Latest news and reviews from America's hottest theater city, plus Chris Jones Recommends
Chicago Theater Loop Monday, August 3, 2026 | | |
| | | | | Good afternoon. August generally is the quietest theater month of the year, but Chicago actually has two touring companies in the Loop at the same time this week (once routinely the case, rarer in recent months). You can find
"The Notebook" at the James M. Nederlander Theatre and
"The Outsiders" at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, both hosted by Broadway in Chicago. Both shows have been seen in Chicago before. This is a reprise engagement of "The Outsiders," which was underbooked the last time through, and "The Notebook" had its pre-Broadway engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. We've got lots of scoops coming up in this week's Chicago Theater Report, including a look at the health of Chicago-area theaters, including the arrival of the new Northlight Theatre in Evanston. We'll also have some new recommended shows for you to go and see.
Last chance to see "Iceboy!" at the Goodman Theatre; the show closes for sure on Aug. 16. See you at the theater. — Chris Jones, chief theater critic | | | | Look down! This glorious crowd-pleaser by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg has been scaled up for an arena-sized audience. Some intimacy is lost, but much is gained. | | | | | Also, Yuriy Sardarov will star in a new off-Broadway play written by and starring Laura Lapidus, and A Red Orchid’s next season includes a world premiere. | | | | | The longtime Chicago-area theater company has proven itself as a survivor, and now it has a new theater in the town where it began. | | | | | Director Danya Taymor lets these young men do the talking in putting S.E. Hinton’s novel on stage as a Broadway musical. | | | | | The score by Ingrid Michaelson is key. Characters sing what regular people feel in such circumstances, and the songs deliver that directly to the audience. | | | |
| |
