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!

Incredible theatre with so many programs! It's so clear that they care for all ages of children and…read morehelp them grow their theatre AND life skills. What an incredible experience from an incredible program!

Lovely venue!!! Spacious theatre, comfortable seats. Every seat feels like a good one. Wonderful,…read morewell organized, and friendly staff. Clean bathrooms. I came here last night to see Manual Cinema and it was a fabulous experience. Excellent acoustics for the live music.

Went to the Victory Gardens Theatre for their Ignition 2018 festival…read more We were fortunate to witness a staged reading of How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla. It was very interesting to see all of the behind the scenes preparations that go into a production of a play. The actors were excellent and the venue is intimate and welcoming. The theatre is dedicated to the development and production of new plays and playwrights. It is also exciting to see so many female playwrights getting the opportunity and guidance to finish their productions. A great place to see up and coming playwrights, plays and actors!

Nice medium sized theater located in Oak Park. I was really close to giving them five stars, it's…read moreclean, the staff is polite, the actors are great, and the seats are comfy. The only problems are that the seats aren't pitched enough and that something is off with their audio. I couldn't hear most of the performance. Lucky enough the actors were good enough for me to follow the story. Also I had the change seats a few times before and during the performance. Get one tall person in front of you and you can't see anything, hence the seating needing to be pitched more or maybe make the stage higher. Even with these major issues I still really enjoyed the show and the theater. I know this sounds sick and or weird but the play was called "Urinetown" -it's a musical about pee only it's so much more then that. About the right to pee. It's a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. Still strange I know, but it's something for you to see for yourself. Enjoy! P.S. The actors are excellent, dancing, singing, and my favorite... they still perform even when they aren't the center of attention. I love that! P.S.S. This is my 50th theater review!! Holy crap there are a lot of play house in Illinois!

Circle Theatre does not equal Broadway. In fact, I get the distinct impression that they are not…read moreTRYING to compete with the Les Miserables and Wicked blockbusters. With that in the forefront of your mind, imagine a local (non-touring) group of professionals who act in these plays because they love it. This is their passion and it shows. Consider Circle Theatre the Hilary Swank of the acting world. They are talented, uber smart, and they choose productions that are somehow meaningful to them (not necessarily with the intention of making money). Are they capable of producing popular, money making productions that would make Andrew Lloyd Webber proud? Absolutely! True to the pervasive value of the Village of Oak Park, Circle Theatre strives for independent excellence. Circle Theatre itself is pretty small. There is an atrium with a ticket counter and a small concession area. The concession area has a few things including wine and beer. There are two theaters so that two shows can occur simultaneously. The theaters are divided into three sections of tiered seats, have open seating, and have great views from everywhere. The seats themselves are padded and have armrests. The floors are clean (not sticky like some movie theaters). Lastly, the employees (actors and staff) are all kind and friendly. They've been nice when it comes to finding tickets for me and have worked quickly at the concession stand when I want to get to a seat before the show begins. The actors have come out after the show and have made pleasant conversation with their fans. In conclusion, Circle Theatre is perfect at what it is. Some of the plays are funny and some are thought-provoking. They have impressive costumes and sets, but without the fireworks of something you would see in Chicago's Theatre District. The actors have theater degrees and lots of experience. You can expect to see an offbeat play performed and produced by professionals who care.

The Cadillac Palace Theatre is stunning! I feel so lucky to have such a nice theatre in my city…read more This place runs like a well oiled machine. Once doors open, they get everyone in and to their seats quickly. I'm impressed by how clean everything is from the seats to the bathrooms. All of the employees are very courteous and knowledgeable. I enjoy arriving a little early just to take in the beautiful architecture. It is stunning inside! The seats are also comfortable with great sightlines.

Although the actual performance and show were great, what a horrible staff that works here (sans 1…read moreperson who actually helped). When we first arrived, upon checking our tickets, our tickets wouldn't scan/verify. The usher was getting frustrated with us for this, and made us go to the ticket booth to get our physical tickets. We showed the person the tickets on our phone, and she printed them out for us -- after several rounds of confusion on her part. She was so soft spoken (in a noisy theatre entrance) that it led to much confusion. After this, we had to "cut" back into the entrance line (the security guard was helpful here) and we got thru the gates, finally. Then this usher/ticket checker who scanned our tickets (the 2nd time) was literally yelling at us on which direction to go (not a yelling as in being loud, but yelling like we were stupid). I go the way he yells at me because he won't stop yelling at me to go the direction he points me in -- which is the wrong direction. We had orchestra seats and were headed there, but this usher/ticket checker was yelling at us to go up the stairs. Fine, maybe I'm wrong. We get upstairs, and the 2nd usher again points us in the wrong direction to go further upstairs. This is again incorrect. We are flustered and confused, and not sure what is going on. We finally reach the 3rd usher at the top of the stairs, and he finally points us in the correct direction. The ushers here (Sans the 3rd one) were incompetent and rude.

We still love ya Disturbia! Nice updates since our last visit. Love the Doll room. Also your ER…read moreaccepted our PPO. Keep up the great work!

Awesome!! Best of the best! So much going on that every corner you jump! Definitely coming back!…read moreThe staff working outside is also amazing! You DEFINITELY need to check it out!!!!

This theater group has been the best experience for my daughter. It is very unique to the area for…read moreseveral reasons: 1. It's a no-audition theater. What does that mean? Your child doesn't have to go through the stress of auditioning. The parts are assigned by the director after a couple of practices. Every child is guaranteed a main part for one show. 2. Although the shows run several weeks, each child only has to attend two shows; one for their lead role and one as an ensemble role, as they believe that children should have experience as a supporting role. 3. The practice schedule is extremely flexible. You only have to attend two weekday or one of the weekend rehearsals. If you can't make your assigned time, no problem! You just go to another practice that week that better fits your schedule. 4. NO FUNDRAISING! It drives me nuts when I pay for an activity and then STILL have to raise money for the organization. It's not even that expensive, compared to other activities my daughter has done. 5. They welcome any child to perform, no matter what their disability or experience. I have seen incredible performances from children who wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to play a lead role. It warms my heart to watch the shows for this reason. 6. The summer camps are so fun and runs the entire week for the entire day. I don't feel like I have to jump through hoops at work to carve out time to play the taxi driver for a camp that only lasts a few hours during the day. I highly recommend signing up for them as soon as registration opens; they book up quickly and rarely do waiting list kids get in. They're very popular. If I could give them more than five stars I would. I tell all of my friends about this theater. The only downside is that's it's in Naperville, which is not convenient. But my daughter happily hops in the car for the commute, as she loves being there.

I adore going to the movies, so when our local theaters re-opened after being closed for covid, I…read morewas there to support their reopening. To accommodate "social distancing" they have adjusted their online ticket purchasing so that when you buy "a ticket" you actually get the seat between two empty seats on each side of you. This is a cool system, in theory. So I can't blame the theater for: 1.) When I was moving across the row to my seat a seated client said, "Are we in your seat?" which means they were NOT in their ticketed seats. 2.) Three movie goers came in after the movie started and sat down directly in front of me, which is not possible since seating is for every other row. They obviously were not in their ticketed seats. However the theater appears to be doing a good job with wearing masks and gloves, cleaning the bathrooms and trying to keep their clients at appropriate "social distances", I can't blame them for "non-compliant clients".

Movie experience was less than it could be. The theater was warm this is the second time I've run…read moreinto this at Cinemark. Also during quiet times I could hear the movie next to us. When they Revamp this theater I should just fixing the air conditioning and Omar soundproofing. I will be checking out other venues for movies.