Theater – Page 8 –

Jon Michael Hill (as Naz) and Glenn Davis (Junior) in in "Purpose" on Broadway at the Hayes Theater in New York. (Marc J. Franklin)

Steppenwolf Theatre will return to London with ‘Purpose’

By Chris Jones

October 28, 2026 at 6:55 a.m.

The Steppenwolf Theatre production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Purpose,” a play loosely based on the family...

The grand salon inside The Hand & The Eye in Chicago on April 3, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Chicago Theater Report: Halloween bash at Hand & Eye, pressure mounts to reopen Mercury

By Chris Jones

October 27, 2026 at 1:06 p.m.

Also in theater news this week, a final extension for "Strange Loop" and a Cabaret...

Dancers Amanda Maraist, left, and Hanna DiLorenzo perform in the “Slow Dance” exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Oct. 13, 2026, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

‘Slow Dance’ show at the MCA is an invitation to just ‘be.’ Don’t mind the live bodies.

By Lauren Warnecke

October 27, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Depending on when you walk through the new exhibition at the MCA, you're likely to...

Janet Ulrich Brooks, María Victoria Martínez and Mary Beth Fisher will star in the world premiere of "The Birth of the Pill" at TimeLine Theatre’s new home in the Uptown neighborhood. (Joe Mazza)

Theater top 10 for fall 2026: Culture wars, campus controversies and epic change

By Chris Jones

September 1, 2026 at 5:04 p.m.

Our critic's picks for the season include "Birth of the Pill" at TimeLine, "Kowalski" at...

A scene from the film "The Front Page," directed by Lewis Milestone and produced by Howard Hughes in 1931. Actor Edward Everett Horton is made fun of by his fellow reporters Eugene Strong, from left, Frank McHugh, Phil Tead and Fred Howard. (Newton Hopcraft/Getty)

Column: ‘The Front Page’ opens soon at the new Northlight Theatre. Why bring this old play back?

By Rick Kogan

September 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

This gruff and profane comedy was written by two Chicago newspaper guys named Ben Hecht...

Missy Wise Vanderzee and Kevin Webb in "Sunday in the Park with George," by Kokandy Productions at the Chopin Theatre. (Evan Hanover)

Review: For all these reasons, Kokandy’s ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ is simply magical

By Chris Jones

September 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Of all the musicals in the world, Sondheim's musical based on the Seurat painting "A...

Science educator Bill Nye and educator and science comedian Sophie Shrand participate in a forum talk titled, "Learning Democracy Through Laughter" at the Elie Wiesel Auditorium on the Obama Presidential Center campus on Aug. 28, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Live, at the Obama Center: Bill Nye, laughter and an experiment in democracy

By Christopher Borrelli

August 29, 2026 at 11:52 a.m.

The panel was titled “Learning Democracy Through Laughter,” and Bill Nye "the Science Guy" and...

Joey Chelius in "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. (Kyle Flubacker)

Review: A lively if familiar ‘Buddy Holly Story’ at Drury Lane

By Chris Jones

August 28, 2026 at 12:49 p.m.

I've reviewed Alan Janes' jukebox musical many times, and every time the show mentions Holly's...

Jordan Levene, Piper Jean Bailey and Brandon Joseph Acosta in "Adolescent Salvation" at Theater Wit. (Boris Martin)

Review: The kids are far from alright in superb ‘Adolescent Salvation’ at Theater Wit

By Chris Jones

August 27, 2026 at 2:33 p.m.

Plays written about teenagers are not easy to pull off with authenticity. But Tim Venable's...

Tim Curry at a Museum of the Moving Image event in New York in 2011. (New York Daily News)

Tim Curry, iconic character actor and ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ star, dies at 80

By Mark Kennedy

August 26, 2026 at 11:18 a.m.

“Rocky Horror Picture Show” star Tim Curry has died. He was 80.

"Paranormal Activity," starring Travis A. Knight and Cher Álvarez, plays on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre in New York. (Matthew Murphy)

Review: First-rate ‘Paranormal Activity’ on Broadway pulls you in close and chooses its moments

By Chris Jones

August 25, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

"Paranormal Activity" terrorizes audiences by first sucking them into intimate, domestic settings. It builds fear...

“Downstate” at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2018, with Tim Hopper and K. Todd Freeman in the cast. (Michael Brosilow)

Chicago Theater Report: Robert Falls returns to Chicago storefronts, ‘Downstate’ heads to Broadway and a tribute to Kurt Ehrmann

By Chris Jones

August 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Robert Falls will direct a Chicago storefront show for Redtwist Theatre and Shattered Globe Theatre...

Forward Momentum Chicago Dancers lift Londyn Sanders, 10, to finish their rehearsal routine at the Logan Center for the Arts in Woodlawn on July 22, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)

Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project is set to give movement to archives at the Harris Theater

By Darcel Rockett

August 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Ten dance companies, a one-night performance. That’s the math that brings performers from the latest...