A study commissioned by Broadway in Chicago about Broadway in Chicago reveals — surprise! — Broadway in Chicago is injecting big bucks into the city. How big? Around $635 million in 2006, give or take a few hundred million. An article in today’s Sun Times blew a big sloppy kiss to the Live Nation/Clear Channel/Nederlander money machine, leading with that impressive figure which they concede is a tad inflated. Around half of it ($320 million)... more ›

At last night’s Joseph Jefferson Awards gala, the Jeff Committee made a rather forceful argument for North Side theater fans to drag their cultured butts to the South Side. Hyde Park’s Court Theater dominated the proceedings, netting 10 total Jeffs for their highly acclaimed interpretations of Fences, August Wilson’s seminal play, and Man of La Mancha, Dale Wasserman, Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh’s popular musical. The Quixotic musical racked up more awards than better-advertised contenders... more ›

Jeff’s back and he’s a little less predictable this year. This morning, the Joseph Jefferson Committee announced its 2006 nominations for Equity theater professionals (a.k.a. the Jeff Equity Awards). Jeff showered the most praise (9 noms) on another musical revival: Drury Lane’s Grand Hotel. The perennially loved Goodman, Court, and Marriott each received 13 nominations, but the big story is about the musicals. This year, out of town shows like Urinetown and Spelling Bee and... more ›

Chicagoist believes the only thing better than finding fun shows and exhibits for our readers is watching them develop. The arts and theater communities continue working long after their 15 minutes on the web expire, we just try to keep up. Consider this report a “Where Are They Now?” sans washed-up celebrities. The Snubfest ’06 lineup has been announced, and it looks good. Not Aspen Comedy Festival good, but that’s kind of the point. The... more ›

As prelude to last night’s Jeff Equity Awards, the Tribune published a love letter to Chicago’s theater community rebutting the notion of its inferiority to New York counterparts. To paraphrase, our stages have more street-level character, our productions ooze talent and substance, and our improv troupes put them to shame. So it’s disappointing that the Trib hasn’t seen fit (as of this writing) to follow up their big wet kiss with any news from last... more ›

The George Ryan corruption trial isn't nearly as entertaining now that Scott Fawell has left the building, but that definitely doesn't mean it's boring. Here's a short synopsis of the main developments of this past week: more ›

Note: This is Part 3 of an occasional series. more ›

Nominees for the 2005 Joseph Jefferson Awards for Equity Theaters, or Jeff Equities for short, have been announced. The nominees are selected from a pool of shows that impressed members of the Jeff Nominating Committee (a.k.a. “Jeff Recommended” productions). You can peruse the full list here. The Jeff Committee loves the big splashy musicals. Beauty and the Beast, a classic fairy tale, and Sweeney Todd, a classic cannibal tale, received 7 and 6 nominations, respectively,... more ›