Having missed the opening, I saw the glowing reviews for this Chicago-area premiere and trekked up to Writers Theatre in Glencoe. I went with a skeptic’s eye and my arms folded. “Critics think it’s good, huh? What do they know?” Well, they know enough to have the good sense to embrace this irresistible production.

Maggie Smith, the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “ Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday. She was 89.

A new mural is set to be unveiled at the Chicago Public Library’s Uptown Branch across the street from the now closed Gherkin Records.

Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls and the league’s MVP in 2011, announced his retirement on Thursday. He was, and still is, the youngest MVP winner in NBA history, claiming that award when he was just 22.

The 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct. 16-27. Screenings and programs are set to take place at the festival’s hub theater in AMC NEWCITY 14 in addition to the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center and more.

Elijah Jones must have impressed Chicago Shakespeare Theater with the same charisma he projects onstage as the titular king in “Henry V,” a lively production of Shakespeare’s history play about war between France and England. WTTW News spoke with the Juilliard-trained actor about his past, present and future.

“There wasn’t enough data there specifically about Mexicanos in Chicago,” said Jose Muñoz, CEO and executive director of La Casa Norte. “There were a lot of data sets about Latinos in general. But a lot of those conversations with the Mexican community were being lost.”

As Chicagoans celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, WTTW News wanted to hear from you about a Latino person who has influenced or inspired you.

It’s a Chicago music story for the ages. In 1983, four friends aged 11 to 15 years old formed a punk band and played the Cubby Bear and a few other shows before amicably breaking up — basically the oldest kid wanted to tour, but the youngest was told that he had to finish 6th grade.

Sold out arenas became the norm. Soaring television ratings helped expand the fan base. Clark, Reese, the presumptive league MVP A’ja Wilson and others continually chased record-breaking statistics. And routine conversations and social media posts spurred sometimes heated debates about everything from basketball to culture.

The Smithsonian is hosting the event series in collaboration with Chicago’s Center for Native Futures, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the National Public Housing Museum and the South Side Community Art Center. Events are set to take place Sept. 20-28. All events are free and open to the public.

Two friends have combined their love of fashion by incorporating film and the runway to take people on a journey back to see Black fashion on Chicago’s South Side decades ago. The “Chicago Style” film and fashion show runs from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.

Chicago architect John Ronan, who leads the local design firm John Ronan Architects, was chosen earlier this year to design the memorial in Washington, D.C.

Tito Jackson was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet, and was part of a music-making family whose songs have sold hundreds of millions of copies.

Every picture tells a story, and now there’s a chance for young photographers in Chicago (and elsewhere) to tell their own stories and amplify them to the nation.

The music is familiar and downright catchy — Verdi famously forbade his cast from singing the songs or even humming the score until after its 1851 premiere in Venice.  Acclaimed Verdi specialist Enrique Mazzola conducts.