Oil Lamp Theater, currently presenting The Last Five Years, now extended through July 19, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production, I Love You Because, August 14 - September 13, book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, music by Joshua Salzman and orchestrations by Larry Hochman, directed by Scott Shallenbarger and music directed by Aaron Kahn, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., with an opening performance Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.  

Modern dating is a mess. Sometimes to find Mr. Right you need to find Mr. Wrong – even if that means seeing someone stuck on their ex, awkward encounters of the intimate kind and lots of bad coffee dates. Opposites attract in this feel-good musical that will transport you into the heart of your favorite guilty pleasure rom-com. Created by acclaimed musical team Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman and inspired by Jane Austen’s gold-standard romance novel “Pride and Prejudice,” this delightful modern musical will make you fall head over heels.

The cast of I Love You Because includes Aiden McCoy (any with respect, Austin Bennet); Maxwell J DeTogne (any with respect, Jeff Bennet); Hannah Kipp  (she/her, Marcy Fitzwilliams); Kristin Brintnall (she/her, Diana Bingley); Daria Koon (she/they, NYC Woman); Tommy Rothwells (he/him, NYC Man); Freddy Mauricio (he/him, Austin Bennet U/S); Nic Eastlund (he/him, Jeff Bennet U/S); Kaitie Bonds (she/her, Marcy Fitzwilliams U/S); Dominique Ruffalo (she/her, Diana Bingley U/S); Nikki Holladay (she/her, NYC Woman U/S) and Joe Dennis (he/him, NYC Man U/S).

The production team includes Scott Shallenbarger (he/him, director); Aaron Kahn (he/him, music director/accompanist); Bob Knuth (he/him, scenic designer); Devin Meseke (he/him, properties designer); Maya Reter (she/her, sound designer); Sara Segneri (she/her, stage manager); Danielle Reinhardt (she/her, costume designer); Conner Nicoson (they/them, technical director); Connor Windle (she/her, production manager) and Rose Leisner (she/her, company manager).

ABOUT SCOTT SHALLENBARGER, DIRECTOR

Scott Shallenbarger makes his Oil Lamp debut with I Love You Because. Representative credits include Miracle on South Division Street, I And You, Baby the Musical (Citadel Theatre); Les Miserables (Uptown Music Theatre Company); The Glass Menagerie, Six Degrees of Separation, The Road to Mecca, Hot L Baltimore, The Children’s Crusade (Raven Theatre); Jeffrey and Love, Valor, Compassion (Hubris Productions) and Skyscraper (Piven Theatre). Shallenbarger is a published playwright and teaching artist who would like to thank you, dear audience, for attending live theatre. 

ABOUT AARON KAHN, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Aaron Kahn is thrilled to be returning to Oil Lamp after previously working on the productions of It’s A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play and The Marvelous Wonderettes. Kahn is also a private voice teacher at the Christopher Laughlin School of Music in Northbrook and is a staff accompanist at Carthage College. Other favorite music and assistant music direction credits include: Fugitive Songs (Stagedoor Manor); Mel Brooks’ The Producers (Music Theater Works); A Little Night Music (Theo Ubique) and Spring Awakening (4 Chairs Theatre). 

MORE FROM FROM OIL LAMP THEATER

Dial M for Murder

October 2 – November 1, 2026

Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott

Directed by Daniel King

Preview Performances: Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. 

Opening Night: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. 

Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday Oct. 21 at 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Alfred Hitchcock’s adored, chilling thriller gets a modern twist that no one will see coming. A murderous misstep begins a high-stakes hunt for the real criminal as time is quickly running out. This captivating, heart-racing play leaves audiences on the edge of their seats while the mystery of the year unravels before their eyes. Will the clues unlock the right person, or will an innocent victim pay the price? The suspense is to die for…

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

November 20 - December 27, 2026

Adapted by Joe Landry

Directed by Becca Holloway

Preview Performances: Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. 

Opening Night: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. 

Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday Dec. 16 at 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The holiday tradition returns for its 13th year. Audiences may experience unmatched holiday cheer with Frank Capra's beloved classic, “It's a Wonderful Life,” reimagined as a captivating live radio play, complete with foley sound effects and set in our own WBFR radio studio.

Journey to Bedford Falls, where George Bailey's troubles lead him to wish he was never born. Clarence, an angel sent to intervene, steps in to make his wishes come true and George quickly learns just how many lives he has touched and just how blessed he really is.

*All productions, dates, creatives, etc. are subject to change.

ABOUT OIL LAMP THEATER

Oil Lamp Theater is a professional nonprofit performing arts organization in Glenview, Illinois, welcoming over 10,000 patrons annually from more than 225 communities—41% from Glenview and others from across the North Shore and Chicago. Since establishing its intimate 60-seat home in downtown Glenview in 2012, Oil Lamp has grown into a cultural beacon, earning recognition as “Best Live Theatre in the North Shore” for four consecutive years.

With more than 70 productions to date, Oil Lamp is known for its dynamic Mainstage season, special events and its resilience during the pandemic, when it innovated with drive-in performances and outdoor productions. Today, the theatre continues to foster connection, broaden horizons and illuminate the human condition through professional theater and year-round programming.

In addition to its productions, Oil Lamp Theater operates Oil Lamp Academy, its education branch dedicated to “Training for Life Through the Performing Arts.” In 2025 alone, the program served more than 230 students ages three to 97 years old, offering classes that use theater as a pathway to build confidence, creativity and lifelong skills.

This past September, Oil Lamp launched  Light The Way, a transformative fundraising campaign designed to expand arts education, strengthen essential staff and establish a larger performance venue with the goal of staying in downtown Glenview. Building on its roots as a scrappy storefront, Oil Lamp is evolving into a more robust organization—without losing the intimacy and warmth that define its theater experience. Oil Lamp Theater hopes this announcement inspires excitement throughout the community. Stay tuned as additional news is shared in the near future. For information or to support the campaign go to OilLampTheater.org/Light-the-Way or reach out to Oil Lamp at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Oil Lamp Theater, currently presenting The Last Five Years, now extended through July 19, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production, I Love You Because, August 14 - September 13, book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, music by Joshua Salzman and orchestrations by Larry Hochman, directed by Scott Shallenbarger and music directed by Aaron Kahn, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., with an opening performance Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. (which is an understudy performance); Wednesday, Sept.. 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Wednesday Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.  

Great Lakes Operetta is delighted to present its first full-length, fully-staged operetta, Jacques Offenbach’s seminal work, Orpheus in the Underworld!

Originally premiering as Orphée aux enfers, this musical spoof of the Orpheus myth was the Hadestown of 1858’s Paris and had a cultural impact comparable to Hamilton or Phantom of the Opera. It is often considered the first operetta and inspired many other composers, most notably Johann Strauss Jr. The original book was written in part by Ludovic Halévy, of Carmen fame, and the score introduced the now world-famous “can-can” (known in the show as the “Infernal Gallop”). The show is raucous, wacky, and surprisingly modern, and the score is one of Offenbach’s best, ensuring its continued popularity.

Orpheus was initially controversial: in this version, Orpheus and Eurydice can’t stand each other and there is no moral redemption for anyone (although there is a singing bug, pictured below). Offenbach actively lampoons the tropes of classicism – both the original Greek myths and the revered operatic versions of those myths, such as Gluck’s Orfeo (which is even quoted musically in a very meta moment). Critics of the day felt Offenbach was disrespecting the Arts and Culture of the past – among other things – but Parisian audiences couldn’t get enough and allegedly the show only closed after running for 2 years straight (unheard of at the time) because the cast was exhausted.

20 years later, Offenbach released what might now be called a “Special Edition” version, turning the original 2 act show into a 4 act extravaganza with multiple new ballet numbers, more characters, and special effects. Most modern productions, including Great Lakes Operetta’s version, are 2 act versions with some elements of the 1874 production retained.

Great Lakes Operetta’s production will be in a new (premiere) English translation by Francis Lynch, who has translated three other French operetta works for Evanston Chamber Opera. The production will be directed by GLO Artistic Director SarahAnn Sutter, music directed by Lindsey Baer, assistant music directed by Anna Therese George, and produced by Kristin Weed. The production will be fully staged and presented with a small chamber ensemble.  Tickets are on sale now and are available here; tickets will also be available at the door (while supply lasts).

Cast & Creative Team

Great Lakes Operetta’s Orpheus in the Underworld is presented by two outstanding casts, as follows. Whichever cast you choose to watch, you are in for a treat! (And you might enjoy it all so much that you come back to watch the other cast!)

Orpheus: Mason Montuoro  (All dates)

Eurydice: Gabrielle Goudard (July 11, 17, 19); Gabrielle Haigh (July 10, 12, 18)

Public Opinion: Jennifer Barrett (July 11, 17, 19); Isabella Daltoso (July 10, 12, 18)

John Styx: Solamada Pando Girard (All dates)

Pluto: Jonathon Joseph Larson (July 11, 17, 19); Sasha Tomasevich (July 10, 12, 18)

Jupiter: Alexander Quackenbush (All dates)

Diana: Halle Rosemond (July 11, 17, 19); Catherine Larson (July 10, 12, 18)

Cupid: Hillary Esqueda (July 11, 17, 19); Abigail Greer Arcomona (July 10, 12, 18)

Venus: Alexandra Kassouf (July 11, 17, 19); Val Beck (July 10, 12, 18)

Mercury: Kristin Weed (July 11, 17, 19); Kelly Killorin (July 10, 12, 18)

Minerva: Allison Mann (July 10, 11, 12); Eugenia Bouboudakis (July 17, 18, 19); 

Juno: Katarina Bakas (All dates)

Mars: Jonathan Rodney (All dates)

Bacchus: Lucas Gassmann (All dates)

Vesta: Solamada Pando Girard (All dates)

Location

Great Lakes Operetta is proud to present its first full-length, fully-staged production on the stage of the Beatrice Theatre at the beautiful Bramble Arts Loft in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. Located on the second floor the historic Capital Garage building (with an ADA-accessible elevator!), this lovely, intimate space is one of Chicago’s newest performing arts venues.

For tickets, click here.

Sandbox Theatre Collective has announced their production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1. Directed by Alex Albrecht and running August 14th-30th at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro in North Center, the new Sandbox Theatre Collective Member Project explores the web of loyalty and expectations in the classic play. Tickets are available online.

Set on the brink of war, Henry IV, Part 1 combines action with high family drama in an intimate exploration of political pressure, personal reality, and the cost of investment in a system that betrays you. Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro will serve as the Boar’s Head Tavern, Royal Court, and battlefields of Shrewsbury as the new production investigates the relationships that have been captivating audiences for more than 400 years.

“Henry IV, Part 1 reflects what it means to live through a time of political frustration and fractured identity,” says director Alex Albrecht. “As we search for the ability to cope in a turbulent world, its characters wrestle with the same pressures we do and fight to overcome them on their own terms.”

The production features an ensemble cast of locally acclaimed and award-winning actors, including LJ Bullen as Hotspur, Katherine Damisch as Worcester, Robert Howard as Falstaff, Caleb Ryan Jones as Northumberland/Bardolph/Glendower, Nathan Keiller as Poins/John of Lancaster, Khnemu Menu-Ra as Sir Walter Blunt, Helena Scholz-Carlson as Prince Hal, Julia Stemper as Henry IV, and Michaela Voit as Mistress Quickly/Lady Hotspur.

The production team includes Samantha Flipp (Stage Manager), Becca Schwartz (Fight and Intimacy Director), and Laura Bouxsein (Costume Designer). Tickets are “pay what you want” and shows run on August 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, and 29th at 7:30pm and August 16th, 23rd, and 30th at 3:00pm.

Buy Tickets Now

About Sandbox Theatre Collective:

Founded in 2022, Sandbox Theatre Collective began as a small group of Chicago artists looking to create a space where theatre-makers of all backgrounds could show up and create their own work. Since that first day, they have embraced a non-hierarchical leadership structure, put their focus into new and reimagined works, and created opportunities for as many local artists as possible. In the past three years, they’ve mounted full productions, performed in living rooms and local businesses, produced multiple new play development workshops (and a new musical workshop!), and they’re just getting started.

Break out your Burn Book and mark these dates: Aurora’s Paramount Theatre is launching its 15th Broadway Series with the Chicago-area premiere of Mean Girls,
August 26-October 11, 2026. Opening Night is Friday, September 4 at 7 p.m.

Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, Mean Girls is the Broadway sensation that’s so fetch, it rules the school. 

Based on Tina Fey’s iconic Paramount Pictures film, Mean Girls is the story of Cady Heron, a sweet and smart new girl who’s just moved from Africa to Chicago’s North Shore. When she enters the wild world of North Shore High, she quickly finds herself tangled up with The Plastics, the school’s most popular - and ruthless - clique led by queen bee Regina George. As Cady tries to fit in, she learns that popularity comes with a price. And revenge can get ugly fast.  

With a book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Neil Benjamin, Mean Girls gets an A+ for big laughs, bold, campy style, unforgettable pop-rock songs, and a message that is surprisingly honest. It’s a fresh, colorful must-see for anyone who’s ever tried to find their place in the crowd. So grab your friends, wear pink (on Wednesdays, of course), and experience the non-stop, fun-loving musical that proves even the fiercest frenemies can find redemption.

Devon Hayakawa, after serving on the directing teams of South Pacific, Come From Away, Cats, and Disney’s Frozen, makes their Paramount solo directing debut with Mean Girls. Their top-tier creative team includes choreographer Kasey Alfonso (Come From Away, Jeff Award-winner, Cats), veteran Paramount Broadway Series music director and conductor Kory Danielson, set designer Milo Bue (Come From Away) and costume designer Kotryna Hilko (Peter and the Starcatcher). 

On stage, Cady Heron will be played by Elizabeth Stenholt, familiar to Paramount audiences as Olive in The 25th Anniversary Putnam County Spelling Bee (Jeff-nominated, Performer in a Supporting Role), Medium Alison in Fun Home (winner, Jeff Award, Performer in a Supporting Role), and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. 

Dariana Mullen, coming off The Great Gatsby at New York’s Broadway Theatre, makes her Chicago debut as Cady’s arch nemesis, Regina George. The cast also features Angel Alzeidan as Gretchen Wieners, Julia Hope Budd as Karen Smith, Diego Vazquez Gomez as Aaron Samuels, Lucy Godinez as Janis Sarkisian, Steven Klenk as Damian Hubbard, Ben Mathew as Kevin G, Veronica Garza as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, and Austin Nelson Jr. as Principal Duvall. 

The ensemble includes Tola Abitogun, Jeremiah Alsop, Matty Bettencourt, Anna Louise Bramlett, Nicole DiSandro, Ben Dow, Tiyanna Gentry, Joshua Messmore, Hannah Remian, Nataki Rennie, Morgan Schoenecker, Jacob Simon, Abby C. Smith, Amanda Walker and Elaine Watson. 

Ticket information
 

Mean Girls begins previews Wednesday, August 26. Opening Night is Friday, September 4 at 7 p.m. Performances run through October 11: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Exception: No matinee Wednesday, August 26.) Single tickets to Mean Girls are $34-$109 when purchased in-person. Additional fees apply for phone and online orders.

Any Mathlete knows it’s smarter to save money with a Paramount Theatre 2026-27 Broadway Series subscription. Four-show packages start at just $73, including Mean Girls, a world premiere adaptation of The Christmas Carol (November 11, 2026–January 3, 2027), Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George (February 10–March 28, 2027) and an 80s-inspired Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat  (April 28-June 13, 2027).

That’s the same “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” offer Paramount has offered since it launched its first Broadway Series in 2011, and has since grown to be the largest subscription theater in the U.S. Think of it as four Broadway-quality musicals for less than the price of one show downtown. Plus, Aurora boasts easy, affordable parking and a host of new restaurants all around. 

Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets or subscriptions, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days. For group discounts, contact Melissa Striedl, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (630) 723-2461. 

Paramount: Making live theater accessible to all

Paramount will offer two Pay What You Can previews Thursday, August 27 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, August 29 at 2 p.m. See ParamountAurora.com/Pay-What-You-Can for details. 

Paramount will offer open captioning Wednesday, September 30 at 7 p.m. and American Sign Language interpretation Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m. 

Paramount offers free assistive listening devices  at all performances, including new Auracast technology that connects to blue tooth earphones. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a device. If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office in advance at (630) 896-6666 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

What’s on the minds of Chicago’s youth?

Find out when Collaboraction Theatre’s 2026 The Light Youth Ensemble brings their talent, fused with a strong passion for positive social change, for free performances at several key Chicago events this summer. 

Now in its fifth year, Collaboraction’s The Light empowers Chicago high schoolers to become professional artists and thoughtful leaders in their communities. The youth are paid to create and perform pieces for peace around the city, making the program part performing arts, and part, creative workforce development. Collaboraction’s 2026 ensemble – 19 Chicago high schoolers from all over the city, intent on becoming both skilled performers and positive social change makers – is the company’s largest ever, and they’re ready to share their youthful exuberance, artistry and calls for positive change. 

Meet Collaboractions’ 2026 Light cohort, and see the social change themes reflecting Chicago youth concerns today:

Aisling, 17, Lincoln Park, healthcare access 

Anna, 17, Mount Greenwood, education
Ari, 17, Humboldt Park, homelessness/mental health

Bella, 16, Humboldt Park, women’s rights/mental health

Cami, 15, Galewood, mental health

Christian, 16, Portage Park, queer acceptance in religion

Isabel, 17, Bucktown, gun violence and LGBTQ rights 

Jonathan, 18, Dolton, depression/poverty

Khloe, 16, Austin, drug abuse/mental health

Kristian, 16, Lincoln Park, mental health

Lucy, 17, Lincoln Square, eating disorder awareness

Marquise, 16, Englewood, gun violence
Maya, 18, Belmont Cragin, women's rights/representation

Quentin, 17, Calumet City, individuality/pride

Riley, 17, Auburn Gresham, anti-deportation

Rhylan, 15, Bucktown, women’s/queer rights
Sammy, 17, Hermosa, gun violence/classism

Sophia, 16, Brighton Park, queerness and ethnicity

Story, 16, Austin, internalized racism 

Fresh off appearing at Logan Square Arts Festival this past weekend, look for The Light performing live at festivals and events around Chicago in the coming months including:

Fresh Fest

At Navy Pier
Friday, July 10, 12 p.m.

Kidzapalooza at Lollapalooza

Grant Park
July 30 - August 2, multiple times

The Light Up

Collaboraction 

Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave. in Humboldt Park 

Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, 3 p.m. 

Followed by The Luminaries’ new show at 7:30 p.m.

The Utopian Ball
Collaboraction’s annual gala fundraiser
Venue West, 221 N. Paulina St. in West Town
Saturday, October 3, 6 p.m.

For the latest information and more performances TBA this summer, visit collaboraction.org/the-light.

Step Into The Light

In addition to performing across the city, The Light is currently meeting three days a week at Collaboraction’s new House of Belonging in Humboldt Park, where they’re learning about the intersection of live performance and social change while devising original, solo and ensemble works rooted in their own, personal social justice causes. 

In keeping with Collaboraction’s Pay Equity policy, each member earns equitable pay while participating in The Light, including meetings, rehearsals and performances. After completing the program, students receive professional headshots, video documentation, and continued access to creative resources and mentorship.


Lucy DiMaio, Chicago’s New Youth Poet Laureate and a returning member of Collaboraction’s The Light,
performs “Evil Eye” at the Logan Square Arts Festival on June 27, 2026. Photo courtesy Collaboraction.

Lucy DiMaio, 17, a resident of Lincoln Square and an incoming senior at Walter Payton College Prep, is a returning member of The Light, where last summer, she devised a visceral, original spoken word piece “Evil Eye” about women’s safety on public transportation. Since then, Lucy was named the 2026 Chicago Youth Poet Laureate, a program of Young Chicago Authors, who will spend the next year presenting Lucy as Chicago's youth voice through performances and civic engagements across the city. 

“The Light members are always so supportive of each other, and that support was so necessary in creating ‘Evil Eye,’” said Lucy. “Since we all create art about difficult topics that often affect ourselves personally, there was a very important understanding that my piece was difficult for me to write and sometimes perform. All Light members were so incredibly considerate of that sensitivity and still managed to give helpful and insightful feedback. Additionally, getting help from established artists was absolutely invaluable, as they helped me consider how the piece would function as a true performance.”

Many past members of The Light have gone on to remarkable success, including two earning full college scholarships, two competing on America’s Got Talent, one starring in an Apple TV show, one self-producing and releasing an album on Apple Music, and another attending the CLI Conservatory for elite dance training. Several have also joined The Luminaries, Collaboraction’s youth continuing education program for graduates of The Light. This program, for ages 18 to 23, equips professional college-aged performers with the skills to create meaningful, socially driven work.

Antonio Mendoza, Collaboraction’s Lead Teaching Artist, directs The Light. Chicago music artist Linda Sol leads The Luminaries. Collaboraction company members, staff, and artists also bring real-world experience to youth training. Outside mentors past and present include actress and playwright Sandra Delgado, rock musician Nicholas Tremulis, actor and director Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Collaboraction leaders Darlene Jackson and Anthony Moseley, and more. 

Members of The Light pose with Chicago rock music legend and guest mentor Nicholas Tremulis (center) after he helped them write an original song in Collaboraction's new office space at the Kimball Arts Center in Humboldt Park. Credit: Collaboraction

Pre-, mid- and post-training self-assessments by last summer’s Light cohort underscore the program’s positive influence across all metrics, starting with career readiness, leadership and creativity/artistry. Surveys also point to the participants growing more comfortable applying the arts to social change and increased practicing of self-care strategies over the course of the program. Click here for the full report. 

The Light is made possible with the support of the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council.

About Collaboraction

Now fully activated, Collaboraction Theatre Company’s new House of Belonging in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in Humboldt Park, is a sleek, 4,000-square foot space featuring a new 99-seat flexible studio theater and a 50-seat cabaret with cafe and bar.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, Collaboraction is an award-winning Chicago theater company that uses the power of art and storytelling to cultivate healing, empathy, and equity across communities. Across all platforms, Collaboraction uses its KEDA methodology - Knowledge, Empathy, Dialogue, and Action - to spark changes in behavior and attitudes that manifest social change.

Collaboraction’s past work includes NBC Chicago’s three-time Emmy Award-winning The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, the resulting live stage play film, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, live productions of Crime Scene, Moonset Sunrise, A Blue Island In the Red Sea, its annual Peacebook and Sketchbook festivals, and its youth ensemble, The Light.

Collaboraction is led by Darlene Jackson, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director; Anthony Moseley, Chief Programming Officer and Artistic Director; and a dedicated board, company members and staff. For more information, visit collaboraction.org or follow Collaboraction on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Bluesky.

Collaboraction Theatre Company’s new House of Belonging is now fully activated in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in Humboldt Park. Open since February, audiences, artists, activists, the Humboldt Park community, and the general public are discovering the company’s new home, a sleek, 4,000-square foot space with a 99-seat flexible studio theater and a 50-seat cabaret with cafe and bar.

Come to Collaboraction’s House of Belonging in July and enjoy theater, music, art, spoken word, youth performances, and more. Go to collaboraction.org to get your tickets to:

¡Ah Huevo!
Bilingual Improv School Student Showcase

Wednesday, July 1, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $12.50

¡Ah Huevo! is a fully improvised comedy show that showcases the talented students of Bilingual Improv School – the only place where students can take an improv class in Spanglish! Everyone is welcome regardless of their fluency level or cultural background. ¡Ah Huevo! and Bilingual Improv School are hosted by Rudy Mendoza and are part of Collaboraction’s You Belong Here series. Learn more at linktr.ee/bilingualimprovschool.

Disasterpiece

Presented by Mosaic Theatre Collective
Saturday, July 11, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $15-$35

Disasterpiece is an immersive variety show where everything goes wrong production-wise (on purpose, of course). The host is desperately trying to keep the evening together while lights flicker, cues fail, technical difficulties pile up, and chaos unfolds in real time. Despite the disaster, a lineup of bold and talented performers continues to take the stage, turning the night into a celebration of creativity, individuality and live performance.

Disasterpiece blends comedy, improvisation, audience interaction and a rotating lineup of short acts ranging from music, dance, stand-up, drag, clowning, spoken word, puppetry and other unexpected talents. At its core, the show celebrates artists who refuse to shrink themselves and creates space for performers, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, to be loud, weird, joyful, vulnerable and fully seen. Presented as part of Collaboraction’s You Belong Here Series.

Chicago-based Mosaic Theatre Collective is a place where artists come together, not fit in—embracing differences while collaborating, creating, connecting, and providing opportunities for emerging artists. Through multidisciplinary performance, community engagement, and artist centered programming, Mosaic creates spaces where creatives can experiment, connect, and share work that might not otherwise find a home on traditional stages.

The Frequency

Curated by DJ Lady D

With special guest Roy Kinsey

Presented by Collaboraction and Group Sounds
Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.

Doors open and music at 5:30 p.m.

Program at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $5-$20

What if one evening could nourish your mind, awaken your spirit, and reconnect you with your body and community?

Welcome to The Frequency, a new gathering series curated by internationally renowned DJ, TEDx speaker, Recording Academy Chicago Governor and Collaboraction Executive Director DJ Lady D, where culture, wellness, creativity, and collective healing come together. Experience a talk, workshop, lecture, and the like from a celebrated thought leader. Stay for a community conversation and the embodied movement experience where it all coalesces. Expect soulful sounds, intentional movement, and an opportunity to connect with fellow seekers, artists, healers, and changemakers.

In July, Lady D’s special guest is one of Chicago's most visionary artists, Roy Kinsey, aka The Rapbrary, “Chicago librarian by day, legendary rapper by night.” Learn more at therapbrary.com.

Don’t miss this evening exploring hip hop, literacy, storytelling and cultural memory. If you're interested in Astrology and Afrofuturism, yoga and embodied wellness, personal growth and healing, mind-body-spirit practices, community, belonging, art, culture and social change, then The Frequency is for you.

Outspoken LGBTQ Stories at Sidetrack

A Fundraiser for Queer Fight Club
Wednesday, July 15, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15

Outspoken LGBTQ Stories at Sidetrack, hosted and curated by Archy Jamjun and Chijioke Williams, comes to Collaboraction for an evening of personal stories focused on the trans community. Guest storytellers include drag queen-fronted garage punk band leader Bev Rage, genderfluid drag artist Travis Fiero, Anna DeShawn, (host of Queer News Podcast), preacher and storyteller Hart Lang, and Caroline Andres, a member of the Sweats Girls.

Jamjun is curator of Outspoken LGBTQ Stories at Sidetrack, which was inducted in Chicago's LGBTQ Hall of Fame and honored by the State of Illinois for Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Humanities. He is also a two-time winner of The Moth Grand Slam and has been part of The Moth's Mainstage National Tour and Radio Hour. His writing has appeared in Chicago Magazine, Barrel House and The Rhumpus.    

Williams is a performance artist, audio-creative, and storyteller based in Chicago. She is the voice, writer, and sound designer of Between Heartbeats (in production), and can also be heard on StarTripper, Someone Dies In This Elevator, SuperSuits, and several other audio dramas. Most recently, Chijioke was a producer on Division Street: Revisited (PRX) and Unboxing Queer History.

Presented as part of Collaboraction’s You Belong Here series.

RADIATE
Tuesday, July 21
6 p.m. creative workshop and sign up; 7 p.m. open mic
Tickets: Free

RADIATE is Collaboraction’s monthly open mic series produced by The Luminaries, alums of Collaboraction’s The Light youth ensemble. Each event begins with a guided workshop that invites participants to explore a theme or social change concept through art and reflection. The Luminaries then open the floor for performances from local artists, students, and community members, closing the night with a showcased featured artist. 

Collaboraoke: Real Band Karaoke Championship
Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25, includes one free drink ticket

After three preliminary rounds, Collaboraoke: Real Band Karaoke has entered the knock-out phase. Winners from the past three competitions are tuning up to compete for the final crown. Arrive early and you, too, can help warm up the audience with your karaoke skills. Then sit back to witness who will be Chicago’s Next Top Collaboraoke Star. Chicago’s own Ocean and the Waves, led by Sam Ocean, is your professional back up band. The night is hosted by Collaboraction’s Artistic Director and crooner extraordinaire, Anthony Moseley. Proceeds support The Light, Collaboraction's youth program. See the song list at collaboraction.org.

The Sandra Delgado Experience
Friday through Sunday, July 24-26

Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $35-$55

The Sandra Delgado Experience returns to Chicago bolder and more bliss-filled than ever, following her triumphant show at Joe's Pub at New York’s Public Theatre this past spring. Part spiritual cabaret, part dance party, this electrifying night is a celebration of loving ourselves and each other. Expect a rush of joy as high-energy cumbias, sultry boleros, and reimagined English-language indie classics collide with luminous, mystical moments that pull you fully into the present. With only 80 seats, this will be the most intimate Sandra Delgado Experience yet. 

Chicago cultural icon and Collaboraction Founding Member Sandra Delgado—hailed as “her own brand of triple threat” (Newcity Chicago)—guides audiences through a vibrant blend of song, story, and soul-stirring connection inspired by her bilingual and bicultural existence. The result is an unforgettable, hypnotic experience audiences describe as “unique, refreshing, and inviting of everything possible and positive.”

Joining Delgado again is guitarist Richard Pena, from Puerto Rico with over 260,000 followers across all platforms and a new album out; Manases Rivera on piano, a Humboldt Park native, and founder of the Cepillao Band; Coco Elysses, Chicago music royalty on percussion; Roberto Carpacho Marin, Delgado’s band leader for La Havana Madrid, leader of Carpacho y Su Super Combo, celebrating 40 years in the Chicago music business in 2026. Janet Cramer on drums and Carol Macpherson, trombonist and long-time collaborator, round out the band.

Frankie Diaz presents VOY PA ’20
Saturday, July 25, 5 p.m.
Tickets: $18

VOY PA' 20 is a night of music celebrating Frankie Diaz' 20 years in the music world. Part romance, part autobiography, some social justice, with a little nonsense tossed in, just for fun, is what you'll find in Frankie Diaz's songbook. Join us for his second solo all-Spanish concert ever.

With his concert at Collaboraction, Frankie Diaz is celebrating 20 years as a bandleader and rhythm guitarist. This year, he's also reached the 100-song mark in his catalog of original salsa, bolero, cha-cha, and Puerto Rican folk tunes. Frankie also performs with Conjunto Superior, his fifth band since he began performing in Chicago, his birthplace.  Presented as part of Collaboraction’s You Belong Here series.

Cómo Se Dice?

Friday, July 31

Doors at 6:30 p.m., Show at 7 p.m.

Tickets: $20

"Cómo se dice?" is a monthly bilingual short-form improv show featuring a rotating cast of  professional bilingual actors and comedians. The show is a throwback to the classic TV show,  "Whose line is it anyway?" but in Spanglish. Cómo Se Dice? is hosted by Rudy Mendoza and is a premium production of the Bilingual Improv School as part of Collaboraction’s You Belong Here series. 

The show is hosted by Rudy Mendoza and is a premium production of Bilingual Improv School, the only school where students can take an improv class in Spanish and English. Learn more at linktr.ee/bilingualimprovschool.

In addition to its own programs, Collaboraction’s You Belong Here series provides a home for independent artists and groups at any stage in their career, with an emphasis on those who live in proximity to the Kimball Arts Center in Humboldt Park. Curated by company member Sandra Delgado, You Belong Here takes the barriers out of self-producing by providing free space and equipment, stage management, marketing and PR support and a generous door split model. To learn more or submit a performance proposal, visit collaboraction.org/you-belong-here.

Note: Free and nearby street parking is available at Collaboraction’s new House of Belonging in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave. in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community. For CTA riders, the 82 Kimball-Homan bus stops right in front of Kimball Arts Center. Collaboraction is also a short walk from the Kimball stop on the 72 North and 73 Armitage bus lines. For bikers and pedestrians, The 606’s Kimball trailhead leads directly to the Kimball Arts Center. 

About Collaboraction

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, Collaboraction is an award-winning Chicago theater company that uses immersive, socially conscious performance to spark change and build equity. Across all platforms, Collaboraction uses its KEDA methodology - Knowledge, Empathy, Dialogue, and Action - to spark changes in behavior and attitudes that manifest social change.

Collaboraction’s past work includes NBC Chicago’s three-time Emmy Award-winning The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, the resulting live stage play film, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, live productions of Crime Scene, Moonset Sunrise, A Blue Island In the Red Sea, its annual Peacebook and Sketchbook festivals, and its youth ensembles, The Light and The Luminaries.

Collaboraction is led by Darlene Jackson, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director; Anthony Moseley, Chief Programming Officer and Artistic Director; and a dedicated board, company members and staff.  For more information, visit collaboraction.org or follow Collaboraction on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Bluesky.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly "CB" Cason, July 19 - August 29 at The Edge Theater Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. The running time is approximately two hours (including intermission). Preview performances are Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m., Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The open caption performances are Saturday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug.16 at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 20 and Friday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m.. The sensory friendly performances are Sunday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m. and  with the fully masked audience performances, Sunday, Aug. 9 and Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. Streaming dates for yo ho. will be announced at a future date. Tickets are $28 for students and seniors, $35 for general admission and are on sale now at BabesWithBlades.org.

yo ho. charts the journey of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two pirates aboard a campy, sexually charged ship facing immediate threat from the crown. Equal parts historical fantasy and introspective sexual and gender exploration, this play is a deeply emotional reimaging and reminder of queer history.

"This hilarious and saucy comedy is perfect for the summer," states Artistic Director Hayley Rice. "In many ways yo ho. is exactly the kind of show you would expect from BWBTC: swashbuckling swordfights between moments of illuminating the lost stories of marginalized identities. This script is also fresh, exciting and perhaps a little steamier than Babes' offerings of the past."

The ensemble cast of ten, in alphabetical order, features Stef Brundage (they/them, Calico Jack); Sierra Buffum (they/them, Mary Read); William Delforge (he/him, Chad/James); Schnaude Dorizan (she/her, Vanessa U/S); Stephanie Fongheiser (she/her, Anne Bonny U/S); Cris King (she/her, Calico Jack U/S); Rachel Sleek Bañuelos (she/her, Anne Bonny); Makenna Van Raalte (they/she, Mary Read U/S); Jacob Watson (he/they, Chad/James U/S) and Brittani Yawn (she/her, Vanessa).

The production team includes BWBTC ensemble members Line Bower (they/them, technical director); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, costume designer); Payton Shearn (she/they, production assistant) and Laura J. Wiley (she/her, lighting designer) as well as Carly "CB" Cason (they/she/any, fight choreographer); JD Caudill (they/them, director); Kat Coyl (they/them, assistant director); Amy C. Gilman (she/her, scenic designer); Rose Hamill (she/her, production manager); Alex Kingsley (they/them, sound designer); Meme Matteson (she/they, assistant fight choreographer); Grace Mealey (she/her, stage manager); Alyssa Vera Ramos (she/her/ella, intimacy designer) and SMJ (they/them, playwright).  

ABOUT SMJ, PLAYWRIGHT

SMJ is a mixed-Latiné, non-binary and New York City-based playwright, theatermaker and educator originally from Mount Vernon, OH. They are proud to be the executive director of Andy's Summer Playhouse, a professional children's theater in Wilton, New Hampshire, that specializes in creating world premiere work with local children and emerging professional artists. They were a 2022-2023 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow. As a writer, their work has been seen in various forms with Ars Nova, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York Stage and Film, Latinx Playwrights Circle, The Orchard Project, Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Otterbein University and Manhattanville University. SMJ has been a finalist for the Princess Grace Award in Playwriting at New Dramatists and a semifinalist for the 2024 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival as well as the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference (multiple times). They are a member of the Dramatists Guild and Ring of Keys. 

ABOUT JD CAUDILL, DIRECTOR

JD Caudill is a queer director, literary manager and music director. Their recent direction credits include The SpongeBob Musical (Kokandy Productions; Bowling Green State University), Sofa King Queer (Nothing Without A Company), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Haven Theatre), I Promised Myself to Live Faster (Hell in a Handbag), After the Blast (Broken Nose Theatre) and Southern Comfort (Pride Films and Plays). They've also directed for Bechdel Fests 4-6 + 8 and Book of Shadows (Broken Nose Theatre) and other plays at The New Colony, Haven Theatre, The Runaways Lab Theatre, New American Folk Theatre, Hobo Junction, 20% Theatre, Paragon Theatre, Otherworld Theatre, Arc Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Stage Left, The Syndicates and Red Theatre. They have been a proud ensemble member of Hell in a Handbag for ten years, and served as an ensemble member and literary manager of Broken Nose Theatre for seven years. They are driven to make theatre because of the unique sense of community it creates by bringing people together in person to experience imaginative stories of hope and catharsis. As a director, their mission is to create queer art for everyone; they want queer audiences to experience new stories of authentic representation while helping non-queer audiences cultivate empathy for the LGBTQIA+ community. 

ABOUT CARLY "CB" CASON, FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER

Carly Belle is a founder of Counterfeit Combat, head acting coach with Model Act Studios and is thrilled to be swashbuckling with this great group of pirates! With roots deep in the heart of Texas, they have more than a decade of training and experience in combat for stage and screen. Other Chicago credits include: Bloodbound (Auriel Productions), Fencers of Panache (Fair in the Field), And They Were Shipmates (Counterfeit Combat) and Leap of Fate (Nonsense Productions).

ABOUT BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY

Babes With Blades Theatre Company, for more than 25 years and moving into the future, strives to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (often combative) characters who continue to be underrepresented on theatre stages based on gender. Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses stage combat to tell stories that elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and dismantle the patriarchy.

In each element of its programming, BWBTC embraces two key concepts:

1)     Folks of marginalized genders and underrepresented communities are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it and

2)     Everyone is capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience every person as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescues; right, wrong and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It's as simple and as subversive as that.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT:

Babes With Blades Theatre Company produces theatre in venues located on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other tribes such as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox also called this area home. This region that we now commonly refer to as "The Chicagoland Area", has long been a center for Indigenous people to gather, trade and maintain kinship ties. Today, one of the largest urban Native American communities in the United States resides in Chicago. Members of this community continue to contribute to the life of this city and to celebrate their heritage, practice traditions and care for the land and waterways.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly "CB" Cason, July 19 - August 29 at The Edge Theater Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. The running time is approximately two hours (including intermission). Preview performances are Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m., Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The open caption performances are Saturday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug.16 at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 20 and Friday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m.. The sensory friendly performances are Sunday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m. and  with the fully masked audience performances, Sunday, Aug. 9 and Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. Streaming dates for yo ho. will be announced at a future date. Tickets are $28 for students and seniors, $35 for general admission and are on sale now at BabesWithBlades.org.

Goodman Theatre’s Iceboy! arrives as a gleefully off the rails musical that blends Broadway glamour, Neanderthal chaos, and theatrical myth making into one of the most delightfully strange premises to hit Chicago in years. It’s a satire, a love letter to showbiz, and a playful reimagining of how Eugene O’Neill might have found inspiration for The Iceman Cometh - if history had taken a wildly different turn.

Set in 1939, Iceboy! or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh” follows Broadway superstar Vera Vimm, who purchases the newly thawed 40,000‑year‑old Neanderthal after he’s discovered in the Arctic. An orphan herself, Vera risks the last of her money because she sees in Iceboy not just a curiosity, but the possibility of a son. Once he thaws, “Iceboy” unexpectedly becomes a theatrical sensation, charming Manhattan and quickly rising to stardom. His meteoric fame threatens Vera’s own spotlight, creating a comic rivalry as she scrambles to maintain her status.

Meanwhile, playwright Eugene O’Neill - stuck in a bout of severe writer’s block - becomes fascinated by Iceboy’s sudden cultural impact. In this fictionalized retelling, Iceboy’s presence and persona inspire O’Neill to write The Iceman Cometh, intertwining the Neanderthal’s improbable celebrity with one of American theatre’s most iconic works. The musical plays as a satirical backstage romp - part showbiz fable, part absurdist comedy - where ambition, ego, and theatrical legend collide, all delivered with a cheerful, madcap sensibility that feels straight out of the Mel Brooks playbook. The tone is broad, cheeky, and joyfully irreverent, embracing the kind of anything goes comic mayhem Brooks perfected in The Producers and Young Frankenstein.

Megan Mullally as Vera Vimm and Nick Offerman as Eugene O'Neill in Iceboy! at Goodman Theatre. Photos by Todd Rosenberg.

To appreciate just how boldly Iceboy! reframes O’Neill’s legacy, it helps to remember what The Iceman Cometh actually is.

O’Neill’s future Pulitzer Prize offering inspired a four-hour film that’s essentially a parade of drunks in a dim bar, each clinging to dreams they’ll never pursue - the bar itself a metaphor for their inability to move forward, trapped in the same place both physically and emotionally. The 1973 film adaptation centers on the down and out patrons of Harry Hope’s saloon in 1912 Greenwich Village. These men - alcoholics, former revolutionaries, disgraced professionals - spend their days drowning in booze and clinging to “pipe dreams” of future redemption.

Their routine is disrupted when charismatic salesman Theodore “Hickey” Hickman arrives - sober, zealous, and determined to force everyone to abandon their illusions. Hickey’s mission to strip the barflies of their comforting fantasies leads to emotional unraveling, bitter confrontations, and ultimately a chilling confession about his own past. The story is a tragic, philosophical exploration of hope, delusion, and the brutal cost of facing reality.

All of that brooding, booze-soaked existentialism makes Iceboy!’s approach even more refreshing. Where O’Neill’s world traps its characters, this musical unleashes its own with joyful abandon - led by an ensemble so charismatic and so sharply funny that the show vibrates with life.

Guiding the production is director Marc Bruni, who shapes the show with crisp timing and a clear sense of comic architecture, keeping its wild premise buoyant without letting it unravel. The music by Mark Hollmann gives the story a light, upbeat foundation, and the lyrics by Hollmann and Jay Reiss add steady humor throughout. The book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Reiss keeps the tone approachable, offering just enough structure for the characters to play within. Joann M. Hunter’s choreography provides simple, well‑placed movement that supports the show’s comic rhythm without calling attention to itself.

It certainly helps that Iceboy! is powered by an outrageously talented and instantly likeable ensemble. Husband and wife duo Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally make a dynamite team - Offerman is superb, bringing his signature deadpan charm to Eugene O’Neill, the same understated precision and dry, unflappable humor that’s made him beloved in Parks and Recreation, Devs, and The Last of Us. Mullally, best known for her Emmy winning turn as Karen Walker on Will & Grace, her unforgettable Tammy II opposite husband Nick Offerman on Parks and Recreation, and her Broadway run in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, delivers a riotously funny, razor sharp performance as Broadway titan Vera Vimm. She tears into the role with fearless comic bravado and vocal firepower that reminds you she’s a true musical theatre pro - her belt is thrilling, her phrasing wickedly playful, and her comedic musicality is a show in itself. Few performers can time a sharp aside with Mullally’s precision.

(L-R) Melanie Brezill, Shawn Pfautsch, Megan Mullally, SarahStiles and Grey Henson in Iceboy!

Cedric Yarbrough, best known for Reno 911! and Speechless, is terrific as Floyd Richards, Vera’s devoted lover and perpetually stressed playwright. He brings a warm, rumpled charm to the role, layering Floyd’s desperation with impeccable timing, sly vocal humor, and a steady stream of perfectly landed one-liners. His presence gives the show a grounded comic pulse that keeps the chaos humming - and his baritone is impressive.

Chicago favorite Alex Goodrich is a delight as Frankenstein, one of Vera’s long-suffering caretakers, layering the role with buoyant physical comedy and a wonderfully off-kilter energy that fits the show’s boisterous comic verve.

As Iceboy or “Jeff,” Grey Henson is a revelation - wide eyed, instinctive, and musically explosive. He plays the Neanderthal with such innocence and uninhibited theatrical gusto that the audience can’t help but root for him. He’s a genuine surprise as well, offering several scene-stealing moments that deepen the show’s comic momentum and give its wild energy an extra spark.

And Sarah Stiles, as Lambert, Vera’s whip‑smart, perpetually overwhelmed assistant, makes every appearance count with her explosive comedic instincts and razor‑precise delivery. Her timing is immaculate - every flustered aside, every clipped retort, every moment of mounting panic lands with such clarity and control that she elevates even the smallest beat. Stiles has a way of shaping a line so it hits with both intelligence and impact, turning Lambert’s exasperation into one of the show’s most consistently funny throughlines.

Together, this ensemble - Offerman, Mullally, Yarbrough, Henson, Stiles, Goodrich, and a bench of other strong players rounding out the cast - forms an ecstatically silly comedy machine, a group so talented and irresistibly likeable that the laughs never let up and every performer feels essential to the show’s delirious momentum.

The musical numbers are wonderfully fun. Songs like the opening number “Historic Find,” the gloriously unhinged “Can You Call Me ‘Mama’?,” and the full company showstopper “Hooray for Iceboy!” set the tone for the musical’s raucous spirit. Each one is packed with sharp wit, big Broadway energy, and the kind of gleeful absurdity that keeps the audience laughing long after the button. “Historic Find” opens the show with a clean burst of discovery‑driven momentum, “Can You Call Me ‘Mama’?” makes full use of Mullally and Henson's sharp comic instincts, and “Hooray for Iceboy!” brings the full company together for a lighthearted, good‑natured celebration. This sample size of songs highlights how musically nimble and consistently funny Iceboy! is - a score that shifts easily between cleverness, silliness, and moments of heightened theatrical play.

One of the funniest musical numbers in the show is “Marry Me,” sung with perfect comic contrast by Grey Henson and Sarah Stiles. In it, Iceboy proposes to Lambert with disarming sincerity, offering what he believes are tender declarations of affection - only to fold in a series of prehistoric “courtship traditions” drawn from his caveman understanding of romance. Throughout the song Iceboy sings to her, “I want to take you from behind,” his way of saying he'd like to marry her. The result is a wonderfully off‑balance duet that lands as one of the show’s most genuinely hilarious moments.

Adding to the show’s irresistible charm is the fantastic Art Deco set designed by Paul Tate Depoo, which instantly places us inside Vera Vimm’s lavish living room - all gleaming lines, bold geometry, and glamorous period detail. Depoo’s design captures the theatrical excess of 1939 Broadway while giving the actors a playground of visual delight. On each side of the stage, Eugene O’Neill’s writing desks sit like dueling stations of inspiration and frustration, a clever touch that keeps his presence woven into the action. And, true to O’Neill’s legacy, there’s always a bottle within reach, a sly nod that becomes both a running joke and a thematic anchor. It’s a smart, stylish environment that supports the comedy while grounding the show in a richly imagined world.

Iceboy! or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh” is an outrageously inventive, joy-charged burst of musical comedy that proves Goodman Theatre can still surprise us in the best possible ways. With its fearless cast, sharp writing, and deliriously fun score, it’s the kind of show that sends you out grinning and grateful for the sheer imagination on display. Iceboy! runs through August 9th at Goodman Theatre and stands as one of the most riotously entertaining nights out you’ll find this summer.

Very highly recommended.

Now extended through August 16th. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

Opera Festival of Chicago continues its season with two mainstage productions - La Bohème and Adriana Lecouvreur - each featuring the Opera Festival of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus and performed at the George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. 

I had the chance to see Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, directed by Festival General Director Sasha Gerritson and conducted by Sir Emanuele Adrizzi, and it proved to be an outstanding, deeply felt evening of music and drama.

Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème unfolds in the chilly garrets and bustling cafés of 1830s Paris, where a group of young artists survive on charm, wit, and the fragile hope that beauty might be enough to sustain them. The opera begins in a drafty attic shared by the poet Rodolfo and the painter Marcello, whose playful banter masks the hunger and hardship of their bohemian life. Everything shifts when Mimì, a shy, dreamy seamstress with a failing candle and failing health, knocks on their door. Her tender connection with Rodolfo ignites instantly, carrying them into the vibrant chaos of Café Momus, where Marcello’s fiery former lover Musetta steals the spotlight with her flirtations and razor‑sharp instincts.

But as winter settles in, the opera’s warmth gives way to harsher truths. Only the rich are safe and well fed in this cold bleak landscape of artistic poverty. Mimì’s illness worsens, and Rodolfo’s fear of losing her fractures their love, even as they cling to moments of sweetness. Both Mimì and Rodolfo are swept up in the sudden, poetic rush of feeling that sparks between them during their first meeting over her extinguished candle, a moment Puccini shapes with irresistible warmth. Their ensuing duet, “O soave fanciulla,” is written as a rush of idealized, almost dreamlike love - sung here with such radiance that it feels too perfect to endure, and tragically it doesn’t, as the briefness of their time together becomes one of the opera’s most heartbreaking truths. 

By the final act, the bohemians reunite in their attic, trying to conjure laughter out of scarcity, until Musetta arrives with the gravely weakened Mimì. What follows is one of opera’s most devastating endings: a quiet, intimate vigil as Rodolfo realizes too late that the love he tried to protect has slipped beyond saving. Puccini shapes this world with music that aches, soars, and ultimately reminds us how fiercely we hold on to joy, even as life insists on its fragility. Puccini also paints a world in which artists of every stripe are routinely exploited by the comfortable classes - the dull rich, who commission work and then pay only sporadically, as if deprivation were somehow a necessary ingredient of genius. In reality, it is the indifference of these wealthy patrons that forces the bohemians into constant hardship, driving them to beg, borrow, and even steal simply to keep food on the table and have their housing bills covered.  

(L to R) Alexandra Razskazoff, “Mimi” and Nathan Granner, “Rodolfo” in LA BOHÈME. Photos by A.Deran Photography.

This La Bohème features a cast whose vocal and dramatic instincts sharpen Puccini’s world into something immediate and deeply felt. Alexandra Razskazoff’s Mimì is nothing short of luminous - her soprano glowing with warmth yet edged with delicacy, embodying a young woman whose softness hides a life lived perilously close to the margins. A rising artist with an increasingly international footprint, Razskazoff traces Mimì’s arc with such emotional transparency that her final moments land with quiet, devastating force. Opposite her, tenor Nathan Granner brings a beautifully burnished tone and an instinctive musicality to Rodolfo. Long admired for his expressive phrasing and crossover versatility, Granner sings with a poet’s sensitivity; his Rodolfo is impulsive, romantic, and heartbreakingly human, especially as love and fear begin to pull him apart.

Catherine Antonia Samartin lights up the stage as Musetta, her bright, agile soprano and irresistible charisma making every entrance feel like a spark catching fire. Musetta is also the victim of this us versus them world where her beauty and charms are commodified on the older wealthy man she is forced to keep company with in order to receive her beautiful wardrobe and warm home to live in. Her scenes with Kenneth Stavert’s Marcello are especially electric. Stavert, with his rich, grounded baritone and wonderfully lived‑in ease, brings both humor and heart to the painter whose bravado barely conceals his vulnerability. Anthony Reed’s Colline provides a beautifully resonant counterweight to the lovers’ volatility - his “Vecchia zimarra” delivered with a quiet, dignified ache that speaks volumes about loyalty and sacrifice. Jonathan Wilson brings quicksilver energy and crisp comedic timing to Schaunard, shaping the role with warmth and buoyancy, while veteran bass William Powers steals scenes with effortless charm as both Benoit and Alcindoro, reminding audiences why he remains one of American opera’s most reliable character treasures. David Greene adds a welcome burst of color as Parpignol, enriching the Act II bustle with a touch of whimsy. This ensemble shapes a Bohème that feels vividly inhabited and emotionally true, a testament to what Puccini’s world becomes when every performer contributes with such specificity, generosity, and heart.

One of the production’s most striking assets is its massive, 50‑plus‑member chorus, whose sheer presence reshapes the entire world of La Bohème. Their sound adds a thrilling sweep to Puccini’s score, amplifying the emotional stakes and giving the bustling Parisian scenes a vivid, lived‑in texture. In Act II especially, the sheer size and vocal richness of the ensemble create a sense of overwhelming festivity, making the Christmas Eve Café Momus tableau feel like a city bursting with life. But the chorus also deepens the opera’s more intimate moments, surrounding the central lovers with a sonic landscape that underscores both the joy and the fragility of their world. It’s a rare gift to hear a chorus of this scale in a production of Bohème, and here it elevates the performance into something grander, more immersive, and undeniably unforgettable.

(L to R) Kenneth Stavert, “Marcello;” Anthony Reed, “Colline;” William Powers, “Benoit;” Nathan Granner, “Rodolfo” and Jonathan Wilson, “Schaunard” in LA BOHÈME from Opera Festival of Chicago. Photos by A.Deran Photography.

The set itself is perfectly workable and the large video boards truly animate the space, supplying shifting imagery of snowfall and other atmospheric touches throughout the evening. Because the opera is sung in Italian, overhead supertitles - crisply projected and easy to follow - add a modern presentational layer that supports the storytelling without ever competing with Puccini’s world. 

This La Bohème resonates with honesty, heart, and thrilling musicality, carried by a cast and chorus performing at the height of their powers. It’s a standout achievement for Opera Festival of Chicago - and a compelling reason to experience not only this production but also their Adriana Lecouvreur, by Francesco Cilea, directed by Shifra Werch and also conducted by Sir Emanuele Andrizzi, which promises its own dramatic and musical rewards.

Recommended.

Performances are held at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. 

La Bohème - Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. 

Adriana Lecouvreur - Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m. and Friday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $25 to $150 and are available at  www.OperaFestivalChicago.org.

Marriott Theatre’s in‑the‑round intimacy turns A Little Night Music - which premiered on Broadway in 1973 and later became a 1977 film - into a quietly seductive swirl of glances, secrets, and second chances, the kind of production where the waltz feels like its own character. Under the soft glow of perpetual twilight, Sondheim’s lovers and liars circle one another with equal parts longing and restraint, and the space itself heightens every stolen look and half‑spoken truth. It’s a show built on emotional undercurrents, and Marriott’s staging lets those currents ripple right through the audience.

Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music unfolds like a slow-turning dance that keeps tightening its circle, drawing its characters closer to the truths they’ve been avoiding. Set in a turn‑of‑the‑century Sweden where manners are crisp but desires run hot, the story follows lawyer Fredrik Egerman, a man trying to convince himself he’s content. He’s recently married Anne, a porcelain‑delicate young bride who’s still clinging to her innocence, while his son Henrik broods in the corner, nursing both a cello and an unspoken crush.

Everything tilts when Fredrik reconnects with Desiree Armfeldt, the actress he once loved and never quite got over. Desiree, ever the pragmatist, is juggling her own complications - namely Count Carl‑Magnus Malcolm, a swaggering dragoon whose jealousy burns hotter than his intellect. When Desiree attempts to untangle her romantic knots, she invites everyone to her mother’s country estate for a “quiet weekend,” which of course becomes anything but.

Alan H. Green in Marriott Theatre's A Little Night Music.

What follows is a weekend of mismatched couples, misread signals, and emotional truths finally spoken aloud. Under the glow of the perpetual Nordic twilight, partners shift, illusions crack, and the characters discover that love - in all its foolishness and ache - is rarely tidy but often exactly what they need. By the time the final waltz resolves, hearts have realigned, old wounds have softened, and the night has delivered its promised wisdom.

Sondheim’s score remains the production’s quiet spellbinder - a latticework of turning phrases, reprises, and melodic ironies that reveal as much about the characters as the book does. Songs like “Now,” “Soon,” and “Later” braid together with clockwork precision, exposing the emotional stalemates everyone is too polite to name, while “A Weekend in the Country” bursts with layered wit and rising chaos. And when the music finally slows into the aching simplicity of “Send in the Clowns,” the entire evening seems to exhale. Marriott’s staging lets these songs land not as showpieces but as confessions, each one circling closer to the truths the characters have been dancing around all night.

Under Nick Bowling’s beautifully calibrated direction, A Little Night Music moves with a clarity, elegance, and emotional intelligence that allows every waltz, glance, and confession to land with quiet precision.

Marriott’s production finds its center of gravity in Alexandra Silber, whose Desirée Armfeldt glows with the practiced sparkle of an actress slightly past her prime who knows exactly how she’s perceived and used by the married men who adore her - and the bruised vulnerability of someone who’s finally tired of the performance. Silber calibrates every beat with care: the sly asides, the brittle composure, the ache that flickers just beneath the surface. When she reaches “Send in the Clowns,” it doesn’t arrive as a grand gesture but as something far more intimate - a truth about the “bread crumbing” type of love she’s accepted as a traveling working actress that she’s been circling and battling for years. Opposite her, Andrew Samonsky gives Fredrik Egerman a beautifully worn‑in charm, the kind of man who hides his longing behind polite smiles and a touch of self‑mockery. His Fredrik isn’t a fool; he’s a man quietly unraveling, caught between the mature love he’s built and the young carefree one he still imagines he can achieve with his much younger bride. Samonsky’s performance is both sensual and frustratingly narcissistic. One example of this is when Fredrik apologizes to Desiree - as he leaves her heartbroken yet again - for confessing the tempting truth that her very presence is his safe haven… even though he has no intention of ever being saved by her.

I absolutely adored every delicate moment between lovers, friends, and husbands and wives in this gracefully performed piece, which reveals how men and women are still, even now, navigating the ever‑shifting moods of the partners in their lives in order to sustain lasting relationships.

Alan H. Green makes a vivid impression as Count Carl‑Magnus Malcolm, swaggering through the role with puffed‑up bravado and razor‑sharp comic instinct. Veronica Garza matches him effortlessly as Charlotte, her barbed wit and impeccable comedic timing turning bitterness into something unexpectedly funny and deeply human. Addie Morales gives Anne a shimmering, anxious innocence that feels grounded, while Eldon Warner‑Soriano lets Henrik’s turmoil simmer until it finally breaks open into something raw and affecting.

The singing voices of every single member of this talented and attractive cast are of true opera quality, and paired with the astoundingly modern, lyrical poetry of Sondheim’s evergreen script, I found myself leaning in to catch every word from their lips like a bee sipping nectar from flowers. Across the board, the vocals are rich, expressive, and beautifully attuned to the intricacies of Sondheim’s score.

From there, Carmen Roman anchors the evening with a magnetic, unhurried authority as Madame Armfeldt, delivering Sondheim’s sharpest observations with the cool precision of someone who has cataloged every shade of heartbreak and delicious, luxurious romance from men of great standing throughout her long life. She brings down the house with superbly dry one‑liners like, “Don’t serve them the best champagne - I’m saving that for my funeral!”

Veronica Garza, Andrew Samonsky and Carmen Roman (rear) in A Little Night Music at Marriott Theatre. Photos by Justin Barbin.

Madison Uphoff brings Petra a bold, earthy vitality - a reminder that desire belongs to everyone, not just the elegantly miserable. Together, this ensemble moves through Sondheim’s bittersweet waltz with nuance, confidence, and a clear understanding of the emotional architecture beneath the score.

Scenic Designer Regina García shapes the evening with a clean, elegant visual world that proves how little is needed to conjure an entire emotional landscape. The stage remains mostly bare - a chaise lounge here, a writing desk there - yet the details she chooses carry real poetic weight: a graceful two‑person swing drifting down from the rafters like a shared memory, a balmy moon casting its soft glow across the space, and strands of hanging lights and flowing ribbon that give the in‑the‑round theatre the feeling of a summer night suspended in time.

Associate Choreographer Katie Johannigman threads movement through this environment with a light, intuitive touch, while under Brad Haak’s baton, Sondheim’s score unfurls with clarity and warmth. Sally Dolembo’s costumes superbly wrap the production in period elegance. Dolembo’s designs resemble modern ballet costumes and express the unique sensuality and sexuality of both the male and female characters in a most tasteful and expressive way that makes your eye want to follow their every move especially the graceful way they make love to one another. The delicate, mostly pastel costumes emote a subtle erotic beauty without overwhelming each character’s emotional and comedic shifts as the night deepens and the whirl tightens its hold.

Marriott Theatre’s A Little Night Music unfolds on the perfectly intimate size of their theatre in the round stage, and the production’s emotional reach is anything but small. What emerges over the course of the evening is a circling dance of sensual longing, unrequited love and unexpected grace - a reminder of how Sondheim’s work can pierce straight through the heart when handled with this level of care. By the time the final notes fade and the lovers step back into the soft glow of twilight, the production has delivered something quietly luminous: a story about desire and forgiveness told with wit, tenderness, and a deep understanding of the ways men and women walk the tightrope of love and pride, playing love like a game of egos until they realize true love is the one thing they truly cannot live without. 

Highly recommended.

For tickets and/pr more show information, click here.