Theater critic Hedy Weiss joins “Chicago Tonight” to share her thoughts on five shows currently playing on Chicago-area stages. 

Patrick Jake O’Rourke was a Toledo, Ohio native who evolved from long-haired student activist to wavy-haired scourge of his old liberal ideals, with some of his more widely read takedowns appearing in a founding counterculture publication, Rolling Stone.

Musician, friend to Mozart, music teacher to Marie Antoinette, and skilled fencer. These are just a few of the accolades that describe the man known to be the first Black composer of the 18th century.

A new play about the life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Pride Arts Center imagines her final reflections on a remarkable life. 

The Chicago Park District’s state-of-the art track and field center at Gately Park in Pullman, which opened in 2021, owes its existence to decades of pushing and prodding by the late Conrad Worrill. Now it’s named for him.

Fifteen-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for the use of trimetazidine, a banned performance enhancing substance. But she has been allowed to compete in all her events and there is no clarity on what, if any, consequences she or members of the Russian Olympic Team will face.

The newest cars, vintage finds, medieval music and thousands of orchids usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

“Blues in the Night” at Porchlight Music Theatre is a talent-filled production that will leave you flying high. 

“Equiano.Stories” is a new film that can only be viewed on Instagram. It brings to life the story of Olaudah Equiano, who was enslaved at 11 years old in 1756.

The virtual concert will feature a number of African songs that explore the history of African American culture in the U.S. They’re taking concert goers on a sankofa journey, a word from Ghana which means to return or retrieve what was lost.

Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor,” is a nerve-shatteringly difficult work. Backed by the full orchestra, which was in its usual sublime form, Lukas Vondracek rendered the extraordinary work with a superb mix of both titanic power and surprising lyricism.

The Marriott Theatre’s “West Side Story” opened Wednesday night in a production especially notable for its rip-roaring Latin and jazz-infused dance sequences choreographed by Alex Sanchez.

Alligator Records said Lay was known for his “trademark, hard-to-copy ‘double-shuffle’" drumming, based on double-time hand-clapping in his childhood church.

Back in 1890, the Art Institute of Chicago began collecting Egyptian art. Much of it has been out of view for years, but the museum spruced up the collection and is about to unveil it in a new gallery. We have a preview of ancient art and artifacts from the Nile Valley in North Africa.

The decision comes from their conference, the Horizon League, after UIC announced it’ll be leaving the league and joining the Missouri Valley Conference next year. 

Dance performances, ice skating, Valentine’s Day-themed festivities and a classic film in concert usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.