Kari and Peter are former high school sweethearts who won the Cutest Senior Couple Award. They run into each other at their 20^th high school reunion. She is a bit unhappy in her marriage to a golf pro, who seems to love golf more than her. Peter moved to the city after high school leaving Kari behind. Now, he has been dating a 23 year old for 3 years and is ready to move on. In fact, he wants Kari back. 

It’s a funny, philosophical, and emotional ride as the audience learns their story and then wonders if there is a future with them together.

Todd Wojcik (Eurydice, Wellesley Girl)  is outstanding as the narrator, the minister, the police chief, Peter’s friends, Kari’s friends, and many more. Usually they are interacting with Kari or Peter, but sometimes he plays multiple characters interacting with other in a hilarious fashion. He expertly switches between all the characters he portrays. John Mossman is excellent as Peter, who truly wants to make things right and get back together. Kristin Collins is great as Kari, who sees the situation from a more comprex perspective which she beautfully explores.

Cost of a ticket: $36

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Get tickets now for The Pavilion through June 5^th!

Quinn Delaney

P.S. At intermission, the audience is allowed to change seats and I recommend doing just that.

Preston Taylor is the CEO of Garbage Patch Kids, a non-profit dedicated to cleaning up the giant garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean. His wife, Elizabeth Taylor, is running for governor of Oregon. Because of this, Ronan Farrow is coming at noon to interview him. Preston is freaking out because he is hiding many affairs. Also, he embezzled money from the company to buy his new yacht, The Shady Lady.

This play is a hilarious farce. As it goes along, the situation just keeps getting worse and worse. The audience is on the edge of their seats in suspense waiting to see if he’ll get away with his misdeeds. Kara Poe Atnip and Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend have written one hell of a script.

Jon Yelton is so funny as the bumbling “Little” Preston Taylor trying to weasel out of taking responsibility. Valerie Gerlock (The Real Inspector Hound) is great as the smartest person in the room who is freaking out about going to prison. Melinda “MJ” Deamon (Born Yesterday) is very professional as the snarky coworker. Claire Rutkowski (The Real Inspector Hound) is hilarious as the valley girl administrative assistant with a strong allergy to bananas. Joshua Paul Wright (Born Yesterday) plays the rich son only interested in peace and love to perfection. Laura MacGregor is so funny as the receptionist who has more than a few secrets. Amy Hunt has some of the best lines as the slightly clueless coworker. Lastly, Eamon McInerney nails the role as Mr. Farrow being shocked by what he learns.

Get tickets now for The Shady Lady through May 22^nd!

Cost of a ticket: $25

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

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Quinn Delaney

In 1891, Frank Wedekind wrote Spring Awakening. The musical adaptation first opened on Broadway in 2006 starring Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, and John Gallagher Jr. It won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. And now, in April 2022, it opens at the Ruth Page Center.

In many ways, this show is like a rock concert. Here are three of the best songs:

“Living and getting what you get, just the bitch of living. And, knowing this is it. God, is this it?” This song, “The Bitch Of Living”, really kicks things off on a rebellious tone. It is well choreographed with all the guys singing and moving in unison.

“Yeah, you’re fucked all right and all for spite. You can kiss your sorry ass goodbye.” “Totally Fucked” would fit right into a punk rock or alternative rock concert.

“The Song Of Purple Summer” is the closing number. It will have you singing “And all shall know the wonder, I will sing the song of purple summer” as you head out of the theatre.

Cost of a ticket: $67 (Main Floor)

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Quinn Delaney

It’s opening night for Matter Dance Company’s Keep Moving and the theatre is packed. A buzz is in the air in the intimate Den Theatre space. Seventeen pieces are listed on the program. Here are a few of the best:

Section 24, Row 16, Seats 1 – 8

Choreography: Gail Adduci Gogliotti and Carisa Barreca

Music: Rick Benjamin and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra

In this piece, the dancers are all seated as if ready to watch a movie. They are all colorfully dressed. They don’t sit still for long as they dance around reacting to the film in a very goofy style that matches the music.

Operation W.O.L.L.I.P

Choreographer : Carisa Barreca

Music: Tchaikovsky

All the dancers are dressed in pajamas and holding pillows. It begins with them dancing around smoothly and tossing the pillows around. But then, it turns into a full-on pillow fight. Feathers go flying everywhere! It’s such a fun piece! Afterwards is a much needed intermission to give them time to clean up all the feathers.

Hideaway

Choreography: Gail Adduci Gogliotti and Carisa Barreca

This very seductive piece features the music of Ella Fitzgerald. It’s a very hot and sensual dance and it is performed with great talent.

Honeybody

Choreography: Michelle Pinsky

The costumes for this piece are so fun and colorful. This perfectly matches the dancing and the playful nature of the song. As a fun aside, Kishi Bashi just played at Thalia Hall on April 5^th. See our review of the opener here.

See the full program here.

Cost of a ticket: $26
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –
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Be sure to catch them next at the First Friday Summer Series starting May 6th at the North Center Town Square!

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Quinn Delaney

Two sisters, Annelle and Janet, are cleaning out their mother’s house shortly after her death. Annelle, in her third marriage, is insisting that Janet meet Franklin, a mixed race man.  Janet doesn’t want to go and insists on staying home and reading the diaries of her mother that they just discovered. Annelle is appalled that Janet would read these. They are private and are not meant for anyone to read.

In the diaries, their mother wrote about her life growing up as a slave. The relationship with her mistress is at the heart of the diaries. The sisters had never heard these stories before.

The first half of the play is so funny and interesting as we learn about these characters and their desires. In the second half, it dives deep in a fascinating manner as it explores the darker sides of everyone’s past. Tyla Abercrumbie has written a real masterpiece. Even after 3 hours and 15 minutes, there was still more story to tell.

Ayanna Bria Bakari is excellent as Annelle, who loves matchmaking and truly wants the best for her sister. But, she is also hiding some dark secrets. On this evening, the understudy, Saran Bakari, Ayanna’s younger sister is playing Janet. These real life sisters have great chemistry together and make the play come even more to life. Travis Delgado is great and powerful as Annelle’s husband. Xavier Edward King is so charming and likeable as Franklin. Rebecca Hurd is hauntingly good as the mistress. It’s a challenging role to play, and she nails it. Lastly, Demetra Dee is perfectly innocent as the young version of the sister’s mother.

Cost of a ticket: $53

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Get tickets now for Relentless through May 8!   

Quinn Delaney

Trevor Hall has been coming to Chicago for many years. When he first started playing Chicago, he was playing at Schubas which only has a capacity of 250. Eventually he moved on to Park West with a capacity of 1000. During tonight’s performance, Trevor took a moment to express his gratitude and reflected on the band’s earlier days. He was overwhelmed with emotion as he reminisced on the time when they opened up at the Vic Theatre and recalled thinking that one day it would be amazing to headline at this exact stage. And tonight, they did just that in a packed venue with a capacity of 1,400 and very excited fans.

Early in the set, Trevor Hall plays a cover of the Foo Fighter’s “Everlong”. The band just lets loose and really rocks this one out. The audience joins them in this celebration of this great rock song.

Everyone smiles when he plays the intro to “Green Mountain State”. “ There’s a way, there’s a way, there’s a way, there’s a way, there’s a way. It has always, always.” It’s such a peaceful and mellow song for everyone to sway along to.

When he plays the first three chords of “Lime Tree”, the crowd cheers. It’s one of his oldest songs which he has been playing since he used to play at Schubas. It’s so beautiful to listen to everyone sing along “It took a while for you to find me, but I was hiding in the lime tree. Above the city in the rain cloud, I poked a hole and watched it drain out”. It’s so well written.

For the second song of the encore, they play “A Reminder”. The audience knew this song was coming because behind them is a giant backdrop that reads: “My love is just a reminder. Find your center.” It’s a beautiful song from The Fruitful Darkness album that is a great choice to include in the encore. Tonight’s performance yet again showcased his undeniable talent and euphonious voice which continues to reach audiences across the country.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $47

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Quinn Delaney

In 2001, the film version of Moulin Rouge was released starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. In July of 2019, the musical first opened on Broadway. In September of 2021, it won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. And now, in April 2022, it opens at The James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago.

Christian is a broke songwriter from America who has just arrived in Paris. He quickly falls in love with Satine, the star of the Moulin Rouge. She sees him in secret while she is publicly dating The Duke of Monroth, who is financing the new show. She has to date him because the Moulin Rouge is broke and would shut down without his financial support.

This is a true jukebox musical spectacle. It contains 70 songs credited to 160 songwriters from 30 publishers. In addition to many of the songs from the movie, the musical adds many more by artists such as Adele, Katy Perry, Gnarls Barkley, Katy Perry, Sia, Rihanna, Beyonce, Walk the Moon, Britney Speaks, and more. It’s amazing how many songs they can include in a single piece like a Girl Talk track. Also, they make all the songs fit into the story which make you see the songs in a new way.

This playlist contains most of the songs :

The cast is fantastic. Courtney Reed (Satine), Conor Ryan (Christian), Astin Durant (Harold Zidler), Andre Ward (Toulouse-Lautrec), David Harris (The Duke of Monroth), Libby Loyd (Nini), and Gabe Martinez (Santiago) are all exceptional in this production. Together along with the ensemble, they build the plot to a very dramatic climax that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Cost of a ticket: $52.50 – $219 plus fees

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Get tickets now for Moulin Rouge! The Musical through May 14^th!

Quinn Delaney

The Prom premiered on Broadway in October 2018. A film adaptation was released on Netflix on December 11, 2020 starring Meryl Streep, James Cordon, Nicole Kidman, and Kerry Washington. And now, in April of 2022, it opens at the Cadillac Palace.

A pair of Broadway Stars have just received some awful reviews and their career is in a slump. They decide they need some positive PR. So, they travel to Edgewater, Indiana to fight for a lesbian’s right to attend prom with her partner.

This musical is absolutely hilarious. It’s also a very sweet love story that will likely have you crying with happiness. It’s everything that you want from a Broadway musical comedy.

The entire cast is excellent. They can all sing the uplifting songs and dance the great choreography. Courtney Balan is fantastic as the self entitled Broadway Star looking to regain her fame. Patrick Wetzel (Films: The Prom and The Producers) matches her energy as the other hilarious Broadway Star. Emily Borromeo (Sneaky Pete, The Jim Gaffigan Show) and Bud Weber (The Book of Mormon and Aladdin on Broadway) are also so funny as the other Broadway actors on the trip. Kaden Kearney is solid as the lesbian who just wants to attend prom like every other student.

Cost of a ticket: $31 – $172

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Get tickets now for The Prom through April 24!

Quinn Delaney

Molly Sweeney was first performed in 1994 in Dublin. Its American Premiere was in 1996 at the Roundabout Theatre in New York City. It was scheduled to be produced at The Goodman in April of 2020, but was canceled by the pandemic.  And now, in April 2022, it premiers at The Chopin Theatre.

Molly Sweeney became blind when she was just 10 months old. She is now 40 and living happily without being able to see. She recently married Frank, who is very interested in restoring her sight. He is more fascinated by the idea than she is. Her ambitious doctor is also strongly recommending surgery, especially as a chance to resurrect his career. She isn’t much interested in going through the process, but she is feeling the pressure from around her. Will she go forward with the surgery? Will the results be positive or could the cure be worse than the disease?

The style of this play has each character speaking their own monologue. We go back and forth as they tell their side of the story and they never interact with each other. This is a great play to produce during a pandemic, as the actors are always socially distanced. There is a intermission, which gives a much needed breather to the audience.

Carolyn Kruse (Spinning, My Way Residential) is excellent as Molly. She is the heart of the show and she creates a very likeable character. Mickey Jordan (the understudy) is great as Frank. He vividly portrays him a person who gets very fascinated by new ideas for a while, and then moves on. Robert Kauzlaric is solid as the doctor. He creates a very complex man conflicted by his past and unsure of his future.

As a whole, this production is superb. The story really draws you in as more details are revealed. There are many surprises and you’ll be on the edge of your seating to see what happens next.

Cost of a ticket: $40

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Get tickets now for Molly Sweeney through May 8^th!

Quinn Delaney