Mayer Hawthorne takes the stage with his band to a great applause and jumps right into the music. He plays “Love Like That” from his 2016 album, Man About Town. “Yeah, I want a love / Strong like a heart attack / To fire me up / I want a love like that.” This is such a great soulful song that it sounds like a classic that has been around for decades.

Next up is “Back Seat Lover” from 2013’s Where Does This Go. This track has such a great groove and it has everyone in the whole venue dancing along.  

A little later is “Breakfast in Bed”. “Just me and you and Mister Sunshine / Let’s order breakfast in bed / And leave the ordinary world behind”. It is such a slow sexy jam. It’s also a great moment when he sings “Good morning California” with a big smile on his face. Hawthorne had commented earlier that it was great to be back home in California after touring across the country during winter.

Later on, he sings the title track from 2023’s “For All Time”. This song has an epic sound and Mayer’s vocals truly shine on this one.

He ends the set with “The Walk” from 2011’s How Do You Do. This is his most popular song on Spotify with over 49 million streams. “From the moment that I met you / I thought you were fine, so fine / But your shitty, fucking attitude / Has got me changing my mind.” This is such a great fun breakup song that has everyone singing along!

To end the night, a member of the crew hands everyone a drink. The drink is the name of the last song, “Henny & Gingerale”. This is a fantastic song and the perfect way to close out the encore.

See a recent setlist here.

See our old review of Mayer Hawthorne from July of 2016 here.

Cost of a ticket: $48

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Quinn Delaney

A woman is dealing with a very loud upstairs neighbor. Another woman is dealing with a troublesome ex-lover. They both decide to visit a shop of curiosities to solve their issues.

Steve Yockley (The Flight Attendant) has written a darkly humorous and fun play. As the plot develops and the mysteries unfold, it gets funnier and crazier. The Road Theatre Company does a superb job with the script and the result is great theatre.

Christina Carlisi (All About Steve) is excellent as the nosey neighbor. Andrea Flowers is great as the other woman seeking alternative solutions. Gloria Ines is so sweet and charming as the store owner. Billy Baker is great as her business partner who does the dirty work. Jordan Moore (Alternate) is so funny as the loud neighbor. Justin Lawrence Barnes and Meeghan Holaway are solid in their supporting roles.

Get tickets now for Mercury through March 2^nd!

Cost of a ticket: $42

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Quinn Delaney

The novel version of Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith was released in 1950.  The film version was released in 1951 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was adapted by Craig Warner for radio in 2004 and for the stage in 2013. And now it is playing at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills.

Two men meet on a train, Charles and Guy. Charles comes up with the idea for a pair of perfect murders. Charles will kill Guy’s wife and Guy will kill Charles’ father so that they will both be free. Guy laughs this off as a joke, but then Charles goes ahead and murders the wife. Afterwards, Guy refuses to murder the father. However, Charles isn’t going to take no for an answer.

This is a very suspenseful and intense play. The sound design by Nick Foran is excellent and truly heightens the drama. The costume design by Michael Mullen is so sharp.

Joe Clabby is excellent as Guy. It’s impressive seeing him navigate the unforseen that comes his way. Michael Mullen is superb as Charles. He completely immersed himself in his character’s personality and delivered an unforgettable performance. Anica Petrovic is great as Guy’s love interest. She utilizes her wits and the passion she holds for Guy to support her husband while navigating complete uncertainty. The supporting cast is absolutely solid, as well.

All the pieces come together to make this a world class production!

Get tickets now for Strangers on a Train through February 18^th!

Cost of a ticket: $38

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –  

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

Quinn Delaney

Welcome to the World Famous Comedy Store on Sunset in Hollywood, CA! Tonight’s show is called Keys to the Store. It is hosted by Avery Pearson. It features him playing comedic songs on the keyboards (aka, keys) and key comedians from the LA scene.

Iliza Shlesinger (Good on Paper) is due to give birth next week. She talks about the difference between how men congratulate her verses how they congratulate her husband. To her husband, it’s all high fives. It’s like, cool man, you like to fuck, me too! She does a very funny man impersonation. But then to her, it’s a sign that she is already carrying another man’s seed, so it’s a very low-key congratulations. 

Pete Holmes (Crashing) jokes that he wishes his daughter could see how good she has it. He imagines a Christmas Carol style ghost visiting her and taking her back in time to see how his father treated him. The ghost takes her to an example of his father apologizing to him, and it is just complete nothingness, because it never happened!

Andrew Santino (Beef) has a great bit about mis-naming the drug that he is taking and saying Levitra. He calls up his doctor and gets his nurse on the line. He tells her that it is giving him really bad diarrhea. She asks if it happening while he is performing. He thinks that she recognizes his name and is flattered, and then responds that it happens right after he finishes. She asks if gets on his partner, and he responds that he does a solo act! 

Jim Jefferies (Legit) asks the audience to notice how they feel after the following two sentences. “My husband is coming” and then “My wife is coming”. After the first, the response is “Great, he can help out.” After the second, the response is “Oh, no. Are you in trouble?” 

Ahamed Weinberg jokes about how in the future, the police will be replaced by an app called “Help”. Instead of calling 911, you’ll use the app and then it will tell you that Andrew with AK47 is 23 minutes away. Then, you’ll freak out when you see his car icon spinning. When he finally arrives, he’ll apologize and say his uber was so slow!

Cost of a ticket: $40 plus two drink minimum

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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Get tickets now for Keys to the Store on March 11^th!

Quinn Delaney

This play is based on a true story. It is 2012 and Dana Delany is working on Body of Proof on ABC. Peter Gallagher connects her with an enthusiastic fan. He is a 13-year-old boy named Cam who has had two heart transplants. They send direct messages to each other on Twitter throughout the day and become close. One day, Cam is admitted to the hospital and Dana gets updates from his family. Dana makes plans to fly to Costa Rica, where Cam lives. 

Jen Silverman (The Moors, The Roommate) along with Mike Donahue, Dane Laffrey, and Dana Delany have created a truly compelling and thrilling play from Delany’s own the digital archives. The audience is at the edge of the seats waiting to see what happens next. The sets are incredibly realistic and the digital projections behind them are very impressive. This is a Broadway worthy-production. 

Dana Delaney is so warm and charming playing herself. Fans of her work on Desperate Housewives and China Beach will likely be a bit starstruck seeing her on stage. Thomas Murphy Molony is fantastic as Cam, who is so wise and mature for his age. Dot-Marie Jones (Glee) is superb as Cam’s family. Her acting talents are on full display. 

Cost of a ticket: $65 (Main Floor Side)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Get tickets now for Highway Patrol through February 18th. 

Quinn Delaney

Illinoise is about a young man from a small town in Illinois who moves to Chicago and then to New York. It explores his relationships along the way. The music is all from Surfjan Stephen’s 2005 album, Illinois.  

Illinoise is billed as “a new kind of musical”. The actors never speak or sing, so it’s really a dance performance with live music. It could be said that the vocalists are the leads of this production. 

The first vocalist is Shara Nova, who recorded and toured with Surfjan Stevens for Illinoise. She makes music under the moniker My Brightest Diamond. She also sang on Hazards of Love, the 2009 album by The Decemberists. 

Second is Tasha Viets-VanLear, who records music as Tasha. Her 2020 single, “But There’s Still The Moon”, has over 9.3 million streams on Spotify. 

Third is Elijay Lyons, who was last in Sing Street (Huntington Theatre). 

“Chicago” is the most popular song on this album by Surfjan Stevens. It has over 78 million streams on Spotify. “I fell in love again / All things go, all things go / Drove to Chicago / All things know, all things know”.

Josh Peck won the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Carousel in 2018 and the World Choreography Award for Spielberg’s West Side Story. 

Cost of a ticket: $97 (Main Level Back)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price +

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Get tickets now for Illinoise through February 18th! It’s almost sold out!

Quinn Delaney

Emile Griffith is a retired champion boxer suffering from dementia in old age. Flash back to his youth where he was first introduced to boxing just by chance of where he found work. In an early fight, he beats his challenger into a coma which leads to the challenger’s death. This haunts him for the rest of his life. 

This opera does an excellent job of capturing the full life of Emile Griffith, from childhood through old age. The production is very impressive with its massive cast and large moving sets.

PlaylistHQ Tip: Towards the back of the main floor, it is difficult to hear when one person is singing. Listening devices are available at the coat check for free. 

Reginald Smith, Jr. (Grammy and Emmy winner) puts on a powerful performance as the older Emile Griffith. His pain is palpable. Justin Austin is superb as the younger Emile, building a boxer career while hiding his sexuality. Naya Rosalia James is stellar as the youngest Emile. All three of them are all in emotional sync as the opera jumps around in time. Leroy Davis is excellent as the main boxing challenger, who taunts Emile long after the fight. Larry Yando is a great dose of comedic relief as the ring announcer. 

Cost of a ticket: $155 (Main Level Back)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

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

Get tickets now for Champion at the Lyric Opera through February 11th!

Quinn Delaney

Christopher takes the stage with his band and all the ladies scream in excitement. He jumps right into “Honey, I’m So High” from the 2023 soundtrack to “A Beautiful Life”. It’s a great choice to open the night. It’s reminiscent of the song by Tal Bachman, “She’s so High”.  “‘Cause she’s so high / High above me, she’s so lovely”. Both songs are very fun and poppy. Also, they both extend the word high into multiple syllables in the chorus. 

Later on he sings, “Would Ya”. “Darling, for you, darling, for you, I would, mm / I’d do anything, I’d do anything a man should”. This is such a great soulful song that gets everyone dancing along. It would fit right in on a setlist by Mayer Hawthorne. 

“What the hell you talking about love? / I thought I was doing this for us” he begins on “Led Me To You” . This is such a beautiful song that fits in the movie so perfectly. It’s because of the movie, A Beautiful Life, that he is here today. In June of 2023, it was the #1 movie globally on Netflix. He is very excited to be playing in Chicago for the first time. There’s something very special about playing in any city for the first time and he feels that magic tonight. 

In the encore, he sits at the keyboard solo and plays “A Beautiful Life”. Everyone is singing along “‘Baby, I’m pregnant,’ she said / And I saw my whole life / Flash before my eyes”. It’s such a perfect poetic opening to a song. “And I’m gonna miss the times when / It was just the two of us”. He is singing about the end of the first era of his life.  “And I’m gonna miss the times when / It was just the three of us”. Later in the song it jumps to the end of the era of him raising his daughter when she moves in. This song is so heartfelt that it has the audience crying. This made the movie so successful and it is launching Christopher into stardom. He will surely play at a much larger venue next time. 

Cost of a ticket: $25

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value +

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

See a recent setlist here. 

Quinn Delaney

Adam Conover was the host of Adam Ruins Everything from 2015 to 2019. He next hosted The G Word with Adam Conover in 2022.  Tonight, he is appearing at the City Winery in Chicago. 

Adam Conover talks about being diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder) when he was young. His doctor prescribed him Adderall. He said it did help him focus, but not always on the right things. He also had the side effect of grinding his teeth at night. He has since gone off the drug and found other ways to stay focused. One strategy is to keep his hands busy. He loves to eat pistachios, which really requires a lot of effort to eat. He jokes that he has a piece of string cheese at home which he is still working on. 

Conover also talks about his girlfriend of 15 years. They don’t have any kids and they have never married. “We are winning” he says. Many of his friends have married and then divorced. He thinks attending a divorce could be a lot of fun. 

Later in the evening, he talks about taking the bus in LA.  His friends are often amazed that he does this. ‘Isn’t it dangerous?” He would explain that it’s way more dangerous to be in a car during an accident than on a bus. This leads to a long bit about cars. He imagines talking to a child in the future about how everyone used to drive cars everywhere. “Were they safe?” “Oh no, they are very dangerous and many people died every year.” “Is it hard to get a license?” “No, there is just one short test that you take when you are 16!” “Were they cheap?” “Not at all, they were very expensive. And you had to have driver’s insurance. But we didn’t need to have health insurance!” “Was it easy to travel with?” “Nope!” (Traffic and parking). 

Overall, it was a very funny show and very informative about Conover’s life. Compared to his TV shows, his comedy is much more adult themed, so leave the kids at home. 

Cost of a ticket: $53

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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Quinn Delaney

The show begins with a sizzle reel about Stephen Kellogg. It mentions how he has released 18 albums and performed over 3,000 shows. It mentions his book from 2020, Objects in the Mirror: Thoughts on a Perfect Life from an Imperfect Person.  It also shows clips from the documentary about him, Last Man Standing, which was posted on YouTube in 2022. 

After the video finishes, Stephen Kellogg takes the stage to a grand applause. He begins with a quote from a Leonard Cohen poem, “If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick every day”. He explains that it means you have to go with the waves of life instead of trying to fight them. It leads perfectly into his first song, “Ocean”.

Many of the songs he sings tonight were released with his band, Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. The band went on hiatus in 2012, but his band mates join him at live shows from time to time. One of those songs that he plays tonight is “Satisfied Man” “Well there’s one thing on earth that no one can touch / It’s the sleep of a satisfied man.”

He talks a lot about his four children during the show. Some of these stories are quite funny. This leads into the sweet song, “It Goes Fast”. “So if I hold your hand too long, or embarrass you in class / Know I’m only hanging on, cause it goes fast”

This tour name is “Sit Down & Stand Up”. In between songs, he tells many stories that include jokes. So, it’s more like storytelling rather than traditional stand-up. It works very well for his singer-songwriter style. He has one part where he talks about death by champagne. He jokes that the audience will be able to say that they heard the joke before it was funny!

He also tells a story about golfing with John Daly. His father-in-law is very excited to meet him. His father-in-law goes up to Daly and says he knows someone who knows him. “Did I fuck her?” says Daly. Taken aback, his father responds, “no, it’s a guy” John responds, “Oh, did he suck my dick?”   

He closes with the perfect ending song, “See You Later, See You Soon”. “See you later alligator, I will see you in the moon.”

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $47

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Quinn Delaney