Joffrey Ballet’s U.S. premiere of “Atonement” tells the impassioned story of a lie that alters the course of love and history. Cathy Marston, the acclaimed British choreographer behind “Atonement,” is best known for narrative ballets.

Despite its breezy title, “Becky Nurse of Salem” is a full-blown tempest of irony and righteous anger. It ponders the witch as both a powerful being and an object of scorn. Here, witches can be genuine or kooky – sometimes all in the same witch.

Thursday evening’s concert at Orchestra Hall was another knockout performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it marked the brief return of conductor Marin Alsop, who clearly adores the CSO. It also was a program comprised of three radically different but splendid pieces of music.

The Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival coincides with Filipino American History Month in October. Performances and readings will be held Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 11-26 at PrideArts and Rizal Center.

American Blues Theater sets the bar high for Halloween season, delivering a tightly focused fever dream version of Stephen King’s novel “Misery.” The psychological thriller is made more unnerving by the humorous touches in this stage adaptation by William Goldman (“Marathon Man,” “The Princess Bride”).

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.

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.

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.

Ian Maksin is a master cellist, guitarist, composer, recording artist, superb vocalist and multilinguist who can finesse more than 30 languages. In addition to everything else, he is a formidable world traveler. 

Drury Lane Theatre launched its fall season with “The Audience,” a lively and entertaining drama that imagines private conversations between Queen Elizabeth II and the prime ministers who served during her reign. Here, Her Majesty acts as both therapist and sparring partner for the heads of Parliament.

Back in 2008 Eli Bauman was a young campaign organizer for then-candidate Barack Obama. Now, he’s written “44 – THE unOFFICIAL, unSANCTIONED OBAMA MUSICAL.”

Over the course of his career, Dennis Quaid has been known as a film star, acting in everything from “The Parent Trap” to “The Right Stuff.” Now, he’s taking to the stage for a special one-night-only concert happening Friday, July 19 at the Athenaeum Center,

Phenomenal: That is an adjective that I use very sparingly. But it is the only way to describe the multitalented brilliance of Adam LaSalle and Matthew McGloin, the two wildly gifted performers in “2 Pianos 4 Hands.”

Have you been thinking about taking a trip to Las Vegas, playing the slots and then heading to a nightclub? Well, I’d advise you to save your money and instead just head to “Savor After Hours.”

The show, which uses high-energy pop music to tell the stories of the wives of King Henry VIII, is running in Chicago through July 14.

Drury Lane Theatre’s altogether terrific revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show” — first produced on Broadway in 1978 — proves Fats Waller was far more than a masterful pianist.