Jaq Seifert admits that the title of the holiday show they created, The Buttcracker, came to them while sitting around a campfire in 2015. “I was hanging out with some burlesque dancers,” they recall. “I had been working at a burlesque theater for a little bit as a sort of company manager. We were just […]
Tag: The Nutcracker
Posted inArts & Culture
Sara Schumann uses her dance and law background to keep Madison Ballet on pointe
The longtime Chicago dancer and labor lawyer turns Nutcracker revenues into new initiatives.
Posted inArts & Culture
The Nutcracker retains its hold on the heart
The House Theatre’s annual tradition remains one of Chicago’s best seasonal offerings.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Roosevelt’s revolving door
In: a new Auditorium Theatre CEO; out: 16 board members, an associate dean, and the Joffrey Ballet
Posted inArts & Culture
Of shoes and sugarplums
The company’s shoe manager tells us what it takes to keep the company on its toes.
Posted inArts & Culture
House Theatre’s no-dancing Nutcracker finds light in wartime darkness
The show moves from holiday hijinks to deep sadness with plenty of sweetness throughout.
Posted inArts & Culture
Here are 19 shows to get you into the holiday spirit
Christmas trains, elves, bingo, showgirls, and many, many carols, plus the Quranic perspective and Hanukkah goblins.
Posted inArts & Culture
Thirteen holiday shows that will delight (or disgust or bore or just entertain) you
Hell in a Handbag’s 20th annual production of Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer is among the yuletide highlights.
Posted inArts & Culture
Beautiful, Bad Hombres, and nine more holiday stage shows to see
An Equity touring production of the Carole King musical and an evening of Latinx sketch comedy are among this week’s best bets.
Posted inArts & Culture
No Blue Memories, Significant Other, and seven more stage shows to see now
There’s a raft of recommended new plays this week.
Posted inArts & Culture
The Joffrey’s new Nutcracker spellbinds amid the snow
Christopher Wheeldon’s update of the classic puts class consciousness at the forefront, to illuminating effect.
Posted inBlogs
The Joffrey’s new Nutcracker is set in Chicago on the grounds of the 1893 World’s Fair
Christopher Wheeldon’s $4 million production grounds the fantasy in working-class life.
Posted inBlogs
Renegade Holiday Craft Fair, Marc Maron, and more things to do in Chicago this weekend
The Nutcracker, Krampusfest, and other happenings from December 2-4
Posted inArts & Culture
After the Dance, End of the Rainbow, and ten more new theater reviews
A Chicago premiere from Runcible and another success from Porchlight are among this week’s best bets.
Posted inArts & Culture
What we learned at the Chicago Humanities Festival
There was a ton of valuable information, but it was received in advance of a bleak future.