
|
Broadway In Chicago and Metra are pleased to announce a new promotion featuring nine shows coming to Chicago this summer: CHICAGO THE MUSICAL, LES MISÉRABLES, SPAMALOT, KINKY BOOTS, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, SUFFS, & JULIET, THE NOTEBOOK, and THE OUTSIDERS. |
|
|
|
|
|
Telegraph). Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, LES MISÉRABLES tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and many more. |
|
|
The original Broadway production was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won three, including best musical. The musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, SPAMALOT features well-known song titles such as “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” “Find Your Grail” and more that have become beloved classics in the musical theatre canon. |
|
|
by Cyndi Lauper, book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein , and original direction and Tony-winning choreography by Jerry Mitchell. |
|
|
dazzling” life (Time Out New York) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical! Hailed as a Critic’s Pick, The New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional, heart-filled and gorgeously imaginative.” |
|
|
musical SUFFS about the brilliant, passionate, and funny American women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote. Created by Shaina Taub, the first woman to ever independently win Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score in the same season, this “thrilling, inspiring and dazzlingly entertaining” (Variety ) new musical boldly explores the triumphs and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over. Winner of the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Musical. |
|
|
ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love — her way. |
|
|
songs” (Entertainment Weekly), THE NOTEBOOK is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love, and features music by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by TV’s Bekah Brunstetter (“This Is Us”). |
|
|
who they want to become in a world that will never accept them. THE OUTSIDERS features Danya Taymor’s Tony Award winning direction that’s “refreshing, gritty, and endlessly effective.” (The New York Times). With “high-octane choreography” (New York Magazine), THE OUTSIDERS has been described as “more pulse-pounding than anything else on Broadway!” (Time Out New York). |
Patti LuPone’s long-running concert piece Matters of the Heart unfolded on the stage of the National Historic Landmark The Auditorium Theatre not as a greatest-hits parade, but as a seasoned artist’s intimate conversation with her own past. Premiering some 25 years ago at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York City, the show has aged not into nostalgia, but into something more textured: a living scrapbook of memory, mischief, heartbreak, and hard-won grace.
LuPone has always commanded a fiercely loyal LGBTQ following, and the sold-out house in Chicago testified to that enduring bond. The atmosphere felt at times like a cabaret. You could sense an audience primed not merely to applaud, but to commune. There was something for everyone here—Broadway diehards, pop romantics, and those who come for the diva energy and stay for the vulnerability.
Accompanied by a pianist and a string quartet, LuPone curated a program that balanced theatrical bravura with intimate confession. Her Broadway selections landed with the authority of a performer who has lived inside these songs. “I’m In Love with a Wonderful Guy” from South Pacific sparkled; “Not a Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along unfurled in aching, mature regret. “Being Alive” from Company—the great anthem of ambivalent longing—rang with the clarity of someone who has wrestled with love and come back wiser, if not unscarred. “Back to Before” from Ragtime surged with emotional velocity, while her unexpected, intriguingly restrained take on “Easy to Be Hard” from Hair reframed youthful protest as weary, rueful remembrance.
LuPone’s comic timing remains lethal. Her wry humor bubbled up in “Shattered Illusions,” “Better Off Dead,” and “I Never Do Anything Twice,” songs that let her weaponize self-awareness and mischief in equal measure. She skewers romance and ego with relish, but never without implicating herself in the joke. This is the diva who knows her myth and plays with it. And the surprises. “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys arrived like a soft confession, stripped of pop gloss and steeped in tenderness. “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper was rendered not as a radio staple but as a promise dedicated to her family. These choices reveal LuPone’s instinct for emotional translation, taking familiar songs and making them speak in a new dialect.
Most affecting were the quieter moments, where LuPone let her guard down. In “Unexpressed,” “Alone Again (Naturally),” “The Air That I Breathe,” “Sand and Water,” “My Father,” and “Look Mummy, No Hands,” she showed a softer, contemplative side—less brassy legend, more vulnerable human being. These songs felt like pages torn from a private journal, offered up without ornament. It was here that Matters of the Heart earned its title.
LuPone, being the diva that she be, did get into a little kerfuffle this past summer with the theatre community. She apologized, took responsibility and, as these things tend to go in a resilient artistic ecosystem, everyone seems to have moved on. There are bigger issues pressing on the country today, and this evening reminded us that art’s role is not to litigate old wounds, but to open space for empathy.
In a moment when America feels increasingly brittle, Matters of the Heart lands as a small act of emotional repair. We could all use more love in this country right now—more listening, more generosity of spirit, more room for contradiction. LuPone, in all her fire and fragility, offered exactly that: a reminder that hearts break, heal, and, if we’re lucky, learn to sing again.
National Historic Landmark
The Auditorium
50 E Ida B Wells Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
312.341.2300
The China Performing Arts Agency presented “Kunlun Myth,” an original musical from producer Wang Yu, for a two-night engagement at The Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University. “Kunlun Myth” smartly incorporated ancient and modern concepts into an elegant, sparky performance and what better venue to perform than the Auditorium Theater. During this visually stunning show, The Auditorium was filled with an incredible energy. A number of bubbly performances, original dance productions and strong vocals made for a uniquely wonderful experience.
The “Kunlun Myth” begins in the Kunlun Mountains (important fabled mountains in Chinese mythology) where the Heaven Pillar resides. This pillar connects Heaven and Earth, and serves as a portal between the two worlds. Deng Fei, a college student from Beijing, visits the Kunlun Mountains and discovers the relic of the Heaven Pillar. Deng Fei reads the pillar’s inscription and is abruptly transported to Heaven. Once there, he meets Mei Duo, the daughter of the Heaven pillar tribe’s chief. Deng Fei and Mei Duo fall in love. Deng Fei also meets Queen Mother who wishes to rebuild the Heaven Pillar because Gong Gong knocked it down. Gong Gong does not want the pillar rebuilt because he fears that the disasters from Earth will travel through the pillar and destroy Heaven. Ultimately, Deng Fei is on a quest for self-knowledge, and returns back to Earth in good spirit.
Properly capturing the mystical Kunlun Mountains on stage would seem like a difficult feat, but set designers were successfully able to create the magical mountains. Elaborate patterns and set pieces were jaw-droppingly beautiful. The creative juices were really flowing. The lighting designs were dramatic and impressive. Neon lights accentuated set pieces and made the stage pop with color.
From gold, shimmering gowns to casual khakis, the costume department was superb. Every single costume was elegant in its own way, whether it was Mei Duo’s dress, or Gong Gong’s suit of amour. The only character without an elegant costume was Deng Fei, who sported a Yankee snapback, green windbreaker, and khakis.
Beautiful vocals and powerful music made the auditorium rumble. Music styles ranged from pop, rock, and hip hop. Mai Duo sang beautifully, definitely goosebump worthy. Gong Gong had deep, commanding vocals which set the show’s deep and dark mood.
Kunlun Myth was performed in Chinese, with English subtitles to aid audience’s understanding. There were no subtitles for dialogue, only for the musical numbers. Audience members who could not understand Chinese that may have been lost during the dialogue relied on body language to help understand. Since the dialogue was in Chinese, much was left for interpretation.
Performances were held on Wednesday, Sept. 2 @ 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 3 @ 7:30 p.m.
American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces the recipient of the 2026 Blue Ink Award is Nia Akilah…
In times of stress, we often turn to familiar and comforting things: a favorite song, a dog-eared book, a movie…
Chamber music may be one of music’s most misunderstood children. An early form of classical music, it has always been…
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company is pleased to announce the cast, creative and production teams for the first production in its 2026…
Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln Avenue), an historic incubator for new play development, proudly announces the World Premiere staging of The…
Secrets, sisterhood and solving crime take center stage this fall in the world premiere co-production of Dead Girl's Quinceañera by Miami native…
Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to continue its 51st Season with the world premiere of Chicago playwright Stephanie…
Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, concluded its 2025/26…
Chicago City Opera (CCO) presents an evening of two one act Mozart operas The Impresario and Bastien and Bastienne combined…
Producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch, along with Broadway In Chicago are thrilled to announce THE NOTEBOOK, a new musical based…
Following last year’s smashing sold-out engagement, the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance proudly presents the return…
Guarneri Hall, an intimate state-of-the-art, custom-built classical music venue in the heart of downtown Chicago, proudly opens its 2026/27 season…
Chicago Magic Lounge welcomes back acclaimed magician David Parr as its Fall Artist in Residence with David Parr: Time Traveler, a new theatrical experience…
Nearly fifty years after its groundbreaking premiere, Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow…
A quick history lesson: Anne Bonny and Mary Read are two of history’s most famous female pirates. Both women disguised…
The Tony Award® winning Best Musical, THE OUTSIDERS, based on the seminal novel by S.E. Hinton and Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark motion picture, returns to Chicago…
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the cast and creative team for Play On!, which opens the Theater's 40th Anniversary Season. This jazz musical tells…
Today, Goodman Theatre achieves a new milestone in its 100th anniversary season: Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive…
Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia, along with Broadway In Chicago announced today that Tony…
Lake Forest’s Citadel Theatre has announced the full cast and crew for its season opener - the satirical comedy EUREKA…
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Chicago's only professional theater that seeks to advance women through the power of storytelling, announces the cast for…
Definition Theatre is proud to present How We Got On, a mix-tape for the stage by playwright Idris Goodwin and directed by Tyrone Phillips. How We…
The nonprofit service organization 3Arts announces the date for its annual 3Arts Awards Celebration, a festive evening of dynamic performances by Chicago artists and the…
A new company, Heart of Gold Theatre, is presenting the Chicago premiere of Mike Barlett’s An Intervention. Bartlett is a…
Carmela misses her papi, because papi is missing some of his papers.Chicago Children’s Theatre presents Carmela Full of Wishes, a…
Promethean Theatre Ensemble announced today it will stage the Chicago premiere of BLOOD OF THE LAMB, by Arlene Hutton, a gripping two-woman,…
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s new staging of The Wizard of Oz sends audiences down the yellow brick road with a…
Jackalope Theatre Company is proud to announce the schedule for the 17th Annual Living Newspaper Festival, August 20 - 24, at the Jackalope Theatre…
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT), the Chicago-based dance company, is proud to announce its 2026 - 2027 season. In the coming year,…
It may be the middle of summer, but for fans of Universal’s “Love Actually,” Christmas comes early this year. GEA…
Steppenwolf Theatre Presents ADIRONDACK CHAIR CIRCLE – October 22 – December 6, 2026 – World Premiere!
Writers Theatre celebrates record-breaking 2025/26 Season with artistic growth and unprecedented ticket sales
American Blues Theater names Nia Akilah Robinson the recipient of the 2026 Blue Ink Award for her play Overnight at the Museum and announces featured finalists Benjamin Benne and Claire Crowley
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.