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MUSIC Janet Jackson to release deluxe edition of 'The Velvet Rope'
Five-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Janet Jackson will release a new deluxe edition of her sixth full-length album, The Velvet Rope, on Friday, Oct. 7—the 25th anniversary of the original ...
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BOOKS Events related to 'Last Call Chicago' on Oct. 10 and 12
Last Call Chicago: A History of 1,001 LGBTQ-Friendly Taverns, Haunts & Hangouts is a historical account of LGBTQ+ venues in the Windy City. The book's authors, Rick Karlin and St. Sukie de la Croix, are journalists ...
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Yvie Oddly summons sinful drag queens in upcoming 'Night of the Living Drag'
RuPaul's Drag Race: Night of the Living Drag is coming to the Rosemont Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 25, starring Yvie Oddly as The Boogie Man and featuring ...
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MOVIES 'Bros' stumbles at box office
The Billy Eichner/Luke Mcfarlane same-sex romantic-comedy film Bros made history with its LGBTQ+ cast being in a big-budget movie—but, unfortunately, it fizzled at the box office. The Paramount horror movie Smile debuted to a sizzling $22 ...
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THEATER Steppenwolf running Eve L. Ewing's '1919' Oct. 4-29
Steppenwolf Theatre Company will present the Steppenwolf for Young Adults' world premiere of 1919, adapted by J. Nicole Brooks from Eve L. Ewing's collection of poems about the killing of Black teenager Eugene Williams in 1919 ...
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SHOWBIZ Hallmark film, Oprah, Janelle Monae, 'Dahmer,' Met Gala
As a part of its "Countdown to Christmas" event, Hallmark Channel announced its first holiday movie that focuses on a gay romance, according to Out. The Holiday Sitter will be released on Sunday, Dec. 11, on ...
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THEATER About Face showing LGBTQ+ play 'Mosque4Mosque'
About Face Theatre opens its 2022-23 season with the world premiere of Omer Abbas Salem's new play Mosque4Mosque, directed by Sophiyaa Nayar. Mosque4Mosque is a family comedy about a queer Arab-American Muslim man navigating his first ...
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DANCE Cerqua Rivera kickoff/benefit on Oct. 22
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT) will hold its season kickoff/benefit on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., at 7:30 p.m. CRDT's Dance Ensemble and Jazz ...
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More special guests announced for Chicago International Film Festival
-- From a press release
CHICAGO, Illinois (September 28, 2022) — Today, the Chicago International Film Festival announced new guests and details for its 58th edition, running October 12 - 23, 2022. Film screenings and programs will take place at theaters ...
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World Music Festival Chicago Sept. 30-Oct. 9
World Music Festival Chicago will return Friday, Sept. 30-Sunday, Oct. 9 in venues across the city. The festival returns with 34 bands (including three DJs) representing 22 countries and spotlighting 10 local music groups. Now in ...
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MUSIC Jessie Mueller and Seth Rudetsky at Steppenwolf on Jan. 14, 2023
On Jan. 14, 2023 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Steppenwolf Theatre and Mark Cortale will present Tony winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful; Waitress) for a hometown concert, hosted and music directed by Sirius XM ...
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Joffrey Ballet welcomes nine new dancers
The Joffrey Ballet's Ashley Wheater MBE, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director and President/CEO Greg Cameron announced the addition of nine dancers to the Joffrey roster for the 2022-23 season. They are Coco Alvarez-Mena (Miami, Florida), ...
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TELEVISION Original 'Queer Eye' cast member Thom Filicia reveals his 'Secret'
RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race debuted in 2020 on VH1 as a spinoff of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul's Drag Race. For its second season this year, there were more episodes and the celebrities' identities were hidden ...
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Hannah Gadsby signs deal with Netflix
Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby signed a multi-title deal with Netflix, per a press release. The deal includes a new, hour-long special from Gadsby, recorded on the Australian leg of their Body of Work ...
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Billy Masters
"I just heard about Leonardo DiCaprio's 25-year rule. His loss. You don't know what you're missing."—Dionne Warwick tweeted her disdain over reports that DiCaprio does not date anyone over 25. Where were you during Queen Elizabeth ...
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ART Chicago artist part of German exhibit 'Queering the Crip'
"Queering the Crip, Cripping the Queer"—called the first international exhibit exploring the multiple historical, cultural and political intersections of queerness and disability—will take place through Jan. 30, 2023 at Berlin's ...
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REELING Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane on their big-budget LGBTQ+ movie 'Bros'
The new movie Bros could prove to be a very important movie in LGBTQ+ culture this year. This gay romantic comedy is directed by Nicholas Stoller, who co-wrote the script with Billy Eichner. Stoller and Eichner ...
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SHOWBIZ Cardi B, Sam Smith, 'Wednesday' series, Sean Hayes, Serena
Video below
Cardi B clapped back at someone on Twitter who declared her a celebrity who "came out as bisexual but never dated someone of the same gender," per Out Magazine. The tweet,—featuring pictures of Cardi, Grimes, Lady ...
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Jackalope Theatre Company announces 15th season
-- From a press release
CHICAGO (September 20th, 2022) — Jackalope Theatre Company announces its return to in-person productions with its 2022-23 season featuring the Among the Dead by Hansol Jung, directed by Jackalope Artistic ...
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Queer As Folk' reboot canceled after one season
Peacock has opted not to pick up a second season of the series reboot of Queer As Folk, Deadline noted. A reimagining of the British series created by Russell T Davies, the new iteration—which premiered June ...
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REELING Producer, co-director talk about the 'International Male' documentary
Back in 1976, Gene Burkard (influenced by what he saw in Europe) created and sold the "Jock Sock" out of his San Diego shop. That sartorial invention led to the emergence and popularity of International Male—a ...
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THEATER Underscore to permanently close; festival gains new home
The board of directors of Underscore Theatre Company announced the company will close its doors permanently after eleven dynamic years of producing musical theatre in Chicago, including 16 world premieres. However, the company's Chicago Musical Theatr ...
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THEATER The Gift running thriller 'The Locusts' Oct. 20-Nov. 19
The Gift Theatre will conclude its 2022 season with the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger's thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by ensemble member John Gawlik. The Locusts will run Oct. ...
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COMEDY Extra performances added for Jerrod Carmichael at Steppenwolf
Due to popular demand, Steppenwolf Theatre has added two additional performances of Emmy award-winning comedian Jerrod Carmichael's new solo show on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 4-5, at 10 p.m. as part of ...
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MUSIC Cabaret singer Jeff Harnar talks Sondheim, coming out
Jeff Harnar wasn't born in Chicago, but he will tell you first-hand that it is his home. Having spent his formative years in this city, Harnar discovered a passion for musical theater. Decades later, he has ...
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Out comic/writer Sam Jay talks career ahead of Wicker Park performance
Stand-up comic and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Jay will be performing at The Den Theatre, located in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, on Sept. 23-24. The first Black lesbian writer in Saturday Night Live's history, Jay is a ...
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MUSIC 'A Boy Band Christmas' coming to Hard Rock Live on Dec. 18
A Boy Band Christmas is coming to Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana's Hard Rock Live venue in Gary, Indiana on Sunday, Dec. 18. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event will feature Jeff Timmons, Drew Lachey ...
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Artemis Singers to present 'Samhain - Encounters through the Veil' Oct. 29
-- From a press release
CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will present a unique, timely concert, "Samhain - Encounters through the Veil," about the time of year when we reflect on those who have gone before and honor t ...
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BOOKS 2022 #BannedTogether virtual auction taking place Sept. 22-25
On Sept. 22-25, non-profit organization Pride and Less Prejudice (PLP) will hold its second annual #BannedTogether virtual auction to raise $10,000 to send 800 LGBTQ+-inclusive books to elementary schools across the United States and Canada. The ...
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COMEDY Cameron Esposito at The Den Theatre on Dec. 30-31
The Den Theatre is welcoming back LGBTQ+ comedian Cameron Esposito, performing two stand-up shows on Dec. 30-31, 2022 on The Heath Mainstage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Esposito (a onetime Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree) ...
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Riot Fest heats up (through music and controversy) in 2022
For three days, Riot Fest took rock and roll fans on a rollercoaster of a ride in Douglass Park. Located in Chicago's North Lawndale community area at 1401 S. Sacramento Dr., this loud outdoor celebration of ...
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MOVIES 'Scrooge & Marley' coming to digital, 10th-anniversary DVD
On digital for the first time, and available in a 10th-anniversary DVD, the classic Chicago-made LGBTQ+ holiday comedy Scrooge & Marley is coming this October from Dark Star Pictures. An adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ...
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MOVIES 2022 Reeling Film Festival reviews
Universal Pictures must have felt guilty about opening Bros, touted as "the first gay rom-com released by a major studio," i.e., aimed at a general audience (What about The Birdcage or In and Out?) opposite the ...
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Mercury Theater Chicago announces fun enhancements to the Clue live on-stage experience
-- From a press release
Chicago (September 16, 2022) — Mercury Theater Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter, Managing Director Kristi J. Martens and Executive Producers L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon have announced fun experiences ...
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Billy Masters
"I was born and raised in Boston, and I still haven't made it to Martha's Vineyard."—Billy Masters. They're dropping like flies in England—literally! My faithful followers know that nothing makes me happier than a video of ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Watermelon Woman,' 'Dragula,' Indigo Girls, 'Dahmer' series
Video below
Cheryl Dunye shared a photo on Facebook confirming that her 1996 groundbreaking lesbian-themed film Watermelon Woman is now officially part of the National Film Registry Library. According to the library's website, some of the other movies ...
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'Phantom of the Opera' closing on Broadway after 35 years
After more than three decades, The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, is closing. A representative verified that the play's final performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. It will have ...
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ART Jonathan D. Katz previews his upcoming 'First Homosexuals' exhibit
Activist, art historian, educator and writer Jonathan D. Katz's new exhibit, "The First Homosexuals: Global Depictions of a New Identity, 1869-1930," will be available to see at Wrightwood 659, 659 W. Wrightwood Ave., on Fridays and ...
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THEATER 'Cabaret' at Metropolis through Oct. 22
Musical Broadway classic and hit film Cabaret re-creates the decadent and complicated world of 1929 Berlin at the Arlington Heights venue Metropolis Performing Arts Centre through Oct. 22. Cabaret is Kander and Ebb's legendary musical masterpiece ...
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'The Wizards,' a genderqueer play that examines racism, to run Oct. 14-Nov. 19
The Wizards, written by Ricardo Gamboa and directed by Katrina Dion, will run at the APO Cultural Center, 1438 W. 18th St., on Oct. 14-Nov. 19. The production follows Amado and Sam (played by Gamboa and ...
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'Saturday Night Live' announces first non-binary cast member
Actor/comedian Molly Kearney will become the first non-binary cast member on Saturday Night Live in its upcoming 48th season, NBC News noted. ...
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ART Nick Cave retrospective 'Forothermore' to close at MCA on Oct. 2
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) and celebrated Chicago artist Nick Cave announced that the blockbuster exhibition, Forothermore, must close at the MCA on Sunday, Oct. 2. The most comprehensive survey of Cave's work to ...
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THEATER Shattered Globe's 'Stew' running through Oct. 22
Shattered Globe Theatre will launch its 2022-23 season with the Chicago premiere of Stew, Zora Howard's Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama that Malkia Stampley is directing. The production is running through Oct. 22 at Theater Wit, ...
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HBO documentary about Dustin Lance Black to debut Oct. 18
The HBO documentary Mama's Boy, directed by Laurent Bouzereau (HBO's Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind), will debut Tuesday, Oct. 18, during LGBTQ History Month. The film will debut on HBO and be available to stream on ...
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THEATER PrideArts appoints new managing director, three new board members
The board of directors of PrideArts—the Uptown-based theater company focused on presenting queer stories on live stages and virtual platforms—announced the appointment of Amber Mandley (she/her/hers) as Managing Director, a ...
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Artemis Singers/Reeling Fest screening lesbian mockumentary, 'Vulveeta,' Sept. 23
-- From a press release
CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, is a Community Partner of Reeling: The 40th Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival for their screening of Vulveeta, a mockumentary about the reunion ...
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'White Lotus,' Sheryl Lee Ralph among 2022 Emmy winners
Unless they were among the cast, crew and staff of The White Lotus, members of the LGBTQ+ community were few and far between among the winners at the Television Academy's 2022 Emmy Awards, which were distributed ...
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ATTRACTIONS Haunted events set to scare Chicagoland residents
Fall is definitely approaching when the haunted events/sites start to emerge. —Dungeon of Doom, in the suburb of Zion, will take place Sept. 23-Oct. 31. Popular attractions and new updates for the site's 26th season include ...
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BOOKS Kemi Adeyemi on 'Feels Right: Black Queer Women and the Politics of Partying in Chicago'
Author and University of Washington Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies Assistant Professor Kemi Adeyemi is out with a new book, Feels Right: Black Queer Women and the Politics of Partying in Chicago. The book, set to ...
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MUSIC Raue Center to host ABBA tribute on Oct. 15
Raue Center for the Arts will welcome "Mania: The Abba Tribute," from London's West End, to downtown Crystal Lake at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15. "Mania" takes audiences back in time by recreating one of ...
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Elton John's 'last' U.S. show to air Nov. 20 on Disney+
The show being promoted as Sir Elton John's "last" U.S. concert—a Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour gig at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium—will livestream on Disney+ on Nov. 20, Rolling Stone reported. The streaming service officially announce ...
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Billy Masters
"The old woman finally died."—Billy Masters left this as a voice message for a friend. Said friend was sure I meant Barbara Walters. But BW will outlive us all, much to the chagrin of her handsome ...
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THEATER Goodman running 'Pequenos Territorios' Sept. 21-25
Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) will present the Midwest premiere of Pequenos Territorios en Reconstruccion, by Teatro Linea de Sombra of Mexico City, Sept. 21-25 at the Goodman, 170 N. Dearborn St. ...
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SHOWBIZ Religion movie, Laverne Cox, 'Will & Grace,' Jeopardy!, Elton John
The LGBTQ+ film Wonderfully Made—LGBTQ+R(eligion) will have its New York premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 29, following its world premiere at Out in Film in Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 24, per a ...
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THEATER Chicago Shakespeare running 'The Notebook' through Oct. 16
Chicago Shakespeare Theater is running the world premiere of The Notebook, a new musical based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks that inspired the iconic film. The production will run through Oct. 16. Allie and ...
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Chicago House Music Festival to showcase national and local talent Sept. 15 - 18
-- From a press release
CHICAGO—Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced today the full lineup and expanded dates for the annual Chicago House Music Festival and ...
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Broadway musical Chicago to open Sept. 12 with Angelica Ross as Roxie Hart
-- From a press release
The Broadway company of the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical Chicago will welcome actress and human rights advocate Angelica Ross ("Pose," "American Horror Story") making her Broadway debut in the ...
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Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, 'Carrie 2' part of Venus Cabaret Theater's fall programming
-- From a press release
Chicago, IL — Venus Cabaret Theater, the intimate performance space at Mercury Theater Chicago, under the director of Cabaret Director Honey West, Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter, Managing Director Kristi ...
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THEATER Paramount to run 'BULL: a love story'
Aurora's Paramount Theatre will run BULL: a love story on Oct. 5-Nov. 20. Bull will be the first suburban production in Destinos Festival history. Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival is an annual, city-wide event produced ...
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TV 'Dancing with the Stars' has first drag contestant
The show Dancing with the Stars is recording a couple of firsts in its 31st season—including its first-ever drag queen competitor. Actor and Performer D.J. "Shangela" Pierce—the first contestant to compete on three separate seasons of ...
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George Michael is the focus of the new film 'Portrait of an Artist'
On Christmas Day 2016, the world awoke to shocking news. George Michael, one of music's brightest stars since the 1980s, had died suddenly in his sleep at age 53. So many were left reeling—people who felt ...
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DANCE Ensemble Espanol at Auditorium Theatre on Oct. 1
The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., will kick off the 2022-23 season of its Chicago Dance series with Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater, for one performance only, on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 ...
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Non-binary performer Tommy Novak talks being in Lyric Opera's 'Fiddler on the Roof'
Fiddler on the Roof is a series of stories based on Jewish life in a village that was made into a musical play in 1964. The North American premiere of a new production of this classic musical will debut Sept. 17 ...
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THEATER Griffin launches season with 'Marys Seacole'
Griffin Theatre Company will launch its 33rd season with the Midwest premiere drama Marys Seacole, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury, and directed by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd. The production will run ...
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Billy Masters
"You've touched our hearts and minds to be our authentic self, to use our voices, to dream big. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially for women and women of ...
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THEATER Theo Ubique to launch 25th-anniversary season with 'Refuge'
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre will open its 25th-anniversary season with the Midwest premiere of Refuge, a new play with music and puppetry from creators Satya Jnani Chavez and Andrew Rosendorf, with translations by Mari Meza-Burgos. Refuge ...
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SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, VMAs, Emmys, daytime soap, anti-trans comments
Lady Gaga might perform a virtual concert on the popular online video game Fortnite sometime soon, according to Out Magazine, citing Kotaku. In a previous press release by Fortnite developer Epic Games, the studio announced that ...
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'Barlesque' launches at Sidetrack
On Sept. 1 at Northalsted/Boystown nightspot Sidetrack, Barlesque kicked off. Nightlife figure Khloe Daniels hosted, introducing this year's bars, performers and choreographers. Barlesque brings Chicago nightlife superstars, local bars and ...
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John D'Emilio talks new book, 'Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood'
In acclaimed author, LGBTQ+ historian and University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) Gender and Women's Studies Professor Emeritus John D'Emilio's new memoir, Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood, he writes about coming of age in the 1950s and ...
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MUSIC KOKUMO talks about moving to New York City, other endeavors
The multifaceted artist KOKUMO, The Queen of Queer Soul has recently released a new album, Wildflowa': Da' Prelude Ta' Freedom Mixtape, featuring 16 tracks focusing on traumatology, Afro-Elysium and other ...
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Raven Theatre to open 40th season with Noel Coward's 'Private Lives'
Raven Theatre will open its 40th Anniversary Season with a fresh take on Noel Coward's iconic 1930 comedy Private Lives. The production, directed by Ian Frank, will run Sept. 29-Nov. 13 on Raven's 85-seat East Stage, ...
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THEATER Steppenwolf to run 'Spectacularly Lamentable Trial' Sept. 1-Oct. 9
Steppenwolf Theatre Company will open its 47th season with the Chicago premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames' fantastical play The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington. The production will run Sept. 1-Oct. ...
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MUSIC Limited-edition box set of George Michael's 'Older' out Sept. 16
Sony Music announced that a deluxe, limited-edition box set of George Michael's album Older will be out Sept. 16. Originally released in the United Kingdom on May 13, 1996, through Virgin Records, Older reached the pinnacle ...
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Billy Masters
"filth — disgustingly offensive dirt, garbage, anything viewed as grossly indecent or obscene."—Webster's Dictionary When this column debuted in late August 1995, we opened with that definition from Mr. Webster (and we apologize to him ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Umbrella Academy,' HBO Max, Patti LaBelle, Richard Simmons
The Umbrella Academy has been renewed for a fourth—and last—season at Netflix, Variety noted. Cast members Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya and Colm Feore ...
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