If you were a fan of Don Knotts, then Karen Knotts’ nostalgic tribute to her father, Tied Up in Knotts! is the show for you. Of course it’s full of stories, pictures and video clips from Knotts career, but there are a lot of family stories too.
Me and my review crew were unsure what to expect with this event. We have seen other “Live” events and “Truck” shows and this live action show was none of those. We arrived early for the advertised pre show event where props from the show were displayed on the stage and we could navigate through the area and grab a few photos. This is where we saw a dinosaur (Triceratops) upfront and personal. I am uncertain of the scale they are built to, but it is amazing to visually see the representation in size.
Monster Jam knows how to offer an evening of fun family entertainment. This show is phenomenal. The evening went a bit different than we anticipated. The monster truck, Stone Crusher, made its Chicago debut at this event. We have not seen the monster truck, Earth Shaker compete in this event before either, and he won the night. El Toro Loco, the fan favorite, didn’t win! So much drama and suspense, it keeps you sitting at the edge of your seat.
This just in: After five sold-out shows in September, Monster Jam will be back for another weekend of performances at Allstate Arena February 25th – 27th.
You don’t usually hear “Take me out to the ball park” and “Fore” used together, but this weekend, you can use both if you go to The Greens at the Steelyard, a new RailCats promotion - and it's a lot of fun!
Although I wasn’t able to attend – I was recovering from knee replacement surgery – my niece Becka Salach Smith and her sons, Parker (9) and Winston (4), went in my place. Becka sais "We had a blast! Thanks so much! Parker didn't like the smell and Winston didnt want to wear his ear covers."
I had the marvelous opportunity recently to go to Symphony Center to see/hear the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) conducted by Benjamin Northey. Although I a receive a lot more invitations to plays than to concerts, I always try to accept the ones I do get. MSO commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, with “The Galaxy’s Greatest Hits”. In addition to glorious music, pictures from space were projected on a giant screen suspended above the orchestra. It was an ‘out-of-this-world’ experience! 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** “Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic” is the perfect opportunity to introduce your children/grandchildren to live theater. This fast-moving, brightly colored show is chock full of multiple Muppets and friends in high-energy dance numbers done to rhythmic music designed to get the kids dancing, too. All your favorite Sesame Street learning blocks – numbers, letters and colors – are here too! 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** When my friend Crista and I went to the second annual NEXUS Chamber Music Chicago Festival at a new Chicago venue, Guarneri Hall, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that the musicians in NEXUS Chamber Music were all young and uber-talented, and I’d read that Guarneri Hall was designed specifically for chamber music, so I thought “Call of the Birds” would be a good concert but really, I had NO idea!!!! It was outstanding! My recommendation - hurry and get tickets for the last two concerts in the festival this weekend. 4 BIG Spotlights
My Saturday night was absolutely fabulous! Thanks to my friend Al Bresloff, I got to see Bernadette Peters in concert at the Paramount Theatre, Aurora.
