Haven Chicago will cease operations after their final production, Hedwig & The Angry Inch. Check out their closing statement here.
In tribute to Haven, here is a list of shows we reviewed, ranked by quality:
#1) KISS (August 2019)
#2) Get Out Alive (August 2022)
#3) The Total Bent (March 2019)
#4) How We Got On (October 2016)
Also, a special shoutout to the Director’s Haven, which they are hoping can continue past their closing.
Quinn Delaney
After some heavy pouring rain, the skies clear up just in time for Vulfpeck’s set. They start with the title track from their 2014 album, Fugue State. The party is instantly started with this funky jam.
Next up is “Animal Spirits” from their 2016 album, The Beautiful Game. This is such a fun song that is reminiscent of Jackson Five’s “ABC”, and just as catchy.
Later on, they play the fantastic “Cory Wong”, which is also on The Beautiful Game album. This song features the lead guitarist, Cory Wong, laying down some nasty grooves. Cory Wong also tours under his own name. See our review of him from February 2022 here.
Past midway in the set, they play “LAX” from 2020’s The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate. This song has such joyful lyrics. “You won’t regret it / I won’t forget this, baby, hey / I love my baby, she’s the best / She picks me up at LAX”. It’s a great love song.
For the penultimate song, they made it Christmas in July with “Christmas in L.A.” This one puts a huge smile on everyone’s face as they dance along. They localize the song by switching “in LA” to “in Midway”. The whole audience singing repeatedly “in Midway” is a fantastic moment that everyone will remember.
Overall, it was a set full of fantastic energy, excellent jams, and the joy of music. It was a perfect close to the Rose on the River festival.
See the full setlist here.
Cost of a ticket: $118
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
These three comedians work at Saturday Night Live. They have the summer off from the job, so they are touring together.
Andrew Dismukes was raised by a single mom. She had to be both parents. “She encouraged me to cry, but then she called me a pussy when I did!” He also talked about being from a small town in Texas. Anything foreign was very fun to him. He met a German lady at Disney World and he laughed about it with his siblings for years. He also joked a lot about his older brother who was goth growing up.
James Austin Johnson has a 2 year old son and his wife is a much bigger influence on him since he is away working so often. At the zoo, they go to the bathroom and discover their kid has a big rash. The boy exclaims, “Oh no, my penis! Oh goodness, my penis!” James says that if he were the bigger influence, he would be saying “Oh shit, fuck, my tinkle!” which is definitely not better.
Devon Walker’s girlfriend told him that she slept with one of his friend after they broke up. But it wasn’t a close friend, more like a tertiary level friend. He didn’t have any comeback at the time, but he has come up with a few now He picks an audience member to tell him “I slept with your friend”. He responds, oh ya, well I know he is really bad in bed! On his 2nd attempt, he says, well, I know he’s really fertile and I hope you enjoy starting a family with him!
Overall, it was a night full of many laughs. The Den Theatre has become a fantastic destination for touring comedians. Check out their list of future shows here.
Cost of a ticket: $33
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
Wai is living in NYC making videos for his YouTube channel. His good friend, David, stops by to use the bathroom. He is on his way to his date with a guy who looks like Zac Efron. Later on, Wai convinces him to join in creating videos. Hidden feelings are slowly revealed which lead to great dramatics.
David Rhee and Wai Yim have written a very modern story about two gay Asian Americans (Gaysians) looking for love. Hansel Tan is great as David, who really enjoys the fame of internet success. Wai Yim is good as Wai, who has many secrets. Gordon Chow is fabulous as the Queen of Swords and many others. Cheryl Hamada and Wai Ching Ho are sold in their prerecorded roles.
See the program here.
Get tickets now for Zac Efron through July 21st.
Cost of a ticket: $45
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
Ethan returns to his hometown in rural Idaho after the death of his father to settle the estate. He stays with his only remaining family member, his father’s sister, Aunt Sarah. After selling the house and paying the debts, he decides to stay because he has nothing in Seattle to go back to, he wants to take care of Sarah, and he has started to date James.
Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale, Baskets) has written a fantastically funny and deep play. The characters are fully realized and the cast does an incredible job of bringing them to life and exploring their relationships.
Laurie Metcalf (Original Steppenwolf Ensemble Member, Roseanne) is outstanding as the aunt who is so funny and likable. Micah Stock (Brittany Runs a Marathon) is fantastic as Ethan, who is very lost in life as he tries to figure out who he is. John Drea (American Psycho, Chagall in School) is excellent as James, who is very kind and caring. Lastly, Meighan Gerachis (POTUS, Domesticated) is solid in her supporting role.
Overall, it’s a fantastic production that should not be missed. Steppenwolf has once again proved they are one of the best theatres in the country.
Cost of a ticket: $97 (Orchestra Sides)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Little Bear Ridge Road through August 4th!
Quinn Delaney
The novel Kite Runner was first published in 2003 by Khaled Hosseini. It was adapted into a play by Matthew Spangler and the first stage production was in 2007 at San Jose State University. The film version was also released that year. And now it opens at the CIBC Theatre in June of 2024.
Warning: This trailer contains some spoilers for the play.
Amir grew up in Afghanistan with his best friend, Hassan, who is the son of the family servant. After a tragic incident, Hassan’s family decides to move away for safety. Later on, Amir’s father also chooses to move away when the Russians invade. While living in Pakistan, they are granted asylum in the US, and they move to San Francisco. One day, Amir is called upon to return to Afghanistan for a very important mission.
Khaled Hosseini has written a very powerful story. It’s a gut wrenching tale about the difficult life in Afghanistan and the brutality of the hatred between the different groups of people there.
Ramzi Khalaf is outstanding as Amir, who goes through a major transformation in the story. Shahzeb Zahid Hussain is excellent as the joyful and innocent Hassan. Haythem Noor is a powerful force as the father. The rest of the cast puts on an amazing performance as well.
Overall, it’s a very heavy play (don’t bring the kids), but it is well worth the time. As they say in the play, “Sad stories make good books.”
Cost of a ticket: $109 (Orchestra Sides)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for The Kite Runner through June 23rd!
Quinn Delaney
David Kwong is the Enigmatist. He is a magician and a crossword constructor. He does many card tricks on stage including one trick where he is holding the full deck in one hand and manages to send a card spinning quickly in the air to his other hand. It’s quite an impressive feat. There are also many tricks that have the audience in awe without any idea how he did them. Also, there are five puzzles in the show that the audience is invited to solve. Lastly, he creates a full crossword puzzle live on stage from scratch. It’s very spectacular, especially after he reveals all the callbacks to earlier in the show that he placed into the crossword.
David Kwong is very charismatic and funny as he introduces each puzzle and magic trick. He describes magic as a puzzle that you can’t solve, which is a great insight.
Overall, it’s an expertly crafted show that all fans of magic and puzzles should definitely see.
Cost of a ticket: $69
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Discounted +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for The Enigmatist through June 30th.
Quinn Delaney
Four students in Iran are taking a class to prepare for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). One of the students needs to pass in order to attend medical school in Australia. Another is learning English to speak to her grandchild. The third student is learning for the abundance of options that it provides. The last fourth’s motives are unknown. Lastly, the teacher lived in Manchester, England, for 9 years, but returned for an unknown reason.
Sanaz Toossi has written a Pulitzer Prize winning drama exploring the lives of these students and their teacher. The stakes of this test can be very high and the difficulty to learn can be very stressful.
Roxanna Hope Radja is great as the teacher, who is very strict about only speaking English in class. Nikki Massoud is solid as the future Australian student who really dislikes the English language. Sahar Bibiyan is fantastic as the grandmother who tries so hard to connect with her son and grandchild. Pej Vahdat is excellent as the student who is very secretive about his plans. Shadee Vossoughi is great as the student exploring her options.
Overall, it’s an excellent exploration of language as a form of identity.
Get tickets now for English through June 16th!
Cost of a ticket: $55 (Main Floor)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
DeeOhGee are from Nashville, TN. Their name comes from Waylon Jennings’s “Waymore’s Blues”. Tonight is their first show at The Hideout.
Early in the set, they introduce the next song by talking about the photo on the cover of their 2023 single, “Down on the Farm”. It was taken up in Wisconsin. Later on, the farmer sent them the pigs, cut up into little pieces for eating. “So, this next one is for the pigs, RIP!” says the lead singer, Matthew Paige.
Later on they play the title track of their 2021 album, “New Way of Life”. This song launches out of the gate to start and maintains it’s speed throughout. It’s a rocker that has the whole crowd dancing and having a great time.
They also play another single from 2023, “NaNaNa”. It features some great guitar. Also, it’s such a joy to sing along. “Na na na na na na na na…”.
Overall, DeeOhGee put on a fantastic show and they will surely be back in Chicago soon playing larger venues as their popularity grows!
Cost of a ticket: $24
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
The film version of Death Becomes Her was released in 1992 starring Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, and Isabella Rossellini. The musical version just opened at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Performance will begin on Broadway in October of this year.
Two friends have a major rivalry. One becomes a writer, but doesn’t have a hit. The other becomes a star actress who always likes to hear about her friend’s troubles. One day the writer arrives with her fiancé, and the actress is incredibly jealous. As the actress begin to age, she starts losing her star power. So, she takes a potion which will give her everlasting beauty.
This musical is hilarious. An example of this humor is when the actress tells the writer to give up on her dreams and become a pharmacist. It’s like being a doctor and a cashier! It’s very campy and fun. The music and the dancing are extremely well done. It is definitely Broadway worthy.
Megan Hilty (Smash, Wicked) is fantastic as the self-obsessed actress who will do anything to be the best. Jennifer Simard is superb as the writer, a very competitive frenemy. Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child) is splendid as the supplier of the potion. Christopher Sieber is solid as the fiancé, the straight man of the play.
Overall, it’s a fantastic experience. It’s the best of Broadway in Chicago and a worthy contender for the hottest ticket in town among the many great shows currently playing in Chicago.
Cost of a ticket: $100 (Orchestra Side)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Death Becomes Her through June 2nd!
Quinn Delaney
PlaylistHQ 