Even though I knew this Nutcracker ballet version had been revised to occur in the 1930s Chicago…read moreworld fair, I was unprepared for the lack of fantasy and beauty and elegance that is central to the theme of Nutcracker. The entire set was cheap card tables and chipped furniture, a nutcracker doll that was barely visible and with little explanation as to why it changed hands among the performers- who danced in raggedy clothing, maybe one actual tutu for five minutes(?). There was very little actual ballet that I could ascertain, leaving me with impression that a lot of the performers were on holiday. It's really unfortunate that something so beautiful could be made into a somewhat depressing and largely incoherent show. So many people who come to see this I'm sure would normally be inspired to come back for a different show, but this performance so much missed the mark for what should be an upbeat holiday, I'm not inclined to take the risk

We saw Midsummer Night's Dream by the Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera and, no, this is not a…read moreversion of the William Shakespeare play, but choreographed by Alexander Ekman. We also saw this when it premiered in 2018. It is a celebration of the summer solstice and Scandinavian traditions. In my opinion it is a mashup of Midsommar and Cirque du Soleil if you substitute the acrobats and contortionists with dancers and Swedish elders being pushed off a cliff with lifelike mannequins thrown from a floating table. It opens with a man in bed being woken by his alarm on Friday, June 21 and a woman greets him with hay? straw? And they join into a crazy scene of people throwing hay? straw? with the hay soaring in graceful arcs across the stage. There are frenzied dances, a large dining table that soars into the sky, and comedic bits. After intermission things get wild, with fish falling from the sky, people falling from the sky, a naked chef and more frenzied dancing, with an echo back to the hay throwing. There is a beautiful singer, Anna von Hausswolff, with a soaring, haunting voice, is she dressed like Elsa from Frozen or hair like cousin It? The singer and the wonderful music by Mikael Karlsson and the wonderful musicians make this an otherworldly fable. And the clock fast forwards to June 21 of the next year and it begins again. Is this a dream? Unfortunately this was the final performance of this run.

Wow! This historic theater is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking…read more We went to watch Kinky Boots and thoroughly loved it. The seats are comfortable, and sound quality was great. You could hear very well throughout the theater. The atmosphere was lively. Easy to find seats. Helpful staff. Even bathroom attendants during intermission to create efficiency, so we could get back to our seats as quickly as possible.

Absolutely Electrifying!!!…read more I just saw The Wiz at the James M. Nederlander Theatre and BABY... when I tell you this show is PURE JOY from start to finish!! The singing??? OUT OF THIS WORLD. Every single voice was powerful, soulful, and straight-up gave chills. You could feel the emotion in every note--gospel, R&B, soul... it was hitting on ALL levels. The costumes were a whole moment! Bright, bold, colorful, and creative--every scene felt like a visual celebration. Just beautiful to watch. And the dancing?? Whew! High-energy, sharp, and so fun. The choreography had the whole audience locked in--you can't help but move in your seat! This show is just FUN. It's vibrant, uplifting, and full of life. From the music to the movement to the storytelling, it pulls you in and doesn't let go. You walk out smiling, feeling good, and maybe even a little inspired. If you get the chance to see it--GO. Don't think about it, just go. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

My daughter has been going here for a couple years and my son will start in the fall. Matvey and…read moreKatya have been great to work with and run a good business. The teachers are all talented musicians and the lessons start and end on time.

Terra Sounds is a great choice for kids and adults, from the complete…read morebeginners to the advanced musicians. I am taking an adult guitar class for 3 months now. Love their friendly, comfortable atmosphere; lessons are fun, but very productive. I am honored to have Sasha Brusin as my guitar teacher, a GREAT musician and a wonderful person. Getting more and more passionate about the guitar and music overall each time I come to the class. Staff is truly helpful and open to questions and suggestions.

Amber was exceptional to work with. She helped us with not only one, but two dances (Waltz and…read moreHip-Hop). Thankfully for us, she was experienced in both genres and started out as a Hip-Hop dancer. Amber is fun and also gets the job done. She was mindful of the floor space, the pacing of the dance, and our comfortability with the steps. By the end of our lesson, I felt confident and excited. We received many compliments on our wedding night from the dances. Lots of laughs and memories were also shared in our dance lessons. We now have this beautiful first dance and fun dance to look back on for years to come. If you're wondering whether to take lessons, do it!

Jessica choreographed our first dance for our wedding and did an amazing job! I've never been even…read morea decent dancer, and yet she was able to put in 4 different types of dance, spins and even a dip. Lots of practice and listening to her great instruction later, and we had an awesome first dance! Plus with all she taught us, I even feel comfortable to go out on the dance floor and put what I learned to work on many other songs! I definitely recommend Windy City Wedding dance if you're looking for a fun and knowledgeable instructor to help you through your first dance on your big day.

I've been a member of Life Time Fitness for several years now and I have to say this location is…read more.. interesting. Located on the 9th floor of the One Chicago building near Magnificent Mile. To gain access into the club you can either walk in from the main lobby floor of One Chicago and take the elevator up to the 9th floor and that's where the club entrance is. There's only two elevators, during rush hour times there is often a line just to go up or down. You could take the stairs but who wants to climb 9 levels? That alone is a workout! Once you're inside the club there's 2 floor levels. The first floor has the check-in lobby, cafe, bar, locker rooms, rooftop pool and spa. The second level has all the workout equipment, cardio, and studio rooms for workout classes. I wasn't a big fan of the layout, it's kind of all over the place. Got a chance to take a Warrior Sculpt class with Taylor and it was awesome! One of the best sculpt classes I've ever had. I've seen some reviews complain about issues with the staff being rude but I honestly did not encounter any of that. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Oh and one last thing! This Life Time is open 24 hours! That's something I've never seen before, not even in NYC. That's a major win.

I don't write reviews lightly, especially negative ones, but this location deserves honest…read morefeedback. I've been a Life Time member on and off since I was a kid, starting in the suburbs of Houston. I've belonged in multiple cities, used LifeWork spaces, spent thousands per year on personal training, and countless dollars on spa services. By any definition, I'm a high-utilization, loyal customer and a genuine fan of the brand. The Chicago River North location is the biggest disappointment I've had with Life Time. From the start, the experience was poor. When I first toured before relocating to Chicago, the front desk manager rushed me through the building as if it were on fire--no real explanation, no attempt to sell the experience, no hospitality. That should have been a warning sign. Within my first two visits, I had two items stolen: A $370 pair of Sony in-ear headphones (gone after stepping away for under five minutes to get water) A $225 Canada Goose toque, taken from a bench while I briefly stepped on the scale These were not misplaced--they were stolen. That speaks volumes about the environment and lack of oversight. Beyond that, the club is consistently overcrowded, dirty, and disorganized, and staff interactions are largely unhelpful. For a gym positioned as a premium urban location, it simply does not meet the standard Life Time sets elsewhere. The spa experience is especially underwhelming. At Houston locations like Green Street and The Woodlands, you're greeted, given robes and slippers, sometimes offered a beverage, and allowed to change in a calm, elevated environment. River North offers none of that. It feels far closer to a Massage Envy than the resort-style experience Life Time markets and charges for. The final straw: when I called to cancel and asked to speak with the General Manager to share feedback, my membership was canceled before anyone reached out, asked what went wrong, or attempted to retain me. For a brand built on experience and loyalty, that was shocking. I've now joined Equinox--something I didn't want to do, as it's not a full-service gym--but this location left me no choice. Life Time is a great brand. This location is not. If you're considering River North, manage your expectations--or look elsewhere.

This theatre is a welcome alternative to its larger-scale counterparts in the Loop. It is smaller…read moreand newer, so it has modern amenities, for whatever it lacks in old-school grandeur. Location is excellent, right next to/under Water Tower Place. Please be aware that parking underneath this building is feasible, but only a few doors are open at Water Tower Place after hours, and there are no signs or pieces of helpful info to alert you to this. It gets a bit crowded, nothing serious, but I think I went to a show on a night when few people had any spatial awareness...you say "excuse me" and nobody sees fit to move...weird! The bar lines seemed pretty long, but the bathroom lines were quick. There are multiple entrances to the women's bathroom, so it was a bit of an awkward "zipper merge" that we all laughed about, but this could've been planned better. None of that is enough to take stars away, because the overall experience is amazing. While watching Titanique (a hilarious, unhinged, brilliant parody-style musical), my friend and I found our seats comfortable and with easy sight lines. We are both very short, but our view was not blocked one bit! The stadium seating here is very intentionally done, so it's hard have a bad view. When you're short, it is rare to have this, so I really appreciated it. Also, the theatre is small enough, so even from "far away," you still feel close to the action!

Fabulous theatre we discovered quite by accident. We had a few hours to spare and discovered this…read moretheatre had a few seats for its showing of Titanique. This is not a huge theatre, but we found it the perfect size with all seats accessible and modern. The full bar up front and the welcoming staff here were also much appreciated. Highly recommend this theater for all.

What a gem of a ballet school!…read more The three reasons we have loved this school for our daughter: (1) The faculty has some serious ballet expertise and passion (numerous alumni have become professional ballet dancers) but they're also incredibly good with teaching kids. Our daughter is always excited to go and see her teachers & classmates. (2) All students from 3yos in Creative Movement to the pre-professional dancers in the studio company are cast in their annual Nutcracker performances. Not only is it a cool experience for her perform on stage in real performing arts venues like the Harris Theater, but it's taught her a lot that goes beyond dance. Performing on stage in front of over a thousand people without stage fright, showing up for her classmates for multiple shows each season are good life skills. (3) While ballet isn't the most historically diverse place, Ballet Chicago's school directors make a conscious effort to be inclusive (different backgrounds, body types, etc.) You can tell they're committed to making ballet a positive experience for their dancers and it extends across the school. There's a real community feel. Oh! and I should mention that the studio and classes are also well-equipped: live piano accompaniment during classes, Marley sprung floors, nice natural light.

This is a ballet school that will prepare young dancers with technical skill and performance…read moreexperience and foster a love of dance. Both my son and daughter enjoyed performing in the annual nutcracker performance and it was great as a parent to watch the esprit de corp develop among the young dancers of all ages.

Peter Pan is a show that both adults and children will love!!!…read more There are signs on Chicago Avenue with "Peter Pan" all over them so you cannot miss the entrance to this show. The theater is actually a huge tent set up on a large parking lot (think Cirque du Soleil size tents). The stage is circular so there is not a bad seat in the house. You can see all the characters from every seat. The show is about 2 hours and 20 minutes (which includes a 20 minute intermission). The bathrooms are high class portable restrooms with hard wood floors. It was very impressive! The covered outdoor patio seating area (to enjoy your drinks/food/candy) was a nice touch. Situated right next to the Chicago river made it even more relaxing and serene. The best part about this theater were the visuals. I was very impressed with their 360 degree IMAX type screen. It really looked like the actors were flying through the city of London. I also really like some of the sound effects. Great touch! Acting was perfect and some parts were very funny. I've seen many shows and this one was definitely unique. Parking in the area was relatively easy. We parked on Green and Huron for free (no meters). Make sure to read the signs though because some spots require residential permits. It was about a 7 minute walk away from the theater. For closer parking, you can park on site for $15 (there are signs on the road), or try the parking structure on Larabee (website says $8). I believe the CTA 66 bus will take you directly there. Everyone in the staff was very nice and helpful. You can purchase tickets/pick up will call tickets before entering the actual tent. They ring a bell 10 minutes before showtime so you will have a heads up on when you need to be seated. All persons (including children) require a ticket. Regular price tickets are $75 but you can get half off tickets through Goldstar here: https://www.goldstar.com/join?p=F123738RP Wonderful show! Would definitely see it again!

Completely agreed with the great review by Janet E. Absolutely fantastic. Just Hubby and I went…read more(40s), and we enjoyed it immensely. If you have kids, this will make for a phenomenal family activity. Must-see. Goldstar email, discounted tickets, will-call, no probs. Every single staff member is so friendly and helpful. No dinky tent thing. Whole facility looks top notch, almost permanent. A LOT of thought went into making this a complete experience. Entrance/Lobby: Large tent with hardwood floors and concession area (just drinks & candy, I think) and tons of patio seating. There's a "Candy Shop" all-you-can-fill box for $6. Past this, lots more uncovered patio seating, some along the river. It's pretty enough to bring a little finger food picnic out here, have the kids run around, and enjoy the river a bit before the show. Further along is an amazing billboard exhibit on the history and pop culture presence of this timeless story. Full of excellent trivia and factoids. To the left and back are the classiest trailer bathrooms I've ever seen. Yes, I took pictures. Go see for yourself, I'm not nuts. Oh yeah, the show! It's a circular stage, no bad seats. The story is wonderfully told, excellently acted with lots of heart and enthusiasm. Top notch stage sets, better than some operas I've seen. The 360 movie projection works really well with their dangling aerial escapades, which the kids loved. Priceless "Awwwww" factor - kids' reactions. Lots of gasps, lots of questions, a little sniffle here or there. Awwww. We all loved the monster too (and the guy peddling real fast inside). You'll know when you see it. Warning: It's a wee bit long for the kids (WE were starting to fidget a bit), so be prepared with a toy for the last 15 mins or your fellow audience members will be snickering at your kid's attempts to fling his arms out Peter Pan-style smacking your face while furiously kicking air. It's all ok. It's all entertainment. Seriously, though, all the kids were so well behaved thru the entire performance, no worries (and we were a wee bit worried about the wee ones). And that concludes my longest review. Ever. So far. Kudos for getting to the end of this.