It's springtime and Chicago theatre is blooming again like the tulips on Ashland. For the last few years, in part because of Mayor Daley's plans to make downtown Chicago a major player in the theatre scene, many of the biggest and brightest shows leaving the Big Apple have made their way to the Windy City. The now-sitting Wicked proves the formula can be successful. It outperformed the New York version and is still going strong.... more ›

You bought tickets months in advance, cleared your schedule, and surprised your relatives with tickets to Chicago’s hottest show. Turns out your Wicked tickets were one of 2006’s least original holiday gifts. Last week’s gross for the Broadway in Chicago cash cow set a new local record — around $1.4 million. Remarkable as that sounds, the Chicago production was still outdone by its counterparts in Toronto ($1.5M), London ($1.7M) and New York, whose $1.8 million... more ›

Sun-Times reporters, photographers, copy editors and other newsroom employees represented by the Chicago Newspaper Guild voted Monday night to authorize a strike that could begin when their contract expires on September 30. The union represents about 180 staffers at the Sun-Times, but only 91 participated in the vote (89-2) because it was called on short notice. more ›