"Thanks for coming," comedian Michelle Wolf said, taking the stage for the first of two sold-out shows at Pilsen's Thalia Hall on an especially cold and snowy Saturday night. "I almost didn'…
By all accounts, Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”) should be walking away with the DGA prize for Best First-Time Director. The actor-turned-auteur won rave reviews for helming an…
Can the anthropomorphic heroes of Nickelodeon's staggeringly successful "PAW Patrol" rescue the American theater by turning a legion of device-addicted toddlers into future theater patrons? …
“A Star Is Born” costume designer Erin Benach‘s focus was on creating “a character arc” for Ally (Lady Gaga), a down-on-her-luck waitress who becomes a singi…
Even by operatic standards, the marquee productions of this year's festival of new music-theater are extreme in their depiction of trauma.
“A Star is Born” sound mixer Steven Morrow reveals, “This was the first time that a movie was recorded in this way.” Bradley Cooper directs and stars in this drama ab…
"I ain't saying [stuff that's] bad onstage now," comedian, actor and Chicago native DeRay Davis said early on in his 20-minute opening set Saturday night at the 4,250-seat Arie Crown Theater…
Amy Schumer is five months pregnant and wants to make sure everyone in the audience knows it. At the top of her show at the Chicago Theatre Thursday night " the second of two sold out nights…
Bradley Cooper had lofty sonic ambitions for his directorial debut, “A Star is Born.” In fact, sound editor Alan Robert Murray reveals that the first-time filmmaker had envisi…
There's never a bad time for a good laugh and the right comedian can help you close out 2018 in happy tears. Great stand-up comedy is a nightly occurrence across Chicago, and this New Year's…
Our witty, opinionated and occasionally downright ruthless forum posters held nothing back when reacting to the 2019 Golden Globes nominations. Some bids had them cheering while others ha…
With many comedians embracing increasingly restrictive cell phone policies in recent years, it was a bit refreshing Friday night at The Vic to see French-Moroccan superstar Gad Elmaleh settl…
In mounting a fully staged production of "The Barber of Seville," the actors and leaders of Cleveland Opera Theater want more than anything else to have fun and make people laugh.
The paranoia of comedians is growing. Taking your phone out of commission and emptying your pockets to step through a metal detector is becoming the new norm for attending a big-name comedy …
Who are the few poor souls who don't actually like this thing?
After the final performance of "Hamilton" at the Kennedy Center last Sunday, Jim Barnett and Faye Elkins stood on the terrace overlooking the Potomac River. The couple, from Bethesda, Maryla…
The musical has won scads of awards and is hailed as a landmark. Who are the few poor souls who don't actually love this thing?
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is widely predicted to earn a repeat Emmy for Best Drama Actress, but Gold Derby contributor Amanda Spears is betting on another Eliz…
Ever gotten your hair cut by a barber who you wished would just stop talking and focus on your hair? Comedian " and professional barber since age 13 " T. Murph is the opposite of that guy. H…
Russell Peters: This Canadian comic has been working for decades and has a book ("Call Me Russell"), a TV show ("The Indian Detective") and several specials under his belt, including "Notori…
Cleveland Opera Theater's upcoming free outdoor concert at Dunham Tavern is about as far as it's possible to get from opera as depicted in popular culture.
If a comedy club were to exist in the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda " the fictional homeland of Marvel's "Black Panther" " the lineup of comedians put together by produc…
It just wouldn’t be an Emmy race without Bryan Cranston, who added another bid to his resume thanks to his guest performance on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The six-time winn…
Four gay men who recently attended the Broadway revival of this 50-year-old play " three seeing it for the first time " debate its significance and relevance.
"Are you filming me?" comedian-podcaster (or podcaster-comedian, depending on who you ask) Marc Maron asked an audience member with a mix of annoyance and genuine curiosity early in his hour…