New York had Broadway. LA had Hollywood. Chicago had magic. By David Witter The secrets of Chicago’s not-so-secret society of magicians. By Kevin Warwick Self-styled “experimental illusionist” Jeanette Andrews is attempting an ambitious trick: transforming magic into a cerebral art form. By Ryan Smith From cards to coins to expert advice, Magic Inc. is Chicago’s one-stop shop for wannabe and veteran magicians. By Becca James Catch local illusionists and touring acts at venues old and new....

The Katydids first performed together eight years ago for a simple reason: all six women had variations on the same first name. Caitlin Barlow, Katy Colloton, Cate Freedman, Kate Lambert, Katie O’Brien, and Kathryn Renée Thomas started out as an improv group, then moved to sketch, then created the webseries Teachers, now a TV Land sitcom produced by Alison Brie (Community, Mad Men). Colloton: iO is our home, but we have a relationship with almost every theater in Chicago....

Yuzu kosho is a sour, spicy, fermented Japanese condiment made from yuzu zest and juice, salt, and chiles (usually green bird’s eye or Thai chiles). It’s commonly served with meat or fish—and David Park, chef at Hanbun in Westmont, has used it that way before. But when Joshua Marrelli of Bakersfield W00d-Fired Grill (also in Westmont) challenged him to create a dish with yuzu kosho, he wanted to push himself a little....

Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Friday, July 15, 2016. Indiana may be Chicago’s neighbor but that doesn’t mean its conservative Republican governor, Mike Pence, is friendly toward the city or Illinois. Pence, who’s now widely reported to be Trump’s vice presidential pick, doesn’t have many nice things to say about Illinois’s economy. Indiana has openly courted Chicago businesses to move across the border to avoid taxes. “I love going to Illinois to talk about Indiana’s success story,” Pence posted on Twitter in 2014....

There’s nothing quite as disconcerting as the sound of a microwave pinging in the middle of a quiet restaurant. On a polar December night on Devon Avenue, that very sound gave me concern for the condition of my mohinga, a hot, fish-based noodle soup from Burma, or Myanmar, as its military dictatorship renamed it in 1989. If you, as a Chicagoan, have pined for Burmese food as I have, there are other dishes on the menu at the Family House that will immediately grab your attention....

Heather Ireland Robinson has been executive director of the Jazz Institute of Chicago for less than a month, having officially replaced the long-serving Lauren Deutsch on March 1. But she’s been working as an arts administrator for 20 years, most recently lending her expertise to the Beverly Arts Center, where she served as executive director from 2014 to 2017. She previously worked for the South Side Community Art Center, Marwen, After School Matters, and Gallery 37, among other institutions—and from 2002 to 2004, she was the Jazz Institute’s education and community coordinator, helping lay the foundation for its Jazz Links program....

Among the many outstanding live acts Gossip Wolf has missed over the past 15 months, few rank higher than the LowDown Brass Band. Their mix of New Orleans-style second-line horns with hip-hop and reggae rhythms can make any venue feel like a delightfully sweaty street parade. In February, the band began releasing a series of one- and two-minute tracks, each accompanied by a video (most were shot outdoors, including on the Riverwalk, by the Calder Flamingo in Federal Plaza, and in a convertible on Lake Shore Drive)....

Q: I can’t believe this is why I’m finally writing you. My husband is using Pokémon Go as an excuse to stay out until 5 AM with another woman. She is beautiful and about a decade younger than him, and he won’t hear me out on why this is bothersome. Our work schedules don’t match up, and he always wants me to meet him in the wee hours of the morning after I’ve worked a full day shift and done all the work looking after our pets....

Earlier this week, Red Bull launched Rise Till Dawn—an all-night Fortnite tournament in July starring local streaming sensation Tyler “Ninja” Blevins on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower. It’s no surprise that the event sold out in a few short minutes, Fortnite is arguably the breakout entertainment hit of 2018—played by 40 million people—and Ninja is the game’s biggest star. WHO’s inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD earned significant coverage from many major news outlets....

Pitchfork is giving fans of hip-hop, soul, and R&B plenty to look forward to: Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jeremih, Kamasi Washington, Mick Jenkins, Thundercat, Miguel. But there are dozens more performers on the bill, and part of the appeal of a big, diverse music festival is that listeners can branch out and explore artists operating in genres outside their comfort zones. It’s a good way to get your money’s worth (those passes aren’t cheap) and enjoy everything Pitchfork has to offer....

Brian Jackson/Sun-Times Media An attorney for convicted heroin dealer Jason Austin, shown here in 2008, says witnesses against him committed perjury. Who told the truth, and who didn’t? The central problem is that either police or the key witness in the case—or both—committed perjury, attorney Richard Kling argues in a brief filed last week. U.S. attorney Zachary Fardon called the 35-year sentence “a modest measure of justice” for the families of police detective Robert Soto and social worker Kathryn Romberg, who were shot while sitting in an SUV in West Humboldt Park on August 13, 2008....

The royal wedding has been a royal pain to avoid this week. That means there will be plenty of Chicagoans waking up extremely early for a Saturday morning to watch it on TV (live coverage on nearly every major American network and cable news channel will begin as early as 3:30 AM). Some local hotels and theaters are taking advantage by holding special viewing parties and themed events. For $100, you can attend the Drake Hotel’s Royal Wedding Reception Gala; alternatively, you can pay 11 bucks to see it on the silver screen at AMC River East 21....

Thinkstock What it feels like to stop paying student loans (dramatization) I don’t know whether Megan McArdle intended to pay Lee Siegel a compliment. Probably not. Siegel, a cultural critic who used to go to Columbia University, published an essay in the New York Times last week explaining why he blew off his student loans. Then McArdle wrote an essay for Bloomberg View—reprinted in the Tribune—marveling that Siegel “described his decision in the least sympathetic terms possible....

Michael Schmidt/Sun-Times Governor Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the memorial service for Ernie Banks on January 31 at Fourth Presbyterian Church. The church’s gallery has served as a polling place, and it’s been the best in the city for both Rauner and Emanuel. “I’m honored that so many hardworking Chicagoans have put their trust in me,” Rahm Emanuel said on his website before last Tuesday’s election. This is the mayor’s turf—within a mile or so of the lakefront, from downtown north, up to about Uptown, where incomes, and his support, begin to fall....

Escape the cold at one of the plentiful events happening (indoors!) in Chicago this weekend. Here’s some of what we recommend: Fri 12/8-Sat 12/9: At Trade Routes: A Festival of Artistic Exchange five local artists or companies have been asked to invite an out-of-town partner to share a bill. Participants include Winifred Haun & Dancers, Kanopy Dance Company, J’Sun Howard, Mitsu Salmon, and more. Both shows are at Links Hall (3111 N....

Now in its 43rd year, this Black Ensemble Theater classic, written and directed by founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, is an enchanting production with BET legends and talented newcomers at the helm. From a young volunteer usher excitedly welcoming me to “the Kingdom of Other” on the afternoon I attended to the boisterous and ever-capable backing band atop the stage, the show stands on a foundation of joy and positivity that carries throughout the familiar story....

At 5 PM Saturday, March 21, Governor J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 Executive Order No. 8, aka the Stay at Home order, took effect. Here’s a daily-ish journal of how Reader staff, our friends, family—and our pets—are spending our time. Anything uplifting! A few examples: “What the World Needs Now is Love”; “Fantasy,” by Earth, Wind & Fire; Dolphin Sounds What we’re ordering:

On an empty stretch of beach outside the city of Delft, the Netherlands, small herds of an ostensibly unidentifiable species ramble slowly across the sand. They parade in a delicately rhythmic procession, bleached white by the sun. Brittle vertebrae form pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and buttresses reminiscent of Gothic architecture. Poised against an endless expanse of blue sky, the creatures’ gossamer wings undulate in the breeze. As the tide rises, the animals recede toward the dunes where, with a strong gust of wind, they can be swept into the air and down the beach like tumbleweeds....

On January 7, 2013, shortly before 2 PM, Chicago police officers Kevin Fry and Lou Toth were driving westbound on 75th Street, in a poor, African-American section of the South Shore neighborhood. They were in plainclothes in an unmarked Crown Victoria. As they approached Essex Avenue, a silver Dodge Charger, northbound on Essex, cruised through a stop sign and turned left on 75th, not far in front of the officers. The driver was alone in the car....

Q: I found your column after a Google search. I saw your e-mail address at the bottom and was hoping for some insight. My issue is this: Two years into our 23-year marriage, my wife declared that she didn’t want to kiss me or perform oral on me. Several years ago, she had an affair and confessed that she not only kissed this other person but performed oral on them as well....