I have been to The Gift Theatre a couple of times over the years, and it is pretty amazing to find…read moresuch a high quality theater venue in the heart of Jefferson Park. The Gift Theatre can be easy to miss, as its storefront location is a teeny bit north of the intersection of Milwaukee and Lawrence. The box office / lobby area is a quaint little space with a couple of chairs in case you want to wait to enter the theater for seating. The theater space itself seats about 50 or so. The Gift Theatre annually puts on TEN, a compilation of ten vignettes mixing drama and comedy sketches. The dramatic scenes can be very powerful, and the comedy bits can be simultaneously hilarious and thought-provoking. My lovely friend and I really enjoyed TEN earlier this year, and felt that the $10 ticket price (plus minimal service fee) was also an excellent entertainment value. Check out a play here when you can.

I got Hot Tix to see a 7:30 Friday show but there was no mention that they start right at 7:30 on…read morethe dot. We arrived at 7:34 and they couldn't seat us because the play had started. I get that you don't want to interrupt but who starts at the exact time of the show AND can't let people in late??!! Not a good policy for a small theater. I've been to hundreds of plays throughout Chicago and this was the only one that was poorly set up like this. It's too bad because the play itself was probably good. When I asked about a refund the answer was "I'll let them know you showed up." Aka, you get no refund even though we never told you that you have to show up exactly on time and you're just SOL.

This review is way overdue, as we've been regularly going to Uppie Yuppy for nearly 2 years now,…read morehave attended many Birthday parties, and my son had his Birthday party here in August of 2025. This place is wonderful and the staff are so friendly/helpful. I have a 2.5 & 5.5 year old and they absolutely LOVE coming here to play. Great for when the weather is bad, but they also consistently have fun events every week as well as camps. When we had my son's Birthday here last August, it was one of the most low-stress and cost-effective options we could've picked. The kids had a blast, pizza was great, and we were able to add on things like extra drinks/snacks for very minimal cost. All we had to do was bring decorations and cake! The staff were very attentive and helpful throughout the entire party. Overall, Uppie Yuppy has been a wonderful addition to the neighborhood and I'm so grateful to have this option for my kiddos!

This is a great, family-run place to have a fun-filled party for your kids--or even just to bring…read moreyour kids for a few hours to let them enjoy themselves and let you take a breather. There's a nice party room with a big screen movie projector as well, and the best part--you don't have to clean up afterwards.

If you're an actor in the north suburbs, keep an eye out for auditions with this troupe. I just…read morefinished performing my first show with them, and I worked opposite several more seasoned actors. They all exclaimed how professional, warm, and inviting everyone is, and everyone was made to feel very important, regardless of their experience level. Performances take place in Logan Hall (in the basement of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Evanston), which has the facilities for a professional pop-up theater when it's not being used for weddings, meals for the homeless, and other events. The dressing room for the women is beautiful with lighted mirrors, wardrobe racks, and a 3-way full length mirror. Not to mentions couches and sturdy upholstered chairs. I will say, the men don't have it as nice, but are welcomed into the women's area once everyone is decent. Oh, and there's a private bathroom for the actors and crew. (no more timing when to take that last break before the house opens) The show I just finished, 'Old Ringers' sold out nearly every performance. The typical audience review mentioned a great cast with wonderful comedic timing. So, figure when you go see a show there, you're getting top notch Chicago actors. Ticketing prices are competitive with many opportunities for discounts. The theater holds approximately 60, and the seats, though not cushioned, are designed for comfort and are situated two rows per riser. I recommend this theater group for quality theater. For the actor and the audience alike.

The 2nd Act Players are a small theatre group that work out of the basement of a church. The plays…read moreare from new playwrights so each is a new never before seen play. John Frank, an original founder of this group, has written and performed 4 plays so far. Each play is based on personal experiences. I absolutely loved his last play based on his experiences growing up in New York City and going to a Jesuit military high school during the Vietnam War. Hard to believe but true. I came in from NYC just to see this play. I went to that same high school so I needed to see it. My wife who had no previous experience with the school also loved this play. It's a moving play which has also gotten two thumbs up from veterans who have seen it. A limited supply of DVD's are available. His three other plays are about growing up in an Italian family, experiences in a hospital recovering from a heart attack and finally a play about dealing with divorce. Besides these plays the theater group is hosting new playwrights who have one act plays. 2 one act plays will be performed in mid March. If you are in the area, a suburb of Chicago come and see it.

It's a great place for parents to hang out with the their children while enjoying some relaxation…read moreon their own. I believe I have a contradictory statement on the last paragraph, that is, "how can relaxation and kids-monitoring happen simultaneously?" "Sunny Village Cafe" is the answer because the children can play while the parents sip on coffee. The space is designed perfectly that guardians can keep an eye on their little ones. Of course, the circumstances can depend. My partner and I checked out here on a quiet Tuesday afternoon. We were the only patrons for an extended of time. My older one enjoyed the slide, while my little one followed his afternoon-nap route and fell asleep after playing a few things. The admission fee was $15/child and waiver for each child would need to be completed. I thought this was reasonable because we really had the venue all to ourselves for a couple of hours. Coffee, non-caffeinated beverages, and cafe-style pastries were available for purchase. The place was clean and cozy. I looked up their website and learned that membership was available. We already had other memberships that would keep us busy. Therefore, at this time we didn't see the need. I hope "Sunny Village Cafe" can last like the sun that never sets! We live in the neighborhood and would love to come here from time to time.

I've been looking forward to the opening of Sunny Village Cafe for at least eight months or so…read more They've had some challenges on the way to opening but they're finally here! I don't work on my birthday, so since I had the day off I took my toddler here in the morning. The concept of the cafe came from the owner's visit to family in Korea, where these play cafes are common. There are about five tables along the west wall and then the rest is for children's play! There are toys as well as structures, such as a little CTA rail car. There's a little play house. Various toys can be found throughout the play area. There are "yuck boxes", where you can place toys that children have put in their mouth so the staff can clean them. There's hand sanitizer in a few areas as well. There's a couple chairs and couches in the play area as well, adult-sized ones. There is also an infant section for children up to age 24 months. That section is smaller and has a couple of baby bjorns for the littlest friends. Near that area is a quiet room. I didn't get anything to eat or drink whilst here but I'm curious to try one of their -ades. They have some pastries and stuff from nearby restaurants, including Delightful Pastries across the street, I think. I'm not sure how I would have managed them both since the tables ended up getting all taken; I wasn't able to stake one out since I was following my little one around. Maybe I could have kept it with me in the play area and just held it but I wasn't sure if that was allowed. I also wasn't sure if I could order something from inside the play space or if I needed to go out to get one. The play area is enclosed so for the most part you don't have to worry about kids getting out, although there's a bit of a gap along the side and bottom of the swinging door to the cafe/play space. No shoes are allowed once you enter that door, so you'll leave them in the space outside the enclosed play space/cafe. I'd highly recommend going to the website and completing the waiver before you arrive, as that just makes it easier and gets you in to play more quickly. You must complete a waiver for both parent and child, separately, which I thought was the case but then whilst reading through it I was unsure. The cost to enter is $14, unless you have a membership or have pre-paid for a particular number of visits. They also offer private rentals for parties and stuff. I think my little one enjoyed it, and I think we'll return so she play around. Parking is relatively limited since it's in a small strip mall. But there is parking along the street around here too.

Went to see Misery. The play was very well done. It was a three actor play so the intimate theater…read morewas perfect. I believe it holds less than 100 people inside. It is an older school so the seating is a little tight especially if you are not sitting next to someone you know. The had a small concession area water, coffee, tea, candy and chips.

The theater is in Monroe college, parking is free and a non-issue. Very close to Midway airport. I…read moream not overly familiar with the area but surrounding food options seemed limited to mostly chains on cicero. The surrounding area can seem a bit iffy at times (I.e. blue box) but no issues that I could tell. A midsized theater with good proximity to stage and actors. The Evita cast did a great job with this production, my family really enjoyed it. You could tell that the cast and crew were working hard. A great value and quality show from Goldstar (tip). Seating took place shortly before start of show so hanging in the lobby prior at a minimal service snack bar with limited options. For this production, tickets were will call and I suspect were assigned as you showed up (I.e. fill from the front).

This is such a unique theatre space. You have to appreciate the creativity and willingness to…read moredesign shows outside of the usual theatre space. If you want something different and good theatre, go inside and see a show. The staff is friendly and the bar serves beverages. The comfy seats in the lobby include couches and chairs. Visit this Playhouse soon!

Ever since seeing Sleep No More in NYC, I've been looking for another immersive theatre experience…read more After doing some research, I found that Windy City Playhouse had a few offerings. We opted to go for the new play The Reservation instead of the long standing Southern Gothic mainly because the former's plot seemed more interesting to me. It was a bit of risk, but boy am I glad we went with it. Without giving too much away, The Reservation has a wonderful mix of current events, humor, and depth. The three actors amongst a 25 member audience gave it an incredible intimate feel that really pulled you in to the acts. Beautifully, beautifully done. I can not recommend this experience enough.

I love, love, love wonderplay and coffee! My friend suggested we come with our kids and my little…read moreone loves it so much! They always have a lot of events thought out the week. Today, we went to a music class! It's a great place to have parties because all ages can find something to do here! There's so much variety in the different play areas (there's even a crawling area!). It always smells and feels clean when we go, which is something that I neeeed when I go to kid play areas! Extra bonus is: they have coffee! I always try a new one when I go but they're always so good! This time, I tried the coconut ube latte which was so good! My drink didn't look like my friends (hers had a brown layer in it) but it was still delicious. They have a small parking lot that holds maybe six or seven cars but there is a bunch of free parking all around (watch out for areas that need permit though!).

I found this place on yelp when looking for a cool place for my 1, 3 and 5 year old. The photos…read moreoffered various spaces for each age so we made our 30 minute trek here. Unfortunately, parking is super sparse. They have about 6-8 spaces in their lot but none were available. They had a map of where parking was available (a lot of neighboring streets) so that was super helpful. Upon arriving, the barista was super friendly. The staff who checked us in were nice enough and $57 later, the kids were off. My 1 year old loved the small wooden structures in the baby area. There were plenty of toys and things to interest her and she got her exercise crawling around and walking assisted. My 3 and 5 year old favored the jungle gym, campers room, and lego room. They loved the numerous plush animals and faux fire pits. They built small fort rooms under the larger wooden play structures and kept themselves busy. Far as the cafe, I ordered a vanilla latte but it was too strong for my preference. The barista added more ice and milk for me, but it was still too much. I also ordered a large ube latte for someone and they loved it. We had packed bento boxes and it was nice being able to bring our own food (though signs say no outside business foods). Only downside was that certain areas were better air conditioned than others. The smaller children's area near the loose toys was steamy and I could see condensation on the signs on the window. Was sweating playing with my 1 year old there, but otherwise, other areas like the campers room were nicely ventilated. In total, we stayed about 3 hours and my kids still wanted to stay. We will be back!

We had my daughter and her friends' birthday party at Fit City Kids, and it was absolutely…read morewonderful! The facility was super clean, with something for kids of all ages to enjoy, and the staff was amazing from start to finish. A special shoutout to Aya, Saraid, and Melanie--they truly went above and beyond! They helped us set up a beautiful balloon arch, served the kids, kept everything organized, and even handled all the cleanup afterward. They made the entire party feel so easy and stress-free for us. We had such a great experience and will definitely be hosting another party at Fit City Kids! Highly recommend!

We had our son's 5th birthday party at Fit City Kids, and it was such an amazing experience! From…read morethe moment we arrived, the staff and manager went above and beyond to make everything stress-free. They even helped us unload everything from the car and decorate. They kept the party running smoothly by making announcements over the intercom to let everyone know when it was time to eat and when we were cutting the cake. It made the whole event so organized. My son had the best birthday, and all of our family and friends told us how much fun they had. The facility was very clean, and the staff were incredibly friendly, helpful, and attentive throughout the entire party. I highly recommend Fit City Kids to anyone looking for a fun, organized, and stress-free place to host a birthday party. Thank you for making our son's special day so memorabl