Live Bates
Our top five picks for things to do this week: The CSO hires its first DJ in residence (or close enough), plus a new Aaron Sorkin play at Timeline, Hot Chip, Neil Gaiman, and more
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Cesar Corrales Nails the Opening Night of 'Billy Elliot the Musical'
Two-and-a-half hours into Billy Elliot, the Elton John-composed musical that just opened its run at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, the star of the show—who’s 13, mind you—has to pull off a finale sequence of 16 grande pirouettes followed by a series of passé pirouettes…
On playwright Rebecca Gilman and "A True History of the Johnstown Flood"
Rebecca Gilman, the Chicago playwright who gained national prominence a decade ago with her drama “Spinning into Butter,” is back with a new play at the Goodman examining a 19th-century disaster whose lessons feel hauntingly contemporary
Earth Lovers Squeeze in at Uncommon Ground's Monthly Eco Mixer
Last night, green was blue—as in the organic blueberries muddled with lemonade and organically produced Rain vodka, then poured into a chilled martini glass. Uncommon Ground, the eco-fashionable Edgewater restaurant, was calling it The Agripolitan…
The Strokes' Julian Casablancas Barely Rouses Himself During Vic Concert
A woman in the crowd at The Vic Theatre this past Tuesday night yelled to the man shambling about on stage: “Can’t wait to see you at Lollapalooza!” Julian Casablancas mumbled back something incomprehensible…
Chicago Guide: Seriously Risky Flights of Fancy
Our top five picks for things to do this week: The Flying Wallendas aim to cheat death in Lookingglass’s Hephaestus; plus, Sonny Rollins rolls into town, 2010’s Golden Gloves contenders, more
Fans of Minnesota Twins Baseball Say 'So Long, Metrodome!'
This year, the Minnesota Twins inaugurate Target Field, a new baseball-only venue to replace the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Last weekend, I attended an exhibition game between the Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals at Target Field, and saw outdoor Major League Baseball in Minnesota for the first time since the Metrodome opened in 1982…
Books We Like: 'Grounded' by Seth Stevenson
If you’re a fan of the Ad Report Card at the online magazine Slate, then you’re already familiar with the writing of Seth Stevenson, who has been the column’s main contributor since 2003. Today, his first book—an epic travelogue titled Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World—came out…
Best things to do in Chicago in April
A cultural short-list for April, in order of buzz
On opera’s rising star Andriana Chuchman
The rising diva has that rare combo of theatrical attributes: She can play smoldering or slapstick