Barbara Vitello
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Raw rock: CST’s ‘Sunny Afternoon’ affirms Ray Davies’ genius, Kinks’ enduring influenceApr 02, 2025 4:24 pm - The folks at Chicago Shakespeare Theater are nothing if not considerate. On opening night of “Sunny Afternoon,” the jukebox musical about 1960s Brit-rockers The Kinks, they thoughtfully provided ear plugs. Fortunately, this zestfully performed, zealously embraced show about the early days of the seminal British Invasion band is neither ear-shattering nor earthshaking. It is, however, hugely entertaining.
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Challenger defeats 12-year incumbent in Palatine trustee raceApr 01, 2025 10:46 pm - Incumbent trustees in Northwest suburban Cook County prevailed in races to retain their seats with one exception. Challenger Greg Langer defeated incumbent Tim Millar in the race to represent Palatine’s first district.
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Fox Valley school board incumbents appear headed to victory, early returns showApr 01, 2025 9:46 pm - Early, unofficial election results show incumbents prevailing in many Fox Valley school board races.
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Best Bets: Violinist Samuel Vargas joins Elgin Symphony Orchestra for Tchaikovsky concertoApr 01, 2025 2:00 pm - Acclaimed violinist Samuel Vargas joins the Elgin Symphony Orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Giordano Dance Chicago salutes its artistic director, and the CSO collaborates with the Joffrey Ballet.
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Spotlight: ‘Da Vinci Code’ thriller at Drury Lane, ‘Titanic’ tuner at MarriottMar 31, 2025 2:08 pm - Drury Lane Theatre stages a theatrical adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestselling “The Da Vinci Code,” Marriott Theatre revives the rarely produced musical “Titanic,” and Victory Gardens co-produces the Chicago premiere of David Mamet’s latest, “Henry Johnson.”
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‘All new to everyone’: Parents recall navigating COVID school shutdown five years agoMar 29, 2025 12:54 pm - Closing schools during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in parents and children spending a lot more time together. Several shared their stories about balancing remote learning and recreation during 2020’s COVID summer.
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Adding Lake Michigan water, safety key issues for Long Grove candidatesMar 26, 2025 9:08 pm - Bringing Lake Michigan water to town the most pressing issue facing Long Grove, according to two candidates running for village trustee in the April 1 election.
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Child’s play: North Central College theater grad pursues passion for children’s theaterMar 26, 2025 12:05 pm - Actress Maria Clara Ospina discovered her passion for children’s theater while attending North Central College. A Chicago Children’s Theatre veteran, she co-stars in the company’s premiere of “Go Dog Go! (Ve Perro ¡Ve!).
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Best Bets: TikTok sensation Drew Wiegman brings improvisational cello home to Lake CountyMar 25, 2025 9:59 am - Self-taught cellist and Lake County native Drew Wiegman headlines the James Lumber Center in Grayslake, Elmhurst History Museum examines DuPage County’s farming legacy, and the Lyric Opera stages the Chicago premiere of the new adults-only “The Listeners.”
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Spotlight: Edge of the Wood Theatre opens with Theresa Rebeck’s ‘Bernhardt/Hamlet’Mar 24, 2025 3:22 pm - An actress becomes “Hamlet” in Edge of the Wood’s “Bernhardt/Hamlet,” a woman answers a stranger’s cellphone in MadKap Productions’ “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” and a grandmother and granddaughter jump into action in Filament Theatre’s “Hannah and Halmoni Save the World.”