The Chicago theater scene, already one of the most reputable in the country, continues to garner critical recognition. Apparently not content with settling for a Pulitzer Prize, Steppenwolf's hugely successful play, August: Osage County was nominated for seven Tony awards yesterday, including Best Play. Not to be outdone, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater was honored with this year's Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theater, the fourth Chicago-area theater to win the award (Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf......

The Joseph Jefferson awards committee announced this year's Non-Equity Jeff award nominees (formerly known as "Jeff citations") last night. At a minute after midnight, Chris, Chris & Kris posted the list to the Trib and Time Out Chicago blogs, respectively. The most-nominated companies— are Bailiwick Repertory Theatre and Oak Park's Circle Theatre, with a baker’s dozen and dozen mentions each, respectively. Lifeline Theatre's The Island of Dr. Moreau is in contention for nine play-related awards......

We'll still have to wait awhile for Chicago's new Trader Vic's, but in the meanwhile Tiki Terrace has now reopened for business and is ready to hula. And we mean that literally: the Hanalei Revue, every Saturday night, and the Ports of Paradise review on Fridays both feature plenty of dancing and other island-style entertainment. The Zuziak Brothers opened the original Tiki Terrace in 2005, but its Prospect Heights location meant you were plum......

It is 2004 and we are deep in the heart of the presidential campaign. On this particular evening candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry stand behind podiums, ready to face off in a debate being moderated by the NewsHour's Jim Lehrer. Lehrer is in the midst of his opening statement, about to ask the first question of the evening to Senator Kerry, when Bush makes his move. He stealthly approaches Lehrer, weilding a......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Rockabilly The first Thursday of the month at Martyrs' usually means it's time for the Big "C" Jamboree. Hosted by Ken Mottet, the Big "C" Jamboree is the city's longest rockabilly showcase and one of its best kept secrets, a jam session that runs the gamut from Western swing and jump blues to hillbilly music......

“There are gunshots in this show, but don’t be alarmed.” That was the last thing we heard just before the lights went dark, and it suddenly became clear we had no idea what to expect from the seventh annual Etcetera Festival. The show is presented by The Mill Theatre, a local group that has produced progressive theater for the last six years. In Etcetera, The Mill strings together works of performance art that are not......

What would you get if Karen from Will & Grace, Charlotte from Sex and the City and crazy redhead Gloria Clearly from Wedding Crashers moved in together to bask in a Golden Girls-style twisted sisterhood? The product of that perfect storm would be much like Hubris Productions’ latest show, Girls Will Be Girls. In this stage play version of a hit indie film by the same title, three male actors bring to life three colorful......

Ah, the Coen Brothers. They've given us many memorable tales of kidnapping, murder, and betrayal. But none has grown in cult status quite like The Big Lebowski. Since it's theatrical release (10 years ago yesterday!), and despite its subsequently tepid box office gross, the film has become a huge hit on DVD and has even inspired it's own yearly get-together, known as Lebowski Fest. The Fest gives all the Dude enthusiasts a chance to come......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Theater Pegasus Players and Live Bait Theater are the co-producers behind Steven Simoncic's "Heat Wave." Based on the book of the same name, this play takes a look at the heat wave of 1995 which took the lives of 739 Chicagoans and asks if the deaths could have been prevented and what went wrong. 1145......

You meet, you woo, and a soul-consuming love blossoms. Then you break up. And why is it you suddenly have so much to say to the very person you swore you’d never speak to again? Letters/X, a comedic cabaret by the GroundUp Theatre, celebrates the melodramatic literary gold that can come in the form of tear-stained Dear John letters. The show features funny skits, musical numbers and spoken word inspired by actual break-up letters.......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Theater Tonight is the premiere for Lincoln Square Theatre's production of Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles." Adapted from Bradbury's seminal 1950 novel, the play tells of the tensions between native aboriginal Martians and new colonists fleeing a troubled Earth as an allegory for Old World colonialism. Bradbury was inspired to write his novel equally by Steinbeck's......

Photo by Joe M500 A New Trier high school student got access to the school's computer system, apparently to check his class rank. He didn't steal any personal info, and nothing was deleted or changed; he just accessed "student directory information for all students, semester grades for current students and the last three graduating classes, and ACT test scores for the class of 2008." Police are investigating. [S-T] This is my dance space; this......

The following events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music Raul Midon has slowly developed a strong and dedicated fan base with constant touring behind his own hybrid form of soul songs steeped in pop sensibility, calling upon influences ranging from Stevie Wonder to Paul Simon to Bill Withers. His albums tend to be too slickly produced for our ears but in concert Midon......

Many would say Chicago tops the list of America’s funniest cities, so it’s fitting that our town created an awards show exclusively to honor Chicago comics. The Second Annual Chicago Comedy Awards, a three-day extravaganza taking place this weekend, sets the stage for local comedians to, well, celebrate themselves. The show is an expansion of last year’s, which included only four awards. This year they’ve dropped the “Most Improved Comedian” award -- er, maybe because......

We have read enough Roald Dahl to be instantly sold on anything influenced by him or based on his work. He could certainly knock out a mean children’s book, but this time it’s his adult content that is being adapted for the stage. Every Saturday from now through April 5, The Annoyance Theater is showing Georgy Porgy and Other Stories by Roald Dahl, using both video and the stage to interpret several of Dahl’s darker,......

We sometimes wonder how many people think seeing a dance performance will be something like out of The Big Lebowski. But considering the depth and versatility of the Chicago dance scene, finding a dance show really becomes a matter of how you prefer to be entertained, rather than expecting to be disappointed. Chicago Dance Crash = fun. This is a completely unique dance experience that really works for both newbies and regulars to the dance......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Film Have you heard the new place to play hooky is the Portage Theater's classic Wednesday matinée series? Last week it was the Marx Brothers at their most anarchic. This week Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald star in "I Married an Angel." This classic 1942 fantasy features some classic Rogers and Hart songs sung beautifully......

Often when we think of plays, rosy cheeks and jazz hands come to mind. While a great variety of plays exist, it seems the majority try to uplift and entertain, not scare the bejesus out of us. But the WildClaw Theatre wants us to expect the unexpected. This newly-formed company is dedicated exclusively to bringing true horror back to the stage, and wastes no time kicking off their mission with The Great God Pan -......

Ah, late February in Chicago. Cubs tickets go on sale today, there's a forecast for a high temperature above 35 degrees next week, and thousands of indie rock kids around Chicago will soon be shedding their parkas for high-priced hoodies bought from Wicker Park boutiques (tip: ours cost us $12 at Target!) for several worthwhile shows around the Chicago area. Lots of tickets go on sale this weekend. So, despite this crappy weather, there is,......

Forgotten Chicago spotlights three abandoned movie "palaces" they hope make the preservation cut: The Colony Theater on 59th and Kedzie, the Ramova Theater on 35th and Halsted, and the Patio Theater on Irving Park and Austin. "Someone, somewhere, has to come up with the necessary means to save and restore these places," they write. "It would be wonderful if they remained as movie theaters, but just saving the interior space would be great as......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Burgers: While we are loathe to actually divulge this information, the Dunlay's location in Logan Square has fucking awesome hamburgers. Almost as good as Kuma's, we swear. So it's no wonder that on Wednesdays the place is jam-packed with folks stuffing their faces with the restaurant's ground beef since today if half-price burger night. If......

Photo by Nick D. (embiggen) Did the president of Medill use made-up quotes in a newsletter? We...barely care. What really bugs us is journalists citing the existence of Facebook group as some kind of indicator of anything--"students and alumni joined the new 'Save Journalism at Medill' group on Facebook. On Tuesday afternoon, there were nearly 90 members ...." There are 650 fulltime students at Medill. Fewer than 90 of them clicked a button. Agh,......

Friday’s late night crowd at Gorilla Tango Theater is raucous and loud, with some patrons sloshed to the point of major distraction. But complaining about a drunken scene at sketch comedy revue Boozelegger’s Ball is like complaining about excessive violence in There Will Be Blood. The title alone should clue you in. Drawing the pub crawling crowd into an interactive show is risky. No one at last Friday’s performance passed out or attempted to “rewrite”......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Food and Wine Meet one of Santa Barbara’s hottest winemakers as Joey Tensley of Tensley Wines personally showcases his current vintages this evening at Custom House. Guests can savor six of Tensley's favorite selections and enjoy small bites from Chef de Cuisine Richard Camarota in the restaurant’s beautifully appointed private dining room. 500 S. Dearborn,......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Art Gabriel Mejia was born in the Chicago area and received his undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University. Gabriel teaches art at Jones College Prep and says of his art, "I am interested in documenting, through painting and drawing, specific moments in time captured through candid photographs of people that I know very well." He'll......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Theater: There is A LOT of theater in Chicago, and it's often nigh impossible to select what shows you want to take in. Well, how about if you could catch a glimpse of what each show had to offer? that's the concept behind the Speed Theater Open House at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater. Check......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music: If you think we piss piss piss and moan moan moan about Mayor Daley on this site too much, then head to the Empty Bottle this evening. The bands Mayor Daley and piss piss piss moan moan moan - and their abrasive noise rock - open for the experimental noise music of Binges. 1035......

Music: The Jazz Institute of Chicago is sponsoring a jazz guitar summit at Austin Town Hall this evening. Featured performers will be John Moulder, Buddy Fambro, Jeff Parker, and Curtis Robinson. 5610 W. Lake St., 8 p.m. Theater: "How I Spent My Last Night on Earth", playing at DCA Storefront Theater, is a play based on the book of the same name. This funny, fast-paced, fascinating tale will have you laughing in the face of......

The Little Dog Laughed, About Face Theater's current production up at Center on Halsted, is supposed to have a nude scene in it. But the Chicago version has the boys in their manpanties, and the playwright is none too pleased with the sanitized version of his work. Douglas Carter Beane's Little Dog, about a closeted movie star, the male sexworker he falls in love with, his vicious agent, and some shrewy chick they know, ran......

Pack an umbrella, bring your galoshes, and dress in layers. It's been that kind of week. Here are some events to brave any extreme in weather. Movies/Music: DeRo and the Other Guy , as part of Sound Opinions' "At the Movies" series, will be hosting a rare screening of the Who's 1979 concert biopic The Kids Are Alright. The screening will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Derogatis and Kot. Music Box Theater, 7......