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Before we start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or get too far in the zone on the NCAA action, there are a few shows going on sale that we would like to talk about. more ›

Christopher Durang is still Christopher Durang, more or less. A generation after skewering religious hypocrisy (Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You), theatrical pretensions (The Actor’s Nightmare), and pop psychology (Beyond Therapy), Durang brings his wacky situational humor tinged with the dark and surreal to Miss Witherspoon, a reincarnation fairy tale now playing at the Next Theatre. Durang fans may be relived to know the playwright is still feeding his inner 16-year-old drama geek:... more ›

It may be a “dead week” for the travel industry, but Chicagoist is livening things up next week with a Happy Hour for you, our readers, featuring after-work cocktails and live band karaoke from the Hootenanners. more ›

As if spending the afternoon at Navy Pier weren’t punishment enough, visitors were also subject to religious propaganda. According to CBS, last Saturday, Philadelphia-based evangelical Christian organization Repent America was handing out promotional literature at Navy Pier. A police officer told the group to stop or else face arrest. When the group returned on Sunday, they were told to demonstrate in designated “free speech zones.” Five members of Repent America have filed a suit in... more ›

You would be totally forgiven for being so over that whole neu-New Wave/Joy Division/dance-rock trend that has gripped hipsters from coast to coast for the past couple of years. We wouldn’t hold it against you. Like any trend, this one was kicked off by a handful of talented groups that were eclipsed all too soon by a deluge of recent label signings motivated by the need to jump on the bandwagon before the tires blew... more ›

We were sitting here minding our own business trying to take a nap until one of the other Chicagoist writers pointed out that Kanye West is on the cover of Rolling Stone this month. more ›

Bobby Conn is a little Jesus Christ Superstar, a little Nilsson, a little Jackson 5 and a whole lotta rock and/or roll. This diminutive Chicagoan has been making waves just under the surface of the city’s music scene for years now and every once in a while he pops up for a live performance or to release a new album. Tonight at Double Door he’s combining those two events by performing a show to celebrate the release of his new concert album Live Classics: Vol. 1. Talk about a postmodern hyper-commentary on an action taken in self-referential reverence to an action performed. more ›

Barack Obama announced a plan (listen here) yesterday morning to help small businesses in IL buy health insurance for their workers. He's proposed that a pool be created that would allow small companies to join up to buy insurance for their employees. Obama thinks teaming up will give the businesses more leverage with insurance companies. more ›