Suzanne Magnuson

Bold Flavors and a Bold Vision Revitalize the ChopHouse at Grand Geneva Resort and Spa

April 17, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

Last month, I was one of several local travel writers invited to Grand Geneva Resort to meet with Executive Chef Nelly Buleje and sample some of the changes he intends to bring to the menu […]

Eagle Trio Makes an Unconventional Family in Illinois

March 21, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

Illinois’ Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is home to one of the most unique American families around, a trio of bald eagles, males dubbed Valor I, Valor II, and female Starr, are […]

The Met’s Carmen Highlights Powerful Performances in HD via Fathom Events

March 5, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

Bizet’s masterpiece is a perennial crowd-pleaser and as seen in brilliant HD through Fathom Events, this version of Carmen has a great deal to recommend it. The production has seen fit to set the story […]

Raleigh Keegan Comes to Firewater Saloon, Edison Park, March 15 – A Splash Original Interview

March 5, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

With a start in life straight out of an old-time country ballad (born inside a jail to a single mother serving time for a minor offense), Raleigh Keegan was adopted at just a few days […]

The Rake’s Progress – Student Opera is One to Enjoy

March 5, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

Opera lovers in Chicagoland miss the Northwestern University’s Bienen School’s performances at their peril. The recent performances of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress that ran from February 28-March 3 were high quality entertainment presented with great […]

La Traviata at the Lyric Opera – Gorgeous Melodies Gorgeously Sung

February 27, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

There’s a reason Verdi’s masterpiece is such a regular part of most opera companies’ repertoires. With its glorious, complex score; memorable, hummable melodies and relatable, human story this opera is the total package. It’s an […]

Powerhouse Performances Highlight the Lyric’s Elektra

February 20, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

If you love Wagner’s Ring Cycle, then you should run right down to the Lyric Opera to see their new production of Elektra. This is Richard Strauss, not Wagner, but don’t expect anything resembling a […]

Don’t Be Stupid, Be a Smarty, Come And Join The Producers at the Paramount Aurora!

February 11, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

It’s hard to top something that is a comedic masterpiece to begin with, but in 2001 Mel Brooks took his own film and reimagined it for Broadway, changing the year of the setting, adding additional […]

The Met’s Adriana Lecouvrier Stuns in HD via Fathom Events

February 4, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

If you love to hear great voices and are amused by melodrama, this potboiler of an opera by Francesco Cilea is for you. Very, very loosely based on the life of a real French actress […]

The Lyric’s Spirited La Bohème is a Must-See

January 24, 2019 Suzanne Magnuson 0

La Bohème is so popular that there is little left to be said about it, other than the nuances of a particular production. And what each production needs in order to do Puccini’s amazing music […]