Theater of Western Springs is a wonderful night out where you can see a play that is as good as and…read moresometimes better than seeing a play on Broadway - and I have been to NYC. The actors are really good. Set's are professional, acting is stellar. Price of tickets is very very reasonable. If you want a fun night out, subscribe to TWS - please support this local theater.

The joy of participating in live theatre has been sucked out. Politics has taken over and only the…read more"chosen" can survive. After years of diligent volunteerism being snubbed for the last time has taken its toll. Don't go here to be seen, heard or developed. If you're not "golden" you're "gone."

Scott Bonn, Ph.D. is a criminology professor, TV news commentator, public speaker and author. He is…read morean expert on the behavior and the motivations of criminals. I often hear his name of the Serial Killers podcast I listen to on Spotify and just recently finished reading his book "Why We Love Serial Killers: The Curious Appeal of the World's Most Savage Murderers". When I saw him on the news giving an interview and they mentioned he would be 'in Chicago", I jumped at the chance to get a ticket to see him live. Welp, much to my dismay, he was not going to be in Chicago but Joliet. Well, I bit the bullet, got a ticket, and decided to go anyway. The Rialto is located in what I assume is the downtown area...the reason I say assume is that this is the first time I have been to Joliet. Since I arrived at 7:30 pm, it was dark and not much foot traffic beyond people parking to go to the theater. There was a parking lot about a two blocks from the theater at the cross street and it was free. The theatre was designed by Marshall & Fox, who also designed the Blackstone Theatre (now the Merle Reskin), the Blackstone Hotel and the Drake Hotel. Walking inside, you can definitely tell that these guys did the work as there was a familiarity to the Chicago buildings mentioned. The interior is very ornate and pretty. There were several vendors in the main lobby serving drinks (no bubbles, just still wines), cocktails and beer. You could take the drinks in with you to the theater. There was this huge Duchess chandelier in the rotunda and a lot of cream-colored marble walls in the lobby. The theater itself was so lovely. The seats looks wide enough where you could be comfortable. The reason I say this is that a lot of entertainment venues built back in the day had very narrow and uncomfortable seats. Because I had tickets in the front row of the orchestra pit, they had stand alone seats there, but they were padded and comfortable. I loved seeing the red velvet curtains and looking up to the ceiling, there was this ornate plateau of what appeared to be The Birth of Venus, based on the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli. The presentation itself was nice and insightful. I am fascinated with serial killers from the perspective of the psychology of why they do what they do, and Dr. Scott Bonn did not disappoint. Although a lot of the basics he spoke on I was already aware of, it was great to here about his person insights into his dealings with BKT (Dennis Rader)and Son of Sam. The irony was not lost on me that quite a few of these killers associate with Christianity in terms of being involved in churches. Bonn mentioned that Son of Sam (David Berkowitz )was now Son of Hope and a self-proclaimed minister who was being embraced by quite a few people. Couldn't wrap my mind around that at all. Bonn also spoke about Bryan Christopher Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. Bonn mentioned that he felt that Kohberger had the potential to become a serial killer had he not been caught. Bonn also mentioned that the number of serial killers has been on the declined over the years, with the numbers as high as over 800 in the 80s. The advances in DNA testing as well as technology/knowledge had stopped potential serial killers in their tracks before they got started. The staff were all very cordial and helpful. Overall experience was a good one as I liked the feel of the theater. There would have to be someone performing here that I absolutely would want to see before coming back here due to the distance but would absolutely do so.

I saw Buddy Guy at Rialto Square Theatre the other week and really liked this venue! I'd always…read morebeen curious about this theater the few times I had driven by it so I was excited to check it out. Upon entering the lobby you can see how elegant and beautiful the building is. My wife and I decided to look up at the theater ceiling before the show just to admire the architecture. The acoustics were great and we heard everything perfectly. I'll definitely be back!

What can I say? Best priced venue around super accommodating. Franco and all the guys are the…read moreabsolute best! We had close to 100 and between the indoors and the outdoor space. Nothing felt crowded. They have a soda package and the bar is reasonably priced. You can bring in any food that you want. The main room holds up to 10 round tables and there are four long tables for food, gifts, dessert etc.. We chose to put two outside under the covered patio so that people could watch the bocce court.

And if it weren't for Vanessa M., I never would have heard about the club. THANKS V!read more

love this theatre it's awesome but just be ware of your surroundings i was filling up my pop corn…read moreand yeah like a couple times and this lady was mad that i kept getting up to refill and said (sit down and shut the f..k up)

This theater is on point. Totally remodeled. The seats are amazing. My husband gets so comfy he…read moresnoozes for a little while. This place is CLEAN. Thank you. They have a good crew working here. Polite, respectful and service oriented. The theater lay outs are great. As a senior pitched floors and steps are obstacles. But I have NO problem navigating any of theaters here. My husband and I have our date night every other Tuesday here. And Monday night mystery movies are pretty cool. Thank you for being such a gem in our community.

was disappointed in your production of the nutcracker. I have seen it multiple years now and this…read moreyear was disappointed. there was very little dancing for Clara and godfather drosselmeyer. And they are the main characters. Clara just sat mostly the second act which is my favorite part. And did no dancing. She is supposed to dance with the nutcracker but she did not. It felt like more like a play than a ballet. My mom was even falling alsleep cause it could not keep her attention. Please do better next year. we pay for the dancing not the acting.

This is a review for the Ballet Legere's the Nutcracker…read more I advise you: do not waste your money! This should be a free performance, or a "donations encouraged" performance. Heck, they should have paid ME to attend the performance! This performance of the Nutcracker is advertised as the "longest performing Nutcracker in Chicago." With "acclaimed guest artists" and "special effects". At less than half the cost of a ticket to the Joffrey, I knew it wasn't going to be as spectacular. I knew they wouldn't have an orchestra, but man, I could have never predicted it being so terrible. The play was supposed to start at 7:00, but then started at 7:30. I was suspicious right from the start with the announcer, who made it sound like a circus performance with a loud, "Welllllllcome ladies and gentlemen to Ballet Legere's performance... of... the... Nutcracker!!!" The audience hooped and hollered. Like who cheers like this is a stadium game at a ballet?! I later realized, most of the audience was just parents and relatives. The first act was only a half an hour, with appended versions of the songs. Almost all performers were young kids or teens, who didn't have much talent. It was a kid's play. There were literally two adult dancers, who were decent, but couldn't make up for everything else. Costumes were to be desired: the dresses were really long, and you couldn't see the dancer's legs. Call it modest or call it what you want, I think they didn't wear the traditional tutus because they wanted to hide the mistakes in the dancing. About the only good thing was the auditorium, which was in decent shape. Parking was also good, and free! But that's beside the point to this review. The performance totally ruined my boyfriend and I's Saturday night. He agreed, it was awful. After the performance, I tried calling Ballet Legere to request a refund. The lady on the phone seemed confused, and said, "Uhhh I don't know if we can do that." I explained my disappointment and asked again, at which point I got more floundering, and then was hung up on. I called right back, thinking this was a mistake, then no one picked up. I left a voicemail. No one returned my call. I am working it out with the credit card company to get my money back. I wish there had been a review out there so that I could have known before purchasing tickets. I hope this provides that for you, my fellow yelper!

Well let me start by saying I attended this event for free so generally it was fine. But...had I…read morepaid for the event I may have been gravely disappointed . First there were not many vendors. The definitely need more food and wine vendors. They also need more activities for patrons while attending. The band was awesome. The free glass was very affordable looking.

Sangria fast was held in Humboldt Park. I was fortunate to win tickets from an Instagram raffle…read more My tickets included VIP passes for 2. I went on a early Sunday afternoon around 2 PM. We were able to find parking nearby for free. Getting into the sangria fast was easy as we were able to scan our codes from evebtbrite. Upon entering we were given our sangria glasses, VIP identification and 5 samples of sangria off the bat. Once we were further into the festival, it was discovered that VIP identification had our punch card for redeeming drink tickets. There were several vendors and attendants including places to try sangria, beer, Goya products. We did get sample some really good white wine out of Italy from a wine tasting company. In addition to the sangria samples there were food vendors, live musicians and artistic items to purchase. After trying some of the samples we headed over to the VIP area which had its own pre-made bar set up. You could only use your VIP punch cards in the VIP area. Both my husband and I tried several different flavors of sangria. We both agreed that the pear was our favorite. A close second was probably the pomegranated or the mango sangria. Overall we had a good time but it may have been hard to justify the price tag for what you get. Just being in that neighborhood I think the regular admission price should be lower or there should be more samples. The view from the park was fantastic, we were able to see a part of the air and water show.

The event I went to was Ain't Misbehavin'. It was my first time at The Drama Group. It was a nice…read moreevening out doing something different. The inside looked newly refreshed when you walked in. I was unable to purchase my tickets online but left a message. I received a call back and was able to purchase and have them waiting for us when we arrived. There is plenty of parking in front and on the side of the theater. Light snacks and drinks are available-not sure if it was cash only. The tiered seating was first come first served and was comfortable. The music was great and the costumes were as well. The performance for the most part was good. Some of the song ranges were slightly out of reach when not intentional but overall was entertaining. My two friends and I enjoyed it even though they weren't theatre people. They have opportunities to donate to worthy causes which they brief you on before the performance along with additional items not listed on the main program. Such as a jazz event that sounded like a come in and just enjoy versus an actual performance. Another thing to do that's different.

I have been working with The Drama Group for 5 years and this place has been a home away from home…read more I have met many amazing people through this theatre. In the last few years, they have expanded their parking lot and gotten a new sound system. This year, they have added an additional bathroom to accommodate their large audience, updated their box office, and updated their kitchen. I do wish they expanded the types of shows they do to include a more diverse cast. i.e. less family dramas

McCord gallery has classes with exceptional teachers as well as gallery shows which often include…read morecommunity members. It is an asset to the arts in the southwest suburbs.

I attended last night's Matt Piet & Friends show, that was taken place in what will be their new…read moresmall theater space, so they can do performances in more of a theater space instead of the actual house. And do a lot of classes and other programs, and this is what they said was to kick off their summer program, and his name was the first one that they came up. And they consider sold out this past Monday, the same day that at least standing room only tickets were sold. But still some didn't show up so at least I got to sit through both acts as he did George Gershwin and Cole Porter for the second half.