsin Beer & Cheese Tour, which features many microbrews and artisanal cheeses on Saturday at the RiverEdge Park in Aurora.
Summer delivers no shortage of local music festsMay 30, 2014 12:00 AM
At the crossroads of music and summer you get festivals, festivals and more festivals. Chicago and the suburbs are not lacking in places to see live music played in the Midwest sun or under a summer moon. So check out what the next few months have in store for music fans.
Arlington Heights’ Metropolis theater looking for new executive directorMay 27, 2014 12:00 AM
After 2½ years, Charlie Beck is out as executive director of the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights. The Metropolis board has named former special events manager Neil Scheufler as acting executive director while a permanent replacement for Beck is sought. “This was not an acrimonious break with Charlie,” board President Joe Lynn said.
Weekend picks: Is Ed Regine a comedy machine?May 27, 2014 12:00 AM
See if Ed “The Machine” Regine lives up to his nickname when he performs his standup routine at Zanies at Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles. Get your sea legs ready to raise funds for downtown Waukegan development at the 3rd Annual Scoop the Lake Regatta & Dinghy Poker Run at the Waukegan Yacht Club Saturday. Our neighboring state is famous for its breweries and dairy farms, so don't miss the Wisconsin Beer & Cheese Tour, which features many microbrews and artisanal cheeses on Saturday at the RiverEdge Park in Aurora.
Sunday picks: Buy, sell and trade coins in ElginMay 25, 2014 12:00 AM
The Geneva Coin Club hosts its Memorial Day Weekend Coin Show at the Holiday Inn in Elgin Sunday. Reveries In Motion Dance Company performs a collection of modern and jazz dance pieces for “Compass,” a fundraiser for Compass to Care to support children who have to travel great distances for cancer treatment. Acclaimed Canadian comedian Jeremy Hotz continues his standup engagement at the Improv Comedy Showcase in Schaumburg. Browse the works of more than 100 juried artists from around the world at the Barrington Art Festival this weekend at the Village Center. All this and more in the suburbs and city this weekend.
Weekend picks: Reveries in Motion raising funds for childrenMay 24, 2014 12:00 AM
Reveries In Motion Dance Company performs a collection of modern and jazz dance pieces for “Compass,” a fundraiser for Compass to Care to support children who have to travel great distances for cancer treatment. Acclaimed Canadian comedian Jeremy Hotz continues his standup engagement at the Improv Comedy Showcase in Schaumburg. Browse the works of more than 100 juried artists from around the world at the Barrington Art Festival this weekend at the Village Center. And the Geneva Coin Club hosts its Memorial Day Weekend Coin Show at the Holiday Inn in Elgin Sunday. All this and more in the suburbs and city this weekend.
Local band delivers catchy folk-rock on 'Creatures of Habit'May 23, 2014 12:00 AM
The Damn Choir, a Chicago rock band with ties to the Northwest suburbs, has earned acclaim with its recent album, "Creatures of Habit," a loose concept album that looks at the power of religious faith. The band's newest member is drummer and Elk Grove Village native Marty Kane, who used to play in the suburban dance-pop band Dot Dot Dot.
Metropolis' 'Last Five Years' eloquently examines romanceMay 23, 2014 12:00 AM
Every marriage ends. The end may come after a lifetime together. It may come sooner, accompanied by legal documents that list as the reason, “irreconcilable differences.” Either way, the end is ever-present: That bittersweet premise underscores “The Last Five Years,” the distinct and eloquent chamber musical by composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown, currently in a lovely revival at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights.