This fun musical is about Obama’s political career from 2004 to 2012 as remembered by Joe Biden. It pokes fun at many of the political figures of that era including Mitch McConnell, Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, Herman Cain, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and Michelle. It also includes Obama’s biggest accomplishments and failures.
The music is very catchy. You’ll definitely be singing the songs after the show, but watch out where you do, as a lot of the lyrics are full of profanity.
The New York cast is fantastic. You won’t want to miss your chance to see them in Chicago.
You can also find more videos of songs on their YouTube page that are not included in this version of the show including ones with John Boehner.
Cost of a ticket: $78.50 (Orchestra)
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Get tickets now for 44 – The Musical through September 21st!
Lake Street Dive street dive kicks things off as the crowd arrives. One of their best songs is the title track from their 2014 album, Bad Self Portraits. “I’m taking night classes / I’m making sculptures / I’m painting bad self portraits / of a lonely woman.” It’s a heartbreaking song with such a joyful sound.
St. Vincent is next up. She continues the theme of breakup songs with “New York” from her 2017 album, MASSEDUCTION. “Where you’re the only motherfucker in the city who can stand me / I have lost a hero, I have lost a friend / But for you, darling, I’d do it all again”. It’s an absolutely beautiful song.
The lead singer of the Lumineers says “Some people tell me they chose one of our songs as their wedding song. When I ask which song, they say ‘Ho Hey’ (Their most popular song on Spotify, with over 1.5 billion streams). That’s a breakup song! I’d like to nominate the following song, ‘Dead Sea’ instead.”
As a tribute to the lead singer’s younger brother who passed away, The Lumineers continue the New York theme by playing “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel. It sounds absolutely fantastic.
Cost of a ticket: $240 (Floor Seats)
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Macseal starts the night off with a bang. Their best song is “Lucky for Some” from their 2019 album, Super Enthusiast. “Everyone’s fallin’ back in love / Fallin’ back in love / Good luck keepin’ your friends / ‘Cause nobody’s fallin’ for ya”. It’s an incredibly catchy tune. Later on, the lead singer of The Starting Line later says to watch as their popularity explodes.
Real Friends are up next. The lead singer, Cody Muraro, is constantly asking the audience for more movement and crowd surfing. The Vic is not an easy place for crowd surfing because of the different levels, but the crowd makes it happen to his delight. Their best song is the rocking “Six Feet” from their 2023 album There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late. “I don’t wanna have to be six feet underground / To feel loved / I don’t wanna have to be a memory / To feel like I’m someone you thought of”. Muraro’s high level of energy throughout the show is quite impressive.
The Starting Line are the last to take the stage. Late in their set, they play “Ready” from their 2005 album, Based On A True Story. It’s a beautiful song that slowly builds. After the song, there is an extended crowd sing-along. It’s a fantastic moment of fans celebrating this excellent song.
They close with “The Best Of Me” from their 2002 album, Say It Like You Mean It. It’s their most popular song on Spotify with over 64 millions streams The entire crowd dances and joyfully sings along “Tell me what you thought about when you were gone and so alone / The worst is over, you can have the best of me / We got older, but we’re still young / We never grew out of this feeling that we won’t give up”. It’s a fantastic final song of the night that sends everyone out with a big smile on their face.
Cost of a ticket: $52
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Dance for Life is an inspiring event that merges talent and philanthropy into one spectacular evening. It brings together the best Chicago dance companies and all proceeds go toward the Chicago Dance Health Fund; a resource which provides financial assistance to professional dancers in their time of need, including covering medical expenses. It is one of the many ways our vibrant dance community joins forces to care for its own.
As dance enthusiasts entered the Auditorium Theatre this year, one could immediately feel the infectious joy that carried through the evening with each performance. The joy and support from the audience radiated to the dancers who in turn delivered a magical evening filled with grace, beauty, precision, and undeniable talent.
This infectious energy carried on to the after party at Venue SIX10. It’s a sophisticated affair with an impeccable ambiance thanks to the decor executed by Kehoe Designs and Black Oak Technical Productions with lead caterer J&L Catering.
Below you will find a photo with the title of the performances along with information for upcoming shows by the dance companies that participated in this year’s Dance for Life.
All Photos by Michelle Reid
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater – Sacred Spaces Next Performance: TBD
The film version of Améliewas released in 2001. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and has an impressive 8.3 rating making it the #111th top rated movie of all time. The musical first premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2015 and on Broadway in 2017. And now, in October of 2025, it opens at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago.
Amélie is a waitress at a cafe in Paris. She spends her time finding joy for others, instead of for herself. Her friends eventually guide her to find love. It’s a very quirky, French, and light-hearted romantic comedy.
The entire cast is impressive as they act, play instruments, and sing. Aurora Penepacker is very sweet and kind as Amélie. Joe Giovannetti (A Chorus Line, Sunset Boulevard) is very charming as Nino. Mizha Lee Overn is great in her many roles.
A Great Big World are a musical duo from New York. Tonight, Chad King is not on stage due to some personal issues. So, Ian Axel has brought along a guitarist instead.
They open with “Can We Go Back Home” from their 2021 album, Particles. It’s an absolutely beautiful song. After finishing, Ian jokes “Please don’t go home”.
Later on, they cover Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. Instead of singing, “I’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby”, he swaps in Matchbox 20, in a nod to the headliner of the night. Kate Peytavin also covered this song earlier in the year at the Salt Shed.
The guitarist leaves the stage and then Ian plays “Say Something” solo from their 2014 album “Is There Anybody Out There?”. This is their most popular song on Spotify with a whopping 1.1 billion streams! This song was featured in South Park Season 19, Episode 6 “Tweek x Craig”. In this satirical animation and live tonight, the song strikes an emotional chord. The audience is on their feet singing along.
They close with the title track from their 2018 album, Younger. “Butterflies in my chest when I asked for your number / You smiled and said, “you’re funny” / Two words and I was gone / You wrote it on my arm / I swear, we set off the alarm”. It’s such a fun song about looking back at your childhood.
At just 25 minutes, this was just a quick taste of A Great Big World. Hopefully they’ll be back soon to play a full set.
Check out our review of Genevieve, who opened for them at Lincoln Hall in 2016.
The press release below does an excellent job introducing the characters and the story:
The cast includes Michael D. Graham, a 2025 Jeff Award winner for his direction of the play LIGHT SWITCH with Open Space Arts, as the real-life New York lawyer and powerbroker, Roy Cohn, a closeted gay man who disavows other gays and cares only about amassing clout. Cohn becomes a bad influence on Joe Pitt, a Mormon, Republican lawyer struggling with his own sexual identity. Pitt is played by Joe Bushell (Thank God It’s Monday, Rooftop Theatre), seen this past season in DAMES AT SEA with Citadel Theatre. Cast as Prior Walter, a young man who has contracted AIDS, is Ryan Hake (SEVEN MINUTES TO LIVE, Chicago Dramatists). Playing Louis Ironson, an anxious and verbose man who, at the start of the play, breaks off his relationship with Prior out of fear of Prior’s infection, is Grant Carriker, seen earlier this year in Tony Kushner’s A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY with Blank Theatre Company.
The nurse Belize, who cares for both Prior Walter and Roy Cohn when they are hospitalized for AIDS, will be Miguel Long. Long appeared in MEDEA MATERIAL with Trap Door Theatre last fall. Joe Pitt’s wife, Harper, will be played by Anne Trodden, seen last year as the ambitious TV executive Diana Christensen in Invictus’s Network. Joe Pitt’s mother Hannah, a devout Mormon who moves to New York from Utah when she learns of her son’s marital trouble, will be portrayed by Renae Stone, of Invictus’s THREE SISTERS. Nicki Rossi (MADAM AND STEVE at Greenhouse Theatre Center) will appear as The Angel, an imposing, terrifying, divine presence who descends from Heaven to bestow prophecy on Prior.
Dirty Honey quickly shows why they are a great choice to open tonight. They have a great stage presence and put on a high energy performance. Towards the end of their set, they play “When I’m Gone” from their self-titled debut. It’s their most popular song on Spotify with over 25 million streams. The influence of Led Zeppelin is clearly heard on this rocker. They will surely be back in Chicago soon, possibly headlining at the Vic Theatre.
As soon as The Struts take the stage, it’s clear this is no ordinary band. It’s a full on glam rock band in the vein of The Darkness about to put on one hell of a show.
This is the 10th Anniversary tour of their debut album, Everybody Wants. They are playing the entire album. The second song is “Could Have Been Me”. The song sounds strong and fresh and yet still similar to classic rock songs. It’s the sign of a fantastically written track that is timeless. The crowd sings along “Don’t wanna waste one line / I wanna live better days / Never look back and say / Could have been me”.
This is immediately followed by “Kiss This”. This song completely rocks and the audience dances along to Luke singing. “I did all I could / So kiss this one more time / ‘Cause I’m gone for good”.
In their encore, they play the title track from their latest album, Pretty Vicious. This track has a darker and more ominous sound that sounds excellent. It’s a great sign that the band will be able innovate with their new music.
The combination of their over-sized stage presence and excellent songs continues to skyrocket their well-deserved popularity. Catch them on tour now in middle sized venues now while you still can!
Cost of a ticket: $50 PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value – Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Parade premiered on Broadway in December 1998. It won the Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score. In 2023, it was revived and won Best Revival of a Musical. And now, in August of 2025, it opens at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago.
In 1913, a 14-year-old girl is murdered in a pencil factory during the Memorial Day parade. There are only two suspects, the night watchman and the superintendent, who is Jewish. There isn’t any physical evidence, so all they have to go on is testimonies from witnesses. The prosecutor pressures the witnesses to say what he wants them to say.
Alfred Uhry (book), Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics), and Harold Prince (co-conceived) have written a thrilling true crime legal drama. The audience is at the edge of their seat waiting to see what will happen next.
This production is full of great singing by the entire cast. Max Chernin is excellent as the superintendent. He expertly transforms in scenes where he is acting out how the witnesses portray him. Talia Suskauer is superb as his wife, who is his greatest advocate and support during this very difficult time.
Cost of a ticket: $98 (Orchestra)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
This tour is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the release of Death Cab for Cutie’s Plans. They are playing the entire album.
The fifth song, “I Will Follow You into the Dark” features just the lead singer and bandleader, Ben Gibbard, on acoustic guitar. It’s their most popular song on Spotify with over 353 million streams. “And if Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied / And illuminate the no’s on their vacancy signs / If there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks / Then I’ll follow you into the dark”. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song.
For the ninth song, they play “What Sarah Said”. This song is melancholic and elegant. “That love is watching someone die / So who’s gonna watch you die?”
After the last song of “Plans”, Ben does a curtsey and then they launch into “The New Year” from 2003’s Transatlanticsism.
They played Scubas exactly 26 years ago for 7 people, 8 of which where in the other bands, according to Gibbard!
Later on, they play You Are a Tourist from their 2011 album, “Codes and Keys”. On this song, and really all night long, the lead guitar playing by Dave Depper is fantastic.
At 6 or 7 shows, someone has passed out from edibles. But not so far tonight, because Chicago knows how to party.
To begin the encore, they play “I Will Possess Your Heart” from their 2008 album, Narrow Stairs. This song has a very long instrumental intro that doesn’t work well on the radio, but is absolutely fantastic live.
“After this tour, we’re going home to make a new record, and then we’ll be back!” says Ben!
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