All stories by Lauren Warnecke on BroadwayStars

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Top 10 dance for winter 2024: Chicago debuts and the return of NYCB, plus ambitious new works from the home team by Lauren Warnecke

It’s no rest for the weary in Chicago dance, which hits the ground running this winter.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:30AM
Friday, December 22, 2023

Review: ‘Sugar Hill: The Ellington / Strayhorn Nutcracker’ at the Auditorium Theatre is a joyful, jazzy reinvention by Lauren Warnecke

Those who know jazz masters Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn will be whisked away by this "Nutcracker" set in 1930s New York.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 12:35PM
Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Chicagoans of the Year for Dance: Joffrey Ballet stage managers make the magic happen by Lauren Warnecke

Joffrey Ballet stage managers Mandy Heuermann and Katherine Selig bear the ultimate responsibility for every light cue firing on time, every prop piece placed where it needs to be and every …

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:30AM
Thursday, December 14, 2023

Best dance in Chicago for 2023: Top 10 reimagined fairy tales, notable shows and standout performances by Lauren Warnecke

More than a handful of the year’s highlights leaned hard into storytelling, including the Joffrey's "Little Mermaid" and "Frankenstein."

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM
Sunday, December 10, 2023

Review: Milwaukee Ballet’s new ‘Nutcracker’ leans old-school — and it’s utterly spectacular by Lauren Warnecke

Led by artistic director Michael Pink, the Milwaukee Ballet's status among the nation’s top-tier ballet companies is firmly sealed now.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 11:30AM
Sunday, December 3, 2023

Review: ‘The Nutcracker’ by the Joffrey Ballet tugs the heartstrings — whether it’s your first time or 51st by Lauren Warnecke

Americans love “Nutcracker” because it’s an unwavering treatise about dreams coming true.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 12:07PM
Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Holiday shows for 2023: Our 35 concerts, ‘Nutcrackers’ and theater around Chicago this season by Lauren Warnecke

Whether you’re a staunch “Christmas Carol” traditionalist or looking for off-color holiday humor, our guide has concerts and shows that’ll appeal to all stripes.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:40AM
Friday, November 10, 2023

Review: Akram Khan’s ‘Jungle Book reimagined’ is spectacular and frightening at Harris Theater. What if animals could talk? by Lauren Warnecke

This is not Disney's “Jungle Book." Touring dance theater work imagines a near future in climate crisis.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:30PM
Friday, November 3, 2023

Review: Hubbard Street Dance stages a welcome trio of works for ‘Of Peace’ by Lauren Warnecke

The main event is a premiere of “Return to Patience” by Aszure Barton. The night opens with Darrell Grand Moultrie’s “Dichotomy of a Journey” and tucks Lar Lubovitch’s “Coltran…

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:47PM
Monday, October 30, 2023

You can’t keep the circus down: Ringling Bros. brings back ‘Greatest Show’ with a new tour by Lauren Warnecke

The former circus with its famed three rings and animal acts closed in 2017. The new tour has aerial work, clowning, a human cannonball and variety. “Ringling has always changed."

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Deeply Rooted Dance celebrates the past, lives in the present — and looks to the future by Lauren Warnecke

An upcoming performance program Nov. 3 at the Auditorium Theatre is an artistic digest of Deeply Rooted’s history.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:15AM
Friday, October 13, 2023

Review: Joffrey Ballet’ ‘Frankenstein’ is terrific and terrifying at Lyric Opera House. Don’t miss it. by Lauren Warnecke

One scene is an example of ballet at its finest, with some of the world’s best artists coming together to make inconceivable theatrical magic.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 12:45PM
Sunday, September 24, 2023

Review: Arpino Centennial is a glimmering reminder of the Joffrey Ballet’s huge legacy by Lauren Warnecke

The celebration of the company's co-founder at the Auditorium Theatre included dancers from across the country. That's the Joffrey's influence.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:15PM
Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Dance for fall 2023: Old tales, retold with Joffrey’s ‘Frankenstein’ and Akram Khan’s return by Lauren Warnecke

While these are not the only options, our fall dance guide will hopefully peel back one layer of a rich art form and make you eager to see more.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:30AM
Friday, May 26, 2023

Dance top 10 for summer 2023: A free Joffrey Ballet performance and a world premiere at Rhythm World by Lauren Warnecke

An abundance of opportunities to see dance outdoors lies ahead, in some cases, with the expectation of joining in.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:30AM
Friday, May 19, 2023

Review: ‘Facets’ at the Harris Theater puts the ‘Chicago’ in Hubbard Street Dance Chicago by Lauren Warnecke

The “Facets” lineup is one of legends, whose wide-ranging aesthetics are rooted in dance traditions birthed primarily in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:18PM
Thursday, April 20, 2023

Review: Enchanting ‘Little Mermaid’ is one of Joffrey Ballet’s most ambitious projects yet by Lauren Warnecke

Victoria Jaiani "swims" through a magical undersea world in the Chicago premiere of John Neumeier’s story ballet. Just don't expect the Disney story.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:15PM
Monday, April 17, 2023

‘This is tap dance’: Jumaane Taylor’s masterwork ‘Supreme Love’ returns for 2 nights at the Dance Center by Lauren Warnecke

“Supreme Love” was Jumaane Taylor’s first major, full-length project and it remains a talking point in the dance world.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:00AM
Saturday, April 1, 2023

Review: Giordano Dance Chicago celebrates 60 with style old and new at the Harris by Lauren Warnecke

This storied jazz dance company knows how to mark a milestone, and it’s had more chances than most.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 12:50PM
Friday, March 24, 2023

Review: Coltrane, Edgar Allen Poe and a ‘show pony’ in Hubbard Street’s excellent ‘Elements’ at the MCA by Lauren Warnecke

Kyle Abraham’s short solo “Show Pony" is the choreographer at his best, delivered by a dancer at the pinnacle of her career. And I could watch “Busk” again and again.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:46PM
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Review: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is back at the Auditorium, timely and timeless by Lauren Warnecke

This is the New York-based company's annual pilgrimage to Chicago, a tradition that stems back 55 years. Chicago is woven into its fabric.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:07PM
Thursday, February 16, 2023

Review: With both angry protests and great artistry, Joffrey Ballet brings back ‘Anna Karenina’ by Lauren Warnecke

On arriving at the Lyric Opera House, Joffrey Ballet audiences encountered about 50 protesters standing beneath the Lyric’s portico on Wednesday, forming a circle around the lobby doors.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 02:11PM
Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Chicago Tap Theatre celebrates with a 20th anniversary show in a ‘golden age of tap’ by Lauren Warnecke

"Some of the best tap dance that’s ever been tap danced is being tap danced right now," said Mark Yonally, artistic director of CTT.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM
Thursday, January 26, 2023

Aszure Barton will be Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s next resident choreographer by Lauren Warnecke

Aszure Barton’s appointment follows a long vacancy after resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s departure in 2018.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 12:09PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Dance for winter 2023: Rarely seen tours and some big swings from Chicago companies by Lauren Warnecke

Highlights include shows by Step Afrika!, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Hamburg Ballet’s “The Glass Menagerie.”

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM
Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Chicagoan of the Year for Dance: Michael McStraw is leading Giordano Dance Chicago to a strong future by Lauren Warnecke

The results of his efforts are not simply an organization spared by the pandemic, but one that emerged stronger than ever, revitalized and ready for the next 60 years.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:40AM
Thursday, December 8, 2022

Best dance of 2022: Local companies bounce back from pandemic while big tours finally land in Chicago by Lauren Warnecke

Highlights include Pina Bausch’s “Rite of Spring” and Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo in “common ground[s]."

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:15AM
Sunday, December 4, 2022

Review: ‘The Nutcracker’ by the Joffrey Ballet delivers its annual dose of magic by Lauren Warnecke

“The Nutcracker” is so much more than a series of steps. It’s about the dancing, sure. It’s also children dressed in their holiday finest seeing ballet for the first time.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 01:30PM
Thursday, November 17, 2022

40 holiday concerts and shows for 2022: From ‘Cirque Dreams’ to ‘Nutcracker’ and ‘Messiah,’ we have the best performances to celebrate the by Lauren Warnecke

If your seasonal favorites run to classics like “A Christmas Carol” and “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins” or something more like 93XRT’S Holiday Jam, we've got your list.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM
Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Mozart, dancing frogs and a message of inclusion in rare Joffrey Ballet/CSO collaboration by Lauren Warnecke

Choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Cathy Marston headline this Joffrey Ballet and Chicago Symphony Orchestra collaboration.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 06:45AM
Friday, October 28, 2022

Review: ‘Rite of Spring’ and ‘common ground[s]’ unearth beauty and tragedy, danced at the Harris on a stage of dirt by Lauren Warnecke

In a way, the evening is about cultural exchange, as dancers from 14 African nations perform a German choreographer’s dance about a Russian pagan ritual.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Subscription at 12:25PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards