The press release below does an excellent job introducing the characters and the story: 

The cast includes Michael D. Graham, a 2025 Jeff Award winner for his direction of the play LIGHT SWITCH with Open Space Arts, as the real-life New York lawyer and powerbroker, Roy Cohn, a closeted gay man who disavows other gays and cares only about amassing clout. Cohn becomes a bad influence on Joe Pitt, a Mormon, Republican lawyer struggling with his own sexual identity. Pitt is played by Joe Bushell (Thank God It’s Monday, Rooftop Theatre), seen this past season in DAMES AT SEA with Citadel Theatre. Cast as Prior Walter, a young man who has contracted AIDS, is Ryan Hake (SEVEN MINUTES TO LIVE, Chicago Dramatists). Playing Louis Ironson, an anxious and verbose man who, at the start of the play, breaks off his relationship with Prior out of fear of Prior’s infection, is Grant Carriker, seen earlier this year in Tony Kushner’s A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY with Blank Theatre Company.

The nurse Belize, who cares for both Prior Walter and Roy Cohn when they are hospitalized for AIDS, will be Miguel Long. Long appeared in MEDEA MATERIAL with Trap Door Theatre last fall. Joe Pitt’s wife, Harper, will be played by Anne Trodden, seen last year as the ambitious TV executive Diana Christensen in Invictus’s Network. Joe Pitt’s mother Hannah, a devout Mormon who moves to New York from Utah when she learns of her son’s marital trouble, will be portrayed by Renae Stone, of Invictus’s THREE SISTERS. Nicki Rossi (MADAM AND STEVE at Greenhouse Theatre Center) will appear as The Angel, an imposing, terrifying, divine presence who descends from Heaven to bestow prophecy on Prior. 

Get tickets now for Angels in America through September 6th! 

Cost of a ticket: $41 (For each part)

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Quinn Delaney

Dirty Honey quickly shows why they are a great choice to open tonight. They have a great stage presence and put on a high energy performance. Towards the end of their set, they play “When I’m Gone” from their self-titled debut. It’s their most popular song on Spotify with over 25 million streams. The influence of Led Zeppelin is clearly heard on this rocker. They will surely be back in Chicago soon, possibly headlining at the Vic Theatre. 

See their full setlist here. 

As soon as The Struts take the stage, it’s clear this is no ordinary band. It’s a full on glam rock band in the vein of The Darkness about to put on one hell of a show.

This is the 10^th Anniversary tour of their debut album, Everybody Wants. They are playing the entire album. The second song is “Could Have Been Me”. The song sounds strong and fresh and yet still similar to classic rock songs. It’s the sign of a fantastically written track that is timeless. The crowd sings along “Don’t wanna waste one line / I wanna live better days / Never look back and say / Could have been me”. 

This is immediately followed by “Kiss This”. This song completely rocks and the audience dances along to Luke singing. “I did all I could / So kiss this one more time / ‘Cause I’m gone for good”. 

In their encore, they play the title track from their latest album, Pretty Vicious. This track has a darker and more ominous sound that sounds excellent. It’s a great sign that the band will be able innovate with their new music. 

The combination of their over-sized stage presence and excellent songs continues to skyrocket their well-deserved popularity. Catch them on tour now in middle sized venues now while you still can!

See their full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $50
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –
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Quinn Delaney

Parade premiered on Broadway in December 1998. It won the Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score. In 2023, it was revived and won Best Revival of a Musical. And now, in August of 2025, it opens at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago. 

In 1913, a 14-year-old girl is murdered in a pencil factory during the Memorial Day parade. There are only two suspects, the night watchman and the superintendent, who is Jewish. There isn’t any physical evidence, so all they have to go on is testimonies from witnesses. The prosecutor pressures the witnesses to say what he wants them to say. 

Alfred Uhry (book), Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics), and Harold Prince (co-conceived) have written a thrilling true crime legal drama. The audience is at the edge of their seat waiting to see what will happen next. 

This production is full of great singing by the entire cast. Max Chernin is excellent as the superintendent. He expertly transforms in scenes where he is acting out how the witnesses portray him. Talia Suskauer is superb as his wife, who is his greatest advocate and support during this very difficult time. 

Cost of a ticket: $98 (Orchestra)

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Get tickets now for Parade through August 17th! 

Quinn Delaney

It’s the 19th century in Italy. Giorgio is in love with Clara. She is married and doesn’t want to get a divorce, but she is still very upset when he has to leave town for a military contract. Fosca meets Giorgio in the new town, and quickly falls in love with him. However, he doesn’t feel the same way. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/099ObRaTHJISGUkJLOWQVj

The music is very typical of Stephen Sonheim’s style and the singing matches the high level you would expect.

At 105 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. 

Brittney Brown does a great job as Fosca, who is a very difficult character to play with everyone saying she is ugly and unworthy of love. Rachel Guth is superb as Clara, the married woman having an affair. Evan Bradford is solid as Giorgio, the object of both of their affections. 

Cost of a ticket: $41

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Get tickets now for Passion through August 10th! 

Quinn Delaney

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)

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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)

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

Quinn Delaney