Barbara Vitello
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The star of the show is Stephen Sondheim in Oil Lamp’s ‘Side By Side By Sondheim’ revivalAug 21, 2025 5:37 pm - Oil Lamp Theater’s intimate revival of “Side by Side by Sondheim” confirms the star of this musical revue is Stephen Sondheim himself.
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Suburban high schools ranked among state’s top performersAug 20, 2025 6:06 pm - The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Lincolnshire’s Adlai E. Stevenson High School and Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville are among Illinois’ top-performing secondary schools, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings.
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‘School for Lies’ well-revived: David Ives’ satire gets first-rate production courtesy of Janus TheatreAug 20, 2025 5:04 pm - Elgin’s Janus Theatre deftly revives David Ives’ delightfully caustic “The School for Lies,” inspired by Moliere’s 17th-century satire “The Misanthrope.”
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Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns expands to 15 nightsAug 19, 2025 1:05 pm - Chicago Botanic Garden expands its annual Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns to 15 days. Get your tickets soon, this popular Halloween tradition typically sells out.
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Spotlight: Teenage con man eludes the feds in Marriott’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’Aug 19, 2025 11:07 am - Marriott Theatre revives the real-life-inspired musical “Catch Me If You Can,” while Chicago theaters American Blues and Strawdog stage two world premieres.
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Best Bets: Flamenco at Steppenwolf, a cappella in Naperville, Uncorked at Brookfield Zoo ChicagoAug 19, 2025 11:07 am - Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater performs as part of Steppenwolf Theatre’s LookOut series, champion barbershop ensembles sing out in Naperville, and Brookfield Zoo Chicago invites animal lovers 21 and older to its after-hours Uncorked event.
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A balm for the bereaved: Geneva woman seeks to install wind phone where grieving people can ‘talk’ to lost loved onesAug 16, 2025 12:15 pm - A Geneva mother seeks to establish a wind phone, a disconnected phone that allows grieving people to “talk” with their departed loved ones, in her community in honor of her 18-year-old son James who died unexpectedly in 2021.
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State police trooper arrested on child porn chargesAug 15, 2025 5:17 pm - An Illinois State Police trooper from Deerfield was arrested Thursday on federal child pornography charges, authorities said.
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Salute to Sergei: Pianist/actor Hershey Felder returns with his tribute to composer/pianist RachmaninoffAug 13, 2025 9:35 am - Pianist/writer/actor and Jeff Award-winner Hershey Felder returns to Writers Theatre with his two-hander, “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.”
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Spotlight: Elgin’s Janus updates ‘School for Lies’ and Aurora’s Paramount stages ‘Come From Away’Aug 12, 2025 4:17 pm - Janus Theatre stages a contemporary take on Moliere’s 17th-century satire “School for Lies” and Paramount Theatre presents the regional premiere of the musical “Come From Away.”