Paul goes behind the curtain with the cast of the pre-Broadway production of “Paradise Square,” currently playing at the Nederlander Theater through December 5th. The time is 1863, the location is Five Points in New York, and the cultures of the Irish escaping the famine in Ireland meeting the world of newly freed slaves and […]

Paul Lisnek Behind the Curtain

Meet the stars of Paradise Square playing at the Nederlander Theater until December 5th

In this week’s podcast, Paul goes behind the curtain with Eileen LaCario, VP of Broadway in Chicago with a look at the new upcoming season then producer Garth Drabinsky joins the conversation to discuss his latest production, Paradise Square, which opens at the Nederlander Theater on November 2nd. First, Eileen explains the safety protocols in […]

Broadway in Chicago returns with a new exciting season!

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with James Beard-winning Chef Rick Bayless who is also a playwright for the immersive production “A Recipe for Disaster.” Windy City Playhouse is known for its immersive productions including the huge hit Southern Gothic. The Plot: it’s influencer night at “The Contumacious Pig, one of the city’s hottest […]

Immersive play ‘Recipe for Disaster!’ unites award winning Chef Rick Bayless with creative team at Windy City Playhouse for a glorious evening of dinner and fun!

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with the cast and creative team for “Kinky Boots,” now playing at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. With COVID precautions in place, (vaccination required and checked, masks worn), live performances have resumed in this glorious performance space. Kinky Boots had it’s pre-Broadway run in Chicago 10 years ago, […]

‘Kinky Boots’ wows audiences as the Paramount Theatre in Aurora returns to live performances

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with the author of a new in depth biography of First Lady Nancy Reagan, Washington Post Deputy Editorial Page Editor and political columnist Karen Tumulty. Tumulty makes it clear that Nancy was a very complex woman, not the caricature she was often presented to be. While husband, President […]

‘The Triumph of Nancy Reagan,’ a new biography by Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with linguist and author Arika Okrent to discuss her new book: “Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme – and Other Oddities of the English Language.” Arika answers the age old questions like: why is “of” not spelled with a “V;” why do many words have […]

‘Our Highly Irregular Language’: A new book discussed by its author Arika Okrent

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with two new theatrical productions about to open in the area. First, the world premiere adaptation drama “Thirteen Days,” based on the book by Robert F. Kennedy. It addresses the Cuban Missile Crisis from the perspective of the players involved. It was a time when the world held […]

Theater returns to Chicago with the dramatic ‘Thirteen Days’ at City Lit and ‘Matilda The Musical’ by Highland Park Players

Theater returns to Chicago with the dramatic ‘Thirteen Days’ at Citi Lit and ‘Matilda The Musical’ by Highland Park Players

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with Lucie Arnaz the actress/singer/dancer daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Who knew that Lucille Ball hosted a radio interview show back in 1964 – 66 which aired on the CBS Network. What an historical archive of interviews with Hollywood heavyweights including: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Dean […]

Lucie Arnaz on her mom, Lucille Ball’s, ‘Let’s Talk to Lucy,’ a new podcast plus other upcoming Lucy and Desi projects

Paul Lisnek Behind the Curtain on WGN Plus from WGN Radio in Chicago