Courier News

First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre’s 2013 concert season

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:18:02 -0500

The 2013 summer concert season is a live music fan’s dream. A ton of great gigs are on the way, and many of them will be at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. “It’s a busy summer and there’s just a lot of great artists on the road and great shows coming through,” said Jon Reens, senior director of marketing/Midwest for Live Nation, which operates FMBA. “They run the gamut on style and they run the gamut on format. It’s an extremely wide-ranging summer season.” The outdoor venue is boasting the most amount of country concerts …

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy salutes Cab Calloway

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:22:01 -0500

Twenty years later, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is still swinging just as hard as they were back in the day. The nine-piece jazz- and swing-influenced ensemble performs an 8 p.m. show May 18 at Pfeiffer Hall at North Central College in Naperville. 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, which broke out with the songs “You & Me and the Bottle Makes Three (Tonight)” and “Go Daddy-O,” which were featured in the 1996 Vince Vaughn film “Swingers.” The band is not only celebrating its 20th anniversary, it is promoting its latest album “Rattle Them Bones,” the follow-up …

Wheaton Drama presents ‘Into the Woods’

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:20:02 -0500

When performers appear in a play with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, they know they are in a challenging production, according to Craig Gustafson, who is directing “Into the Woods,” a musical comedy by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, at the Wheaton Drama Playhouse in Wheaton. “The music is beautiful, charming and very, very complicated to perform,” Gustafson said. “That’s what’s so great about it. Sondheim doesn’t write down to singers’ abilities. They have to come up to his. Sondheim shows are the Mount Everests of musicals. If you stroll up a 20-foot hill, you might do it well, …

Theater actor/singer comes to NCC

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:20:02 -0500

A Broadway veteran explores the evolution of the modern male characters in musical theater Sunday at North Central College. Singer and actor Jason Forbach performs his one-man cabaret show, “A New Leading Man,” at 6 p.m. May 19 in North Central College’s Madden Theatre at the Fine Arts Center. “New Leading Man” is also the name of his debut album, which features contemporary songwriters in music theater. “I wanted to sing songs that reflected what the modern male character is onstage today,” he said. “I wanted to shy away from stereotypes of a gallant hero riding in on a white …

Herman’s Hermits, Ides of March hit Paramount stage

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:20:02 -0500

When Peter Noone takes the stage to sing the hits of the 1960s British rock band Herman’s Hermits, of which he is a founder and original member, he has hundreds of people assisting him as his back-up chorus. “Fans always sing along,” Noone said. “When I sing the song ‘I’m Into Something Good’ I don’t sing the line ‘She’s everything I’ve been dreaming of” because that is the chorus and the audience sings that. For ‘There’s A Kind Of Hush’ the audience sings along with the ‘Over the world’ part.” Herman’s Hermits, starring Peter Noone, and The Ides of March …

Restaurants up the ante on fare for their youngest patrons

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:40:01 -0500

A program to revamp kids’ menus with more nutritionally sound options puts sushi, whitefish and bulgogi on the plates.

5 things to do: “Black Tie”

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:06:35 -0500

“Black Tie”: Steel Beam Theatre presents the comedy to June 2. At 111 W. Main St. in downtown St. Charles. Call (630) 587-8521 or visit SteelBeamTheatre.com. How much: $23-$25 Armed Forces Day: The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park invites families from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 18. Enjoy family activities all day. Call (630) 260-8187. How much: Free Delfeayo Marsalis: The Jazz Master performs in Sweet Thunder at 8 p.m. May 18 at Raue Center For The Arts. At 26 N. Williams Street, Crystal Lake. Call (815) 356-9212. How much: $36 Elgin Public Museum: See the bison at the museum. …

May 16-19: Civil War Days, Taste of Glen Ellyn

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:33:06 -0500

For more than 30 years, Naper Settlement in Naperville has been educating people about the Civil War with hands-on learning opportunities. This weekend marks the annual Civil War Days event, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Naper Settlement. More than 300 re-enactors set up camp on site to interpret the life and times of soldiers and civilians during the 1860s, said Naper Settlement spokeswoman Donna DeFalco. The highlight of the event is battle re-enactment, occurring at 2:30 p.m. daily. That’s when the soldiers march onto the field to re-enact a battle, complete with artillery …

Elgin Memorial Day activities planned

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:52:09 -0500

ELGIN — The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, in cooperation with the city of Elgin, will sponsor a variety of programs for Memorial Day on May 27. Residents are encouraged to visit local cemeteries during the Memorial Day period. At Bluff City Cemetery, more than 500 flags honoring local veterans line the streets as part of the award-winning “Avenue of Flags.” There also are more than 2,600 smaller flags flying over veterans’ graves, placed by local volunteers as part of the group’s “Adopt a Cemetery” program. Here is a list of activities planned for Memorial Day. For further information, visit, www.elginmemorialday.org. …

Lucasfilm: New ‘Star Wars’ movie to be shot in UK

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:36:00 -0500

LONDON (AP) — The next “Star Wars” movie will be shot in a galaxy far, far away from Hollywood — Britain.

5 things to do: ‘The Mad Adventures of Mr. Toad’

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:57:30 -0500

“The Mad Adventures of Mr. Toad”: Steel Beam Children’s Theatre presents a musical May 12-June 2 at 111 W. Main St. in downtown St. Charles. Visit SteelBeamTheatre.com. How much: $10-$15 Simple Machines Science Night: Elgin Public Museum hosts night dedicated to machines at 6-8 p.m. May 10. At Elgin’s Lords Park at 225 Grand Blvd. Call (847) 741-6655. How much: $1-$2 Mother’s Day Comedy Cabaret: The Arcada is holding a Mother’s Day show at 5 p.m. May 12 with stars of the Southern Fried Chicks Comedy Tour. At 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. Visit oshows.com. How much: $20 Mid-Continent …

Summer in the multiplex is for the boys

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:14:00 -0500

Who’s the man at the multiplex this summer? In a season of epic showdowns, you have Iron Man and Superman. If that’s not enough testosterone, there’s Wolverine (half man, half beast) and Brad Pitt trying to kill men who aren’t even men anymore, but zombies. The virile Captain Kirk is back in the pilot’s seat, and Bruce Willis is seeing “Red” again. And then there’s the Wolfpack in “The Hangover, Part III” — drunk, disorderly men hoping to have an Excedrin good time in Mexico and Vegas. Welcome to the summer movie season 2013, where all you need is a …

Versatile David Lindley comes to ECC stage

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:40:01 -0500

There isn’t one word that describes David Lindley’s music, and that’s by design. The veteran musician has worked with many of the biggest names in rock music, but his own music draws from a number of eclectic influences. Audiences in Elgin have the opportunity to see it for themselves when Lindley performs live at the Blizzard Theatre at the Elgin Community College Arts Center at 8 p.m. May 10. Lindley is known as an accomplished and incredibly skilled guitarist, but his experience is not limited to a single instrument. His solo performances certainly feature the guitar, but also can include …

Hubbard Street 2 will dance at Fermilab

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:38:01 -0500

Seven elite young dancers take the stage at Fermilab Saturday for an engaging performance. Hubbard Street 2, the preparatory company for contemporary dance company Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, performs at 8 p.m. May 11 in the Ramsey Auditorium at Fermilab in Batavia. The company is under the new direction of Terence Marling, who took over the job on April 30. He’s been working with the company for years, so it was an easy transition, he said. “I’m most happy to be working with these amazing dancers … and I find it really inspiring to watch them grow and change and …

Rialto hosts ‘Elmo Makes Music’

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:38:01 -0500

Actress Denise Pajak, who appears as the character Bert in the touring production of Sesame Street Live — “Elmo Makes Music,” knows that when she and her cast mates perform it may be the first time that many youngsters see a stage production, and that is part of the show’s appeal. “Children do not see live stage shows that often,” Pajak said. “So there are the lights, the sets, the characters, and their minds are so fresh that it is so new and exciting to them.” VEE Corporation presents Sesame Street Live — “Elmo Makes Music” at the Rialto Square …

Lewis Black will rant at Rialto

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:36:00 -0500

Comedian Lewis Black, whose comedy style is based on ranting and ridiculing such things as history, politics and religion, actually started his show business career as a playwright. Black believes that the playwriting background has helped his stand-up comedy career. “They are two separate disciplines,” Black said of playwriting and stand-up comedy. “But hopefully the playwriting background gives my comedy an arc and through-line.” Lewis Black will perform his show, “The Rant is Due,” May 10 at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet. “One of the things that impresses me with my stand-up comedy friends is that they are phenomenal …