| Good afternoon. Let's start with two shows I think you should see. The first is
"Pericles" from the Royal Shakespeare Company, staged in the Courtyard Theatre at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. It’ll be among the most moving Shakespeare productions you ever did see, and you can read in my interview that this clearly is going to be a new partnership between the two theaters. The second is the truly lovely
"Dear Elizabeth" by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, an epistolary play that showcases the acting talents of Leah Karpel. Excellent work here. Christopher Sheard and Leah Karpel in “Dear Elizabeth” from Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Theater Wit in Chicago. (Nomee) Also new this week was the tour of "Some Like It Hot," which looks a lot smaller and cheaper than it did on Broadway, alas. On Broadway, I reviewed "Romeo + Juliet" (not great),
"Left on Tenth" (sweet) and "Sunset Blvd.” (fantastic). In Broadway news,
"Back to the Future" is calling it quits in early January. No tears from me. If you have kiddos or just like new family musicals, check out
"Milo Imagines the World" at Chicago Children’s Theatre, a new musical built from whole cloth and showcasing the big talents of writer Terry Guest and director Mikael Burke. Heavens, it was good to be back sitting alongside a school group. During the pandemic, the number of such groups at the theater dropped precipitously and has yet to recover. Ian Thigpen (front) with Brianna Buckley, Juwon Tyrel Perry, Livia Robin, Jake Ziman and De’Jah Perkins in “Milo Imagines The World” by Chicago Children’s Theatre. (Joe Mazza) In Chicago theater news: Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced a bunch of events in connection to its production of "Blue," the new opera by Tazewell Thompson and Jeanine Tesori to which I am very much looking forward. You'll find them on the Lyric website and they mostly are themed around race, activism and justice. Teatro ZinZanni, the cabaret and cirque show in the Loop, will open up its Spiegeltent to present a special show starring vocalist LiV Warfield on Nov. 18. Finally, the annual marketing event known as Chicago Theatre Week, during which visitors and residents can access cheap theater tickets, will take place Feb. 6-16, 2025. For a third year, HotTix.org will host
"Chicago Theatre Week Continued" from Feb. 17-23, 2025, which will extend Theatre Week discounts to participating shows for an additional week. Chicago Theatre Week tickets will be $30 or less and go on sale Jan. 7, 2025, at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com. Have a great week from the guy for whom every week is theater week.
— Chris Jones, chief theater critic Sign up for the Theater Loop newsletter: Our weekly newsletter has the latest news and reviews from America’s hottest theater city. Theater critic Chris Jones will share a behind-the-curtain look at what you need to know. | 
