Emily McClanathan

3 days ago | chicagotribune.com | Emily McClanathan

As drivers on Interstate-88 zoom past the Morton Arboretum in the western suburb of Lisle, they can now glimpse a new creature overlooking the highway on the hill where Joe the Guardian, a giant wooden troll, previously stood watch from 2018 to 2021. The new sculpture, titled Spectra, is a 16-foot brittle button snail whimsically rendered in bright oranges and reds, with a metallic-accented rainbow spiraling across her shell.

5 days ago | chicagotribune.com | Emily McClanathan

With the national tour of “Hadestown” currently back in Chicago for a two-week run, theater presenter Broadway in Chicago partnered with the National Hellenic Museum to host a panel discussion on Thursday about the Greek mythology behind the Tony Award-winning musical.

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Emily McClanathan

The bond between a beloved pet and its human is a powerful thing. Animals can draw a person out of depression, provide a sense of purpose and comfort a lonely heart — and when relationships fall apart, the question of pet custody can be as painful as any other aspect of breaking up. These emotions and more are triggered by the English bulldog that gives her name to “Gorgeous,” a new play by Keiko Green now onstage at Raven Theatre in a co-production with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble.

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Emily McClanathan

If your friend gets a haircut that you find hideous, what do you say when they ask for your opinion? French writer Yasmina Reza’s 1994 play “ART” takes that familiar hypothetical and raises the stakes: If your friend spends 200,000 francs on a painting that you think is crap, how do you respond? The painting in question is a white canvas featuring abstract lines in off-white shades; depending on which friend you ask, it’s either a masterpiece by a modern genius or just a white rectangle.

1 week ago | americantheatre.org | Emily McClanathan

In the final scene of A.B.L.E.’s punk-rock adaptation of Frankenstein, Benjamin Collins triumphantly grinned at the audience as he crowd-surfed offstage in the arms of his castmates, while Zachary Wandel performed a heartfelt rendition of “Creep” by Radiohead. The two actors shared the role of the Creature in this original retelling of Mary Shelley’s novel, with Wandel appearing in present-day scenes and Collins in flashbacks.