Displaying items by tag: Chicago events

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago's home for close-up magic, announces the return of world-renowned magician Ondřej Pšenička in a limited run of his hit show 52 Lovers, directed by Stepan Gajdos. Spend an evening with one of magic's most inventive contemporary voices in 52 Lovers, an intimate performance presented up close in Chicago Magic Lounge's Harry Blackstone Cabaret theater. Quirky, disarming, and brilliantly original, Pšenička blends offbeat humor with world-class sleight of hand in a style entirely his own.

52 Lovers plays Wednesdays at 7:00pm, July 1 – August 26, 2026. Tickets are priced $44 (Standard) and $50 (Front Row), plus applicable fees. Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge shows are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com.

A true innovator, Ondřej combines original creations with expertly curated effects, delivered with a playful unpredictability that keeps audiences leaning in. With a subtle current of absurdism throughout, 52 Lovers is sharp, surprising, and delightfully off-center—showcasing expert technique with an effortless touch that makes the impossible look easy.

Each evening begins with close-up magic performed right at your table by Chicago Magic Lounge's talented house magicians. Between visits, guests can socialize, enjoy craft cocktails and small plates, and take in the vintage ambiance of the Harry Blackstone Cabaret.

About Ondřej Pšenička (pronounced ON-dray psheh-NEETCH-kuh)
Ondřej Pšenička is a world-renowned magician celebrated for his inventive approach to card magic and close-up performance. Hailing from the Czech Republic, he has performed on stages across the globe and is a regular at the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. Known for his quirky humor, subtle surrealism, and technical mastery, Pšenička has baffled audiences worldwide, most notably fooling Penn & Teller three times on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. His creations blend originality, precision, and playfulness, making every performance unforgettable.

Also Happening at Chicago Magic Lounge

The Close-Up Show
Mondays at 7:00pm
Tickets: General Admission $35 - $37

The Showcase
Tuesdays at 7:00pm
Tickets: Standard: $37.50 - $39; Front Row: $42 - $44

The Signature Show
Thursdays-Sundays at 7:00pm, Fridays & Saturdays at 10pm
Tickets: Front Row $89.50 - $103, Premium Main Floor (main floor banquette and main floor cabaret) $76.00 – $95.00, Standard (rail and elevated banquette) $68.50 - $84, Mezzanine $55.00 – $68.00

Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed evening shows with a legal guardian.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, resident and guest performers, and more, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the return of its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, July 6 - September 19, sponsored by Chicago Free For All Fund. Broadway in your Backyard is directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber, music directed by Linda Madonia and starring Tafadzwa Diener, Nik Kmiecik, Juwon Tyrel Perry and Bethany Thomas. For more information go to PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.

Now in its sixth year, this free to the public summer series has become one of Porchlight’s most popular offerings with thousands of people enjoying Porchlight favorite artists performing hits and beloved songs from the Broadway and Hollywood musical song books including Hello, Dolly!, Mary Poppins, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Toy Story, The Wiz and others. 

The 2026 Broadway in your Backyard season is 

Monday, July 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Northcenter Town Square,  4100 N. Damen Ave.

This appearance also includes a performance from students of The Chicago Academy for the Arts. 

Tuesday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Welles Park,  2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.

This appearance also includes a performance from students of The Chicago Academy for the Arts. Additionally, audiences may join Porchlight’s Education as they host a “Kids’ Day” at Welles Park with activities and treats for children, while supplies last. 

Monday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Berger Park,Waterfront Cafe, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

This appearance also includes a performance from PMTeens, Porchlight’s teen performers enrolled in its summer education programming.

Tuesday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Washington Square Park, 901 N. Clark St. 

This appearance also includes a performance from PMTeens, Porchlight’s teen performers enrolled in its summer education programming and Porchlight Young Professionals Associate Board hosting a “Picnic With PYP” at the performance. “Picnic With PYP,” additional details to be announced. 

Navy Pier, STAGE TBD, 600 E. Grand Ave.

Saturday, Sept. 19 at 12:30 p.m.

Porchlight Music Theatre presents its popular Broadway in your Backyard program of family-friendly showtunes as it joins more than 110 artists and organizations for Navy Pier’s the annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant arts and cultural community. 

Performance dates and venues are subject to change.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, in its 31st season, is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach, we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.” 

Porchlight's history over three decades includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. 

Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form. 

The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 50 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 15 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards and has been honored with seven awards in this tier to date including Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (2019) and Best Production-Revue for Blues in the Night (2022). 

Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. In 2021, Porchlight launched its annual summer series, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city. 

Opera Festival of Chicago opens its 2026 festival season with Very Verismo!, that includes a VIP reception and a captivating concert celebrating the richness and beauty of Italian opera through works by leading verismo composers. The concert takes place Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jarvis Opera Hall in the Holtschneider Performance Center at DePaul University School of Music, 800 W. Belden Ave. Single tickets are $150. VIP tickets are $250 and include an exclusive pre-show reception beginning at 5:30 p.m., drinks and hors d’oeuvres, access to a silent auction and opportunities to meet festival artists. Tickets are $25 – $91 for the two mainstage productions in Opera Festival of Chicago and information are available at OperaFestivalChicago.org.

This special concert features headlining artists from the 2026 Opera Festival of Chicago season, an organization devoted to presenting world-class productions of rarely performed Italian opera masterworks while fostering a vibrant and accessible operatic culture in Chicago. The evening features music by renowned verismo composers including Puccini, Leoncavallo, Mascagni and Giordano, performed by an exceptional lineup of artists.

Soprano Alexandra Razskazoff, a Grand Finals winner of the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, has been praised by The New York Times as a “richly faceted, slinky soprano” and by Opera News for a voice that is “rich, distinctive of timbre, penetrating, and possessing a lovely bloom on top.” She is joined by dramatic soprano Zhanna Alkhazova, heralded by Opera News for her “bright, sword-flashing sound”; tenor Nathan Granner, acclaimed for his “marvelous intensity” (Gramophone) and described as “a stirring tenor of equal parts metal and warmth” (Opera News) and baritone Franco Pomponi, praised by the Chicago Tribune as “the real article, a baritone with a warm focused tone and a genuine feel for true Italian legato singing.”

The Opera Festival of Chicago 2026 will also present two Mainstage productions: 

La Bohème (New Production) by Giacomo Puccini

Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m.

George Van Dusen Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie

Directed by Sasha Gerritson

Conducted by Emanuele Andrizzi

La Bohème tells the story of young artists navigating love, friendship and poverty in 1830s Paris. The production stars Alexandra Razskazoff (Mimì), Nathan Granner (Rodolfo), Joe Lodato (Marcello), Catherine Antonia Samartin (Musetta), Jonathan Wilson (Schaunard), Anthony Reed (Colline) & William Powers (Benoit & Alcindoro).

Widely regarded as one of the greatest operas ever written, La Bohème follows a group of young artists struggling to survive in 1830s Paris. At its center is the poetic love story between Rodolfo and Mimì, unfolding against themes of poverty, friendship and the fleeting nature of life. Puccini’s unforgettable score captures universal emotions of joy, loss and heartbreak.

Adriana Lecouvreur (New Production) by Francesco Cilea

Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m. and Friday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m.

George Van Dusen Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie

Directed by Shifra Werch

Conducted by Emanuele Andrizzi

Adriana Lecouvreur is a verismo masterpiece exploring love and rivalry within the world of the 18th-century Comédie-Française. Set at the Comédie-Française, the opera follows the celebrated actress Adriana Lecouvreur as she becomes entangled in a tragic love triangle with a noble soldier and a vengeful princess. The cast includes Zhanna Alkhazova (Adriana), Jeremy Brauner (Maurizio), Franco Pomponi (Michonnet), Viktoria Vizin (Principessa di Bouillon), Chris Filipowicz (Principe di Bouillon) and David Cangelosi (L’Abate di Chazeuil). The opera has not been staged in Chicago in more than 70 years, when legendary soprano Renata Tebaldi sang the title role.

Both mainstage productions, La Bohème and Adriana Lecouvreur, feature the Opera Festival of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus.

Cast and creative teams are subject to change. 

ABOUT OPERA FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO

The Opera Festival of Chicago is dedicated to presenting world-class productions of rarely performed Italian opera masterworks while cultivating a vibrant and accessible operatic culture in Chicago. By celebrating Italy’s rich artistic heritage and nurturing the next generation of performers, the Festival aspires to become America’s leading hub for Italian opera, bringing exceptional artistry, cultural depth and homegrown talent to the forefront of the city’s cultural landscape.

Opera Festival of Chicago performances have been broadcast on WFMT, WETA, and other classical radio stations across the United States and internationally. The company has received critical recognition from local and national media, including Opera News and Chicago Classical Review. Its production of Il prigioniero by Luigi Dallapiccola was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of the city’s best opera productions of the year.

If you’ve ever worked in an urban coffee shop, chances are you’ve encountered at least one ultra-paranoid kook who believes the government is spying on them. Often they’re filling out long journals or manifestos. Or perhaps that one crazy uncle we all seem to have who believes in way too many conspiracy theories. These loveable, but disturbed weirdos commonly refer to themselves as “targeted individuals.” 

Hanna Kime’s new play The Targeted makes its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre. In it, she empathetically explores the lives of these folks and what draws them to their beliefs. Though it is at times humorous, Kime’s play is not exploitative. Rather, she builds an entire ecosystem for not only those affected by this kind of thinking, but the ways in which others profit from it. 

Grace Dolezal-Ng directs a bonafide dream cast of some of Chicago’s best actresses. They turn the main stage at The Chopin into a woodsy, weekend retreat called The Solidarity and Truth Summit. Rhonda (Kirsten Fitzgerald), Didi (Natalie West) at first seem very nice and chummy when welcoming newcomer Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), but as the weekend wears on, fractures begin to form. Rhonda is immediately mistrustful of Mia (Stephanie Shum), another newbie who is very upfront about not being a believer in government tracking conspiracies; she’s only there to support her misguided younger brother Eric (Glenn Obrero). The power structure becomes more complicated once the organizer of the summit, Jeff (Lawrence Grimm), starts giving whacky lectures.

In 95 minutes of quick-moving scenes, each character reveals how this affliction has sabotaged their personal lives. At the beginning, you can almost convince yourself these people are normal, just with some strange ideas. Sadieh Rifai plays Sherry with such naive conviction that you can’t imagine a simple, suburban housewife could ever be tempted by this rabbit hole. Through her character, Kime makes a thinly veiled parallel to the “Q-Anon” to “Trad Wife” pipeline. In contrast, Kirsten Fitzgerald’s Rhonda is hard as nails and her desire to control the weekends’ narrative speaks directly to just how dangerously persuasive conspiratorial ideology can be.

The central storyline presents itself in the relationship between Eric and Mia though. As a non-believer, Mia is outnumbered and it’s not long before she begins questioning her own sanity. Stephanie Shum plays the voice of reason with a quintessential authority. Her character’s demand for truth shows how frustrating independent thinking can feel in group settings.

While there is certainly a rubber-necking quality to the topic at hand, Kime never treats her characters as some sort of Netflix documentary sideshow specimens. Natalie West plays one of the weirder believers but her quirky softness makes her one of the show’s most endearing characters, even if she is hawking metaphoric snake oil for a living.

In the end, Kime lets the audience make up their own mind as to whether these folks actually believe what they’re talking about, or whether they’re just extremely lonely. It’s hard to criticize conspiracy theorists in an era in which almost every aspect of our federal government seems to be conspiring against its people. Kime builds a case for compassion with The Targeted.

Through June 21st at A Red Orchid Theatre. At Chopin Theatre. 1543 W Division St. 773-278-1500.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

AstonRep Productions, the theatre and film production company that has produced over 30 stage productions in Chicago, has announced it will be the first company in the US to bring Liisa Repo-Martell's adaptation of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA to audiences. Repo-Martell's script, which was first produced by Toronto's Crow's Theatre in 2022, has been praised for its contemporary and colloquial language. The Toronto online arts magazine INTERMISSION said, "it is delicate and wholly faithful to Chekhov's story... relatable and even startlingly contemporary, affirming the timelessness of the themes Chekhov explored in his writing." The Crow's Theatre production was remounted in 2024 at Toronto's CAA Theatre and was named one of the top ten productions of the year by both THE GLOBE AND MAIL and THE TORONTO STAR. AstonRep's production will be directed by Derek Bertelsen, who recently helmed the revival of the hit comedy FULLY COMMITTED at The Den Theatre and has directed many of AstonRep's productions.  Bertelsen was co-founder/artistic director of The Comrades theater company from 2016-2020. UNCLE VANYA will open to the press on June 19 at 7:30 pm, following a preview on June 18, and play through July 5, 2026, at the Edge Off-Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago.

Bertelsen's cast will feature Rian Jairell in the title role of Vanya – a bitter and broken man who wonders what he might have done with his life if he had not committed to managing the family estate. Jairell's previous roles with AstonRep include Ariel in THE PILLOWMAN and Jerry in BETRAYAL. The beautiful Helena, who captivates all the characters, will be played by Andi Muriel, seen recently in THE TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS for Redtwist Theatre and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST for Strawdog Theatre. Robert Tobin, who was Founder and Artistic Director of AstonRep Theatre Company, will be Astrov, a neighbor and overworked country doctor who feels ruined by provincial life. Tobin's recent credits include ARMS AND THE MAN for Forest Theatre Company and THE PILLOWMAN with AstonRep. Another PILLOWMAN castmate, Natalie Hurdle, will play Sonya, who has loyally steadfastly worked to maintain the estate, and is deeply attracted to Dr. Astrov.

Cast as Vanya's mother Maria is Mary Mikva (of TIME IS A COLOR AND THE COLOR IS BLUE  for Avalanche Theatre). Geoff Issac, seen recently in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS for Deerfield Theatre, will be the pompous and egotistical failed scholar Serebryakov. Liz Cloud (of AstonRep's BURIED CHILD) will be the nurse Marina, and Mike Rogalski (ELEKTRA – Forest Theatre Company) will play Telegin, an impoverished landowner who works on the estate.

The UNCLE VANYA production team will include Jeremiah Barr (set, lighting and properties design), Natalie Shoch (costume design), Samantha Barr (lighting design), Melanie Thompson (sound design), Bethany Hart (assistant director and vocal coach), and Nevaeh Mansur (Stage Manager). 

Tickets to UNCLE VANYA are $25.00 and will be on sale beginning April 25 at www.astonrep.com or by phone at or (312) 620-4583.

UNCLE VANYA
by Anton Chekhov
US Premiere of the new adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell
Directed by Derek Bertelsen
June 18 – July 5, 2025
Regular run Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 3pm
Edge Off-Broadway
1133 W Catalpa Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
Tickets- $25, available beginning April 25 at  www.astonrep.com or (312) 620-4583

At a remote country estate in the final days of Czarist Russia, Vanya and his niece Sonya have spent years sacrificing everything to keep the family farm afloat. Their quiet routine is shattered when Sonya's aging father returns with his much younger wife, stirring up long-buried desires, resentments, and regrets. As tensions rise and futures feel increasingly uncertain, the family is forced to confront the lives they've lived—and the ones they never will. This new adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell provides an up-close encounter with a classic of world drama that every theatre lover must see.

Two actors.
One has rehearsed the play.
The other has neither seen nor read it.

A different performer joins the show each night. The play is as new to them as it is to you. The result is unpredictable and ephemeral. An Oak Tree is a meditation on identity, loss, and a reminder that theatre exists only in the moment it’s shared.

We're especially excited about this production and the spontaneity it offers - no two performances will unfold the same. We've ensured that each guest performer knows absolutely nothing about the play's narrative or characters before their performance. They discover the play in real time, at the same moment that the audience does.

For this production, we've partnered up with a new theatre company, Theatre Arcana, to produce the show. The show features Theatre Arcana's artistic director, Riles August Holiday, as our main actor, and many members of their ensemble will appear as guest performers throughout the run.

Here is a breakdown of our performance schedule, including which guest actors will be performing in each show:

Fri, June 19, 7:30PM: RENZO VICENTE
Sat, June 20, 2:30PM: AUDREY ROMERO
Sat, June 20, 7:30PM: SUZY KRUECKEBERG
Sun, June 21, 2:30PM: CAITLIN FRAZIER

Thurs, June 25, 7:30PM: HANNAH LOESSBERG
Fri, June 26, 7:30PM: CAMERON BROWN
Sat, June 27, 2:30PM: ALEX ALBRECHT
Sat, June 27, 7:30PM: ZIARE PAUL-EMILE
Sun, June 28, 2:30PM: BRADY MAGRUDER

Thurs, July 2, 7:30PM: FABIAN GUERRERO
Friday, July 3, 7:30PM: GRACE TAYLOR
Sun, July 5, 2:30PM: JIM IORIO

The show runs 70 minutes with no intermission.

You can find out more about the production at our website.

Marking Rocky’s 50th anniversary, Rocky in Concert arrived at the Auditorium Theatre in a highly anticipated Auditorium Philms presentation featuring the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra performing Bill Conti’s score live. The setup is simple but effective: the film plays above the stage while the Philharmonic brings new clarity and presence to a soundtrack audiences know by heart. What emerges is a familiar story given a fresh sense of scale, where the music’s live energy adds texture without overwhelming the film’s grit, humor, and underdog charm.

At its core, Rocky remains one of the most enduring underdog stories in American cinema. The film follows Rocky Balboa, a small-time Philadelphia boxer and part-time debt collector who drifts through life with more heart than opportunity. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed needs a last-minute opponent for a New Year's Day exhibition bout, he plucks Rocky from obscurity as a publicity stunt, figuring that "the Italian Stallion" makes for a good headline. What begins as a novelty match becomes a personal turning point: Rocky trains with a new sense of purpose, steadied by the quiet support of Adrian, the shy pet-store clerk who becomes the emotional anchor of his climb. The plot is simple, but its sincerity, its belief in small steps, second chances, and self-respect, has kept it resonant for fifty years.

The film's cast is a major reason it works as well as it does. Sylvester Stallone's performance is unvarnished and deeply human, capturing Rocky's mix of awkwardness, humor, vulnerability, and stubborn grit. Talia Shire brings a gentle, lived-in warmth to Adrian, charting her transformation from withdrawn to self-possessed with remarkable subtlety. Burt Young's Paulie is volatile but never one-note, and Burgess Meredith's Mickey, raspy, relentless, and unexpectedly tender, became one of the most iconic mentors in film history. Carl Weathers, as Apollo Creed, delivers a charismatic, razor-sharp performance that elevates the film's stakes; he is not a villain, but a showman whose confidence forces Rocky to rise to the moment.

Behind the scenes, the story of how Rocky came to be is almost as compelling as the film itself. Stallone wrote the screenplay in just a few days after watching the 1975 Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner fight, where Wepner, a heavy underdog, managed to knock Ali down and go nearly the full fifteen rounds. United Artists loved the script but wanted a bankable star in the lead; they offered Stallone a substantial sum, with reports ranging from $250,000 to $350,000, for the screenplay alone. At the time, Stallone was nearly broke, living in a small apartment with his wife and dog, and had only a handful of minor acting credits. Turning down that kind of money was, by any rational measure, a terrible idea. But he refused to sell unless he could play Rocky himself. Eventually, the studio relented, slashing the budget to under $1 million and agreeing to cast Stallone on the condition that the production stay lean and fast.

The gamble paid off beyond anything anyone expected. Rocky became a critical and commercial phenomenon, winning three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and launching Stallone's career. But the deeper truth is that the film's authenticity is inseparable from Stallone's insistence on embodying the character he created. Rocky Balboa was not just a role; he was a reflection of Stallone's own belief that the long shot is still worth taking.

When Rocky reached the 1977 Academy Awards, it proved just as formidable as its title character, earning ten nominations and walking away with three major wins. The film claimed Best Picture, Best Director for John G. Avildsen, and Best Film Editing, beating out heavyweight contenders like Network and Taxi Driver. Sylvester Stallone received nominations for both Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay, a rare double honor that underscored how deeply his creative fingerprints shaped the film. Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, and Burt Young all earned acting nominations, and Bill Conti’s propulsive score was recognized as well. For a low‑budget production made on less than a million dollars, Rocky’s Oscar run remains one of Hollywood’s most remarkable underdog victories.

The Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor James Olmstead, played Bill Conti’s legendary Rocky score with a precision and vitality that made the music feel newly alive. Those familiar fanfares, string surges, and brass punches carried a thrilling immediacy when performed by musicians you could actually watch working – bows flying, percussionists locking in the heartbeat of the training montages, trumpets cutting cleanly through the hall. Part of the fun for the audience was seeing just how much craft goes into a soundtrack they’ve heard for decades; every cue landed with crisp timing, and the orchestra’s energy fed directly into the crowd’s excitement. What emerged was more than accompaniment – a full‑scale performance that underscored just how essential the score is to the film’s spirit.

For all the strengths of the orchestra and the film, the evening wasn’t without a few technical hiccups. The film wasn’t cued up at the start, so the orchestra began playing before the movie rolled, leading to an awkward pause before things fully got underway, and once the screening began, the movie’s volume sat noticeably low for the first five to ten minutes. The fix came in the opposite direction, with the sound pushed so high that the dialogue became distorted, making it difficult to catch some of the film’s key lines or even hear the ringside announcers clearly calling the big fight finale. The imbalance proved distracting, especially in an otherwise strong presentation. Still, having seen other Auditorium Philms productions, I’m comfortable chalking this up as an outlier. Their track record is solid, and one uneven sound mix doesn’t diminish the ambition or appeal of the series.

Outside of the technical issues, one programming choice stood out as particularly curious: the musical director’s decision to feature “Eye of the Tiger” both after intermission and again at the end of the film. It’s an undeniably crowd‑pleasing anthem, but it belongs to Rocky III, not the 1976 original, and for Rocky loyalists it felt like an odd fit within a celebration of the first film’s legacy. With Bill Conti’s score already doing the heavy lifting, the addition of a theme from a later sequel created a momentary disconnect in an otherwise faithful presentation. However, many audience members cheered on the Survivor hit, so even if purists bristled, the moment still connected with a good share of the crowd.

Bottom line: even with a few mishaps and an unexpected music choice along the way, as someone who counts Rocky among my all‑time favorite films - a movie I revisit a couple of times each year - seeing it paired with a live orchestra was an experience that felt both familiar and entirely new. Hearing the Chicago Philharmonic bring Bill Conti’s music to life in real time added a dimension I didn’t know I was missing, and it made this 50th‑anniversary screening feel genuinely special. Auditorium Philms’ “In Concert” productions have already built a strong track record with their film‑in‑concert events, including recent presentations like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Their upcoming slate is just as appealing, with titles such as Top Gun: Maverick, Edward Scissorhands, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on the horizon.

In the end, Rocky in Concert proved that when a timeless film meets a live orchestra, the result is a reminder of why these stories stay with us.

To find out more about upcoming events at The Auditorium Theatre, click here.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Timeline Theatre unveils their chic, new Uptown home with its inaugural production–Henrik Ibsen’s ever-relevant “An Enemy of the People”. A streamlined text by acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog cuts right to the bone in this fast-paced version straight from Broadway.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Timeline chose to open their new space with Ibsen’s classic play about a town that prioritizes economics over public health. History continues to repeat itself. Whispers of AI data centers seemed to be on everyone’s lips during the intermission as the modern day parallel is impossible to ignore. Timeline, who is known for their dramaturgical installations by Maren Robinson, doesn't shy away from the ugly reality that our Great Lakes are under attack from the tech billionaire class who aim to guzzle ungodly amounts of our fresh water. 

The play begins on a chipper note, an economically downtrodden town brims with excitement for their new spa and resort that is sure to boost local prospects. That is until plucky Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Will Allan) makes a chilling discovery about the contaminated water source. At first his friends at the local newspaper are behind his decision to inform the townspeople, but as his brother Peter, the mayor (Behzad Dabu), becomes involved support begins to waver. Soon his adult daughter Petra (Campbell Krausen) is his only ally. 

Petra Stockmann (Campbell Krausen, background from left), Hovstad (Grayson Kennedy), and Captain Horster (Charles Andrew Gardner) watch attentively as Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Will Allan, foreground) reviews shocking scientific revelations.

Herzog’s version is more akin to a chamber play than Ibsen’s, perhaps less grand in scale but certainly easier to digest. She also inserts some modern political flourishes that give more depth to the female protagonist Petra. With a slimmer cast and script, individual performances stand out and the intensity is more sustained. And by the second act, the audience becomes part of the cast in a way. This device works especially well because of the brilliant performances of this intimate cast.

“An Enemy of the People” becomes just as frustrating as Miller’s “The Crucible”. That infectious sense of outrage comes down to Will Allan’s devastatingly honest portrayal of a man who loses everything for the pursuit of truth. Allan has a gift for physicality, often interjecting some levity wherever possible. Audience participation becomes hard to contain as he’s continuously silenced by the newspaper staff and his greedy brother. Behzad Dabu opts for a more pragmatic interpretation of the mayor than straight up villain. In fact, there are moments where despite the poisonous water, you might find yourself agreeing with him, therein lies the danger. The emotional anchor of the show is Campbell’s Krausen’s Petra. Much like Allan’s performance, the shift from light to dark is heartbreaking.

Timeline’s glow up from Wellington to North Broadway is something to marvel at. Uptown has gained a Steppenwolf-level theater. Legendary Chicago director Ron OJ Parson brings a certain sophistication well deserving of this sleek 250-seat theater. Everything is just right here. John Culbert’s stylish set and stage magic really fills this gorgeous new performance space. Uptown really is quite lucky to have this wonderful new theater in its backyard. 

Through June 27 at Timeline Theatre. 5035 N Broadway. 773-281-8463 x1

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.