Tag: musical

Elf at Auditorium

Somehow, I never saw the movie Elf (and the musical plot is slightly different), and it was the most pleasant surprise one could imagine. Now I wish they would bring this musical to Chicago every Christmas season! One small detail that brough me joy – when it is snowing in the end of the show, it’s not paper and glitter snow, but a real snow! I don;t know how they do it 🙂

Pictures from the website:

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Urinetown

What would you think about the musical with the name like that?

Yes, I thought the same, especially after reading the short description about the town where people were required to pay for the usage of the toilets, and how they decided to resist. I thought it might be just a comedy show, and I was going to skip it (ad not to subscribe to Theo at all this season), but my friend MaryAnn said she wanted to go, and I always use any opportunity to meet with her. And as it almost always happen to me, I went without prior reading about it.

Well, it was anything but what I thought. Very sad, very political, sort of hopeless by the end. I think I will discover something new till the day I die.

One of the great things about Theo is that they absolutely ignore the “official line”, and still do what they believe is right:

About the show itself. The built a lot of temporary constructs inside the theater, and everything looks amazing:

Below are official pictures from the Theo website, and I hope they will post some videos, and then I will be able to repost.

I was glad to spend time with MaryAnn; we stayed a little bit longer after the show, and she drove me home, and we talked in her car, and a little bit more.

More Cultural Events This Week

My subscriptions keep me busy :). My neighbor and I went to the “Hell’s Kitchen,” which was a part of our Broadway in Chicago subscription. I never read any reviews before I go to see the show, and this time was not exception. I was not prepared to what I was going to see, but loved it. As it turned out, the reviews were mixed, so it’s good that I didn’t read them beforehand:).

I loved the show itself, but even more, I loved the reaction of the audience: everyone was so moved by what was going on on stage, aaahed and ooohed, and gasped when the mother slapped her daughter in the cheek, and burst into applauding after each musical number.

And on Friday, I went to Carmina Burana at the Lyric. That was a part of our Lyric subscription, but my neighbor told me from the very beginning that she won’t be interested, so I took my friend Y. with me. She loves music, but she never heard Carmina Burana, and it was a real treat to give her this experience. Also, she never sat that close to the stage in the Lyric Opera building, and she said that she would rather get one ticket that close instead of ten tickets on the very top. And I agree!

“Parade” On Broadway In Chicago

Yesterday, my guests and I went to see Parade at the CIBC theater. I knew nothing about this show except that it was “about antisemitism,” and it shocked me. It sends a very clear message that all forms of racism are related, and no one is “better” than the other. It also demonstrates how easy it is to frame an innocent person, and how easy it is to turn public opinion against somebody. It was an incredibly heavy show, but my friends liked it.

All photos and videos, except for the first one, are from the official Broadway in Chicago website.

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“The Magic of Rogers and Hammerstein”

It’s one of my favorite summer concerts, and for the past several years, I have been trying not only to attend this concert but also to get tickets closer to the stage.

Before the concert, my neighbor and I tried a new French cafe. Just a couple of days before, I noticed a new cafe on North Michicgan Avenue, and thought the it would be nice to check whether they are open in the evening:I constantly lament about the disappearance of the inexpensive food options in the early evening hours; the places I oculd have a dinner before a show ora concert without breaking the bank. Panera, Cosi and Pret – all of them are mostly gone, and those that are left, close at 3 PM. The place which I spotted, Lea, reminded me of Toni Patissery, that didn’t survive the pandemic. I noticed that they are open until 7 PM, and decided to give it a try before the Friday concert.

It was great, both the food and desserts, and reasonably priced ($32, including the tip) for the meal below.

The concert was great, and although it looked like it was about to rain, it didn’t rain except for a couple of drops during the intermission. The seats were great, and I could see everything what was going on on stage. After my most recent surgery I can see very well even without glasses or contacts (except for the reaing glasses), but it was a little bit problematic to see things on stage. However, in June, I got contacts for both eyes for a perfect long-distance vision. I do not wear them every day, because I am fine without any visial aid most of the time, and also, when I have them on, I need a stronger reading glasses (I can’t even see the phone without them).

But for the performance, it was perfect! Eve though we were not in the front row, I could see everything!

I have a ticket for one more concert, which I will probably skip, and then Carmina Burana with my French guests in August.

Beauty and the Beast

The Beauty and the Beast show was a part of my subscription. If it won’t be the case, I wouldn’t suggest taking the girls there, but since it was a subscription, and it was running on the week they were here, it was difficult to resist. I changed the tickets from Tuesday to Friday, and got the extra three.

The show was absolutely out of this world! Amazing! Nadia really enjoyed it, although it ended too late, and she was tired. Kira was scared in the beginning, and then fell asleep after the intermission, so it was not a great experience for her. Also, it was a rather long day: the last day of camp, then I took all three of the girls to do nails.

Then we had dinner at Ryo Sushi.

That’s my Mango California roll – so good!

Then we went to Amorino for gelato flower, walked a little bit at the Millennium park, and finally went to see the show.

Below are some official photos:

“Diana” At Theo Ubique Cabaret

Loved it – loved it- loved it!!! Especially because the previous show was a sort of disappointment, this one was soooo good! The story, the music, and each ensemble member!

& Juliet

I saw this musical yesterday, and somehow, it left me non-engaged. Everything was perfect on the surface: great dialogs, cultural references; the audience laughed where expected (sometimes too loud). Still, it didn’t click, and I do not think it was because I was tired. Just something didn’t work.

Official photos below:

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Pictured From The ‘Secret Garden”

I knew, Theo would publish more pictures of the show 🙂

The Secret Garden in Theo

On Sunday, I went to see The Secret Garden at Theo Ubique. I love their Sunday scheduling – they start at 6 PM, so it’s not a matinerr which completely breaks your day, but also not too late (for me, all days of the week are the same in term of bedtime, so I always prefer the earlier start).

My friend with whom I went told me earlier that that was the only show she wanted to attend this season. I liked others as well, but I understand why she said so – it’s a lovely music and a beautiful story. And the production is perfect! As usual, I hope that they will post some videos from the show later, and I will be happy to share them!