Latest Stories
Review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wes Ball’s entry to this franchise feels measured, complex, and ripe for sequels.
Review: Dark Matter (Season one)
This sci-fi thriller has its missteps, but powerful leading actors give it depth and resonance.
Campus protests, sexual abuse in youth prisons, May Day for Palestine
A weekly column from the Chicago Reader covering the top stories on our radar and how they impact our communities.
The play that goes wrong
Steppenwolf’s production of Larissa FastHorse’s satirical The Thanksgiving Play is fast, furious, and funny.
A Barrie Cole festival lays the table for a thoughtful feast
Hamburgers & Disappointment provides snapshots of “friendships and heartbreak, aging and pretending.”
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Edging push their punk to the point of no return
With a saxophone in their front line, a solar shower in their van, and a scorching new album out in the world, they’re ready to leave it all on the road in pursuit of their dream.
The return of the American Writers Festival
The free event will feature nearly 30 author talks and panels.
Collaboraction plans a ‘House of Belonging’ in Humboldt Park
The company moves into the Kimball Arts Center; A&A Ballet brings back Cinderella; and Haven Chicago calls it quits.
Reimagining Jewish dance music for a Palestinian cause
Chicago klezmer band Upshtat Zingerai and New York DJ Chaia partner with the Jewish Museum of Chicago to benefit families fleeing Gaza.
News & INVESTIGATIONS
Queer justice
A new exhibit at the Center on Halsted explores 50 years of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights—and the midwest’s role in it.
Chicago mayor, alders propose missing women task force as CPD continues to sideline families
A City Council resolution calls Chicago’s missing persons crisis “a manifestation of the realities of intersections between race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.”
ShotSpotter’s reverberations
When Chicago ends its contract with the gunshot detection company this fall, will the microphones keep listening?
Columns & Opinion
“Missing in Chicago” wins the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting
The Reader, in partnership with Invisible Institute and City Bureau, ran the story in November 2023
A new genocide exhibit opens at the Holocaust Museum
It’s not what you’re thinking.
Film
Review: The Idea of You
Anne Hathaway’s latest rom-com lacks polish and chemistry.
Review: Wildcat
Despite a strong cast, this Flannery O’Connor biopic doesn’t capture the prose of its subject.
Review: Unfrosted
Unfrosted is a silly, desperate-to-please Pop-Tarts origin story.
Arts & Culture
For the late Christina Ramberg, collecting was part of her practice
An Art Institute retrospective unveils some of the artist’s keenly observed inspirations.
Mothering the Movement connects past and future
Free Street’s tribute to environmental activist Hazel Johnson inspires reflection and action.
Prelude to a Kiss highlights old souls in a fresh package
Theatre Above the Law delivers a spare but first-rate revival of Craig Lucas’s 1988 romantic comedy/drama.
Judgment Day is amusing but slight
The new morality comedy starring Jason Alexander has star power, but a predictable story.
Panther in the Sky tackles gun violence
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble and CIRCA-Pintig’s collaboration could use more specificity in the stories it tells.
Music
Charlie Schmidt keeps John Fahey’s flame burning
The Skokie fingerstyle guitarist hasn’t just found his own voice—he’s also learned Fahey’s “American primitive” style so well that his recordings were mistaken for the master’s work.
Anaiet Soul, pianist, performer, and lifelong student
“To play jazz, especially in the city, but just to play jazz, period, you need to have tough skin and you need to be able to take criticism.”
Screamo blowout ZBR Fest Midwest packs Subterranean with 28 bands
Plus: Garage-pop group Pleasant Mob play the Empty Bottle in support of their debut album, and WZRD celebrates 50 years on the air with a free Martyrs’ show.
CITY LIFE
The Raven Room shuts down despite strong community support
The Ravenswood bar and entertainment venue formerly known as Redline VR announced their intention to close at the end of April.
Fad2Fresh has become an Andersonville staple
Find curated music, Bulls memorabilia, gender freedom, and more at the Black-, queer-, women-owned vintage shop.
Food & Drink
Bo Durham is Mindy Segal’s right-hand man
There’s a longtime familial working relationship between the famous pastry chef and her prolific mentee.
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Demystifying Acupuncture provides answers for the curious skeptic
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At the California Clipper, everyone is welcome
The newly relaunched Humboldt Park lounge champions community, inclusivity, and fair labor practices Since the 1820s, Chicago’s pubs…
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Bright Endeavors provides a guiding light for young mothers in Chicago
The social enterprise of Chicago nonprofit New Moms empowers local mothers ages 18-24 through their comprehensive job training program
As the proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The folks at Bright Endeavors know…
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In Motion: Metamorphosis explores the intersection of art and technology
As the leader of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, Princess Mhoon is on a mission to raise…