What's happening on the arts scene – on stage, in museums and at fairs and festivals
SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED An irreverent priest, tale weaving drinking buddy, sex starved fiancé and infirm old mother make up some of those attending Flanagan’s Wake now at Chicago Theater Works. Flanagan has sadly passed, and you, along with a small cast of characters and about 50 other mourners are invited to attend his wake. The room … Continue reading “Death Notice: Flanagan is dead”
RECOMMENDED Thornton Wilder’s classic ‘Our Town,’ now at Redtwist Theatre, is a slice-of-life drama that asks us to ponder our place in the universe while pausing to appreciate the seemingly mundane interactions and events that comprise the bulk of our days and which ultimately define our existence. Divided into three acts with two ten minute … Continue reading “‘Our Town’ our life”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The title of ‘Five Guys Named Moe,’ a musical now at Court Theatre, is based on the names of five performers, Big Moe (Lorenzo Rush, Jr.), Little Moe (Darrin Ford), Eat Moe (James Earl Jones II), Four Eyed-Moe (Kelvin Rosten, Jr.) and No Moe (Eric A. Lewis). The doo-wop quintet are apparitions who … Continue reading “Louis Jordan tribute could not be ‘moe’ fun”
RECOMMENDED ‘Rock of Ages’ at Drury Lane Oak Brook is a fun 80’s inspired musical romp through the apparently now nostalgic Reagan / G.H.W. Bush era. The ankle-deep plot is reminiscent of the old Beach Party movies of the 1960’s. Basically boy, Drew (Russell Mernaugh) meets girl, Sherrie (Cherry Torres). He aspires to be a … Continue reading “Energetic ‘Rock of Ages’ revisits eighties music”
There isn’t a beer hall or gin joint in Chicago with a piano that hasn’t been visited sometime in the past 50 years by the fingers of jazz pianist and boogie master Erwin Helfer. This week we caught up with him at Hungry Brain 2319 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, where he will be appearing … Continue reading “Master of Boogie”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ‘Bonnie & Clyde,’ a Kokandy Productions musical now at the Wit Theater, is based on real outlaw lovers. They found nationwide fame during the 1930’s depression for their crime spree across the southwestern U.S. and lower Midwest. [Spoiler Alert] The couple famously met their end in a police ambush that resulted in perhaps … Continue reading “Love and Lawlessness”
The Pilsen area on the near south side of Chicago has been evolving into a significant arts destination, partly due to the presence of the Chicago Arts District on Halsted Street and the National Museum of Mexican Art which is a kind of anchor for the neighborhood’s art community. A number of small art galleries … Continue reading “Four Wisconsin artists exhibit in Pilsen”
RECOMMENDED HAIR The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a revival of the infamous hippie era production that raised many eyebrows in its day and contributed significantly to the evolution of American musical theater. It might be easy to simply see this current production of HAIR as riding a “permanent wave” of nostalgia. Or you … Continue reading “‘HAIR’ is still relevant”
Lolla ticket raffle Just found out there are a few free Lollapalooza tickets waiting to be won. The Boundary at 1932 W. Division St. and the Old Town Pour House at 1419 N. Wells St. have a raffle going for impossible-to-get tickets to Lolla-land. The deal is that patrons at either bar who purchase … Continue reading “Around Town: Find Lollapalooza tickets and a great pub or listen to writer secrets”
RECOMMENDED “Little Fish” is a musical adventure of a young woman’s journey to get her life on track as she leaves a bad relationship, gives up smoking and ultimately finds a core group of friends who are willing and able to support each other through life’s challenges. Even though I quit smoking thirty years ago … Continue reading “Little Fish Searches for Her Place in the Big Pond”