From left, Raven Whitley, Alejandra Escalante, Christopher Donahue, Felipe Carrasco,Kate Fry, Kareem Bandealy, Will Allan and Amanda Drinkall in Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” at Goodman Theatre. (Credit: Liz Lauren)

“The Cherry Orchard,” Anton Chekhov’s masterful play, is about change — social, historical, financial and emotional. And change is of the essence at the Goodman Theatre too, with this production marking the retirement of artistic director Robert Falls.

Pianist Daniil Trifonov (left) and violinist Joshua Bell (right) performed at Orchestra Hall on March 29, 2023. (Provided)

Violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Daniil Trifonov dazzled an Orchestra Hall audience Wednesday night, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss. The musicians, in top form, even treated the enthusiastic crowd to two encores.

Jonathan Michie and Taylor Raven in “The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing.” (Michael Brosilow)

Alan Turing was a genius — a brilliant English mathematician and logician who is renowned for his invaluable work as a codebreaker during World War II. But he also was a tragic figure, driven to an early death by chemical castration (and possibly by suicide) because of his homosexuality, which during his lifetime, was treated as a crime.

Thomas Wilkins conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program this weekend, his subscription concert debut. (Courtesy of Thomas Wilkins)

A Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert featuring works from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Aaron Copland and  Antonin Dvorak is well worth seeking out. 

Zurin Villanueva as Tina Turner in the North American touring production of “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.” (Matthew Murphy / MurphyMade)

Tina Turner’s fiercely dramatic, profoundly painful and wildly successful life unfolds on stage in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.”

(left to right) Sally Murphy, Glenn Davis and Charence Higgins in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere of “Describe The Night” by ensemble member Rajiv Joseph, directed by ensemble member Austin Pendleton, running now through April 9, 2023. (Michael Brosilow)

Part history, part imagination, and awash in clever verbal interplay, “Describe the Night” captures the spirit of Russian author and war correspondent Isaac Babel. The play follows certain aspects of his life and times — from his romantic attachments to his tense interaction with Soviet intelligence.

John-Mark McGaha performs in “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Stevie Wonder Experience.” (Ryan Bennett Photography)

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Stevie Wonder Experience” is driven by an impressive performance from singer, actor and pianist John-Mark McGaha. The show captures the sound and sensibility of Wonder while interweaving aspects of his personal life.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs “Revelations.” (Credit: Paul Kolnik)

There is a palpable electricity in the air whenever the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater arrives on stage at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre. A recent performance featured pieces both old and new. 

Violinist Julia Fischer joined Riccardo Muti and the CSO for a performance of Schumann’s “Violin Concerto” on Feb. 23. (Todd Rosenberg)

At a recent concert, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played Schumann’s “Violin Concerto in D Minor” and Tchaikovsky’s fiercely dramatic “Manfred Symphony.” The beauty and dramatic energy of both works were wholly captivating, critic Hedy Weiss writes.

Visceral Dance Chicago performs “Minor Threat.” (MREID Photography)

Of the four feverishly performed works that comprise Visceral Dance Chicago’s winter engagement, three were created in the wake of the pandemic years. But every one of the four might well have been given the all-embracing title of “Pandemic-Era Fever.”

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s “Symphony No. 5.” (Todd Rosenberg)

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was back on the stage at Orchestra Hall on Thursday. Klaus Mäkelä, the wonderfully graceful yet powerfully dynamic 27-year-old Finnish conductor, was on the podium to lead a stunning program.

Victoria Jaiani and Alberto Velazquez in the Joffrey Ballet production of “Anna Karenina” by choreographer Yuri Possokhov. (Credit: Cheryl Mann)

The performance is a fascinating hybrid of ballet technique, modern drama and evocative projection design. Bringing the show fully to life is both the technical polish of the Joffrey dancers and their exceptional gift for acting that so vividly captures the difference between love and passion.

Sarah Bockel (center, left) plays the Baker’s Wife and Stephen Schellhardt is the Baker in Paramount Theatre’s “Into the Woods.” (Credit: Liz Lauren)

Enter Aurora’s beautiful 1,800-seat Paramount Theatre for an ideally cast production of a the grand-scale Stephen Sondheim classic "Into the Woods." This is a production that not only entertains but also pays a winning tribute to the late Sondheim

Conductor Lahav Shani and pianist Beatrice Rana perform an encore for piano four hands Rana’s CSO debut on Feb. 9, 2023. (Todd Rosenberg)

It was an evening to remember at Orchestra Hall this Thursday with sublime and exceedingly fresh performances of works by two Russian musical geniuses: Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Rachmaninov.

The cast of the “The Factotum,” which made its world premiere at the Lyric Opera. (Credit: Cory Weaver)

The true magic of the opera “The Factotum” is rooted in its seamless interweaving of countless musical styles that take operatic voices into the realm of funk, rap, hip-hop, gospel, R&B, barbershop quartet and even electronic.

Rob Lindley and Hamid Dehghani in "Andy Warhol in Iran." (Michael Brosilow)

During the course of just 75 intensely compelling minutes that unfold entirely in a posh hotel room in Tehran in 1976, the play poses profound questions about both art and revolution and the forces that shaped two very different men.