A photo of the stage at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, set for live performances of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Several musicians warm up under a large projection screen as audience members find their seats.
Ready to go to Middle-earth at the Auditorium Theatre!
As someone with an Uncle AL on both sides of the family, I feel this deeply
My full book review of "On an Inland Sea" is available at @sixtyinchesfromcenter.org:
sixtyinchesfromcenter.org/finding-sola...
Brad Onishi's public scholarship on Christian nationalism has been invaluable to my understanding of current events since I started listening to and reading his work five years ago. Really looking forward to his next book!
Happy opening to the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival! I've been covering this festival (the nation's largest) for four years now, and there's always something new to discover. Gift link to my preview article for the @chicagotribune.com:
www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/16/c...
Peak Midwest: It's 42F on Christmas Eve and you spot someone in a Bears hoodie and shorts at Culvers.
Happy to spotlight the great work being done by Season of Concern, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to Chicago theater workers experiencing illness or other emergencies. My feature for @playbill.com:
playbill.com/article/when...
“Elf the Musical” is the theatrical equivalent of pouring maple syrup on spaghetti; kids may love it, but nostalgia aside, it’s too sickly sweet to have broad appeal for adults.
In which my inner optimist does battle with my inner cynic...
Congrats and best of luck! Sounds exciting!
’Tis the season when Chicago’s stages give way to Ebenezer Scrooges, George Baileys and Nutcracker princes — plus, the sounds of klezmer, flamenco, bluegrass and Motown. It’s all here in our guide to this year’s holiday performances.
Look, "Amadeus" at @steppenwolfthtr.bsky.social is very good, but Mozart being a freelancer who gets driven mad by lack of gigs is probably gonna haunt my dreams tonight.
"Greta & Valdin" by Rebecca K. Reilly was pretty cute. Recommend the audiobook because NZ accents!
The People Want to Read: on the massive budget cuts proposed for Chicago Public Library. What's at stake and what you can do, whether or not you live in Chicago.
buttondown.com/wellsourced/...
It was a pleasure to speak with Avery Willis Hoffman, Court Theatre's new artistic director, about her love of the classics and her vision for the Tony Award-winning company. My feature for @playbill.com:
playbill.com/article/the-...
I've been thinking the same. Restaurants are closing or doing takeout only, parents are keeping their kids home from school, there's a general sense of unease but also encouraging displays of solidarity.
Yes.
I went to No Kings back in my small, rural Midwestern hometown and cried when I saw 500+ people there and nearly constant honking from passing cars.
The library has the DVD!
Ooo, I haven't — will check it out!!
Lady Crawley!!
Not sure about the new season of Derry Girls, looks a bit creepy
I like dogs, but this is a terrible idea. It's exclusionary to people with allergies or phobias, plus those who just don't want to share their dining spaces with strangers' animals. Just called my alderwoman to ask her to vote "no."
Just saw a kid reading a Cinderella picture book while her mom pushed her in one of those running strollers. That's the kind of running I aspire to (the kid, not the mom).
Escaping into genre fiction, mostly fantasy and murder mysteries
The one where I interview Pam Beesly and her lactation consultant
playbill.com/article/from...
Looking at a map of northern Illinois, you’ll find Rockford halfway between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River; this post-industrial city also represents a midpoint in my coming of age.
My review of THE ROCKFORD ANTHOLOGY, @sixtyinchesfromcenter.org:
sixtyinchesfromcenter.org/midway-to-ho...
So sorry to hear this!!
Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips announces he has taken a buyout and the Trib is eliminating his post. Unless I am missing someone I believe this leaves the nation's third-largest city without a single full-time film writing gig.
