Shannon brings her kids to the park early one morning and meets Leah. They get along very well, so they get together later on along with their husbands. Everything is going great until the topic of guns comes up. Leah and her husband own guns while Shannon and her husband are strongly anti-gun. Can these couples still be friends despite this issue?
Photos by Alex Albrecht
Stephanie Alison Walker has written an excellent play combining comedy with an exploration of this very topical and relevant issue. The audience is at full attention watching to see what will happen next. The play seems to give equal time to both sides, but the ending seems to lean slightly on one side.
Tonight is the understudy performance. Laura Michele Erle is superb as Shannon, who is open and willing to learn more about guns. Avery Kiefer is excellent as her husband, who is appalled by his wife even being open to learn more. Tierra Matthews is great as Leah, who is very friendly and calmly teaches Shannon about firearms. Malachi Marrero is so funny as Leah’s husband when he tries to make friends with Shannon’s husband.
You’ll definitely be thinking and discussing this play long after watching it.
Cost of a ticket: $37
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Good Price > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Friends with Guns through December 7th!
Arthur is running a donut shop in Uptown. He’s looking to hire someone new when Franco walks in with a whole bunch of ideas about how to improve it. Arthur hires him, but he is resistant to any changes. As times goes on, Franco opens up and shares the novel he has written. They both keep secrets from each other which are slowly revealed.
Photos by Joe Mazza, Brave Lux
This is a fantastic production. Firstly, it’s a great ensemble play written by Tracy Letts (Bug, Linda Vista) . Secondly, it’s right in The Artistic Home’s wheelhouse, a character driven plot.
Scott Westerman is great as Arthur, who is very comfortable with his routine. John N. Williams is great as Franco, who urges him to make some changes. Reid Coker is excellent as the owner of the store next door who wants to expand by buying the donut shop. It’s really funny when he brings in his cousin, John Wehrman, as backup for a fight. Kristin Collins (Witch, The Pavilion) and Kevin Aoussou are superb as the local police officers investigating a break-in. Barbara Roeder Harris (Rasheeda Speaking) is funny as the donut shop regular. Adam Schulmerich (A View From the Bridge, Rasheeda Speaking) and Michael Bayler are intimidating as the “friends” of Franco.
The stage is set up in the middle with the audience on opposite sides. See it twice to experience both angles!
Cost of a ticket: $42
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional –
Rating Scale: Exceptional > Good Value > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Ali is a 17-year-old growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood on the west side of Midtown Manhattan. She lives with her mother, who is very protective of her. When Ali starts dating a man older than her, her mother calls the police which results in the man being arrested. At the same time, Ali is taking piano lessons from an older lady in the building which she develops a passion for.
The story is semi-autobiographical. Alicia did live in Manhattan Plaza with her single mom, but her father wasn’t in her life at all. Also, Alicia began learning piano at 6 years old, not 17 like in the musical.
The music is the highlight of the show. “Girl on Fire” is the first big hit in the first half and it’s a truly joyous moment.
In the second half, when the father sings “Fallin'” to the mother, it is a fantastic showcase of Desmond Sean Ellington’s vocal talent.
Towards the end of the show, the mother sings “No One” to her daughter. It’s a beautiful song used expertly. This song has over 1.1 billion streams on Spotify.
At the end, Ali sings “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down”. It’s an impressive performance by Maya Drake. It would have been nice if they could have used the Jay-Z version of the song, but it probably wouldn’t make sense in the story.
Cost of a ticket: $182 (Orchestra Center)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Good Value –
Rating Scale: Exceptional > Good Value > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Hells Kitchen through November 30th!
P.O.D. takes the stage and jumps right into “Boom” from their 2001 album, Satellite. “Here comes the Boom!” sings the lead singer, Sonny Sandoval, as the audience dances along.
They follow this up with “Rock the Party (Off the Hook)” from their 1999 album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. “We came to rock the party all night long!” This song features fantastic guitar work that fully energizes the crowd.
Later on, they play “Youth of the Nation”, which is their most popular song on Spotify with over 337 million streams. “We are, we are the youth of the nation!” The whole band shines on this classic track that still sounds excellent today.
Sandoval comments on how this is the smallest crowd they have played for on this tour. This is likely because their set started so early at 5:40pm. However, he says, your energy matches the larger crowds!
They close their set with “Alive”. “I feel so alive, for the very first time, and I think I can fly!” This song and the band are iconic. They are still going strong after 30 years together.
A divorced mother receives a notice in the mail that she must appear at a hearing where her deportation will be discussed. This has come up because she applied to be a US Citizen while she has two minor drug convictions on her record. She has lived in Chicago since she was a child and can’t even imagine leaving her daughter, father, and friends behind.
Sandra Delgado has written a great start and middle with this play, but the ending feels abrupt. It’s not satisfying and it leaves the audience wondering what happens next. Perhaps an intermission should be added followed by a jump forward in time which could provide more resolution. Join the Pro-Intermission movement here.
Sandra Delgado (La Havana Madrid, La Ruta) is superb as the mother who is on stage for the entire play going through a whole range of emotions. Ramon Camin is solid as the grandfather. Brian King is very kind and caring as the father, which makes the audience wonder why they broke up. Charlotte Arias is very impressive as the daughter.
Cost of a ticket: $82 (Main Floor)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Discounted
Rating Scale: Exceptional > Good Value > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
David Byrne performed with his latest collaborators, Ghost Train Orchestra, at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago on Halloween. The show was more like a theatrical production or art installation than a traditional rock concert. It’s the same style as his Broadway show, American Utopia. Gone was the usual rock concert equipment. No visible amplifiers, no microphones, no drum sets, no cables. The stage was basically a blank canvas upon which video imagery was displayed to go along with each song.
The intro “Heaven” had the group playing on the Moon as the Earth slowly came into view behind them. The Earth is the only home we have so we need to make it our Heaven was the message he gave after the song ended. The second song, the new release “Everybody Laughs”, is an optimistic song about finding common human experiences to overcome modern divisions. It’s interesting to see how the themes of David Byrne’s songs have evolved from the early days of the Talking Heads – from anxious, detached observation of alienation and consumerism to a more direct engagement with civic life, community, and social issues. Love and kindness are a form of resistance, he said before the song “What Is The Reason For It?”
The rest of the setlist combined Talking Heads classics with songs from his latest album “Who Is The Sky?” This observer found the new songs better live than on the album with the addition of the visuals and choreography. Especially noteworthy of the new songs was “T-Shirt” and “My Apartment Is My Friend”. Many of the songs had a video backdrop of urban, suburban or rural scenes. “T-Shirt” had a mix of different sayings you might see on a t-shirt. “My Apartment Is My Friend”, a song about being alone during the pandemic, had Byrne’s apartment as its visual accompaniment.
Photos by TAYLOR NETTNIN (@taylortookthese)
Standout Talking Heads songs included “Psycho Killer”, “Once In A Lifetime” and “Life During Wartime” which had a visual backdrop of the recent conflicts on Chicago streets with ICE agents. The performers choreography appeared to have them running from the scenes displayed behind them, adding to the tension of the song. The lyric “this ain’t no fooling around” hit pretty hard.
The choreography was an integral part of the show. Bryne was surrounded by twelve mobile multi-instrumentalists, all in matching orange jumpsuits. They went from coordinated dance moves, to playing in a straight line, to marching and weaving in between each other, like a marching band.
The encore concluded with the classic “Burning Down The House” which did indeed bring down the house. Paramore released a cover version of this song and David Byrne covered one of their songs, “Hard Times” earlier in the night.
This was a truly unique and memorable musical performance by an artist who refuses to coast on his past achievements.
The lead singer of Michigander, Jason Singer, is feeling emotional. Growing up in Michigan, he always saw Chicago as the great big city and it has become his favorite city in the world. He also always dreamed of playing at the Metro, and now he is finally headlining on this stage. It’s very appropriate that he opens with “Emotional”.
Soon afterwards, they play “Reds” from their 2019 EP, Where Do We Go From Here. It features some fantastic guitar work and great singing. “I won’t / I won’t let you go / No, I won’t”. This is just one of many songs that sound a lot like the great band, The War on Drugs. They both have long lasting guitar chords with strong repetition that creates a great atmosphere.
Later on, they play “East Chicago, IN”. It features the line, “I’m driving home all the way from Chicago”, which gets a cheer from the audience.
They follow this with “Better” from their 2021 album, Everything Will Be Ok Eventually. It has a strong driving beat and immediately gets everyone moving. “I don’t want to live without you anymore” sings Singer.
For the closing song, they bring out their co-headliner, Oliver Hazard, and the opener, Khatumu. Together, they all play “Wonderwall” by Oasis (At Soldier Field this past summer, Oasis played a sold-out show after a very long hiatus). It was a great close to excellent night of music!
Cost of a ticket: $32 PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It + Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Saint Sebastian Players Present The Haunting of Hill House (Through November 9, 2025)
“An investigator of supernatural phenomena interrupts the isolation of the remote and sinister Hill House to delve into the house’s morbid history. Joining him are three unacquainted guests, who are soon jolted by strange and eerie occurrences.”
The cast includes Natali Chavez, Tony DiPisa (Dying for it) , David R. Feiler*, Russ Gager* (Born Yesterday), Siena Merlin Moraff, Japo Parcero, and Jill Chukerman* (Barefoot in the Park).
There is a new Facebook Group and GroupMe Chat called Chicago Pickup Games. From there, you can join sport specific groups for softball, football, golf, bowling, croquet, wiffleball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, and more.
A young girl was abducted from her family at age 3 and raised to be a prophet. At 15, she is rescued. For the past 12 years, she never left the house and now she has to sort out the real world. Her parents also have to sort through a range of emotions as they figure out how to move forward.
This play, written by Rajiv Joseph (Guards at the Taj), is interesting as it explores how everyone responds to this intense situation. However, it seems to be missing some key scenes, such as when the parents discover that their missing child has been found. It also ends abruptly, which leaves many questions left unanswered.
Tim Hopper is creepy as the abductor, Mr. Wolf. Emilie Maureen Hanson is very blunt and strange as the young girl who doesn’t have any social experience. Namir Smallwood is quiet and mysterious as her father. Caroline Neff is solid as his second wife. Kate Arrington is good as his first wife and the young girl’s mother.
Cost of a ticket: $95 (Main Floor)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Discounted +
Rating Scale: Exceptional > Good Value > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Mr. Wolf through November 2nd.
A husband and wife move to London from Chicago. They are trying to escape from ghosts that haunted the wife. However, it seems they have followed her to England.
This production is extremely well done with a very high production value. They built a two-story house on the stage. The combination of the dim lighting and the sound design are excellent. It’s truly terrifying and definitely not for children. It’s perfect for the Halloween season.
The acting is world class. Cher Álvarez is great as the woman being haunted by her past. Patrick Heusinger is superb as the husband who doesn’t really believe his wife is seeing ghosts. Kate Fry is great as the medium who comes to their house to help them. Shannon Cochran is outstanding as the mother of the husband, who acts in a very unexpected way.
It’s an impressive list of collaborators on this production. It’s a co-production with Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles), American Conservatory Theater (San Francisco), and Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC). It was written by Levi Holloway and Felix Barret (Punchdrunk, Sleep No More). It has illusions from Chris Fisher (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child)
Cost of a ticket: $68 (Lower Gallery)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Good Value +
Rating Scale: Exceptional > Good Value > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
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