Barbara Vitello
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Theo’s ‘Diana’ a tribute to beloved artistic directorJun 04, 2025 9:09 am - Brenda Didier, co-director/choreographer of Theo’s regional premiere of “Diana: The Musical,” suspected the show might be co-director Fred Anzevino’s last. It was, as the longtime Chicago-area theater veteran died April 28, days after rehearsals began. Didier and the creative team and cast proceeded with the show in his honor.
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Best Bets: Comedian Jen Kober brings the laughs to CopleyJun 03, 2025 1:55 pm - Paramount Theatre begins its summer performance series with comedian Jen Kober, Brandon Bennett channels Elvis Presley at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre and Wheeling’s Cinergy Dine-In Cinema resumes its summer kids’ movie series.
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Spotlight: Women take center stage in ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes,’ ‘Always … Patsy Cline’Jun 03, 2025 10:49 am - Female-centered musicals dominate this week’s suburban openings, which include Oil Lamp Theater’s “The Marvelous Wonderettes” and Drury Lane Theatre’s revival of “Always ... Patsy Cline.”
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A man of many talents: Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven takes on stand-up comedyMay 28, 2025 10:54 am - Three-time Emmy Award-winner and Evanston-raised actor-turned-stand-up-comedian Jeremy Piven headlines Chicago’s The Vic Theatre June 6 as part of his international comedy tour.
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Best Bets: Cleve Carney, Elmhurst Art museums debut new exhibitionsMay 27, 2025 1:19 pm - This week, new exhibitions open at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and the Elmhurst Art Museum, Chicago Opera Theater stages a world premiere and the Joffrey Ballet presents the family favorite “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
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Spotlight: Amy Morton returns to Steppenwolf in ‘You Will Get Sick’May 27, 2025 10:57 am - For the first time in nearly a decade, Amy Morton is back at Steppenwolf Theatre to star in the Chicago premiere of “You Will Get Sick,” and actor/director Ronnie Marmo returns with “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” a play about the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
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Hanover Park gardener cultivates community with little free sharing greenhouseMay 23, 2025 3:04 pm - Kelly Bauer spreads joy one seedling at a time. For the Hanover Park gardening enthusiast, cultivating seedlings is about nurturing hope. Making those seedlings available for free in a neighborhood greenhouse is about building community, a Bauer helps nourish through The Little Blue Greenhouse located outside her home in the 8100 block of Northway Drive.
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Superheroes, Japanese masterworks and giant sculptures on display this summer at Chicago, suburban museumsMay 22, 2025 12:20 pm - An interactive celebration of Spider-Man at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, 17th- and 18th-century Japanese masterworks at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and giant sculptures “as tall as trees” at the Morton Arboretum are among the exhibitions opening this summer.
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Perfect partners: ‘Gorgeous’ actress shares stage with veteran Chicago actor, cute poochMay 22, 2025 8:20 am - Stevenson High School graduate and former Buffalo Grove resident Stephanie Shum shares the stage with actor/director Tara Mallen and a cute canine named Vivi in “Gorgeous,” a new dramedy in a world premiere produced by Raven and Rivendell theaters.
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Best Bets: Mini golf, music return to Morton Arboretum for the summerMay 21, 2025 11:10 am - Wonder Woods Mini Golf and Arbor Evenings return to the Morton Arboretum, baseball and fireworks resume at Schaumburg’s Wintrust Field and butterflies abound at the Chicago Botanic Garden.