Curtain Call Chicago - August 19, 2026

A conversation with Kate Luckinbill, granddaughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Kate discusses what life is like growing up with legendary grandparents and talks about two new books which seek to set the record straight about her famous grandparents.

First, Desi Arnaz: A Book is a reissue of Desi Arnaz’s candid autobiography, updated with new photos, a foreword by his granddaughter Kate Luckinbill, and an afterward by Lucie Arnaz. It offers a fresh look at the life and career of the Cuban-born entertainer who helped shape I Love Lucy and American television and what Desi had planned to do and write after the book came out, projects he was never able to complete.

And:

Lucy & Desi: The Love Letters is a collection of previously unseen letters between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz that reveals their romance during the World War II years in their own words, from their early courtship through the I Love Lucy years and beyond. Illustrated with rare family photos and reproductions of the original letters, it offers an intimate look at one of Hollywood’s most famous and complicated love stories. With an introduction by their daughter Lucie Arnaz.

Curtain Call Chicago - August 5, 2026 

Alex Edelman’s What Are You Going To Dois a sharp, hour‑long, narrative stand‑up show in which Alex looks at his own life—family, faith, and politics—for fast jokes and uneasy questions about responsibility and identity. Drawing on stories from a Jerusalem amputee hospital, his Jewish upbringing, seashell obsessions, and trips to places like Graceland, Edelman uses his signature storytelling style to ask whether he should be doing something more meaningful with his time, and what it actually means to be a decent person in a world filled with chaos. Tickets: www.Steppenwolf.org

Curtain Call Chicago - Aug. 3, 2026

Adam Rapp co-wrote the book for The Outsiders, bringing a playwright’s sharp sense of character and emotional tension to the award winning musical’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel. Drawing on a personal connection to the story’s themes of class, family, and adolescent intensity, he helped shape the show into something that feels both raw and theatrical. Hear Paul’s insightful chat with Adam about his career, his family life with Rent Star Anthony Rapp, and what motivates him to undertake projects.

Curtain Call Chicago - July 29, 2026

Don’t Suck is a sharp, heartfelt queer dramedy about a young aspiring actor and singer-songwriter trying to make it in New York City while balancing messy relationships, family pressure, and the challenge of staying true to himself. The series is created and written by Tyler Isaac Martin and joining in the conversation is featured actor David Gow (Film: The Intruder; Play: The Inheritance-Helen Hayes Award Winner for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play)

Curtain Call Chicago - August 12, 2026

Good People follows Margaret (Margie) Walsh (played quite convincingly by Jodi Kingsley), a middle aged single mother in South Boston who loses her low wage Dollar Store job and faces eviction in the face of caring for her special needs daughter. Newly unemployed, she reaches out to Mike (well played by Bryan Breau), her old boyfriend who escaped their rough neighborhood to become a successful doctor, hoping he can help her find work. Margie shows up for what turns out to be a cancelled party at Mike’s comfortable suburban home where she meets his wife Kate (perfectly portrayed by Sandra Adjoumani). At that point, the play unspools into a tense, funny, and uneasy reunion that forces all three to confront the role of luck, class, and personal responsibility in how “good” people can end up on such different paths.

Curtain Call Chicago - July 20, 2026

“Hair” is a 1960s rock musical about a tribe of hippies in New York City who rebel together against the Vietnam War and beyond that, challenge mainstream America’s seeming conformity with the politics of the day. Simultaneously, they grapple amongst themselves over love, sex, race, and personal freedom. Centered on Claude (strongly portrayed by  ) and his friends Berger (played with a perfect blend of humor and seriousness by Zac Richey) and Sheila (forcibly played by Catherine Rodriguez O’Connor), the show follows Claude’s struggle between joining the army and staying true to the anti war ideals of his communit and including the legendary Songs: Age of Aquarious, Let the Sunshine In and Good Morning Starshine.

Curtain Call Chicago - July 1, 2026

Iceboy! at Goodman Theatre is a world-premiere musical comedy set in 1938 New York, where Broadway star Vera Vimm adopts a frozen Neanderthal and accidentally sparks a wildly funny chain of events involving Eugene O’Neill and The Iceman Cometh. It features Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman and is described by Goodman as a mischievous, high-energy show about ambition, family, and theatrical history gone gloriously off the rails.

Curtain Call Chicago - May 27, 2026 

**Limited time offer! Save 40% on all tickets July 14th – 19th. Use code: JULY40

Champions of Magic is a high-energy touring illusion show that blends grand-scale magic, close-up tricks, mentalism, escapes, and theatrical spectacle into one family-friendly production. It features original illusions, interactive moments, and a big stage-show feel with humor and dramatic effects. 

The core stars are Young & Strange (Richard Young and Sam Strange), a duo who began performing together as children and are known for inventive large-scale illusions. The cast also includes Fernando Velasco, an illusionist and escapologist known for daring escapes, and Liberty Larsen, a fourth-generation magician from the renowned creators of the Magic Castle, Genii Magazine, and the Academy of Magical Arts. She is known for blending theatrical magic with music and original performance style.

Curtain Call Chicago - June 10, 2026

David Byrne’s Theater of the Mind is an intimate, immersive theatrical experience that blends neuroscience experiments with storytelling to explore how we perceive reality, form memories, and understand identity. Guided in small groups through a series of sensory rooms, audience members see, hear, taste, and physically move through a series of experiences set up thru story that reveal how unreliable their own senses can be. The show becomes a kind of live, mind-bending science experiment inside the theater.  Joining in the conversation are two actors who play David: James Earl Jones, II and Elizabeth Laidlaw.

Curtain Call Chicago - April 29, 2026

Steppenwolf Theatre is one of Chicago’s most celebrated theater companies, known for powerful, innovative productions and a world-class ensemble of actors, directors, and playwrights. Founded in 1974, it has helped shape American theater with acclaimed works on its Lincoln Park stages. Now it celebrates its 50th Season with a look its’ final shows of the season, and a description of how the 51st season was selected. The interview is a conversation with its co-artistic directors Audrey Francis and Glenn Davis.

Curtain Call Chicago - July 22, 2026

Misha Brown is a social media creator who took the country by storm and now has a massive following, with his sassy, heartfelt content that helps people talk to themselves more kindly. In his new book Be Your Own Bestie: A No-Nonsense Guide to Changing the Way You Treat Yourself, he takes that online energy and influence and creates a practical roadmap for self-love. The book is part memoir and part guide to self action. His background includes struggles with shame, being bullied, and a near-giving-up moment that led him to sobriety, major life changes, and eventually to creating content centered on self-respect and accountability. Misha joins Paul for an in-depth conversation his fans and future fans will find completely engaging.

Curtain Call Chicago - July 22, 2026

& Juliet is a jukebox musical that flips Shakespeare’s tragedy on its head: instead of dying for Romeo, Juliet gets a second chance at life, love, and self-discovery. It uses pop hits by Max Martin to tell a playful, energetic story about choosing your own path. This tour stars Joey Fatone as Lance.