[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQDiT8Gt-RA?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Sandy Rustin (Clue, Mystic Pizza) was raised in Chicagoland and has created a tribute to the work of John Hughes through her own high school focused story which highlights the music of…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxe8sJmhgBM?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Few would disagree that James Gandolfini created a larger than life character in Tony Soprano in HBO’s classic series The Sopranos, but how much was Gandolfini really like Tony Soprano…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnr2LETy20?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Ravinia is truly a gem of Chicagoland (Highland Park to be specific) entertainment every summer and has been so for well over 100 years (it was founded in 1872 and opened in 1904) and …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5plKrf01jHY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Be my guest to see this tale as old as time….Disney’s Beauty and the Beast opens its first North American production in over 25 years! The sets and costumes promise to be spectacular, …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scujnFk2j9o?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] The Tony Award winning musical Hairspray is fun, funny, and will leave you humming so many songs on your way out of the theater, but it’s the message that will move you to think about …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVAbBJkuBFk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] If you are a fan of the Beatles then you may have read some or many of the estimated 2000+ books that have been written about the group and it’s individual members. Now, a book that ta…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-8of-u0B_E?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] The Goodman Theatre’s production of The Color Purple directed by Lili-Anne Brown is truly stunning. A show you will want to see over and over for the music, for the power and for the e…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70JcWHtyTbk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] “You Will Get Sick” by Noah Diaz is quirky and unpredictable but follows a path that will become most familiar. It’s the perfect blend of drama, power and surprise that has made Steppe…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C31NQtAwPxY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] The multi-Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Drama winning Musical “RENT” by Jonathan Larson comes to life from the Highland Park Players playing at McGrath Performing Arts Center in Wi…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE4L5S89S8M?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Bruce Vilanch is truly a legend in the world of comedy writing but also as an actor and comedian. You have seen his work if you watch the Academy Awards (for which he is a multi-Emmy A…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWn1zWOam7Q?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] “Iraq, but Funny” is enjoying its World Premiere at Lookingglass Theatre and plays through July 20th. It’s the story of 5 generations for Assyrian mother/daughter relations from the Ot…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CraHMm-n5Uo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Diana the Musical tells the story of Princess Di from her first getting connected with Prince Charles in 1981 thru her death in 1997 with a 90’s rock score by David Bryan (of Bon Jovi)…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiEVuBSxrOw?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Chicago is already seen as the 3rd most important city in the world for theater arguably behind New York and London but that’s up for debate! But Team Culture has a plan to transform t…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7VIQZH0ft0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] PART ONE: “Kimbely Akimbo” is an unassuming name for a fantastic not-to-be-missed Tony Award-winning Best Broadway musical! Kimberly is a teenager who recently moved with her family to…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKRLj3xcbGE?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] A re-invented version of the musical CATS like you have NEVER seen it before! Based on T.S. Eliot’s Collection of Poems called: “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” this magical show…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkmDxarOSxU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Kennedy Kanagawa put wide smiles on audience’s faces when he played Milkey White the cow in the National tour of “Into the Woods.” David Gow scares the heck out of people in the dramat…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0tKn3JwbEg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] There’s a new music venue in town and it stands as a tribute to the life and interests of Grateful Dead Legend, Jerry Garcia. Garcia’s Chicago opened in March and is located at 1001 We…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBYJoFqZI-c?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Joining the conversation are: David Girolmo (who plays Captain E.J. Smith), Heidi Kettenring (playing Ida Strauss), Mark David Kaplan (playing Isador Strauss), James Earl Jones, II (Pl…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ify2mX6n6-g?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] You will want to get on board this hot musical comedy and set sail for 100 minutes of non-stop laughter, music and one heck of a good time! This hit is playing in a variety of countrie…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eokLA_PcI5I?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] The events in Charlottesville in 2017 and on January 6th, 2021 may appear unconnected. But there are connections that underlie both of these events that carry a message for the future.…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EdgCPqtBRk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] The recipient of 14 Tony nominations and 8 wins at the 73rd Tony Awards, including best Musical and best Original Score, Hadestown returns to Chicago on its national tour. The story is…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr2NRQaYMb0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] This week’s show features two exciting Chicago shows. First up, Broadway and Cabaret star Karen Mason discusses her new CD available on Amazon starting May 9th! The music of Kander and…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QIevjQ-gg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] On this new podcast, author and Fox News analyst Juan Williams is out with a new book, “New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement” which looks at wha…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH8XniVsBZw?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Second City began training and entertaining back in 1959 and has not stopped since. Producing talents including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Dan Aykroyd, Tiny Fey, Amy Poehler, Bill …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfZDPZ17kio?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] It is likely that this show’s title caught your attention. Well, in reality, this is the intimate and very personal story of Black Ensemble Theater founder and CEO Jackie Taylor who al…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9O2YkNVBZ8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Brad Meltzer is a New York Times Best Selling author of thrillers, non-fiction plots and conspiracy books and even children’s books. He’s an amazing author with an incredible writing s…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCZtTJEU85g?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Paul chats with Burt Kearns, author of a new biography of Shemp Howard, one of the original Three Stooges. Lots of surprises in this discussion as Burt shares that many of the facts re…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAeSeOvVo5Y?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Moulin Rouge was long awaited when it first came to Chicago a few years ago and now it is back!! The winner of 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical! It’s been called spectacular and e…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy586KkgEcs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, Paul chats with author and podcast host Aaron Mahnke whose new book “Cabinet of Curiosities” is an incredible page-turner of fun! The stories told in the book brin…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YFFF-hruv8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] We hold presidents accountable for how they handle the federal budget and overall economic condition of the country. But, what is to be learned when we study how a president handled th…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHI134j_uaY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] One of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s earliest works (written when he was just 17!) and a classic in musical theater, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is playing now through March…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f2ys1yTTbo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Most people know Robert Sean Leonard from his role as Dr. James Wilson in the medical drama House, or his star turn as a young man in Dead Poet’s Society (1989) with Robin Williams, Et…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn6eApy2-00?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] You have likely come across magician and illusionist Xavier Mortimer on social media. He has millions of followers and his posts and videos have been viewed billions of times! And now,…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGkDkQwZql0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, several cast members join in a discussion of this 2022 Pulitzer Prize winning play. Based on (or perhaps paying tribute to) Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the characters ar…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsdUuNESSJQ?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, the worlds of history, theater and politics collide in a powerful drama called: “Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley.” On February 18th, 1965, American author, orator and …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pBXteqXsrk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, you meet some family members who live in the Fun Home! Fun Home is shorthand for funeral home but that’s just the setting for a family who face relationship challe…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb2YpTVgTOo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Lookingglass Theatre is truly one of Chicago’s most unique theater companies. Their work is original and inventive and their location is actually inside the historic pumping station at…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQc1N3YsJQA?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Who doesn’t love magic? And now, a bright, young talent takes the main stage every Wednesday evening at 7pm through March 26th. “Static Magic” is his new show developed especially for …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV7yxb_7xC8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] New Podcast: You will love this in-depth chat with Chicago’s Very Own, Tony Award winning and Broadway’s own: Jessie Mueller! She created the role of Carol King in Beautiful, appeared …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsz1Ksg2S-4?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] How will 3 young roommates living in San Francisco pay the rent when they don’t make any money? They have to get creative! Exploring means of finding income, they realize they can do v…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mO8HjTDxG0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Mekki Leeper is a stand-up comedian who you likely know from his current role as young Matt on the new show St. Denis Medical (from the writers of The Office), and from his role as Noa…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Pq9DZ7XOw?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, Paul chats with communications expert Michael Chad Hoeppner about his new book, “Don’t Say Um: How to Communicate Effectively to Live a Better Life.” In this age o…

Recent Posts Paul Lisnek Behind the Curtain ‘Always Something There’ is an 80’s Jukebox Musical at Marriott through August 10th .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} New book on James Gandolfini: HE was NOT Tony Soprano .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} Ravinia Festival has an exciting August schedule including Morgan Freeman and Cynthia Erivo .cls…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esJU85M1JDk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] The relationship between First Daughter Patti Davis and her parents, President Ronald Reagan and mom Nancy Reagan, was strained to say the least. In her new book, “Dear Mom and Dad: A …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ag_LlDlN4?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this podcast, Paul sits down with author Mike Thomasto discuss a new biography of Johnny Carson. We learn about the late night legend that was Johnny Carson from the mind of Chicago…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rAtA8cItY0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, author Tripp Whetsell discusses his new biography of television legend, Norman Lear. The book, “Norman Lear: His Life and Times”, tells the life story of the man w…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh_dM8i8KrM?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] On this new podcast, Paul chats with singer/songwriter Rich Schuler whose musical tribute, “Rocky Mountain High Experience, A John Denver Christmas” plays over the holidays from Decemb…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFElNoxYsk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, Paul chats with performers Corey Mach (who plays William Shakespeare) and Michael Canu (“Romeo”) about the incredibly high energy and fun jukebox musical “& Juliet…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2xpaQQ2jkg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] In this new podcast, Paul chats with the cast and director of “Falsettos” playing through Dec 15th at the Court Theatre (in cooperation with TimeLine Theatre Company). Set in the late …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7lj9zsFi3E?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=900&h=507] Jared Kirchheimer is a Chicago-based actor, writer, director and producer. Never giving up on his life dream to be a filmmaker, Jared balances a career in civil engineering with his ef…