Kris Vire, a proud Arkansan who spent much of his life writing about the theater in Chicago, died Monday at the age of 47. His death was announced Tuesday by his partner, Joe Torres, who said he had been undergoing treatment for both colon cancer and esophageal cancer.
Vire was born Aug. 23, 1977, grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas. He was part of the founding editorial crew of the publication Time Out Chicago, once a major force in local arts coverage. There, he reviewed theaters across the city and both edited and penned feature coverage. The magazine folded its weekly print edition in 2013; Vire stayed with the digital edition until 2018, then moved on to a busy freelance career, eventually landing at the Tribune-owned Chicago magazine as a freelance arts and entertainment editor. Most recently, despite health issues, he oversaw the magazine’s extensive fall cultural series.
“Kris was both a critic and a champion of Chicago theater. Like people who love something best, he wasn’t afraid to speak the truth to those who need to hear it, while celebrating the best aspects of the amazing Chicago cultural scene,” said Frank Sennett, former president and editor-in-chief of Time Out Chicago. “Kris was just a delight.”
“He was a thoughtful, pleasant man who was passionate about covering the theater industry in this town,” said Chicago magazine’s editor, Terry Noland. “I’ll miss him very much, as will the cultural community of Chicago.”
Storefront theaters were Vire’s chosen specialty and, early in his career, he often railed against what he perceived as outsized media coverage given to large and commercial institutions by major publications and their critics, finding support for that view among many Chicago artists who felt the same way. But over the years, he ended up writing warmly about all kinds of theater in the city, even shows from Broadway, combining his deep knowledge of the field with gentle and often disarming wit and a generally supportive calibration. His extensive freelance portfolio included contributions to national publications including the New York Times and American Theatre magazine. His work was rich in style and flair and his voice was very recognizable as his own.
Vire was a private man and many people who knew him did not know of the severity of his health condition, even if they knew he was undergoing challenges. But his loss was keenly felt both by fellow journalists and those whose work he covered with such loving care.
“He was the kind of person who could figure anything out and always found a natural order to things,” a bereft Torres wrote. “He also possessed a true, innate kindness, and we’re all feeling the loss of that presence in our lives.”
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com