Theatre Pick: The Artistic Home Presents Cut to the Chase at The Den Theatre (Through May 5, 2024)

Cut to the Chase is a short play festival presented by The Artistic Home. This year it features seven short plays that fall into different genres including drama, sci-fi, and dark comedy. It’s a showcase of playwrights (Will Dunne, Siah Berlatsky, Lydia Moss, Drew Carnwath and Peter Snoad, Michael Hagins and Erin Osgood) and actors. The festival has been specifically programmed with plays that have similar themes, structure, and style that helps tie them together into one show.

Check out our review of The Artistic Home’s production of Witch here.

Cost of a ticket: $26

Get tickets now for Cut to the Chase through May 5^th.

Concert Pick: Tei Shi with Amira Jazeera at Sleeping Village (May 6, 2024)

Tei Shi is touring this year in support of the new album, Valerie, which was just released on April 19^th. Tickets are $25.   

Check out our review of Tei Shi from April 2023 here.

Comedy Pick: The Lincoln Lodge

The Lincoln Lodge features great stand up every night of the week except Monday. Check out their calendar here. Most of their shows are around $10.

Quinn Delaney

Barefoot in the Park was written by Neil Simon. It first premiered on Broadway in 1963 starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. The film version was released in 1967 starring Robert Redford and Jane Fona. A revival opened on Broadway in 2006 starring Amanda Peet and Patrick Wilson. And now, in April 2024, the Saint Sebastian Players production opens at St. Bonaventure.

Paul and Corie are a newly married couple. They have just moved into their apartment. It’s a 5^th floor walkup. The heat isn’t working, there’s no tub, and there is a hole in the ceiling. Corie wants to celebrate the new place, but Paul insists he needs to work on an important case for tomorrow. She is quick to bring up divorce over this small disagreement. Will the marriage survive this apartment?

This is a light and fun play that gives a glimpse into life in the 1960s. There are some funny moments, but a lot of the comedy didn’t age very well. However, the fault is not with the cast.

Joshua Paul Wright (It’s Only A Play, Boeing-Boeing) is fantastic as Paul, who is very frustrated by his wife. Alexandra T. Cross is great as his wife, who really gets a kick out of life. Jill Chuckerman is good as the mother, who really wants to be a grandmother. Donaldson Cardenas is expertly bizarre as the upstairs neighbor who flirts with all the women. Lastly, Christian Davis Aldrige and Maddie Hillock are solid in their supporting roles.

Cost of a ticket: $30

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Quinn Delaney

Dan Layus, the lead singer, has a huge smile on his face for the entire show. He is thrilled to be on tour with his band.  The last few times in Chicago, he just played solo. Not long ago, he thought he would have to give up playing music professionally. He wrote the title track of the new album, Something Beautiful, about that thought. “Close to letting go, so one last time / Just let me hold this note and close my eyes /  ‘Cause I’m watching something beautiful die.” It’s a beautifully sad song that has Dan putting his heart into the lyrics.

Midway into the set, they play “Fire”. Layus only recently learned that this song almost didn’t make it on the album because the producer and the label didn’t think it fit in well. This album, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (2008) hit #2 on the charts.

Later on they play the fantastic “Steal Your Heart”. “Our love is like an ocean / Take it down to the depths / And I’m taking you with me / Taking every step to steal your heart / Gonna steal your heart away / I’m gonna steal your heart.” It’s a giant sing-along in Park West.

To start the encore, Layus says “Let’s play some Dad rock – old Augustana songs!”

To introduce the next song, he sits down at the keyboard and says he wrote this song over 20 years ago! This single, “Boston”, from 2005, hit #10 on the Adult Top 40. The audience is delighted as they sing along. “She said I think I’ll go to Boston / I think I’ll start a new life / I think I’ll start it over / Where no one knows my name”. After they finish playing it, the audience gives the band a long and loud applause.

Cost of a ticket: $36

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –

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See the full setlist here.

Quinn Delaney

Jukebox the Ghost is on a tour called 3 Albums, 3 Nights. Tonight they are playing their first album, 2008’s Let Live & Let Ghosts. Tomorrow night they’ll play their 2^nd album, 2010’s Everything Under the Sun. On Saturday, they’ll play their third album, 2012’s Safe Travels.

Tommy Siegel, who identifies as an agnostic Jew, read the Book of Revelations from the Bible while studying abroad in Italy. It inspired him to write parody songs about the apocalypse. They combined these songs with Ben’s love songs to create this album.

The fourth song of the night is “Under My Skin”. It is the most popular song from this album with over 34 million streams. Ben Thornewill says he started writing this song by asking himself, “what is the stupidest way to start a song?”

After completing the album, they play a few other songs including “Girl” from their 2015 self titled album. It’s their most popular song on Spotify with over 38 millions streams.  “Cause when you meet someone new / It all just takes over you / And you think that you never really tried. / Open your heart, Open your mind”. It’s a great song about start a new relationship that rings so true.

The drummer, Jesse Kristen, comes to the front of the stage, and is met with great applause. He sings the beginning of the song, “Hollywood”. “If all the world’s a stage, then you’re my favorite actress. If all of life’s a game, I sure could use the practice.” He then runs back to his kit and the song picks up the beat. Ben sings “It’s the kind of love that doesn’t exist anymore. You want Hollywood, this is real life!” It’s great lyrics like this that really describe what it’s like to be in a relationship that audiences strongly connect with.

They close with “The Great Unknown”. “So let go / Of the world you know / There’s something’ watin’ for ya / In the great unknown.”  This is such a beautiful song about venturing out past your comfort zone. It’s a great choice for a closer.

See a similar setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $39

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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Quinn Delaney

Rodrigo y Gabriela are touring in support of their latest album, In Between Thoughts…A New World, which was created during the pandemic. These new songs feature Rodrigo on electric guitar and Gabriela on acoustic. They blend these instruments together expertly for a truly rocking sound.

They play a lot of songs from the new album including “Seeking Unreality”. This great track showcases their amazing guitar playing ability and proves they are still making great music.

They use a lot of fog to create a great environment for a dazzling light show. Some parts are perhaps a bit too bright for the smaller space of the Charleston Music Hall.

In the encore, they play the fantastic “Tamacun” from their self titled 2006 album. This song sounds fantastic in the small theatre. After each encore song, there is thunderous applause and standing ovations. It felt like each song could be the last one.

They truly make the most of their acoustic guitars. Often they play the body of the guitar like a drum. At times it seems like they are playing six instruments at once in an explosion of sound.

See a recent setlist here.

See our review of their performance at The Chicago theatre in October of 2021 here.

Cost of a ticket: $68 (Rear Orchestra)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Quinn Delaney

Sharon is “retired from her marriage” and living in Iowa. She is lonely, so she decides to take in a roommate. In comes Robyn, who is moving from the Bronx. She hesitantly reveals that she is trying to escape her past and Sharon keeps pushing to find out more. Since Sharon doesn’t have much of an identity herself, she becomes somewhat obsessed with learning about Robyn and her dark past. They become fast friends as they laugh together, but perhaps they are too different for it to last.

Joy Vandervort-Cobb is excellent as Sharon. She plays her as a worried mother and roommate who is unaware when she is becoming too nosy. Sharon Graci (Homeland on Showtime) is perfect as Robyn. She is clearly stressed out about all the attention she is getting from Robyn. This was not what she was looking for when she decided to move to Iowa. Together they have great chemistry as their relationship continually shifts.

Music plays a role in this production. Sharon says she doesn’t listen to any music except for the one mix CD that her son gave to her. On the other hand, Robyn loves music and happily introduces many different artists. The music really brings them together and strengthens their friendship. For example, Robyn puts on a record and for the first time in the play, Sharon loosens up and starts to dance.

Cost of a ticket: $53

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It 

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Get tickets now for The Roommate through August 5^th!

Quinn Delaney

Beautiful is a fantastic musical that begins with Carole King as a young determined songwriter and ends at Carnegie Hall with her as a confident composer and entertainer. The story encompasses her relationship with her husband and songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin. This talented duo wrote dozens of songs together during their tumultuous relationship In addition, it includes the story of fellow song writers Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, their best friends and friendly competitors. The musical chronicles Carol and Gerry’s relationship which hinges on an unexpected pregnancy and subsequent marriage. King and Goffin’s relationship is a sharp contrast to Weil and Mann. Cynthia is very hesitant to marry Barry because she doesn’t want to lose her identity as his songwriting partner and just become his wife, raising kids. The drama of watching these developing relationships and comparing them with today’s view on marriage held the audience captive.

The show has many humorous moments. Among them is a scene in which Cynthia and Barry are struggling to compose their new song, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”.  Barry begins singing the song in a very lethargic and apathetic manner because he doesn’t like the song. Cynthia chimes in that it just needs to be song in a lower key. Cut to the Righteous Brothers singing in their signature low vocal: “You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips”. This is a fantastic piece of theatre and it’s moments like this that add context to the songs by revealing the stories behind them.

The music is absolutely fantastic. After a few notes, each song is instantly recognizable. It’s amazing the number of big hits these two couples wrote and how many different artists have sung their songs including James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, and The Animals, just to name a few. Often the performers get all the credit, but this amazing musical showcases the noteworthy contributions of the songwriters. It’s also very interesting to learn that Gerry Goffin wrote the lyrics for (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

Cost of a ticket: $80 (Front Orchestra)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Beautiful – The Carole King Musical through April 28, 2024!

Check out our review of The Christmas Carol at the Dock Theatre here.

Quinn Delaney

Early in the set, Saint Motel plays “Puzzle Pieces” from their 2012 album, Voyeur. Right from the start, when the great keyboard riffs begins, everyone starts dancing. It’s such a fun song and sets the atmosphere of right.

Shortly afterwards, they play “Move” from their 2016 album, saintmotelevision. Wow, this song starts off with such a great groove that keeps going through the whole song. “Gotta get up, I gotta get up (Move!)” sings the lead singer, AJ Jackson.

Later on they play “A Good Song Never Dies” from their 2021 album, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. “’Cause a good song never dies / It just reminds you of where you were / The first time it made you cry, the first time you felt alive.” This is a great song and the crowd will always be reminded of this night when they heard it live.  

AJ says that they need an audience member to present the next award since Mike Tyson left the building. They bring up a woman from near the front of the stage. He then reads nominees and the loudest cheer comes for “Sisters”. She opens the envelope and reads “Sisters”. This is such a fun 1950’s style song and the audience eats it up.

For the final song of the night, they play “My Type” from their 2014 EP, My Type EP . It is their most popular song on Spotify with over 343 million streams. As the iconic horn intro begins, AJ goes into crowd. “I’m a man who’s got very specific taste. You’re just my type! Oh, you got a pulse and you are breathing!” This is a perfect end to the evening as it sends the crowd outside with giant smiles on their faces.

See a recent setlist here.

Check out our review of their set at the Taste of Chicago in 2015 here.

Cost of a ticket: $37

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

Erica is in love. She wants to spend as much time as she can with her lover. She is in love with a Dairy Queen sign. It’s called objectum sexuality. It’s defined as sexual or romantic attraction to inanimate objects. Erica tries to date her coworker, Kevin, but all she can do is think of the sign.

Nick Robideau has written a very unique and cute show. It’s very funny in parts and enlightening in other parts as objectum sexuality is explored.

J.G. Smith is excellent as Erica, who is on a journey discovering her sexuality. William Anthony Sebastian Rose II (The Whistleblower) is superb as the coworker with a crush on Erica. Jodi Gage is great as Erica’s sister who is the leader of a campaign to revitalize the downtown of their city. Aaron Latterell is a bit stiff as the Dairy Queen sign.

Erin Long (Yippee Ki-yay Merry Christmas) is fantastic as the can opener, making it a very sexual leather bound character. Dustin Valenta is so funny as the host of the local news channel, so delighted to be covering a story that is getting attention. Khloe Janel (Haymarket) is great as a day of the dead doll who thoroughly distracts Erica.

Cost of a ticket: $36

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Inanimate through May 4^th!

Quinn Delaney