Stephen Colbert dedicates a podcast to Chicago
If you hadn't heard, Stephen Colbert is taking over the Late Show, and last month he launched a podcast coinciding with the job. The podcast follows Colbert's process of doing the Late Show, and episodes 5 and 6 (called "What Do You Think It's About Chicago?" parts 1 and 2) feature Late Show writers and ex-Chicagoans Cullen Crawford (ClickHole), Jen Sypra (iO), Ariel Dumas (Second City), and Brian Stack (Second City/Conan) reminiscing about the CTA, Lookingglass Theatre, the old Arby's in Piper's Alley, and more. Listen.
Roger and Chaz Ebert are getting a musical
Black Ensemble Theater yesterday announced The Black White Love Play (The Story of Chaz and Roger Ebert), written and directed by Jackie Taylor and premiering September 19. True to its title, the play follows Chaz and Roger's life together from their courtship to Ebert's death in 2013.
Redmoon canceled the Chief Keef concert at Rahm's request
After Redmoon Theater last week agreed to host a Chief Keef concert benefiting the family of slain infant Dylan Harris, who died in the aftermath of a shooting that killed the rapper's friend, the Tribune reports that the theater backed out at the request of City Hall, who said the show "posed a significant public safety risk." Redmoon Theater is currently working with the mayor to remount its Great Chicago Fire Festival on Northerly Island this September.
Neo Nightclub is temporarily moving to Wicker Park
RedEye reports, according to a since-deleted Facebook post by bar manager Dann Szymczak, that Lincoln Park goth club Neo will move to Debonair Social Club in August after losing its lease at 2350 N. Clark, where it opened in 1979. Chicagoist also reports , conflictingly, that the move is due to repair concerns with the building's owners, and that the club could return to Lincoln Park if they reach an agreement.
Opening
July 23: Loving Repeating: A musical about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Kokandy Productions at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont)
July 23: Stupid Fucking Bird: Sideshow's modern-day take on The Seagull returns. Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln)
Open Now: Bard Fiction: Commedia Beauregard sets Pulp Fiction in 17th-century London. City Lit Theatre (1020 W. Bryn Mawr)
Open Now: Janitors to Janitees: A janitor takes over as super and caretaker of a building. Stage 773 (1225 W. Belmont)
Open Now: Whatever: Two teenagers navigate love, abuse, and ever-circling adult authority figures. Side Project Theatre (1439 W. Jarvis)
Open Now: Alligator: A woman's family carts her off to a mental institution. Dream Theatre Company (5026 N. Lincoln)
Open Now: Fugue: Four improvised one-act dramedies. Pendulum Space (1803 W. Byron)
Open Now: The Little Mermaid: Chicago Shakespeare Theater's shiny take on the Disney original. Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier (800 E. Grand)
Open Now: Fancy Nancy: A musical spin on Jane O'Connor's new-classic picture book. Emerald City Theatre at Broadway Playhouse (175 E. Chestnut)
Open Now: Men of Soul: A musical toast to Bill Withers. Black Ensemble Theater (4450 N. Clark)
Open Now: Anne of Green Gables: A world-premiere adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel. Provision Theater Company (1001 W. Roosevelt)
Open Now: Grand Concourse: An impassioned college dropout derails a disillusioned soup kitchen manager's time-tested shift. Steppenwolf Theatre (1650 N. Halsted)
Open Now: Beaches: Iris Rainer Dart's Broadway-bound adaptation of her own novel, which also birthed Garry Marshall's 1988 film of the same name. Drury Lane Theatre and Conference Center (100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace)
Open Now: All Our Tragic, Sean Graney's bloody 12-hour mashup of all 32 Greek tragedies. The Hypocrites at the Den Theatre (1333 N. Milwaukee)
Open Now: Moby Dick: David Catlin's mondo take on a mondo book about a mondo, mondo fish. Lookingglass Theatre (821 N. Michigan)
Open Now: The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by the unerring Kimberly Senior. Writers Theatre at Books on Vernon (664 Vernon, Glencoe)
Open Now: Game of Thongs: A Game of Thrones Burlesque. Breasteros. Yep. Gorilla Tango Theatre (1919 N. Milwaukee)
Closing
July 25: An Invisible Hand: John Preus, Lisa Lindvay, Lisa Vinebaum, and Patricia Evans depict life in poverty. David Weinberg Photography (300 W. Superior #203)
July 25: Codependent Comedy: See Fucked Up Family Reunion and A Side of Regret in one sitting. Under the Gun Theater (956 W. Newport)
July 25: Paintings by locals Alex Bradley Cohen and Kelly Lloyd. Carrie Secrist Gallery (835 W. Washington)
July 25: Havoc and Tumbled: Mixed media by Kera MacKenzie and Andrew Mausert-Mooney. Roman Susan (1224 W. Loyola)
July 26: Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown: A one-man, nine-monologue show focused on gay Latinos in Los Angeles. Pride Films & Plays at the Apollo Theater (2450 N. Lincoln)
July 26: Black River Falls: A Wisconsin man returns from a hunting trip sensing something's happened to his younger sister. Prop Thtr (3502 N. Elston)
July 26: Kinky Boots: A London drag star teams up with an ailing shoemaker to craft high heels that come in size 14. Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph)
July 26: Matawan: A new play inspired by a series of 1916 shark attacks on the Jersey Shore. The Ruckus at the Athenaeum (2936 N. Southport)
July 26: Inana: An Iraqi museum curator and his bride salvage relics on the eve of the U.S.'s invasion of Baghdad. Kimberly Senior directs. TimeLine Theatre (615 W. Wellington)
July 26: Bent: Martin Sherman's 1979 look at the Nazis treatment of queer-identifying people. The Other Theater Company at Strawdog Theatre (3829 N. Broadway)
July 26: Versus: Paintings by Lie. Vertical Gallery (1016 N. Western)
August 2: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike : A movie star returns home to her two sisters, who've been caring for their ailing parents, with a boy-toy in tow. The Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)