Hedda Gabler was written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere took place in 1891 in Munich. Steppenwolf produced a version in 2001 starring Martha Plimpton.  A revival on Broadway opened in 2009 starring Mary-Louise Parker and Michael Cerveris. The National Theatre premiered a new version in 2016 starring Ruth Wilson and Rafe Spall. And now, The Artistic Home’s production is playing at The Den Theatre. 

Hedda Gabler is about a woman who is expected to follow the standard roles of wife and mother, but refuses. 

Ariana Lopez (Witch, Eurydice is excellent as Thea Elvsted, who does her best to express herself within the rules of society. Brookelyn Hébert is excellent as Hedda, who rebels against society’s wishes. Todd Wojcik (Witch, Dying For It) is hilarious as her husband, often misunderstanding her. John Mossman (The Pavilion), Dan Evashevski (Witch), Laura Coleman , and Lynne Baker (Beyond Therapy) are all very good in their suporting roles.  

See the program here. 

Cost of a ticket: $41

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Get tickets now for Hedda Gabler through March 30th!

Quinn Delaney

Fool for Love first premiered in 1983 with Ed Harris and Kathy Baker in the lead roles at Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Steppenwolf did a production in 1984 starring Randall Arney, William Petersen and Rondi Reed. A film version was released in 1985 starring Sam Shepard (the playwright), Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton, and Randy Quaid. This play is more than worthy of a revisit. It’s a timeless story of love and betrayal. Eddie meets May at a motel after having not seen her for a while. She wants him to leave, but at the same time she can’t bear to see him go. The history of their relationship is revealed as they struggle to figure out their future.

Unfortunately, this production is much tamer than others have been in the past. The emotional level feels much lower and the chemistry between the main characters is missing.

However, Caroline Neff’s performance of May is pretty good. It’s a roller coaster of a ride for her character. Nick Gehlfuss plays Eddie, the ex-boyfriend, who struggles to figure out what May wants. 

Tim Hopper as The Old Man is a quiet presence. His role is very much a supporting one in this production. Lastly, Cliff Chamberlain plays Martin, May’s new suitor, on point. He is thrown into this crazy situation with very little idea what is happening. He represents the audience searching for answers.

Cost of a ticket: $68 (Main Level Rear)

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Get tickets now for Fool for Love through March 23rd.

Quinn Delaney

Two students meet at school in the United Kingdom. They come from very different lives at home, but they are drawn to each other. Wesley Guimaraes is great as the calm and sweet one looking for a loving relationship. Jack Lancaster is excellent as the wild and violent one who doesn’t really understand his feelings or know what he’s looking for. Because of this, their relationship is volatile.

Sophie Swithinbank has written a very intense play that balances humor and darkness very well. In the very toxic high school relationship, the characters are two very different people trying to form a connection. It’s not an easy play to watch, but it is a powerful one. 

See the program here. 

Cost of a ticket: $48

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Get tickets now for Bacon through March 30th!

Quinn Delaney

A new couple decide to go on a double date. They met via the Jewish dating app, J-date. They both bring their friends who have just recently got out of long term relationships. None of them are looking for something serious, but things get serious despite their best efforts. 

Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham have written a very funny and charming musical about looking for love in NYC. The songs are fantastic and similar in style to the music in Rent. Instead of being all singing, there is a great amount of dialog which set up the songs nicely.  

Troy Dailey is great as the nerdy guy who struggles to get over his ex. Colin Huerta is so funny as his brother who teaches him that the best way to win her back is to not care. Cassandra Caruso is so good as the gal getting out of relationship and just looking for a fun rebound. Lauren Josephs is solid as her best friend, who does her best to stay in the friends with benefits zone. Renee Cohen and Ellie Rodriguez are excellent as the bartenders who clearly see what is going on among the couples. 

Cost of a ticket: $42

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Get tickets now for I Love You Because through March 16th! 

Quinn Delaney

Charlene comes home to her parent’s place with her girlfriend in the southernmost corner of the Big Island of Hawaii. She hasn’t yet come out to her father. Soon after arriving, they learn that the volcano is erupting. The father still wants to plant new coffee plants. Charlene doesn’t want to, but her girlfriend wants to help out. 

Mary Lyon Kamitaki has written a hilarious play which also explores the difficult question of when to leave in the face of a natural disaster. 

Allan Okubo is hilarious as the father, who is resistant to change, but in a cute old man way. Sanae Tokumura is excellent as the mother, so loving and caring for her family. Stu Hirayama is so funny as the helpful neighbor. Ember solid is great as Charlene, who doesn’t want to take over her father’s business. Lastly, Violette Skilling is great as the girlfriend, who is taking in the whole situation along with the audience. 

Cost of a ticket: $31

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Get tickets now for Southernmost through February 23rd! 

Quinn Delaney

Pure Heart formed in 1994 as a group of friends on Oahu with Jake Shimabukuro on ukelele. The group disbanded in 2000 and Jake launched his solo career. Since 2014, they have occasionally regrouped. Tonight’s show is basically a homecoming show for them. 

Early on in the set, Shimabukuro plays “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles. This song allows Jake to truly shine as it begins slow with the traditional ukelele sound and then transforms into electric guitar tones. “Wow! I didn’t know the ukelele could sound like that!” said an audience member. 

Later on, he plays a song by Jeff Beck, “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”. The influence is clearly heard while he incorporates his own exceptional ukelele style as well. 

He then brings out the members of Pure Heart. One of the songs features the percussionist expertly vocalizing soft bird sounds. Shimabukuro mentions that those who just heard the CD, assumed they went out into the woods and recorded birds. 

Jake gives a lot of shout outs to people he knows in the crowd including his high school wrestling coach and a friend who had him play at their graduation party. 

To close out the show, they play “Europa” by Carlos Santana. Jake truly shreds on this one and sends the crowd out with big smiles on their faces. 

Cost of a ticket: $56 (Plus a minimum $20 per person)

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Quinn Delaney

Jesse Cook takes the stage solo and jumps right into “Tempest” from his 1995 album of the same name. It’s a rocker and it’s immediately clear the audience is in for a great night of music. 

After playing this song, he talks about how on that first album, he played all the instruments himself. It was a lot of work. So, he decided to play with other musicians going forward. He brings out Marito Marques from Portugal to play percussion with him. They play “La Rumba D’el Jefe” from his 2009 album, The Rumba Foundation. They feed off each other’s energy in a great performance.

He then introduces Matt Sellick on guitar from Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada. Later in the night, he tells the story about how they met. When Matt was 7 years old, he first heard Jesse Cook’s music and he told his mother that he wanted to learn to play that. So, he began taking guitar lessons. About 10 years later, Matt sends Jesse a recording of him playing. Jesse says it sounds like he plays the songs better than he can. So, he goes to Thunder Bay to kill him, just kidding he says. They do meet and play together and get along very well. Years later, when the guitar position in his band opens up, he invites Sellick to join and he accepts!

Cook then says they need to continue to fill out the sound and he brings out Dan Minchom on Bass Guitar. The now four-piece band plays “Virtue” from the 2000 album, Free Fall. It’s very cool to see how the fullness of the music keeps building as they add musicians. 

To introduce the next band mate, Cook dives into the history of flamenco music. He talks about how Andalusia in Spain was under Moorish rule and that the capital was Baghdad. Then he brings out Fethi Najem on violin and mandole, who blends flamenco and Arabian music. They play “Baghdad”, which is also from his debut album.

In the encore, they play “Mario Takes A Walk” from his 1996 album, Gravity. This is his most popular track on Spotify with over 8.2 million streams. The audience is blown away and responds with a huge applause afterwards. Jesse Cook has truly assembled a superb band full of very talented musicians and it makes for a fantastic evening of music.

See a recent setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $71 and up

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Quinn Delaney

The Vaccines last headlined in Chicago at Schubas in 2018. However, their last appearance was opening for The Kooks in 2024 at the Riviera Theatre. Tonight they are playing their largest show to date in Chicago at the Vic Theatre. 

Midway into the set, they play “Your Love is My Favorite Band” from their 2018 album, Contact Sports. This is a fantastically joyful love song. “I knew you wouldn’t understand, but your love is my favorite band”. The great lyrics perfectly pair with the upbeat guitar. 

Later on they play “Headphones Baby” from their 2021 album, Back in Love City. “I wanna live inside your headphones baby! I wanna live inside a world, wherever you are!” This is such a fun song and the audience gleefully sings along. 

https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/track/0U9q5llCokADhEG2qeEhcB?si=a31a8aa28b8d452a

Soon afterward they play “Heartbreak Kid” from their 2024 album, Pick Up Full of Pink Carnations.  “Let your heart break, kid / ‘Til you’re feeling it”. This track has a great energy which they keep high for the entire show. 

“We don’t usually take requests, but we had to take this one” says the lead singer as they launch into “I Always Knew” from their 2012 album, Come of Age. A couple gets engaged during the song, which is quite fitting with these lyrics: “‘Cause it’s you / Oh, it’s always you / Oh, I always knew”. 

See the full setlist here. 

Cost of a ticket: $45

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Quinn Delaney

Jo is growing up in the early 1940s in Alabama. Her mother runs a very strict religious house. The most important thing to Jo is getting married and moving out of her mom’s house. However, her boyfriend doesn’t want to get married and settle down. 

Anna Aleise Howerton has written a very funny play based on her grandmother, Anne Sellers. The audience is cracking up constantly. 

There are a few very dramatic scenes that seem out of place in this play. For them to fit, a slower buildup of dramatic tone would be needed. 

Every single character is funny in their own way. The cast includes Anna Aleise Howerton, Isaac Baker, Amanda Leo, Connor Paulson, Samantha Karagas, Mitch Apse, Caia Cammie, Danny Peterson, Marae Ashmore, Jackson Doezema, Nichole Reed, and Tanner Sells. 

The show runs two hours with an intermission. 

See the program here. 

Cost of a ticket: $31

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Get tickets now for The Creek Don’t Rise through January 26th! 

Quinn Delaney

Juicy is preparing for a BBQ to celebrate the wedding of his mother and his uncle. The ghost of his father appears and says that his uncle had him killed and that he should avenge his death and kill him. Juicy is conflicted over what to do. 

James Ijames (White, Miz Martha) has written a hilarious and modern Hamlet adaption. The audience was cracking up the entire show. There are also some strong moments of drama.  It’s no surprise that Ijames was nominated for a Tony for this play. 

Trumane Alston truly shines as Juicy, especially while he is singing “Creep” by Radiohead. Sheldon Brown (Magnolia Ballet) is strong and confident as Larry. E. Faye Butler (The Nacirema Society, Gypsy) is outstanding as Larry’s mother. She almost steals the show a few times! Ronald L. Conner (Sweat, A View from the Bridge) is exceptional as the father / uncle. His every entrance is superb! 

Anji White (East Texas Hot Links) is stellar as Juicy’s mother. She really shines during her karaoke performance of “100% Pure Love” by Crystal Waters.  Ireon Roach is great as Larry’s sister, who insists she is not ready to die because she is finally starting to figure things out. Victor Musoni (Toni Stone, How We Got On) is so freakin’ funny as the friend, especially while describing a video game idea he came up with while high.

Cost of a ticket: $75

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Get tickets now for Fat Ham through March 2nd! 

Quinn Delaney