Chicago Lifestyle Podcast & Video Blog
On one level this is a joyous expression of the Irish people through song but it is also a reminder of pain and struggle but with a wink and nod because Frank McCourt wants us to see the absurdity of life and the humor in …
There are two good reasons to see Harvey, by St. Sebastian Players. One is the humorous quirky Pulitzer Prize winning script by Mary Chase and the other is the exceptional performance of Jeff Broitman as Elwood Dowd, the pleasant oddball fellow whose companion and best …
Confederates by playwright Dominique Morrisseau and directed by Aaron Reese Boseman is the level of writing and performance I hope to see when attending a play.
This intimate drama at Redtwist Theater delivers a message of unconscious bias and institutional slavery put into motion generations ago and still very much alive and grappled with today on both sides of the racial divide.
The expert handling of this somewhat complex storyline along with the requisite dialog in both academic and historic vernacular is superb. Each of these actors have literally consumed their roles by internalizing the material and performing with total believability, naturalness and nuance.
This is the style of acting that I yearn for . . .
How is it that this superb production is hiding away in a thirty-seat storefront theater in Edgewater? Someone needs to gather up this show with this company and put them in a bigger venue with a larger audience. Both the performers and the story deserve to be seen and heard.
Director Aaron Reese Boseman who also directed The House That Will Not Stand at Invictus last year has once again superbly handled subjects of misogyny and race relations within a kind of supernatural context with clarity and vision.
Confederates is at Redtwist Theater, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago through March 8, 2026. Runtime is 90 minutes with no intermission. Visit redtwisttheatre.org for tickets and information.
Be sure to click through and listen to the entire podcast theater review – – about 5 minutes.
“Holiday” at The Goodman is a fresh world-premiere adaptation of the classic boy meets girl – – boy meets girl’s sister romcom by Richard Greenberg based on the original 1928 version by playwright Philip Barry and featuring an outstanding cast. This is a …
If you’re a subscriber or regular listener to our podcast this is going to be a busy week. Beginning with this review of Company at Skokie Theater, followed immediately by Holiday at the Goodman Theater then Dance of Death at Steppenwolf followed by Confederates at …
By Reno Lovison
February has started out with a mix of interesting one-off events which I did not include as a podcast episode because I try to reserve those for events that run awhile, giving listeners a chance to see them based on my comments.
However, there are often times when one-off events deserve a mention so that performers can get recognition for their efforts and alert others – – not to what they’ve missed – but to artists they should be paying attention to and looking out for in the future.
Old Town School
To begin – – thanks to Paul Sailor for alerting us to a concert at the Old Town School on Lincoln that took place Friday, 2/6/2026. Paul is my wife’s cousin and is based in Central Illinois. He’s a devotee of 80s power-pop rock band “Modern Drugs.” The band includes Ryan Groff (vocals & guitar), Cara Maurizi (vocals & keys), Alan Honeycutt (bass & vocals), Mallory Simonds (guitar & vocals), Jim Standerfer, (drums).
“Modern Drugs” was the opening act for “A Congress of Starlings,” an indie folk group performing in the venue’s Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall, to kick off their new LP “Orphans.”
“Orphans” is a collection of songs composed by front performer, Aerin Tedesco a passionate birder, with several solo albums including Birthmark, Faun Songs, and Albedo (recorded with Congress of Starlings).
Tedesco apparently has a large flock of fellow bird lovers, no doubt attributable to their name and the number of songs devoted to birds in their repertoire. She is joined on stage by Andrea Bunch (guitar and vocals) as well as Greg Nergaard (bass), Janet Cramer (drums) and Lindsay Weinberg (keys, guitar, and vocals). Interestingly Tedesco plays a four-string tenor guitar that offers a slightly more unusual sound and nice vibe. Ryan Groff and his band mates joined “Starlings” on guitar and vocals for a few numbers.
Blues at Fitzgerald’s
Another cousin, Saint Louis based, Luke Sailor will be playing keyboards with GA-20 featuring Tony Holiday at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn Thursday, February 12, 2026.
GA‑20 is known for raw, vintage‑leaning electric blues. Tony Holiday has been described as soul‑inflected, groove‑forward, modern blues.
Luke is a natural fit for Holiday —stylistically aligned, tonally appropriate, and already connected to that scene. His St. Louis soul‑jazz background aligns perfectly with Holiday’s Memphis‑leaning blues. His organ/piano versatility gives Holiday more dynamic options—swampy organ pads, gospel‑leaning fills, or punchy R&B comping. His credits with Dylan Triplett and other blues/soul artists show he’s already fluent in this lane.
Candlemas Home Concert
My wife Julie Lovison presented a candlelight home concert lit by over fifty candles (safe LED bulbs, in our living room) featuring five piano works of Claude Debussy plus a few impromptu performances by guest pianists.
The event was inspired by Candlemas celebrated in France and throughout Europe. Based originally on an ancient Roman festival it was modified to fit Catholic traditions and used to welcome the coming of spring including longer hours of daylight. Eventually in the United States it morphed into Groundhog Day.
Julie was looking for a good excuse to do a French inspired home recital and this seemed like as good a reason as any. The event was enjoyed by family and friends of The Lake Shore Music Studio where she is director – – providing piano lessons for all ages.
Music Box
It’s nice to be appreciated even more than 50 years after the fact. A short 8mm film that my brother Dave Powell and I created when we were teens was “featured” in a showing of home movies curated by Agata Zborowska presented at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.
Our film was part of a small collection of 8mm films that I contributed to an archive as part of a project Agata is working on in conjunction with the University of Warsaw preserving the legacy of Chicagoans with Polish Heritage. The archive digitized the films and preserved the originals for posterity.
Agata explained that she included our “Moon Landing” re-creation in the offering as it stood out as a creative effort rather than a traditional documentary film. Admittedly it was oddly satisfying seeing it projected on a big screen in front of a live audience and hear their chuckles.
Chicago International Puppet Festival Bonus Review
The puppet festival has concluded but contributor Kim Campbell has written a bonus review of “The Left Hand of Darkness” produced by Untitled Theater Company No. 61 (with additional support by Yara Arts Group) based on a popular book of the same name. I’ve added that review to the Puppet Festival page on our website for your enjoyment.
Upcoming Podcast Theater Reviews
In February I will be reviewing the following plays. Subscribers will be alerted via email when the podcasts are available. If you’re not a subscriber please consider subscribing now.
Company by Madkap Productions at Skokie Theater
Holiday at The Goodman Theatre
Dance of Death at Steppenwolf
Confederates at Redtwist
The Irish and How They Got That Way at Ruth Page
Harvey at St. Sebastian Church
Cats at Music Theatre Works in Skokie
Special Lunar New Year Announcement
South-East Asia Center is having a Lunar New Year Celebration at Furama Restaurant in Uptown on February 21, 2026. $40 includes entertainment and family style luncheon.
NOTE: Look for a BONUS REVIEW added at the bottom of this review page.
There will be 100 puppet-based events over 12 days in Chicago this January from the Chicago International Puppet Fest running January 21st to February 1st 2026.
Besides the festival, there are other Puppet & Puppet Adjacent Stuff to See:
This year we reviewed over 30 Chicago plays and events. This podcast recaps favorites and highlights of the 2025 season plus a few ideas for 2026. We have prepared both an audio and a video version of this podcast. Some productions mentioned include:Iraq But Funny, …
“Amadeus” presented at Steppenwolf is a story of two men, one believed to be beloved by God and one who believed he could negotiate to win God’s love.
It is easy to assume this is a biographical sketch of Mozart, and indeed the story written by Peter Shaffer does allude to the final years of the composer’s life, but actually this is a story of one man’s envy of another man’s apparent God given talent.
Ian Barford as Salieri is the important steady beat while David Darrow as Mozart is the melody that adds life to this theatrical composition.
The costume design by Amanda Gladu featuring impeccable tailoring and luxurious fabrics, along with amazing hair and make-up were extraordinary.
Be sure to listen to the entire 10 minute podcast review.
Amadeus, is at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL through January 25, 2026. Run time is 2 hours and 45 minutes including one intermission. Visit Steppenwolf.com for tickets and information.
Note: Cover photo by Michael Brosilow.
The uplifting story of a distinctively red haired, hopelessly optimistic, depression era orphan named Annie is firmly rooted in the early 1930s where the stark contrast between the haves and have-nots was plainly evident everywhere and especially true in urban centers like New York City …
Part of the success and charm of this tale is its simple elegance. The story is easy to understand even by the youngest theater goers yet it does not talk down the audience. It’s a kind of secular parable with a strong moral lesson to …
Performed in modern dress using original Elizabethan vernacular, Much Ado About Nothing is a quintessential Shakespeare comedy and seminal rom-com that has a little something for everyone.
A humorous love story with a touch of drama that pokes fun at everyone no matter their rank.
It’s a perfect show for groundlings who might appreciate that it’s not too complex and in fact at times borders on slapstick.
Directed by Selina Cadell, this was a very enjoyable performance where the players and the audience all seemed to be having a great time.
Much Ado About Nothing is presented by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Company in their Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier, through December 21st 2025. Run time is about 2 hours and 25 minutes with one intermission. For ticket and information visit ChicagoShakes.com
Be sure to listen to the full podcast review.
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