Despite rumors of its demise, live performance is still happening in abundance on Chicago stages this season. Here are just a few suggestions in opera, dance, theater, and comedy to consider in the months ahead. And as always, be sure to check out our updated reviews and features every week for the latest comprehensive coverage. […]
Tag: comedy
Posted inArts & Culture
Comedic meditations
Since making her network television debut in 2015 on Last Call with Carson Daly, Marcella Arguello has been annihilating crowds with her stand-up. A native of Modesto, California, who now resides in Los Angeles, Arguello is one of the hardest working comedians around. In 2023 she made her HBO Max half-hour special debut with Bitch, […]
Posted inTheater Review
Daydream believers
The less political Second City tries to be, the more effective they are. At least, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to after seeing last year’s stellar mainstage revue, Do the Right Thing, No Worries If Not, followed by their latest, Don’t Quit Your Daydream. Don’t Quit Your Daydream Open run: Tue-Thu 8 PM, Fri-Sat 7 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Did you hear about this?’
We don’t want to jinx anything, but when it comes to live performance, have the vibes this summer felt a little . . . dare we say . . . better? For a lot of queer comedic writers and performers, the answer is likely a resounding, “God, no,” which would be a fair response to […]
Posted inThe To-Do
Microcinema, rock ’n’ roll photography, and more
Warming temperatures mean it’s time to get out there and strut. From book signings to variety shows, there’s something coming up for everyone’s walking speed. Sweet Void Cinema screeningssweetvoidcinema.com The Humboldt Park-based production company and microcinema Sweet Void Cinema (3036 W. Chicago, Suite 1W) collects shorts from local filmmakers and screens them monthly as a […]
Posted inTheater Review
Satirical Race Theory makes comedy look easy
The phrase “white spaces” evokes quite a few strong images. Kohl’s. The LDS Church. Late-night talk show desks. Bar Harbor, Maine. And, for too many comics, improv clubs. It’s no secret that the sketch, stand-up, and improv worlds have long been incubators for exclusion and toxicity as much as laughter, and clubs have—to varying levels […]
Posted inPerforming Arts Feature
Spring in our steps
Winter might have been more mild than usual this year, but spring is coming in hot with live performances to light up the season. From remounts of favorites to world premieres, Chicago stages offer an intriguing seasonal bouquet in dance, opera, theater, comedy, and more. Here are 20 shows to consider in the days and […]
Posted inTheater Review
Dance party, comedy extravaganza
WTF is Black Joy, anyway? Rob Wilson aims to get into specifics with his Second City directorial debut, Dance Like There Are Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Revue. Second City has long been revered for being an improvisational comedian factory: many comics sharpen their steel within the hallowed halls and go on to have […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Don’t ask why it’s funny
A lot of funny people would call Bruce McCulloch a comedy legend—just none of them named “Bruce McCulloch.” For more than 30 years, the writer, director, actor, musician, and founding member of The Kids in the Hall has been an influential voice across comedy mediums. A punk aficionado with a love of the inexplicable, McCulloch […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Roasted, with love
Brooklynite and professional ballbuster Ashley Gavin has a nickname among her fans: “Mommy.” Or, as rudely shouted by one lady in the audience last week, “asshole.” She’s technically neither, but as a nationally touring stand-up and host of the comedy podcast We’re Having Gay Sex, that hasn’t stopped her from cultivating a significant following of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Gray days, but vibrant stages
We’re finally getting a taste of the usual winter weather, but that’s no reason to stay housebound. (Unless you’re being extra COVID-cautious, for which we don’t blame you!) But if you’re up for some cultural adventures, there are some great possibilities on tap the next couple of months. Chicago Theatre Week, sponsored every year by […]
Posted inFeature
Getting sober and drawing rabbits
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve been drawing rabbits,” said Whitney Wasson. The Chicago-based comics artist and comedian said that rabbits are cute and easy to draw, which were two ideal qualities for their early childhood doodles. “[The drawing] could be terrible, but as long as you [make] long rabbit ears it reads as […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A whole mess of comedy
When I was in theater classes at Columbia College Chicago back in the Pleistocene era (i.e., the late 1980s), certain reverse-snob assumptions came out from time to time about the Theatre School at DePaul (which had changed its moniker a few years earlier from the Goodman School of Drama). DePaul was, to us, the high-toned […]
Posted inFilm
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion introduces us to the eclectic cast of characters with a puzzling invitation. And I mean that literally.