Rebecca Gilman never thought about being a playwright until as a freshman at Middlebury College in Vermont she entered a playwriting competition. “It was sponsored by the Dramatists Guild of America and was chosen for their new plays festival,” said Gilman. “I think that was when I got hooked.” Now, after a remarkable career she […]
Luscious music, elaborate sets, and color-saturated costumes grace this production. The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago’s show is based on Franz Lehar’s operetta of the same name. It boasts breathtaking choreography by Ronald Hynd, who came in to recreate the dances from his 1975 story ballet. The story is set in the Paris embassy of Ponteverdro, […]
This nerve-jangling, otherworldly world premiere travels deep into the emotional desperation of people who exist on society’s fringes. Illinois playwright Brett Neveu gets into the rhythmic thinking of those who survive by conning others. Aged street hustler Eddie Sisson (played with emotional vibrancy by esteemed Steppenwolf Theatre veteran Francis Guinan) has one last shot […]
My youngest son Luke didn’t get the nickname Tasmanian Devil because he likes to sit still. And while he’s almost completely non-verbal, he is wholly capable of communicating his wants and needs (though sometimes not in ways most people expect). No surprise that we’ve been hesitant to expose him to live theater, imagining our […]
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin” is glorious. In its first sinuous strains, the score, conducted by Lyric’s music director Sir Andrew Davis, creates a deceptively serene dreamscape. But the story, set in 10th century Antwerp, portrays a violent collision between vengence and virtue. To experience this, you must commit 4 and […]
The amazing civil rights story of Jackie Robinson is brought to life in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s delightful production “Jackie and Me.”
Whether you’re host or guest for the Oscars, a good playlist is a must! Download this one at Valslist.com. RED CARPET PLAYLIST (for your Oscars party) 1. Own It by The Black Eyed Peas 2. Do You Want It All? by Two Door Cinema Club 3. Big Dreams by Molehill 4. Binga Bong! by Glenn […]
“Guys and Dolls” is a musical fable of Broadway, and this production lives up to expectations.
Raw and powerful, Danai Gurira’s “Eclipsed” is a show that will inform audience members. The play recounts the atrocities of the final months of the war in Liberia from a distinctly feminine perspective. Unfortunately, the brutality is much too fraught for children. Telling the story of the multiple “wives” of one of the rebel army’s […]
Card? Check. Flowers? Check. Dinner reservation? Check. Back to your place? Check. MUSIC? Check. VALENTINE Be Mine Stoned Love by The Supremes Pretty Eyes by Alex Goot The Luckiest by Ben Folds Who’d Have Known by Lily Allen Lovely Day by Lee Ritenour I Was Made to Love Her by Stevie Wonder You Are My […]
