This musical has no dialog. It’s all singing and dancing. This can be a bit exhausting. Even during a rock concert, the band usually talks to the audience a bit.

The action really picks up in the second half of the show when Jesus gets pelted with glitter 39 times and then crucified. It also contains the biggest song, “Superstar.

The choreography is excellent in this production. The amount of dancers on stage all moving in sync is grand. Also, the makeup work on Jesus’s wounds are very impressive. It’s pretty graphic.

Cost of a ticket: $91.50 (Orchestra Seating)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price

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

Get tickets now for Jesus Christ Superstar at Cadillac Palace Theatre through July 31^st!

Quinn Delaney

Post Animal are a solid rock band from Chicago. They are beyond excited to be opening for 5 Seconds of Summer at Northerly Island. This includes many excellent solos by every member of the band as they dance across the stage.

On “When I Get Home”, they sing

“When I get home
What if I just do not let you in
When I get home
Because I know that you won’t stay
When I get home
Maybe I’d prefer to be alone
When I get home
I know better than to say we can do it again
We can do it again”

The band includes Dalton Allison (bass/vocals), Jake Hirshland (guitar/keyboard/vocals), Javi Reyes (guitar/vocals), Wesley Toledo (drums/vocals), and Matt Williams (guitar/vocals).

Quinn Delaney

As it rained all day, you couldn’t help but wonder if it would stop in time for the show. Around 7pm, the rain did stop just in time for the show to go on to delight of all the fans.

Early on in the set, Norah plays “Sunrise” This is such a beautiful song and the audience quickly realizes they are in the presence of a truly talented artist.

In a special moment, Norah brings out the opener, Emily King, to join her for a song. Then, she brings out Mavis Staples to sing with her as well. The audience erupts into applause at this great surprise. They go on to sing “I’ll Be Gone”, which Norah and Mavis recorded together for the Deluxe Edition of here 2020 album, Pick Me Up Off The Floor. It was a truly magical moment to see these three great artists perform together.

This is the 20^th Anniversary Come Away With Me Tour, thus it’s no surprise when she plays the title track, but everyone is still so happy when she does. It is such a beautiful song. “Come away with me in the night / Come away with me / And I will write you a song”. It’s an expertly written song with lyrics that match perfectly with the music.

To close out the set, she plays her biggest hit, “Don’t Know Why” which has over 344 million streams on Spotify. At this moment, the audience is so glad the show was not rained out and they are able to hear this song live. It was well worth the trek across the soaked city and sitting on “wet butts”, as Norah said.  

See the full setlist here.

Quinn Delaney

The film version of Cruel Intentions was released in 1999 starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon. The musical was created in 2015 and made it’s Off-Broadway debut in 2017. In June of 2022, it opened at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago.

Two step-siblings place a bet on whether the brother can deflower the headmaster’s daughter. If the sister wins, she gets his car. If he wins, she will sleep with him.

The soundtrack is jam packed with 90s hits that are expertly interweaved into the plot. Also, the choreography matches with the lyrics perfectly. When each new song is recognized, the audience can’t help but to smile.  “Colorblind” and “Bittersweet Symphony” are both in the film and in the musical.  If you really enjoyed the Goo Goo Dolls song, “Iris”, you can see them August 4^th at Northerly Island!

The cast is incredibly talented. They are all triple threats with their acting, singing, and dancing. Also, the band sounds so good it’s hard to believe it wasn’t prerecorded.

Get tickets now for Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical through August 21!

Cost of a ticket: $44

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

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

Quinn Delaney

Pharus is a senior at an all boys school. He is very happy to be the head of the choir. One of the guys in the choir, the nephew of the headmaster, really doesn’t like his style and often calls him gay slurs. Pharus refuses to tattle on him, but he does call a vote that results in the removal of him from the choir, which is just the beginning of the story.  

This play really draws you into life at this school. From the classroom to the bedroom, to the locker room, it draws a complete picture. It is very heartfelt. Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight) has written a piece that is very worth of the Tony Nomination for Best Play in 2019.

The singing of the a cappella gospel hymns is excellent along with the acting. It’s not a musical, but a play with music. Also, the set is very impressive. It includes five working showers in addition to five large portraits of black leaders.

Jos N. Banks is stellar as Pharus, who is on a journey to find himself. Gilbert Domally is great as the nephew who is dealing with some issues of his own. Sheldon D Brown (Magnolia Ballet) is superb as the very friendly and kind roommate of Pharus. Samuel B. Jackson’s baritone vocals are very impressive. Richard David is great as a fellow choir member focused on graduating. Le Shawn Banks steals many scenes as the energetic headmaster trying his best. Lastly, William Dick is solid as the teacher brought in to teach a special class about thinking.

Cost of a ticket: $74 (Back of the Main Floor)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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

Get tickets now for Choir Boy through July 24^th!

Quinn Delaney

Alice has a fight with her father right before he dies in a car accident. The crash was at 8:22pm, but he was supposed to be on a flight at 8pm. She wonders why wasn’t he on the flight. Did he skip the flight to go look for her? Was he having an affair?

The mystery of what happened draws the audience in. As more details emerge, more questions arise. Britta Johnson has written an excellent musical about dealing with loss that is never too dark. She drew a lot from her own experience of losing her father at age 13.

The singing and choreography is fantastic. Also, the shifting three story set is impressive. This production is definitely Broadway worthy.

There is no intermission. It would be great if some performances have an intermission just like they have some with Spanish subtitles or with American Sign Language.

Samantha Williams is excellent as Alice struggling to find out the circumstances of her father’s death. Paul Alexander Nolan is fantastic as the charming and fun father appearing in many flashbacks. Bryonha Marie Parham is great as Alice’s mother encouraging her to move on. Lucy Panush is solid as Alice’s best friend. Skyler Volpe is excellent as Alice’s sister, who feels a bit overlooked by her father. Ashley Perez Flanagan, Lauryn Hobbs, and Chelsea Williams are all so funny as the Greek chorus constantly commenting on the situation Jen Sese is superb as Alice’s debate teacher, especially in the debate about whether her father’s death was her fault.

Cost of a ticket: $70

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It+

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

Get tickets now for Life After at the Goodman Theatre!

Quinn Delaney

The Lineup for River North Live!

Friday (all start times are tentative and subject to change)
The Calling – 8:15pm – “Wherever You Will Go” has 447 Million Streams

Letdown. – 6:00pm – “Love Is A Weapon” has 4 Million Streams

Jaclyn Heuser – 5:00pm – “Forgotten” has 1,800+ Streams

Saturday
Emo Night Brooklyn – 7:45pm – ENB is an event that celebrates the Emo / Pop Punk genere with DJ sets and live performances

Michigander – 6:15pm – “Misery” has 6.9 Million Streams

Wildermiss – 5:00pm – “Carry Your Heart” has 1.1 Millions Streams

Sunday

Baysik – featuring Brendan & Ryan of Umphrey’s McGee – 6:00pm
Old Shoe – 4:00pm – “Welcome Home” has 35,000+ Streams

• Cost of a ticket: $10 – $50 (VIP)
• PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value
• Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for River North Live!

Quinn Delaney

This concert is inspired by Judy Garland’s 100^th birthday on June 11^th. Thus, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” is a perfect fit for the evening. “Now that it’s your birthday, I don’t know what to do / Can’t give you a Thunderbird, or a penthouse with a view / Can’t even buy a little present / I’m much to broke, I find.” It sounds excellent sung by Rufus.

When he was growing up, his mother would accompany him on piano for “Over The Rainbow”. In a tribute to her, he starts singing the song acapella. Aftera few lines alone, the piano and bass join in. It’s a beautiful song and takes everyone back to when they were a child watching The Wizard of Oz.

To start the encore, he says that the original plan was to only play the second half of the concert for the late show. However, he felt it was coming up a bit thin. So, he decided to add a song from the first half that is a can’t miss Judy song, “The Man That Got Away”. This is an unexpected treat that is very welcomed this evening.

“Chicago” is the perfect song to close out the night. “I saw a man dancing with his own wife / And you’ll never guess where… / Chicago, Chicago–that toddlin’ town, that toddlin’ town!” The city still lives up to this great song and Rufus loves to come play here. He was last in town last September at the Chicago Theatre with José González. See our review here.

Cost of a ticket: $85 – $155

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price

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

Quinn Delaney

Welcome to our country club in Connecticut. It’s diverse because we have him (motions to the one black guy). We have so many amenities including a golf course, two swimming pools, and a sandbox where you can leave your kids. Cut to a scene where a parent is digging frantically in sandbox. My son is buried in the sand! Help! Another person steps us and says “Stop digging, he’s gone. This happens all time, it’s okay.” Cut to later on in the same location. Hi, I’m from Des Moines. Oh, hi, I’m from Marshalltown, which is also in Iowa. Then a third person enters and says “Excuse me, can you move, I’m trying to put here.” Oh, this hole is closed. A kid died here.

This is the crazy scene completely improvised by the cast for the third act. It exemplifies their great improvisational talent and creativity. The audience is laughing the entire show through scene likes this in addition to all the great scripted material.

E.J. Cameron (The Best Decision You’ve Ever Made, Grinning from Fear to Fear) is great as the one black guy at the country club. He is truly having a great time on stage, especially when making audience members uncomfortable. Evan Mills (Together at Last) is excellent while singing his song in which he instructs people to raise their hand if they fall into certain groups. Both of them could easily be on SNL soon. Julia Morales is so funny as the manager of Blackbuster, where they rent out the black version of every movie. Kiley Fitzgerald is so funny in a scene where she is sprawling around on the floor. Andy Bolduc is exceptional as so many characters including the man doing an Irish goodbye. Lastly, Claire McFadden is hilarious as the immigrant completely lost in the support group for people with unpopular beliefs.

Cost of a ticket: $35 and up
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Do the Right Thing, No Worries If Not!

Quinn Delaney

Erin Rae has a very good voice. It’s very soothing and matches well with her folky southern rock and roll style. It’s perfect music for a summer BBQ. The electric guitarist, Sean Thompson, shines during his solos. The drummer, Griffin Photoglou, and bassist, Alec O’Connell, are absolutely solid as well.

To close out the set, they play “Modern Woman”.  “Round up the old perceptions / Lay them on down / They’re only tellin’ stories and they’re / Getting in the way / Right now / Cause you can’t see the future / Can’t change the past / Come see a modern woman”. It’s a great example of their smooth Nashville sound.

See a recent setlist here.

Quinn Delaney