This is the story of a living legend, Billie Jean King. It starts with her amazing tennis abilities and her dominance on the court. She meets Larry King, who becomes both her husband and business partner. It leads to her fight for equal pay for women. In the beginning at Wimbledon, the women’s division was amateurs only, but through her efforts, the prize money is now the same for men and women. She also fights for LGBT rights, specifically for a trans player named Renée Richards.

Lauren M. Gunderson (The Revolutionists) has written a fast-paced excellent play that matches the intensity of the game of tennis. It’s also very dramatic and emotional as Billie Jean struggles against a society holding women down. 

Chilina Kennedy is impressive as Billie Jean King, on stage for most of the show. Dan Amboyer (Inside Amy Schumer) is great as Larry King, her very supportive husband. Elena Hurst is excellent as a fellow professional tennis player. Julia Antonelli is splendid as Young Billie Jean, who is full of enthusiasm. 

Overall, the play truly captures all the highs and lows of an incredibly influential woman, Billie Jean King. 

Cost of a ticket: $81 (Lower Gallery)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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Get tickets now for Billie Jean through August 10th! 

Quinn Delaney

It is July 8th and it is softly raining when Teddy Swims takes the stage. He launches into “Not Your Man” from his latest album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2).  “This ain’t how you trеat somebody you say you love / I gave you еverything, it still ain’t enough / You don’t have to say it, baby, I understand / That I’m not your man, no, I’m not your man”.  The driving beat of this song matches the rain which is now pouring hard.

Shortly afterwards, they play “She Loves the Rain”, which is all too appropriate as the crowd gets drenched. Lightening is spotted during this one, which leads to the venue being evacuated after the song. About 30 minutes later, they announce that the concert will be rescheduled. Just two days later, July 23rd is chosen as the new date. This is quite a quick turnaround. The Neil Young concert that was cancelled last year wasn’t rescheduled until this year. 

Now, it’s July 23rd, in the middle of the set. Swims sings “Devil in a Dress”. The crowd joyfull sings along: “She’s the devil / She’s the devil in a dress / I’m in peril / She ripped my heart right out my chest / I would give my life for one more kiss”. His voice exudes with emotion on the chorus. 

To close his set, he sings his massive hit “Lose Control” which has over 1.9 billion streams on Spotify. “I lose control / When you’re not next to me / I’m fallin’ apart right in front of you, can’t you see?” The guitar solo is fantastic on this one.  

After a quick break, he returns for the encore and starts with “Bed on Fire”.  “So if you’re gonna leave, leave me / In the middle of the night / Set the bed on fire”. This is a great example of his outstanding lyrics that paint such a vivid picture. 

Cost of a ticket: $46 (Prices were reduced due to the quick reschedule) 

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

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Quinn Delaney

The completely original idea of this play is that an actor is handed a script in a sealed envelope for the first time as they step on stage. It starts out simply enough with the playwright introducing himself. He is writing this play in April of 2010 in Iran. He is unable to obtain a passport and this is his best way of getting his voice heard. The play goes on to put on a mini play using audience members playing animal characters. To really describe this performance, a small plot point must be revealed in the following paragraph. Don’t read any further if you wish to see the play spoiler free.

There are two glasses of water. The fifth audience member is instructed to put a vial of poison into one of the glasses and stir it in. This is when it switches from a play to performance art. The actor begins describing the 18 different ways to commit suicide and the atmosphere gets tense. Was real poison used? Does the actor remember which glass contains the poison? Will they actually drink the water? Do they have a death wish?

In a way, it’s like a live game of Russian Roulette. It’s also reminiscent of Marina Abramović’s piece, Rhythm 0 (1974). In this piece, she invites the audience to use any of the 72 objects laid out on her body in any way they desired. The audience splits into those who sought to harm her and those who wished to protect her. One person picked up a loaded gun and pointed it at her head. Both of these pieces are social experiments that are an intense experience for the audience.

This performance really gets your heart rate going and starts a strong conversation. Get tickets now for White Rabbit Red Rabbit through September 29th!

Cost of a ticket: $23 and up

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

PlaylistHQ Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

A man has a seizure and then can’t create new memories. A pathologist takes Albert Einstein’s brain to study it. Two women begin a relationship withholding secrets. All of these stories are woven together that seem random at first, but then the pieces fit together. 

Nick Payne (Constellations) has written a spirited psychological ride. It shares many similarities with the film Memento, which is also about a man who can’t form new memories and jumps around in time. 

The acting is very impressive. Each of them plays at least four different characters. While they do use accents and context clues to differentiate between them, it would also be helpful to have slight wardrobe changes. 

At 100 minutes, it is quite long and complex to not have an intermission. There are plenty of scene changes where it could be easily added.  Join the Pro-Intermission movement here.   

Teddy Boone is excellent as the pathologist with an obsession for studying the brain. Riles August Holiday is exceptional as the man who can’t create new memories.  Erin Alys is great as this man’s wife, who struggles to cope with his condition. Shannon Leigh Webber is solid as the woman who is keeping some very big secrets in her relationship. 

Cost of a ticket: $39

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Get tickets now for Incognito through August 3rd!

Quinn Delaney

Beauty and the Beast began as a fairy tale that was first published in 1740. The Disney animation version of Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991. The musical first premiered on Broadway in April of 1994. A live action film version was released in 2017 starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Josh Gad. And now, it opens at the Cadillac Palace in July of 2025. 

In the story, a prince is cursed by an enchantress for refusing the give her a place to stay. He is transformed into a beast until he finds true love.  

This huge production is full of theatre magic, adult humor, and joy for all ages. Everything is excellent including the cast, the costumes, the choreography, and the set. Even with high expectations, it does not disappoint. The additional songs are great as well, especially “If I Can’t Love Her”.  

Cost of a ticket: $109 (Orchestra)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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Get tickets now for Beauty and the Beast The Musical through August 2nd! 

Quinn Delaney

The Color Purple by Alice Walker was first published in 1982 as a novel. The film version, directed by Steven Spielberg, was released in 1985 starring Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey. The musical’s world premiere took place at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in 2004. It then ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2008. The first national tour began in Chicago in April 2007 and stayed there until September 2007.   

Celie is living a tough life. Her husband treats her like an animal. He treats animals like dirt. He took away her two children when they were born. He forbad her from seeing her sister. But, after some time, there is a glimpse of something better to come. 

Brittney Mack puts on an impressive performance. She is on stage the entre show and she goes through quite a range of emotions. Shantel Renee Cribbs (Memphis)  is excellent as her sister, who reveals one of the biggest surprises of the show. Evan Tyrone Martin does a great job in the very difficult role of Celie’s husband. Aerie Williams (Memphis) is stellar as Shug Avery, who beams with energy. Nicole Michelle Haskins (Spitfire Grill) has an impressive presence as Celie’s friend Sofia. Eric A. Lewis (Titanique) shines as Bobby and with his dancing in the ensemble.   

Get tickets now for The Color Purple – The Musical through August 3rd! 

Cost of a ticket: $83

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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

Quinn Delaney

Greensky Bluegrass have come a long way since they played at the Boulevard Festival in Logan Square in 2014. See our preview of that performance here which describes how they “deftly weave rock, folk, blues, country and yes, bluegrass”.  

For the second song of the night, they play “In Control” from their 2014 album, If Sorrows Swim. It’s a beautiful song that showcases their bluegrass mixed with jam band style.  

At the end of the opening set, the crowd erupts as they launch into their Pink Floyd covers of “Time” and “Breathe”. Everyone is joyfully singing and dancing along to this fantastic interpretation. 

In the middle of the second set, during “Grow Together” from their 2022 album, Stress Dreams, in the middle of the audience, a man drops down to one knee and proposes to his girlfriend. With tears in her eyes, she says yes and they embrace in a big kiss while the crowd surrounding them cheers. “No matter how far we’ve come / Still the same thing on my mind / That we can grow old together / If we can find the time.” With lyrics like those, it is a great choice for a proposal!

To start the encore, they play an unreleased song. Afterwards, the lead singer says, “I bet you can guess the name of that song! It’s Chicago!” 

Overall, it’s a fantastic night of music that had similarly great vibes as at the Salt Shed last summer on 4^th of July weekend, when My Morning Jacket played. 

See the full setlist here. 

Cost of a ticket: $57
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

A boy is having trouble getting into his canoe. His father is not helping as he paddles away. So, the son gives up and says he wants to be a dancer instead. This causes the father to turn around and come back to him. He gets out of his boat and encourages him. Cut to the son showing off his dancing skills, hilariously, to a new teacher. “I see promise!” says the instructor. This entire scene was improvised by the cast for the third act. 

The Chaos Theory of Everything is full of hilarious scenes likes this one. Also, there is very little mention of politics, which is a nice break. 

Javid Iqbal (Best Kept Secret, What the Elf?) is hilarious as the eighth grader getting picked up after a middle school dance by his mom, played by Meghan Babbe (Best Kept Secret, Oh, The Places You’ll Glow). She is shocked when he says his former crush is run-through.  Tim Metzler (Best Kept Secret, Oh, The Places You’ll Glow) is hilarious as Lorax shaming everyone for not contributing money to fight deforestation.  Jenelle Cheyne (Best Kept Secret, What the Elf?) is so funny as the woman who loves the surprise at a surprise birthday party so much that she insists they do it over and over again. Spencer Hodges and Max Thomas are great as the old couple commenting on all the people on their way into Lollapalooza. 

Cost of a ticket: $26 (Thursday)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

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Get tickets now for The Chaos Theory of Everything!

Quinn Delaney

It’s the 30^th anniversary of the release of their album, I Am An Elastic Firecracker, and they are playing the entire album in order.  According to Songkick, they last played Chicago at the Metro with Soul Asylum in July of 1995. “Sorry it has been so long,” says the lead singer. “Traffic was terrible!”

The third song is their biggest hit, “I Got A Girl”. It has over 13 million streams on Spotify. ” I got a girl who lives with me / I got a girl, she smells so sweetly / I got a girl, she loves her dog / I got a girl, I love her dog too”. The crowd joyfully dances and sings along to this fantastic song that still sounds great today. 

Next up is “Paranha”. The guitar playing and the singing match perfectly on this song. “Watch out for piranhas / There’s always piranhas / Watch out for piranhas”! It’s excellent alternative pop!

Later on is “Raindrop”. This song jumps out at the gate and races till the finish.  “Insecurity / Insecure / I feel like racing the wind / I feel like I’m flying”. It’s a rapidly fun pace to the end. 

Towards the end of the album is “Prick”. The guitar starts off very gently and then explodes into a rock song. The audience matches it by gently swaying to start and then rocking out.

As the band leaves the stage, the lead singer exclaims “Tripping Daisy is back!”

See the full setlist here. 

Cost of a ticket: $37

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Quinn Delaney