Chicagoans can find a range of plays, musicals and dance shows at local theaters large and small. Our guide has the latest on what’s on stage in the city.
Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment on stage at Chicago’s theaters. From local productions to Broadway hits, our guide has the latest on shows in the city. Bookmark this page and check back for updates and ticket information.
‘Lot 110’
When: free virtual reading 7 p.m. May 29, Goodman Theatre
What: Lili-Anne Brown directs a free virtual reading of Chicago playwright Nora Carroll’s “Lot 110.” The drama is the story of two sisters who travel to their sister’s gravesite to perform a ritual of healing, of remembrance, of connection. Visit goodmantheatre.org/lot110.
‘Just Cause: The Experience’
When: Streams at 7 p.m. May 27
What: Citadel Theatre presents a free online reading of Todd Logan’s “Just Cause: The Experience,” a courtroom drama about an artistic director who is suing her former employer. Visit citadeltheatre.org.
Chicago Dance Month
Photo by Philamonjaro StudioAriel Dance Chicago
When: May 29-June 24
What: June is Chicago Dance Month and it kicks off on May 29 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand. Presented by See Chicago Dance, the free live event features performances by Aerial Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Mandala Arts and The Seldoms. The celebration continues with pop-up performances (3 p.m. Saturdays June 5-Sept. 4, Navy Pier), a park-wide dance “scavenger hunt” featuring an eclectic group of artists (4:30 p.m. June 9, 30 in McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing) and a virtual event with more dance performances (6 p.m. June 24). All events are free. Visit seechicagodance.com/dancemonth.
According to documents released by the university, Ohio State’s president asked athletic director Gene Smith if the school could play the 2020 football season without the Big Ten. | Jay LaPrete/AP
The text from university president Kristina Johnson to athletic director Gene Smith was among more than 2,500 pages of documents the school released Wednesday night in response to public records requests by media organizations.
The president of Ohio State University asked athletic director Gene Smith if the Buckeyes could “go independent” in a text message sent the day after the Big Ten announced in August it would not play a fall football season.
The text from Ohio State President Kristina Johnson to Smith, dated Aug. 12 at 8:04 a.m., was among more than 2,500 pages of documents the school released Wednesday night in response to public records requests by media organizations.
The documents included numerous email messages from Buckeyes supporters to Smith and Johnson, criticizing both leaders and the Big Ten’s decision to postpone the season on Aug. 11 because of the pandemic.
“As an alumni I have slowly been losing my faith in the direction of Ohio State, oh to go back to the days of the leadership we had under Gordon Gee,” one emailer wrote, referring to the former Ohio State President, currently at West Virginia University.
There were also email exchanges between athletic directors in the Big Ten proposing alternative football schedules for both a traditional season that would start in September and winter/spring options.
The Big Ten canceled fall football on Aug. 11 and said it would attempt to play all traditional fall semester sports in the spring semester.
The next day, Johnson texted Smith: “Anyway to go independent?”
Smith responded: “I am trying to understand our contracts and if we can play independent this year. Nebraska is trying too and gone public with it.”
On Sept. 16, the Big Ten reversed course — citing the development and availability of rapid COVID-19 testing as a major factor — and decided to schedule an eight-game football season that started on Oct. 24.
The condensed schedule included no room for makeup dates and Ohio State ended up having three of its regular-season games canceled because of virus issues with either the Buckeyes or their opponent.
The Buckeyes went undefeated in the regular season, but Big Ten officials had to change conference rules on the fly to allow Ohio State to play in the conference title game.
The Buckeyes won the Big Ten, made the College Football Playoff, and beat Clemson in the semifinals before losing to Alabama in the national championship game.
HERO Tent President Kiana Simmons places a candle at a vigil organized by her group following the mass shooting at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light-rail yard, outside City Hall on May 26, 2021 in San Jose, California. | Getty
The attacker was identified as 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy, according to two law enforcement officials.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — An employee who gunned down nine people at a California rail yard and then killed himself as law enforcement rushed in had talked about killing people at work more than a decade ago, his ex-wife said.
“I never believed him, and it never happened. Until now,” a tearful Cecilia Nelms told The Associated Press on Wednesday following the 6:30 a.m. attack at a light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority.
“When our deputies went through the door, initially he was still firing rounds. When our deputy saw him, he took his life,” Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told reporters.
The gunman had two semiautomatic handguns and 11 loaded magazines, the sheriff told NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday. A locker at the rail yard believed to be the gunman’s contained “materials for bombs, detonator cords, the precursors to an explosive,” Smith said.
The number of people fatally shot by the gunman rose from eight after the Santa Clara County’s medical examiner-coroner late Wednesday confirmed the death of Alex Ward Fritch, 49. He had been wounded and hospitalized in critical condition after the attack.
The sheriff’s office is next door to the rail yard, which serves the county of more than 1 million people in the heart of the Silicon Valley.
The attacker was identified as 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy, according to two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Investigators offered no immediate word on a possible motive but his ex-wife said he used to come home from work resentful and angry over what he perceived as unfair assignments.
“He could dwell on things,” she said. The two were married for about 10 years until a 2005 divorce filing and she hadn’t been in touch with Cassidy for about 13 years, Nelms said.
It was the 15th mass killing in the nation this year, all of them shootings that have claimed at least four lives each for a total of 87 deaths, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
At the White House, President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff and urged Congress to act on legislation to curb gun violence.
“Every life that is taken by a bullet pierces the soul of our nation. We can, and we must, do more,” Biden said in a statement.
Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the site and then spoke emotionally about the country’s latest mass killing.
“There’s a numbness some of us are feeling about this. There’s a sameness to this,” he said. “It begs the damn question of what the hell is going on in the United States of America?”
Members of a union representing Valley Transportation Authority workers were meeting when the shooting began, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said, but it’s not clear the meeting was related to the attack.
The shooting took place in two buildings and killed employees who had been bus and light rail operators, mechanics, linemen and an assistant superintendent over the course of their careers. One had worked for the agency since 1999.
Eight victims identified earlier were Paul Delacruz Megia, 42; Taptejdeep Singh, 36; Adrian Balleza, 29; Jose Dejesus Hernandez, 35; Timothy Michael Romo, 49; Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 40; Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63, and Lars Kepler Lane, 63.
Singh had worked as a light rail train driver for eight or nine years and had a wife, two small children and many family members, said his cousin, Bagga Singh.
“We heard that he chose the people to shoot, but I don’t know why they choose him because he has nothing to do with him,” he said.
San Jose City Councilman Raul Peralez said Rudometkin was a close friend.
“There are no words to describe the heartache we are feeling right now, especially for his family,” he wrote on Facebook. “Eight families are feeling this same sense of loss tonight and our entire community is mourning as well.”
There was nothing in public records to indicate Cassidy ever got in trouble with the law. He received a traffic ticket in 2019 and sheriff’s officials said they were still investigating his background.
But in court documents filed in 2009, an ex-girlfriend described him as volatile and violent, with major mood swings because of bipolar disorder that became worse when he drank heavily.
Several times while he was drunk, Cassidy forced himself on her sexually despite her refusals, pinning her arms with his body weight, the woman alleged in a sworn statement filed after Cassidy sought a restraining order against her. The documents were obtained by The San Francisco Chronicle.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.
Cassidy had worked for Valley Transportation Authority since at least 2012, according to the public payroll and pension database Transparent California, first as a mechanic from 2012 to 2014, then as someone who maintained substations.
Officials also were investigating a house fire that broke out shortly before the shooting, Davis said. Public records show Cassidy owned the two-story home where firefighters responded after being notified by a passerby. Law enforcement officers cordoned off the area near the home and went in and out Wednesday.
The gunman probably “set some kind of a device to go off at a certain time probably to coincide with the shooting,” the sheriff told “Today.”
Doug Suh, who lives across the street, told The Mercury News in San Jose that Cassidy seemed “strange” and that he never saw anyone visit.
“I’d say hello, and he’d just look at me without saying anything,” Suh said. Once, Cassidy yelled at him to stay away as he was backing up his car. “After that, I never talked to him again.”
Wednesday’s attack was the deadliest shooting in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1993, when a gunman attacked law offices in San Francisco’s Financial District, killing eight people before taking his own life.
It also was Santa Clara County’s second mass shooting in less than two years. A gunman killed three people and then himself at a popular garlic festival in Gilroy in July 2019.
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Associated Press video journalist Terry Chea in San Jose and writers Janie Har in San Francisco, John Antczak and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles, and Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
Taking a few days off to head downstate? In Peoria, there are plenty of great restaurants from which to choose. No matter what you’re craving, there’s something for everyone in P-Town. Here are just 8 restaurants to try while you’re visiting Peoria:
With the wood-fired oven serving as a central part of its menu, Sugar offers pizzas, sandwiches, fish, and more to hungry diners. Try the smoky pork chipotle pizza, or the salmon with dijon apricot glaze.
Founded in 2009 by Mike Cheesman (an Englishman) and his family, Fox Pub offers a true English pub experience, complete with a wide beer selection, a weekly quiz night, and fish and chips (among other menu items).
It can be a little dicey finding excellent seafood in the middle of Illinois, but Jonah’s keeps things fresh with a menu that’s updated every single day. Choose something from the impressive beer and wine menu, followed by sesame-crusted ahi tuna, blackened cod, or perhaps some shrimp.
Here you’ll find smoked meats, sandwiches, and even barbecue-inspired tacos. Chow down on a pulled pork plate, or try the Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi sandwich.
Considering its delicious dishes, 40 craft beers, and unbelievable bourbon selection, it’s not hard to find thyme to enjoy this gastropub in downtown Peoria’s Warehouse District.
Its facade may be humble and its menu minimal, but all of the love and sweat at Jerusalem Restaurant have clearly been put into the most important thing— the food! Almost nothing hits the spot like a good chicken shawarma, and chased with baklava? *Chef’s kiss*
Hearth owner Hugh Higgins emphasizes locally-grown, high-quality ingredients at this Peoria Heights restaurant. Entrees here include heavy hitters like jambalaya, jumbo scallops, and duck breast, and their signature cocktail list features a refreshing blood orange margarita.
Rookie Scouting Portfolio creator Matt Waldman is back for more great football talk with Draft Dr. Phil and Shane “The Smartest Man” Marsaw and then the creator of the AIQ (athletic intelligence quotient), Dr. Scott Goldman, joins the 100 Crew to discuss the test and just how well Justin Fields excelled at it.
There’s lots of cool things for kids and families to do and see in and around Chicago. | stock.adobe.com
Looking for something to do with your family? Check out our highlights of current events and activities for kids.
Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment in Chicago for kids and families to enjoy. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on the latest activities.
Lyric Opera“Hansel & Gretel”
‘Hansel & Gretel’ in the Park
When: Through June 18
Where: North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski
What: The Lyric Opera, Chicago Park District and the Greater Chicago Food Depository team up to present free, live performances of Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 opera based on the fairy tale. This is a new production conceived and directed by Matthew Ozawa and sung in English.
Chicago DogsThe Chicago Dogs will honor the city’s favorite hot dog condiment with free giveaways of mustard costumes.
When: 7:05 p.m. May 28 and 29
Where: Impact Field, 9850 Balmoral, Rosemont
What: The baseball team’s home season opens with the first of 53 games in Rosemont. Named after Chicago’s favorite culinary tradition, the Dogs will honor Chicago’s favorite condiment by giving complimentary mustard costumes and bottles of Vienna Yellow Mustard to fans at games on May 28-29. Tickets: $9-$25.
Museum of Science and IndustryThe Boeing 747 at “Take Flight.”
When: Permanent
Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
What: The MSI’s Boeing 747 reopens with a reimagined exhibit that explores modern aviation and the science of flight. The plane’s interior has been restored and new interactive elements have been added. Tickets: $12.95, $21.95.
Welcome to our highlights for concerts, festivals and live music in Chicago. From free shows at Millennium Park to large festivals like Ravinia and Lollapalooza, and intimate shows at small local venues, our guide has all the latest music entertainment. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on concerts and events.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
When: live performances May 27-June 13
What: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns with live performances May 27-June 13. The first program (May 27-30) conducted by Michael Mulcahy includes Aaron Copland’s iconic “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Samuel Barber’s 20th-century interpretation of a Bach chorale paired with works by Tilson Thomas, Bernstein and Schuller. Erina Yashima conducts (June 3-6) two “Novelettes” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, the string orchestra version of Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum” and Kodaly’s orchestral “Dances of Galanta”; and Edo de Waart (June 10-13) conducts Mozart’s overture to “Don Giovanni,” Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll” and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.
When: livestreamed show at 8 p.m. May 28 from City Winery Nashville
What: Singer-songwriter Shannon McNally celebrates the release of her new album, “The Waylon Sessions” with a livestreamed show from City Winery Nashville. She’s assembled an all-star band along with special guests Rodney Crowell, Buddy Miller and Kenny Vaughn. On the album, McNally puts a woman’s spin on outlaw classics by Jennings and his cohorts. The result is not so much a tribute but a rethinking of a catalog long considered a bastion of masculinity.
Tuesdays on the Terrace
“Tuesdays on the Terrace” at the MCA in Chicago.Copyright MCA
When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays June 1-Aug. 31
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art’s outdoor sculpture garden, 220 E. Chicago
What: Tuesdays on the Terrace returns to the Museum of Contemporary Art’s outdoor sculpture garden. The popular jazz concert series features an array of Chicago jazz musiciansFirst up on June 1 is Alexis Lombre’s Ancestral Awakenings. Free with advance reservations. Visit mcachicago.org.
More information: Get ready for some furious fingerpicking and perfect harmonies when the Chicago bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers celebrates the release of a new album “The Departure” with four shows at City Winery.
What: The final online event of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s season includes Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Eric Ewazen’s Symphony in Brass, Valerie Coleman’s “Portrait of Josephine” and Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1,” which is often viewed as a feminist counterpoint to the Copland work of similar name.
Lollapalooza
When: July 29-Aug. 1
Where: Grant Park
What: Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park July 29-Aug. 1 with Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Tyler, the Creator, Miley Cyrus, Dababy, Marchmello, Journey, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Kaytranada and more. $375+/festival pass. Visit lollapalooza.com.
Riot Fest
When: Sept. 17-19
Where: Douglass Park, Chicago
What: Riot Festis back, this year with Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Run the Jewels, Pixies, Faith No More, Devo, Lupe Fiasco and more.
What: The Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph. Performers include Erykah Badu Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, The Fiery Furnaces, Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon Waxahatchee, Flying Lotus, Thundercat and more.
MILAN — Carla Fracci, an Italian cultural icon and former La Scala prima ballerina renowned for romantic roles alongside such greats as Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, died Thursday at her home in Milan. She was 84.
The La Scala theater announced her death with “great sadness,” without giving a cause. Italian news reports said she had been fighting cancer.
The Milan theater recalled the “fairy tale rise” of the daughter of a tram driver who, through “talent, obstinance and work became the most famous ballerina in the world, has inspired generations of young people, and not just in the world of dance.”
“Carla Fracci was a cardinal figure in the history of dance and that of La Scala, but also a point of reference for the city of Milan and Italian culture,” the theater said in a statement.
Fracci was born in Milan on Aug. 20, 1936, and spent World War II with relatives in the countryside to escape the frequent bombardment of the industrialized Lombardy capital. In a recent interview with Sky TG24, Fracci described her younger self as a “farmer,” who knew nothing of the theater or the world of dance “much less those little shoes.”
But after the war, an observer remarked on her “grace and musicality,” recommending she try out for La Scala’s academy.
She was accepted at age 10, riding her father’s tram each day to the academy, and graduated in 1954, at age 18. Her first stage appearance was in 1955 with other graduating ballet students at the close of a staging of Bellini’s “La sonnambula” conducted by Leonard Bernstein, directed by Luchino Visconti and starting Maria Callas.
She got her first break substituting for French dancer Violette Verdi in “Cinderella” the same year, and by 1958 had risen to the role of prima ballerina.
Her global fame spread immediately, with invitations to the Royal Festival Hall, followed by doors opening in the United States, even as she maintained a central role at La Scala. She was most identified with the role of “Giselle,” which she danced with Nureyev and Baryshnikov as well as Danish star Erik Bruhn.
Later partners included La Scala’s own Roberto Bolle, who remembered Fracci for her “human generosity.”
She last danced at La Scala in 2000, in the role of Luce in “Excelsior.” She was invited back in January of this year to teach a masterclass on “Giselle,” which was broadcast on La Scala’s social media channels and is part of a documentary by RAI state television.
“It was very moving to be back at La Scala, after more than 20 years,” she told SKY TG24.
Fracci is survived by her husband of 57 years, theater director Beppe Menegatti, and their son, Francesco Menegatti.
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