This Week's Picks! Jazz It Up with Laura Osnes, Hip-Hop to Hamilton & Return to the Chicago Cellblock

Hey you, sticking your head in the refrigerator! We know it’s hot, but stop it. You’re ruining food, upping the electric bill, and you smell like a combination of curdled milk, cold cuts, and your mom’s broccoli salad. Plus, you’re missing so many fun things. This week, we have Hamilton’s Broadway bow, David Josefsberg show at 54 Below, and a Broadway favorite back in Chicago. Get ready for this week’s picks!


Spend an Evening with Laura Osnes
August 3 at Birdland
Between the clingy heat and the fact that it’s Monday, you need a balm for the soul that isn’t the bottomless nachos grande. (Let’s save that after Wednesday’s five-hour budget meeting). Tonight make a reservation with Laura Osnes. The sweet star of Cinderella and Bonnie & Clyde makes her Birdland solo debut with “An Evening with Laura Osnes,” where she’ll sing favorites and share stories from her performing life. Click for tickets!


Enjoy an Act From God's Standby
August 3 at 54 Below
An Act of God standby David Josefsberg is a talented performer and Broadway vet who is stepping into the spotlight—and even better, he only has to go next door and down the stairs for it. Josefsberg, who has appeared in The Wedding Singer and Honeymoon in Vegas, makes his 54 Below solo debut in “a night of songs and laughs.” That’s sure to chase the Mondays away. Click for tickets!


Catch Amy Spanger’s Arresting Return
August 4 at Ambassador Theatre
We have good news and bad news. First, the sad stuff: Grammy winner Brandy Norwood is departing Chicago. We know. But here comes the great news: Stellar Chicago star Amy Spanger is returning to play foxy Roxie Hart before Rumer Willis steps in on August 18. Spending the night in jail never sounded so exciting. Click for tickets!


Sit. Stay. Watch.
August 6 on Discovery Family
He might not be a household name, but Bill Berloni is a Broadway star. He’s trained animals for more than a dozen shows, including the original Sandy in Annie, in addition to television shows and movies. What does that work entail? Well, find out on From Wags to Riches with Bill Berloni. The new series also looks at Berloni’s home life, which includes his wife, daughter, over three dozen animals, and we’d imagine, earplugs.


See the Founding Fathers on Broadway
August 6 at Richard Rodgers Theatre
Yes, we know it was tough to see Hamilton during its initial off-Broadway run. The Public Theater run was sold out. It was too cold outside. You were organizing your takeout menus. Stop making excuses! Just do whatever you can to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s scintillating musical on Alexander Hamilton’s life, which has been praised by historians, critics, and oh, a little guy called the President of the United States. Click for tickets!