Patch Picks: St. Patrick's Day

Find Irish cheer and green beer at these festive spots.

Patch Picks: St. Patrick's Day ●         Emerald Isle Pub            The Scene: Irish beer, drinks, food and music from noon to 2 a.m. 6886 Northest Hwy., Chicago.  ●         Curragh Irish Pub              The Scene: Traditional Irish food, live music by Seamus O'Kane 5 to 10 p.m., free raffles and giveaways. Two locations: 8266 Lincoln Ave., Skokie and 6705 Northwest Hwy., Chicago. ●         Crazy Jaws             The Scene: Corned beef and cabbage, green beer, CJ's Irish red beer, $3 draft pints, $5 Jameson shots. 9001 Waukegan Road, Morton Grove. ●         Iceland  St. Patrick's Skate             The Scene:  $1 admission to skate if you wear green. $3 skate rental. 8435 Ballard Road, Niles.  ●         Irish American Heritage Center St. …

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Theater Review

'The Lonesome West' bitter, brutal

Well-acted, caustic comedy skewers Catholic concepts amid violent absurdity

Down on Milwaukee Avenue, in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, the  Gift Theatre Company occupies a tiny storefront. It's an unusual spot for an Equity troupe, and an even odder place for such a significant local director as Sheldon Patinkin, whose theatrical work across Chicagoland dates back to the 1950s. It just goes to show how Chicago theater thrives. Just now, Patinkin and Gift are producing an intense revival of the Tony Award-nominated "The Lonesome West," the final play in Martin McDonagh's "Connemara Trilogy" about the shockingly murderous residents of a Western Ireland town. Unlike literary series, theatrical trilogies tend to stand alone, so don't worry if you haven't seen "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" or "The Skull of …

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