Barbara Vitello
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Short and sweet: Why fall colors could be intense, but brief this yearOct 04, 2026 10:28 am - Extreme summer weather and El Niño will impact the fall color season, say experts who predict this year’s display will be delayed and condensed into a short, vibrant color blaze.
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Top of their game: Steppenwolf’s Davis, Smallwood deliver in provocative ‘Topdog/Underdog’Sep 30, 2026 11:00 am - Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “Topdog/Underdog” gets a riveting revival at Steppenwolf Theatre.
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Scare tactics: Suburban haunts deliver Halloween thrillsSep 30, 2026 7:45 am - It’s scary season. Check out our list of suburban haunted houses where Halloween revelers can celebrate.
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Best Bets: Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns and Bad Momz of ComedySep 29, 2026 9:36 pm - Best bets for fall: Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns returns to the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Bad Momz of Comedy laugh it up in Wheaton, Red Clay Dance brings “Freedom Square” to Evanston, and spooky silent films come to the Pickwick in Park Ridge.
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Spotlight: ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ returns to Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre for its last encoreSep 28, 2026 3:57 pm - This week marks the return of Paramount’s acclaimed “Million Dollar Quartet,” Lifeline’s premiere fairy tale noir, Shattered Globe’s real-life-inspired tale of resistance, and Music Theater Works’ revival of Jimmy Buffett’s jukebox tuner “Escape to Margaritaville.”
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‘She made the world a better place’: Friends, family remember woman killed during Fox River boating accident in JulySep 26, 2026 7:14 pm - Several hundred people gathered to honor Magdalena Jablonska at the McHenry Dam on Saturday. The 48-year-old Des Plaines woman and U.S. Marine veteran who “brought sunshine wherever she went” was killed in a boating accident July 25 on the Fox River.
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One of the best: Metropolis’ ‘Ride the Cyclone’ revival is quite a rideSep 23, 2026 1:05 pm - Metropolis Performing Arts Centre delivers an emotional, vocally impressive revival of the cult musical “Ride the Cyclone,” directed by Lillian Castillo, who originated the role of Constance in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s 2015 U.S. premiere.
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Best Bets: Celebración de los Árboles at Morton and New Philharmonic opens its seasonSep 23, 2026 8:40 am - The Morton Arboretum, Sonny Acres Farms, Cantigny and the Village of Rosemont host family-friendly festivals, and Emily Rohm, who originated the role of Jane Doe in CST’s “Ride the Cyclone,” brings her cabaret show to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, whose “Cyclone” revival runs through Oct. 25.
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Spotlight: Goodman Theatre premieres coming-of-age comic thriller ‘Dead Girl’s Quinceañera’Sep 23, 2026 6:59 am - Goodman Theatre premieres the Latina coming-of-age play “Dead Girl’s Quinceañera,” BrightSide Theatre revives “The Addams Family” musical, and Oil Lamp stages the suspense thriller “Dial M for Murder,” this week in Chicago-area theater.
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‘A danger to all’: Judge orders detention for Wheeling murder suspectSep 22, 2026 5:06 pm - Prosecutors say a Dixmoor man asphyxiated the 55-year-old Wheeling man with whom he was romantically involved following an argument on July 4. A Cook County judge ordered Jalen Upshaw to remain in custody while his case is pending.