Behind the Patch
The new Field Museum exhibition, Real Pirates, gives us the lowdown on the golden years of the 1700s.
Ad Categories: Culture
Battle of the Bands
We pit three large-ensemble jazz bands in a Chicago versus Chicago versus New York face-off
Three Things to Contemplate
while idiling on the Kennedy
Talk of Our Town
Two Chicago theatres have liberated Thornton Wilder’s warhorse of a play from its nostalgic conventions to deliver productions both radical and real. Why now?
Knight Moves: How Filmmakers Turned Chicago into Gotham City
FROM FEBRUARY 2009: With imagination, verve, and a hefty package of financial incentives, the makers of the latest Batman epic turned Chicago into Gotham City, giving our town a starring role in razzle-dazzle chases and heart-stopping stunts. Now, the movie stands as a contender for Academy Award hardware. What’s the payoff here?
Bird by Bird
On the eve of a major release (Noble Beast, out January 20th on Fat Possum), musician-on-the-verge Andrew Bird, 35, opens up about pseudo fame, bipolar lifestyles, and what it takes to write the perfect pop song
Ex-Rated
The Ex Files
Can’t agree on how to celebrate V Day? Split the difference between a romantic dinner and ignoring the holiday altogether with Letters/X 6, Groundup Theatre’s guffaw-worthy annual roundup of Dear John letters recast as monologues, sketches, and songs performed by both people and puppets (yes, puppets). Cheap-date warning: The performance is free, although donations are accepted. The show runs 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and…
The New Dating Game
We put to the test new research that reveals how people couple up. PLUS: Vote—whom should Milly have picked?
Action Heroes
26 people who make films happen in Chicago—plus three newcomers making their mark
The Blip
Bright spots on this month’s cultural radar