Good morning, Chicago.
Productions of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play “Purpose” and Samuel D. Hunter’s “Little Bear Ridge Road” emerged triumphant at Monday night’s Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremony, held at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.
This was the 56th year of the awards program, Chicago’s equivalent of the Tony Awards, with awards presented to the Chicago area’s union-affiliated Equity theaters by the all-volunteer Jeffs committee.
Such long-established companies as the Goodman and Steppenwolf Theatres did especially well, as did the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire and the Drury Lane itself. Well-known winners included the actors Harry Lennix and Laurie Metcalf, and the director and choreographer Justin Peck. Special Jeff Awards went to two recent departees from long-held posts: Charles Newell from Court Theatre and Roche Schulfer from the Goodman.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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With plans for an aggressive expansion and an activist investor onboard, can Portillo’s grow while staying true to its roots?
Ten years ago, Dick Portillo decided it was time to sell his hot dog empire.
Today, Portillo’s stands 88 restaurants strong, with an ambitious plan to expand far beyond its Chicagoland home base. Over the next two decades, Portillo’s hopes to grow nearly 1,000% to more than 900 outposts nationwide, taking Italian beef and Chicago-style hot dogs to, it hopes, every U.S. state.
Deerfield-based Baxter temporarily closes its largest plant following hurricane, raising questions about supply of medical solutions
Deerfield-based Baxter International has temporarily closed its largest manufacturing plant following damage caused by Hurricane Helene — a move that raises questions about supplies of the medical products it makes there.
CBS 2 adds 3D virtual reality forecasts, bringing Chicago’s unpredictable weather to life
When Albert Ramon, chief meteorologist for CBS 2 Chicago, delivers his on-air forecast Tuesday afternoon, things may look a little surreal.
Incorporating new augmented reality/virtual reality technology, the studio will be transformed into an immersive environment where Ramon can physically navigate cold fronts, storms and other weather patterns.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard attends a Village Board meeting on May 6, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard faces eviction in spat with landlord
Henyard appears to be facing eviction from a home she rents with a man, with the homeowner saying they owe more than $3,000 in missed payments, court documents show.
Brookfield Zoo kingfisher part of effort save species on brink of extinction
Some rare birds living in cages on the second floor of Tropic World at Brookfield Zoo Chicago are never seen by the public.
However, those birds have a starring role in a project that aims to one day have them back in the U.S. territory of Guam.
Pete Rose, baseball’s banned hits leader, has died at age 83
Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83.
What we heard at Chicago Bulls media day: Zach LaVine shuts down trade chatter, Josh Giddey suffered an ankle tendon rupture
Before Zach LaVine took any questions during Chicago Bulls media day at the Advocate Center on Monday, the team’s $215 million maximum contract star made his own statement after spending the last year at the epicenter of rumors and reports of trade requests and failed deals.
“When you go through a long offseason like I have, you get to learn a lot about yourself and the company you keep,” LaVine said. “With everything that I learned, there’s times you need to speak and there’s times that you don’t. Whenever there’s something that needs to be said, it’ll come from Zach LaVine or my representation. … Everything else you can take with a grain of salt. … Anything negative that would try to pin me, the organization — rumors, drama, whatever it is — I’ll leave that in the past.”
Milk Bar, with its famed cereal milk ice cream and quirky cookies, is coming to Chicago’s Fulton Market District
Lauded pastry chef Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar will soon open its doors in Chicago, marking its first Midwest location in a partnership with Boka Restaurant Group, bringing with it rainbow-flecked birthday cake and over-the-top cookie combinations.
‘The Wild Robot’ review: How to train your robot, your gosling and your neighbors in DreamWorks-style teamwork
With two published sequels ready and waiting, DreamWorks Animation has a franchise in the works with “The Wild Robot,” a big success in its first weekend. It’s good, too, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips.
Review: In Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ at Lyric Opera, prisoners sing about the joy of freedom
If you believe musical performance fundamentally is an expression of freedom, then “Fidelio,” Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera, is your über text, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.
The famed work is now at Lyric Opera of Chicago with the superb South African soprano Elza van den Heever in the starring role, with Lyric favorites Brian Mulligan and Russell Thomas beside her as Don Pizarro and Florestan, respectively. It is set in a state prison. Its most stirring moment comes when a massive chorus of prisoners, their crimes unspecified but their personas subjugated at the pleasure of some governor, somewhere, sing “O welche Lust, in freier Luft” an ode to the joy of finally being able to breathe fresh air.
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