If you like your theater with a dash of political awareness, check out any or all of these shows. more ›

I took this photo of the line outside the box office with my iPhone around 9:30 last night, and honestly was expecting a longer line. The lines that happened for Spamalot certainly weren't in danger of being eclipsed. more ›

Broadway in Chicago announced this morning that individual tickets for "The Book of Mormon" will go on sale March 19. The Bank of America Theater box office will open at 12:01 a.m. for the occasion. more ›

Here are some things to do if you can't make it to our reader meetup tonight. more ›

Happy Birthday to the Chicago Theatre. The most recognizable of the Balaban & Katz local movie houses opened on this date 90 years ago today. more ›

The Chicago Theatre turns 90 years old on Wednesday. more ›

Everything Alex said Friday about why you should attend tonight's concert of Steve Reich compositions at Millennium Park still applies today. more ›

Chicago has long been regarded as an epicenter for improv comedy and, starting tonight, 95 ensembles from 32 cities and 8 countries will put their best audience suggestions forward with the start of Chicago Improv Festival 2011. more ›

Good news, celebrity rubberneckers! Your top source for Grade A, primo high-quality gossip batshit, Charlie Sheen, is coming to town--in a vaguely professional context no less! more ›

States like California and New York get plenty of songs dedicated to their greatness, but the Land of Lincoln seems to slip the minds of many artists. For that reason, we have nothing but love for Sufjan Stevens and his instant-classic, Illinois, the second installment in his ambitious (and now defunct) “50 States Project.” more ›

If you have no idea to whom this headline refers, ask your nearest Broadway fan. For the rest of you: Yes, this means what you think it means. Liza Minnelli, Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone are all coming to Chicago. Get ready for a summer of fabulous. more ›

Whoa, this one caught us by surprise: Conan O'Brien is touring and he's bringing his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour to Chicago, which is described as "a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence." He'll be hitting up the Chicago Theater on Wednesday May 19 for an evening of fun and many, many laughs. The Chicago Theater was, of course, where he brought his Late Night show for a week in 2006. As usual for a big event like this, there are a number of packages, including a $695 "Meet & Greet" option. But main tickets for the event are $39.50-$59.50-$79.50 so get clicking. They just went on sale and they're sure to go fast. We talked about wanting CoCo so, in a way, we're getting him. more ›

[View the full set] more ›

We were excited about the prospect of a free Lupe Fiasco show in Grant Park, complete with back-flips and tongue twisting mind-bending rhymes, but organizers announced today that "in an effort to deter overlap with the Taste of Chicago music stage, the concert will move to the Chicago Theater." The upside? Lady Sovereign has been added as an opener and the sound at The Chicago Theater kicks total ass. The downside? The show is no longer free and tickets start at $20 a pop. While a free show in the park would have been nice we'll still be there front and center on June 26 at the new location. more ›

If you missed the original on-sale for this evening with a songwriting legend, get off your ass now to pick up tickets for Leonard Cohen's (formerly) sold-out shows at the Chicago Theater May 5 and 6. We're gonna do it, so should you. more ›

Hopefully, everyone who's planning on pouring into the Chicago Theater tonight to watch Bill Maher and Ann Coulter face off will take the time to read the reports from the appearances over the last couple nights - so they'll have an opportunity to head over to the box office and request their money back. more ›

There is nothing we could say that's more awesome than the facts: The legendary Leonard Cohen is touring for the first time in 15 years, and he will be telling his incomparable stories for one night only in Chicago this spring. If the reviews are to be believed, this will be one incredible night of music and tale telling. more ›

Photo by trippchicago
• Mayor Daley on Blago: "I’ve said, ‘cuckoo’ once. I’ll say it again: ‘Cuckoo.’"
• We remember skipping college classes to stay home to eat popcorn and watch the OJ Simpson verdict. We might have to play hooky again on Monday, when ABC7 will have live coverage of the start of Blago's impeachment trial.
• Chicago police officer William Cozzi has pleaded guilty to the 2005 beating of a 60-year-old man shackled and handcuffed to a wheelchair. So can somebody please fire this asshole now?

A few weeks back, we looked at the 2009 Speaker Series that will bring a set of political talks to the Chicago Theater. Full of intriguing pairings, we were most enthused about the debut set of Ann Coulter and Bill Maher. Now, in the midst of all kinds of economic turmoil, we're happy to report we have a pair of tickets to give away to the March 11 event featuring Coulter and Maher. They'll either kill each other or wind up making love on stage. Either way, it's going to be a fun night so enter after the jump for your chance at a pair of tickets. We'll be accepting entries through the end of the day. more ›

We were downtown at work yesterday when a co-worker said "What's with the protest outside? There's someone chanting for justice or something." Knowing from the "Saturday Plans" post that The Lady herself, Paula Deen was appearing, this was a head-scratcher. Who could be so upset at a TV chef? Besides the obvious, of course. more ›

Flurries possible tonight, but this weekend shouldn't be too, too chilly. Which is good because there's a ton of fun stuff going on tomorrow: Paula Deen has two live shows at the Chicago Theater tomorrow. BYO sticks of butter, we're guessing. Tickets start at $45 and are still available for both the 11am and 4pm shows. Not in the mood for angioplasty? Head over to the DIY Trunk Show, at Pulaski Park auditorium. We're starting... more ›

We just *had* to keep the subject from our Jam update email as the title of this post, it's just too priceless. We have a sneaking suspicion that unless you have cash burning a hole in your pocket, most of you will be spending your dough on costumes and candy-themed adult beverages this weekend. more ›

It's hard to believe it's taken the universe this long to combine parades, insane traffic and the ability to punch the living shit out of stuff. But that combo has arrived. Downtown. Today. Yes, at 4pm this afternoon, around 700 boxers, here to punchasize your face for the the AIBA World Boxing Championship, will walk from the Palmer House Hilton to the Chicago Theater in a 4-block parade. more ›

Girl Talk, aka one Greg Gillis, has been wowing audiences from the Empty Bottle to the Pitchfork Music Festival with his wildly popular brand of mash-up wizardry. Just try to hold a stoic cool-kid pose when Gillis brings his one-man jammin' train through town in January, with newly minted prince of the hipster dance party Dan Deacon in tow. Metro, January 26, 7:30 p.m. (all ages) and 11:30 p.m. (18+), $16. On sale Saturday.... more ›

OK, so we're actually stretching the truth a little. Maybe. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. there will be a ceremony outside the Chicago Theater, and Mayor Daley will present Chicago's "It" girl with a plaque in honor of "Jennifer Hudson Day." State Street will be closed between Lake and Randolph for the ceremony. more ›

You'll have to forgive us if it seems like we've got a one-track mind when it comes to film lately: CIFF is one of our absolutely favorite things about Chicago, and every year brings the thrill that comes from attempting to see as many movies as possible in its two weeks. The Opening Night feature at the Chicago Theater last night was Stranger Than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball) and starring Will Ferrell,... more ›

Man, Charna Halpern cannot get a break. First, she has to change the name of her whole enterprise from Improv Olympic to IO, which would be crappy enough in its own right, if it didn't always make us think of the classic 'Captain EO,' featuring the ever-lovable Michael Jackson. Then, the much hyped IO 25th anniversary show rolls around a little over a year ago, promising fanfare and excitement with famous alums coming home to... more ›

Saturday night was the 25th anniversary celebration of the Improv Olympic, we mean, the IO theater. Held at the Chicago Theater and hyped for months, the bill was rife with comedic talent. IO has schooled some of television and film's biggest stars, and they were all coming home to wish IO and its living founder, Charna Halpern, a happy birthday. (Del Close -- who helped Charna found IO when she split from Second City --... more ›

Watch out! Comedian Margaret Cho is back, hitting Chicago Theater tonight and tomorrow night on her Assassin tour. Last month, Cho told the Windy City Times that Assassin is about the nation's current political struggles, "such as how we are dealing with our administration and how we are dealing with issues like gay marriage." The 36-year-old San Francisco native has been doing stand-up comedy since her early twenties. Her two previous national tours -- Notorious... more ›

Last time Chicagoist was strapped for cash we looked around us and tried to figure out what we could sell for cash.. and that's just what the city is doing. Facing a great big arts and culture budget deficit, Chicago is turning to eBay to auction off city-related events and emmorabilia. more ›