Time Out Chicago news

Don't throw away your shot to see Hamilton in Chicago before the award-winning musical packs its bags and leaves town on January 5, 2020. Producer Jeffrey Seller announced yesterday that Hamilton will end its run at CIBC Theatre after more than three years and a total of 1,341 performances. Tickets for the final block of shows go on sale Friday, May 17 at 10am. You can get them online at broadwayinchicago.com or by visiting the CIBC Theatre box office (18 W Monroe St) or calling the Broadway in Chicago ticket line at 800-775-2000. "More people have seen Hamilton in Chicago than any other city, including New York," says Seller. "Chicago has been a cornerstone of our mission to make Hamilton as accessible to as many people as possible. We’ve loved our time here, and you can bet that 'we'll be back.'" More than 2.6 million people will have attended the local production of Hamilton by January 5, according to a release from Broadway in Chicago. That includes more than 32,000 Chicago Public School students and teachers visiting under the musical's history education program, dubbed EduHam. And if you didn't catch Seller's play on words, it sounds like we haven't seen the last of Hamilton in Chicago.  If you're already flexing your fingers in anticipation of buying tickets on Friday, there are a few things you should know: Each household is limited to 12 tickets between September 8 and January 5, 2020, and tickets are going for $75.50–$205.50. The online lottery will continue offe

There's a tasty secret hiding below Kumiko, the intimate West Loop cocktail den from creative director Julia Momose, executive chef Noah Sandoval and chef de cuisine Mariya Russell. On May 22, the all-star team will debut Kikkō, an 10-seat underground omakase counter offering a seven-course tasting menu. The opening of Kikkō marks a shift in service for Kumiko: The eight-seat bar upstairs will now accept walk-ins and the menu will expand to include more a la carte bites. The formal omakase experience will move downstairs to the basement and is now accepting reservations via OpenTable. Seatings are available Wednesday through Sunday at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30pm.  Developed by Sandoval and Russell, the menu at Kikkō is priced at $130 per person and includes familiar dishes like ora king salmon sashimi with sea grapes, pillows of creamy uni nigiri and the raved-about Japanese milk toast, which is topped with summer truffles (ICYMI: this bite made our restaurant critic cry tears of joy). Guests can add cocktail and sake pairings for $65—an absolute must if you ask us. Keeping with the ethos of the omakase experience at Kumiko, Momose and her skilled team will chat with guests to determine their preferences before building super-personalized drinks to pair with the food. The space is described as a dark, modern "nook-like setting" with a vintage stereo that plays vinyl records. Kikkō opens below Kumiko at 630 W Lake Street on Wednesday, May 22. Want more? Sign up here to stay in t

We've known for months that Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino and Tame Impala would be headlining the Lollapalooza lineup, but until yesterday we didn't know how the schedule would shake out for the more than 150 other acts on the bill. The complete timeline for Lollapalooza's eight stages was released yesterday via the festival's app, but (thankfully) the information is now available on Lolla's website, so you can start planning four days of music Grant Park. RECOMMENDED: Our complete guide to Lollapalooza As usual, you'll have to make some choices about which side of the park you want to stick to—though it's possible to sprint across Grant Park and catch portions of sets scheduled in the same time slot, you'll be wiped out by the end of the four-day weekend. That means choosing between Death Cab For Cutie and Janelle Monáe on Friday afternoon, and Lil Wayne or Tenacious D on Saturday evening. You'll also find some decent options beyond the two marquee headlining acts end evening, with rapper Lil Baby closing out the American Eagle stage on Thursday night and French producer Madeon providing an alternative to Twenty One Pilots and J Balvin on Saturday evening. Take a closer look at the complete Lollapalooza 2019 schedule below and prepare yourself (mentally and physically) for another live music marathon in Grant Park. Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.

Baseball and food collide today—as they so often do—with the opening of Maddon's Post in Wrigleyville. The Italian-Polish concept is a joint venture between chef-partner Tony Mantuano and Cubs manager Joe Maddon located at 1119 W Waveland Avenue in the heart of Wrigleyville. The all-day menu is rife with playful twists on classic Chicago fare, like a grilled Italian and Polish sausage platter, paczki, pierogi, and something called "Baseball" steak with tarragon, parsley and house butter. Maddon and Mantuano turned to their roots—Polish and Italian, respectively—to guide the culinary lineup and highlight favorites from their childhoods. And because award-winning chef Mantuano is in the kitchen, guests can expect elevated but approachable dishes at every turn. The paczki, for instance, are crafted with chocolate dough and stuffed with fresh strawberry cream or melty peanut butter and banana. On the booze front, there are four beers on tap from nearby breweries (plus a handful of cans and bottles), wines by the glass and bottle as well as cocktails like the Maddon's Mule with vodka, manzanilla sherry, green apple, lime and ginger beer. The focal point of the 7,400-square-foot interior is an open kitchen with a blazing hearth. There's also a family-friendly parlor that's outfitted with plush booths for large groups. Upstairs, guests will find the Flamingo Room, a Deco-era bar with a sprawling patio that's ideal for warm summer days. Located steps away from Wrigley Field, Maddon

The official start of summer is still more than a month away, but it's warm enough for the Chicago Riverwalk to open for business this week. From May 13 through 19, the waterfront attraction will host programming, events and displays that celebrate all of the things that guests can experience when they take a stroll along the Chicago River. RECOMMENDED: Where to hang out on the Chicago Riverwalk Tonight (May 13), festivities kick off with a trio of events, including as series of theater performances (presented as part of the Year of Chicago Theater) and a lantern procession honoring Broadway in Chicago, with lanterns inspired by Hamilton, Kinky Boots, The Lion King and more—both events will take place on the Riverwalk between Franklin and Lake Streets from 7 to 8pm. At 8:15pm, Art on theMART will make its Monday evening debut, introducing new work by media designer John Boesche that will now be projected on the side of the Merchandise Mart on a nightly basis. At 8:30pm, the Art on theMART show will be augmented by a fireworks display, which will likely be similar to the shower of sparks that kicked off Riverwalk season in 2017. Tuesday marks the Chicago Riverwalk's first Second Tuesdays event of the season, which features special programming and discounts at Riverwalk vendors like Tiny Tapp and Café, Chicago Brewhouse, City Winery, O’Brien’s Restaurant and Island Party Hut. The Chicago Architecture Center will present a conversation about the history of the Chicago River,

If you've resolved to learn how to dance this summer (or just want to have a good time grooving outdoors), you'll want to explore the Chicago SummerDance schedule. The event series returns to parks throughout the city from June 26 through August 24, allowing attendees to take a free dance lesson and then show off what they've learned with musical accompaniment from a live band. The Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park hosts evening dance lessons on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer (except when Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza take over the park). As usual, there's a wide array of styles to learn about, from swing and salsa to Indian folk dancing (June 30) and Bachata (July 28). SummerDance moves to parks throughout the city on Wednesday nights, offering contra and square dancing lessons at Theatre on the Lake (June 26), steppin' lessons in Jackson Park (July 24) and Brazilian zouk lessons in Willye B. White Park (August 7). Plus, during Taste of Chicago, you'll be able to visit a stage by Buckingham Fountain to work up an appetite will mastering house, salsa, country and swing dance moves. As usual, the SummerDance music concludes on Saturday, August 24 with a gigantic celebration in Millennium Park, where attendees will be able to join dance parties at the Bean and the Great Lawn or take in professional dance performance at Pritzker Pavilion. Browse the complete Chicago SummerDance schedule below and find some time in your busy schedule to

While the Millennium Park Summer Music Series may be the most popular option for free concerts, not all of the season's best gratis shows take place outdoors. Since opening its doors in 2017, House of Vans Chicago has presented the annual Summer House Parties series inside a converted West Loop warehouse, bringing a lineup of hip-hop, indie rock and punk acts to the stage. Today, House of Vans Chicago revealed the lineup for its 2019 Summer House Parties series, which kicks off on May 31 with a show headlined by West Coast rapper Vince Staples. Other highlights include reunited ‘90s alt-rockers the Breeders, rapper and drummer Anderson .Paak (who also headlines Huntington Bank Pavilion on June 4), a tribute to the Vans Warped Tour overseen by Taking Back Sunday and one of the only reunion shows that New York dance-punk band the Rapture will play this summer. There's also an unannounced surprise guest slated to perform on August 15—your guess is as good as ours. Just like last year, the headlining performer at each House of Vans concert will act as the event's curator, selecting the opening acts and the visual artists tapped to create murals and installations. The complete bill for each concert will be revealed when RSVPs open, which typically occurs about two weeks before each concert. Tickets to every show are free with an RSVP via the House of Vans website, though admission is first come, first served, so you'll need to line up early to lock down a spot. Check out the c

On Monday night, all eyes were on Chicago as the James Beard Awards commenced at the Lyric Opera in the Loop. The prestigious annual event honors the best chefs, restauranteurs and designers across the country. Think of it as the restaurant industry's Academy Awards. In 2018, Fat Rice chef Abe Conlon was Chicago's lone winner (Best Chef: Great Lakes), but this year, the city has four reasons to celebrate. Carb extraordinaire Greg Wade of Publican Quality Bread won Outstanding Baker for his top-notch breads, which are featured on menus at some of the best restaurants in Chicago. Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz of Boka Restaurant Group took home an award for Outstanding Restaurateur for their work on beloved Chicago institutions like Boka, Girl & the Goat and Momotaro—just to name a few. The group welcomed Cira, Cabra and Lazy Bird to the fold last month, too. Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, the husband-and-wife duo behind Korean-steeped Parachute in Avondale, nabbed the title for Best Chefs: Great Lakes. Nominees for the category included Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya, Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe, Anna and David Posey of Elske, Noah Sandoval of Oriole and Lee Wolen of Boka. Finally, New York-based designers Parts and Labor Design took home an award for Outstanding Restaurant Design (76 seats and over) for their work at River North newcomer Pacific Standard Time. (We're counting it as a win for Chicago—don't @ us.) Chicago will continue to host the culinary awards through 2027. To find out

Most locals actively avoid the crowds at Navy Pier unless they're hosting tourists—and even then it can take some convincing to go. Later this month, the Pier entices Chicago to reconsider with a new 36,000-square-foot rooftop deck called Offshore. The self-proclaimed "largest rooftop deck in the country" (we're still fact-checking that detail) will open in May with indoor and outdoor space, a kitchen, seven fire pits and a gaming area. Offshore sits above Navy Pier's Festival Hall, which is located at the end of the pier. From this vantage point, guests should be treated to sweeping views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. RECOMMENDED: 19 new rooftops and patios to check out this summer Chef Michael Shrader (Monnie Burke's) will helm the kitchen, offering "seasonal, modern American cuisine with global influences served as small, shareable plates." Overseeing the beverage program is Clay Livingston, an unfamiliar face who formerly managed the Red Herring Lounge in Louisville. The drinks will be driven by the season, with a lychee-infused sipper and a "fruit-forward cocktail in a bag" already in the works. Good news for adults: Offshore is only open to guests who are 21 and over, so there won't be youngsters running around this rooftop deck. The 20,000-square-foot outdoor terrace is outfitted with communal and high-top tables, globe lighting, fire pits and parasols. There's also a stage set up on the southeast end of the terrace for live music and entertainment. Back

Toward the end of his recent film The Image Book, director Jean-Luc Godard quotes Bertolt Brecht in saying: “In reality, only a fragment carries the mark of authenticity.” This is a fitting epitaph to a film, and a career, characterized by its radical, collage-like approach to juxtaposing image and sound. It would have been equally appropriate, though for very different reasons, for this quote to appear in Black Mother, a visually astonishing and deeply spiritual love letter to Jamaica made by the acclaimed American filmmaker and photographer Khalik Allah. While The Image Book primarily uses clips from other films to illustrate the misrepresentation of the Arab world in the West, Black Mother uses fragments of footage Allah shot by himself in his mother’s home country of Jamaica, on a variety of film and video formats (Hi8, miniDV, Super 8, 16mm and high-definition digital) over a span of 20 years. Chicagoans will have a chance to see the kaleidoscopic result, which is best experienced on a large screen, when the film receives its local premiere run at the Facets Cinematheque from Friday, May 3 through Thursday, May 9. Although Allah’s mother does appear in the film, the title is a reference to the notion of Jamaica as an ancestral homeland, a place the director has visited since the age of three and which he puts on screen in a captivating fashion. Black Mother is cleverly structured into three sections—referred to as “trimesters”—that speak volumes about both the history a