Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni. ✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Hey everyone. Wow, I watched more than 400 movies on the big screen on 2010. That's not a record for me, but it's damn close. This was one of the most difficult "Best Of..." lists to compile, because so many of the films in the first 20 or so are separated in my mind by a micro-fraction of greatness. As I do every year, I conclude with my "Worst Of..." list, and it becomes painfully clear that I took enough bullets to save a small army of a medium-sized nation. I also created a new category that seemed necessary. I selected my 10 favorite films that I'm pretty sure never were released in the United States outside of a festival setting but will more than likely make their way into theaters in 2011. Consider that list you starting point of films to get very excited about seeing in the coming year.
I've spared you lengthy write-ups on every single film on these lists--just the first 10 on my main list and only the top choice on the other ones. Oh, and if you think 40 is too many for a Best Of list, keep it to yourself and simply stop reading when you've had enough. Prologue done. Let's get to the lists, and allow me to bathe in your loving reactions!
The Chicago Journal features a very inspirational piece on Project Onward, an vehicle for special needs artists. Founded in 2004 and housed in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, the organization provides artists with full support via working space, supplies, teaching, promotion, etc., to help them develop and hone their craft.
Cloud Gate by Project Onward artist Andrew Hall
To learn more about the Project Onward and its artists, visit the website or call 312-742-1445.
New Year's Day for most people is spent eating greasy food, watching college football, and resolving to drink less in the new year, but once the bowl games are finished and your hangover is (somewhat) in check you'll need something else to do. Enter the ComedySportz New Year's Hangover Stand-up Marathon.
Come any time between 7 and 11pm on New Year's Day and pay only $10 for the entire evening. Host Jamie Campbell presents an evening of laughs featuring 20 of Chicago's top stand-up comics. If you're still feeling too hungover to go to the extra effort of putting on clothes, wearing pajamas gets you half-price admission.
To reserve tickets, call 773-549-8080. ComedySportz is located at 929 W. Belmont, near the red/purple/brown line station.
On Chicago's Southwest side stands a community enriched with Mexican influences from its restaurants, businesses and well-known art district. Through efforts from its community, Pilsen showcases its cultural pride and works to assist neighbors and new residents from Chicago and the surrounding areas. Casa Aztlan, a community center and nonprofit organization in the heart of the neighborhood, at 1831 S. Racine Ave., offers those services to help residents in the area and people who relocated to the United States from another country.
Carlos Arango, executive director of Casa Aztlan, said although the center focuses on the Pilsen community and the Southwest side of the city, some residents travel from all over the state of Illinois and as far as Indiana for services. The organization helps about 12,000 people year in various capacities, said Arango.
Casa Aztlan is an established figure in the Pilsen community that celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and is one of the oldest organizations that fights for social justice. Its roots stem from 1970 when Mexican immigrants migrated in large numbers and settled in Chicago. Originally, Casa Aztlan served as a Bohemian settlement house in the late 1800s. From the Howell Neighborhood House to the Neighborhood Service Organization, the community organization made a shift and changed its name to Casa Aztlan, reflecting a part of the community's Mexican and Aztec heritage.
It's highly likely that Chicago-born comedic actor Kel Mitchell paid a little homage to his hometown with the title of his latest movie, Chicago Pulaski Jones. Mitchell stars as "Chicago Jones," a dancer from Chicago who "is forced to avenge the death of his uncle." He also co-wrote and co-produced this lighthearted comedy.
You won't be able to see Chicago Pulaski Jones on the big screen, though--this one's headed directly to the likes of Netflix and other DVD outlets. But for comedian Cedric the Entertainer, who co-produced, directed and co-stars in the movie, "straight-to-DVD" movies no longer have the stigma attached to them they once did and in the end, can prove to be advantageous for independent films. In a recent Miami Herald article, the comedian noted, "We're going to do this as a small DVD and digital release, mainly," and "create this model for independent filmmakers to be able to kind of get their films done for low, economic prices."
Other noteworthy references in the movie include Chicago's FootworKINGz, a professional "footwork" dance company and comedian Rodney Perry, current co-host and sidekick on BET's "The Mo'Nique Show."
No release date for the DVD has been set yet--see below for a sneak peek:
Cauleen Smith, a San-Diego-based artist who has been picked up by Threewallsresidency program, is in the process of trying to fund her experimental film and LP project, The Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band. Basically, this is a marching band flash mob made up of musicians of all ages that appears in different locations around Chicago, gingerly plays a Sun Ra song and then scatters. What's better than that? According to Smith's mission statement, "The Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band brings many Chicago communities together to interrupt ordinary life in the city with fleeting ecstatic moments of visual and aural incongruence."
Alberto Aguilar made 1000 friends on Facebook and invited them to participate in his Personal Dinner Invitation project where he simply had people over to his home for dinner. Alberto curated the people, music and food to create a memorable moment for him and his Facebook friends. One of the guests, Becky Grajeda, recorded part of her evening and made a soundscape entitled Enacting that can be heard during the credits of this episode.
Sometimes, filmmakers put together something that is so strong, so perfect, so abundantly great that they make it look easy, and you wonder why everyone making movies can't produce something this close to flawless. Ethan and Joel Coen's True Grit is just such a film, an effortless work of perfection that captures a sense of place and period so convincingly that you are taken aback by how effortless it all seems. The Coens haven't always reached this level of moviemaking, but they do so with alarming regularity with such works as Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men. Now, if I didn't name your favorite Coen Brothers movie, it's not because I didn't like it. But in all of their other films, I could see them trying maybe a little too hard. Nothing wrong with that, but when I stumble upon one of these five films (and True Grit will be added to the list) on a movie channel, it gets watched to the end because I don't even notice time passing.
Bobbie Henry, of Chicago, began selling handmade jewelry and art pieces at the original Maxwell Street Market in 1976. She relocated to the new Maxwell Street Market, on Canal, in 1994. Today, she has a booth on a prime spot at the market's latest location, on Desplaines, just north of Roosevelt.
Henry's next move is a commentary on the market's current, diminished state and its uncertain future.
"Another thing that's fading me out of this," Henry explained, "is I'm going on eBay with most of my art."
The present Maxwell Street Market is open Sundays, from 7am to 3pm, on a short stretch of Desplaines Street north of Roosevelt Road. But many of the people who bought and sold goods at the original market say that its current incarnation, sanctioned and organized by the City of Chicago's Mayor's Office of Special Events, hardly measures up.
"I was selling leather clothes and bags [on Maxwell, and on Canal]. I would make $3,000 every Sunday." Henry said, "Now, I only make $200 or $300."
I have to admit, I have very little to say about this decades-in-the-making sequel to arguably one of the most influential films in the last 50 years. Notice, I said "most influential" and not "greatest" films. Animators, computer gurus and other creative types have all named Tron as the inspiration to choosing their career paths and passions. Having rewatched Tron recently, I can confirm the movie isn't that good. That being said, seeing it with fresh eyes actually made me remember what it was about the movie that I loved so much as a youth. I didn't understand computers, let alone own one, so for all I knew the idea of programs with human faces talking to each other, competing against each other, etc., was exactly how the electronic world worked. Plus, I loved the hell out of the Tron arcade game. I'd never seen a film that looked liked Tron or even existed in the same universe, so I was hypnotized in a way. So much so, that I ignored the overacting and cringe-worthy dialogue. Still, I never forgot this Disney production and anytime a sequel rumor surfaced, I got a charge.
There aren't many interesting ways for filmaphiles to ring in the New Year. House parties always have that awkward lull halfway through them, and we've all witness what a terrible idea going to a bar can be. Lo and behold the fine people at the Musicbox Theatre have a solution.
For the past two years the Musicbox and Camp Theater have presented an alternative to the bar scene with an all-out seafaring adventure set to the 1972 classic The Poseidon Adventure. The film is set on New Years Eve, where passengers encounter a catch in their evening's plan when they are involved in the biggest maritime disaster on the silver screen. Starting at 11pm, Chicago "passengers" embark on a journey on the high seas with camp master Dick O'Day as their captain. The unique thing about this is that you get to say you rang in the New Year with Gene Hackman, as the theater times Poseidon's midnight chime with reality's. The audience is encouraged to dress up in '70s cocktail attire, and the best outfit will win fantastic prizes. The Tribune and Metromix called this event a must-attend last year so make sure you don't miss out on it this time around. The Poseidon Adventure just won't be the same afterward.
The movie starts at 11pm at the Musicbox Theatre (3733 N. Southport) and goes until 2am. Tickets to The Poseidon Adventure are $22 in advance, $27 at the door. Your ticket includes a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, drink tickets, party favors, postshow party, and a interactive movie guide to help you follow the madness. A portion of each ticket sale also goes to Hell In a Handbag Productions.
Last summer a bunch of sculptures appeared (seemingly magically) along the boulevard on Franklin in East Garfield Park, between Sacramento and Central Park. Some are pretty cool, others are downright hideous. Most of the residents of the neighborhood are happy to see them out there, though, because they represent interest in the area-- something Garfield Park has been suffering from lack of since the housing bubble burst. But now that the mystery of who put the sculptures up and who the artists are is solved, the controversy has shifted from whether or not the sculptures are eyesores to what a bunch of sculptures by white guys are doing in a largely African American neighborhood. Also, why weren't the numerous artists who already live in Garfield Park not invited to participate? Why outsource?
WBEZ, a.k.a. Chicago Public Radio, posted an interesting feature story on their site about it last week. Check it out and share your thoughts.
Do you think you're funny? Is your New Year's Resolution to do something that scares you? Could you use some extra cash money? Then the Second Bi-Annual She-nanigans Comedy Challenge might be the answer to your prayers. It's a weekly comedy show where contestants compete for $500 and the position of She-Nanigans' house comic.
Terry Donlon will emcee and host this second run of the Comedy Challenge at She-Nannigans House of Beer. The winner of the first Comedy Challenge, Anish Shah, will judge along with a rotating panel of other comics and comedic experts. The show takes place every Thursday from January 6 through March 31, 2011 at 7 p.m. Comics will need to sign up, in advance, by emailing mattk@rushanddivision.com, and include a photo and/or any links to videos of their act, no later than the last preliminary week of March 16, 2011.
If you'd rather watch than participate, spectators are encouraged to laugh and imbibe with $2.50 PBR cans, $10 domestic pitchers and $8 bombs, and $5 Cuervo Gold and Silver Tequila shots. She-Nanigans House of Beer is located at 16 West Division Street.
Theater is one of the best ways to warm up on these oppressively wintery Chicago evenings. Better yet, how about a story about people looking for other people to keep them warm? Bus Stop, William Inge's heartwarming, all-American tale of human connections and social blunders in the face of a brutal Midwestern snowstorm certainly fits the bill, although some may find it brutally old-fashioned.
Bus Stop, a collaborative directorial debut by veteran actors Lia Mortensen and Ryan Martin, is the first show at The Den Theatre-- a promising new venue capable of seating about 100 with a spacious stage and a cavernous lobby. It is a solid first show with an inviting small-town diner set by Caleb McAndrew and Aimee Plant.
I've hiked the lengths of many Chicago streets over the years: Milwaukee, Western, Halsted, Archer, Grand, 63rd, Kedzie, Belmont, 79th and King. So it's surprising that it never occurred to me to hike Lawrence, with its wildly varied strips of shops and restaurants, representing countries from all over the world.
But recently, on my way back from staying in a shack by the Wisconsin border, I took Metra south to the Ravenswood stop and then bicycled west on Lawrence at night. I needed to visit Flo's Algiers Lounge, a dive at 5436 W. Montrose with a flashing Vegas-style sign and support pillars disguised as palm trees, for a magazine blurb. On the way I was dazzled by the neon along Lawrence in Albany Park, with signs in Spanish, Arabic, Korean and maybe a dozen other languages. The street definitely deserved a closer look.
Pictured from left to right: John Mohrlein (Clarence/Mr. Potter), Gwendolyn Whiteside (Mary Bailey), and Kevin R. Kelly (George Bailey) in ABT's It's a Wonderful Life. Photo by The Stage Channel.
From now through December 31, American Blues Theater's It's a Wonderful Life, transports viewers to another era, for a 1940s-style live radio show, featuring the classic holiday tale of George Bailey. The iconic charm of The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., provides an ideal location for the production, and the performance, directed by Marty Higginbotham, warms hearts again this season.
The cast greets theater-goers with lively, casual conversation and Christmas carols from the piano as they enter the house. Actors weave through the aisles handing out "Audiograms" on which audience members write messages to friends or loved ones, which are read intermittently during commercial breaks. On the stage stand three vintage microphones with broad rectangular heads. The piano sits off to the left, near the authentic-looking "On Air" and "Applause" light-up signs. A Christmas tree, a couch, and the sound effects corner complete the stage area. As audience continues to trickle in, the cast engages visitors in Christmas carol sing-along. After a few directions from the announcer (Ed Kross), the show begins and you're plunged into the famous tale.
Although they originally began as industrial advertising, lithograph posters soon found a hungry audience of collectors who viewed the works as art. The lithograph posters helped define the Belle Epoche period in France. Jules Chéret's print shop printed smaller (yet aesthetically accurate) versions of these posters, known as Les Maîtres de l'Affiche (The Masters of the Poster).
For their latest exhibition, the Zygman Voss Gallery presents Les Maîtres de l'Affiche. The exhibition features 55 original lithographs from the Belle Epoche period by such masters as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha, and Jules Chéret. Les Maîtres de l'Affiche opens tonight from 5 to 7 pm at Zygman Voss Gallery, 222 W Superior, 1E. This event is free. RSVP here.
With a new, much slimmer figure, Jennifer Hudson is certainly looking good these days; however, according to the folks at The Grio, she doesn't particularly look good somewhere else, namely, in the new film Winnie, a story based on the life of Winnie Mandela.
Ever since Hudson was named as the film's lead, a lot of criticism emerged, with Mandela herself being one of the most outspoken critics against the film. From the question of Hudson's acting ability to Mandela's request for a native South African actress to be cast in the role, there has seemingly not been a lot of fanfare about the film.
The movie isn't scheduled for release until early 2011; however, The Grio explains why the choice to cast Hudson and Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard (whom they feel is equally miscast) as "two iconic, legendary, world-changing" individuals might have movie-goers, well, wincing.
I got a chance to visit the all new Harper Gallery in the South Loop today. I have to say it is a lot more interesting now that they have a clearer focus. Working with local jewelry designers, toy makers, and of course visual artists they have made a gallery that can be perused rather than just ran through real quick, which is exactly what it used to be.
Sometimes, when you don't expect something to be truly great, it goes and surprises the hell out of you and turns out to be just that. Like many of you, I'd seen the trailer for director David O. Russell's The Fighter, the first film in far too long from the maker of Spanking the Monkey, Flirting with Disaster, I Heart Huckabees and his previous best work, Three Kings. The two latter films star Mark Wahlberg, who has done arguably much of his best work under Russell's direction. But The Fighter is an entirely different animal, possibly because this project has been Wahlberg's passion for the better part of the last decade. Not only is this the best performance in the actor's career, but the film itself easily ranks among the best of the year. There's a good chance you're going to be hearing me say that about a couple more films before the end of the year, for obvious reasons, but The Fighter is so nakedly raw as a narrative and stylistically flawless that it's virtually impossible to escape its brutal grip.
Alysse Dalessandro, Matt Kasin, Kirsten Kilponen, Benjamin Bradshaw
What is the aesthetic underground if not constantly evolving? For members of the "vintage underground," this constant evolution concerns space and the possibilities one venue can provide in telling stories of design and style.
The participants in this Friday's DRUNK MALL (Bummer Town, The Gaudy God, Jenstyle, SisterMan, and The Sometimes Store) curate a crafty collection of vintage goods pulled from the stylistically-unique '80s and '90s. Their choices are attuned to the wants of post-modern vintage hunters whose tastes are more than just jeans and a white t-shirt.
DRUNK MALL is not the first event of its kind, and it is the roaming spirit of the event that best defines the idea of the current "vintage underground." The past year included a noticeable increase in these curated, collective, community sales at parties, trunk shows, fashion presentations, and gay night clubs. The attention to vintage wear fits along with the sporadic nature of these events.
"Shopping for vintage is like shopping handmade -- people like this idea of owning something unique and hand-selected rather than buying mass-produced goods," said Alysse Dalessandro, co-owner of The Sometimes Store. And like the items they sell, these sales are one-off events, not permanent fixtures. Blink and you'll miss it.
Inspired by artists and designers who use available analog and digital tools to communicate complex data from the everyday to the very obscure, the Public Media Institute presents Select Media Festival 9: Infoporn II this weekend as an homage to their love for data visualization. A selection of works from around the world takes form in installations, a publication library, interactive projects, and infographics. The exhibition itself will be viewable at Co-Prosperity Sphere for two days only: Friday, Dec. 10 from 7pm to 1am and Saturday Dec. 11 from 2 to 9pm.
Tonight they open SMF9: Infoporn II with the release of their own contribution to the information overload, Proximity Magazine: Issue 008. Themed "Education as Art," their newest issue is a 230-page opus and represents their latest and greatest effort in publishing. Stop by the release party at Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar to get a copy at a discount ($10), enjoy some beverages and meet the creators/contributors to the issue.
Here are some radio folks who were featured on Fox Chicago this week, and I was very fortunate to meet a few of them: the crew from the B96 morning show. I interviewed the on-air talent and met Tony Kelly there, who's one of the producers featured in the video below. Visiting that morning show was very fun. Too bad life can't be like that more often.
The Art Institute of Chicago has brought back its Adopt a Dot gift concept for the holidays. The deal is, you pay $10 for a button (or three for $25, or $50 for all six) as a token donation in someone's honor. The colors of the buttons are "inspired by iconic works" in the Art Institute's collection.
• Blue = Chagall's America Windows
• Silver = Thorne Miniature Rooms
• Gold = the arms and armor collection
• Red = Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
• Dark Green = also A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
• Light Green = uh, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte too
Cheesy or not, the buttons are a nice way to support the museum. Orders must be placed by Dec. 15 to ensure delivery in time for Christmas.
Our own Steve at the Movies has another opportunity to invite Gapers Block readers to a free advanced screening. The film this time is a twisted Christmas tale from Finland, Rare Exports, which is opening at the Music Box Theatre on Christmas Eve. But you can see it sooner.
Rare Exports will screen on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at the Landmark Century Center Cinema (at Clark and Diversey) at 7pm. Readers may bring one guest. Just send Steve an email with your full name and whether or not you're bringing a guest to steve@steveatthemovies.com by noon on Friday, Dec. 10. He will bounce you an email back to confirm your RSVP. Head over to Ain't It Cool News to read Steve's original review of the film when he saw it back in September.
The Chicago Arts District down in East Pilsen has announced a call for entries for its 2011 showPOD season. The seven ShowPODs are temporary exhibition spaces designed to "create an instant art experience in a non-traditional space." Got an idea? Fill out the PDF entry form.
Editor's note: This is the first in a new weekly series of things overheard somewhere in Chicago, illustrated by Mark Addison Smith. Watch for Overheard Illustrated every Monday morning in A/C, and view more of Mark's work at You Look Like the Right Type.
The Black Ensemble Theater presents its sixth annual Black Playwrights Festival. The festival is produced by the theater's Black Playwrights Initiative (BPI), whose mission is to foster and unite Chicago's African-American playwright community; in addition, the BPI provides workshops, classes and other resources for black writers.
This year's festival opens on Monday, Dec. 6, with readings from works by Black Ensemble Theater Associate Artistic Director, Rueben Echoles, and playwrights Runako Jahi and Wendell Etherly. The evening will also feature a tribute to writer and Chicago native, Eric Monte, of Cooley High and "Good Times" fame.
Putting on a U.S. Premiere stage production that could legitimately be called an "intimate opera" seems like challenge enough. But Chicago Opera Vanguard's latest show, Boojum!, ups the ante by tackling a subject that makes practically no sense at all: Lewis Carroll's mock-epic poem The Hunting of the Snark.
Of course, to say that Boojum! is about the grand, silly poem is to sell the show's story short. The show uses the mysteries behind the quizzical poem to delve into the still deeper mysteries of its author, Lewis Carroll, and the real man behind that famous pen name, Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. As the show reminds us, Dodgson is a mortal, while Carroll will never die. The relationship between these two sides of the same man, as well as the curiosities of Dodgson's personal life, are subjects as central to the production as the snark hunt itself.
Sometimes the fashion shows take place in abandoned warehouses on the West Side or in third floor fledgling art galleries in Wicker Park. Occasionally, someone will clear out the knick knacks and sketch pads they normally scatter across the battered love seats of their first apartments in the city. The point, it seems, for a new crop of young designers, is to prove that there is some form of community (albeit smaller and certainly less competitive) in Chicago in a similar vein to more established design cities like New York or Los Angeles. If there are designs to be shown, a venue can be found--or created--to showcase a young designers work.
Every fall, the events of Chicago Fashion Focus primarily take place in the Macy's on State Street or in elaborately constructed tents in Millennium Park. The number of shows, usually less than 10, are a far cry from the fashion week events in smaller cities such as Miami or Minneapolis, and in no way compare to the extravaganza known as New York Fashion Week. With the demise of GenArt, the opportunities for local emerging designers to showcase their work during Fashion Focus is even less than during the event's first fledgling years in the early aughts. The results of this post-Gen Art era in the Chicago fashion scene has been ignored, or largely disjointed. For young designers obtaining their degrees from local art colleges such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College, and the Illinois Institute of Art, the disconnect between their academic pursuits and the communities or opportunities available has been a wake-up call and the inspiration to pursue more DIY-generated opportunities for exposure and experience.
In the spirit of this DIY-ethos, Carmen McGhee and Aris Sergakis, two fashion design students from the Illinois Institute of Art, came together to produce "UNEARTHED," an evening dedicated to the young emerging fashion designers of the city.
I know Christmas is on the minds of almost everyone these days, and for better or worse we have to accept that fact. So if you are tired of everyone around you talking about TVs, Movies, and the Corporate Crapfest that most holidays have turned into, you might want to turn to local and international artists, crafters, and designers to get your gifts from this year. Through Sunday the 5th you can go talk with creators, attend workshops and get a free years subscription to ReadyMade Magazine.
When is a movie about a ballerina obsessed with perfection not just that? Probably about as often as a horror film takes the conventions of the genre and turns them inside out, while still remaining true to the practices of building tension, piercing the mind of the unstable central character, and making her fragile yet imaginative psyche as much of a character as the timid woman whose mind can't quite keep it locked up.
In the finest work of her career, Natalie Portman plays Nina, a dancer in the New York City whose all-consuming search for the flawless performance is surpassed only by her overbearing mother's (Barbara Hershey) desire to see all of her dreams realized through her daughter's life. I've always been fascinated by the world of ballet and dance, not so much to see the resulting performance but more to see the toe-crushing work that goes into each routine. Director Darren Aronofsky seems to have a similar curiosity about the grueling steps it takes to shape a ballet, which clearly goes far beyond simply knowing the choreography. Nina's career has a chance to soar when the company's artistic director Thomas (Vincent Cassel, who splits his time between being seducer and dictator) decides to put on a production of "Swan Lake" with an emphasis on the darker aspects of the ballet 's lead role of the White Swan/Black Swan.
The Museum of Contemporary Art's monthly exhibit, UBS 12x12 New Artists / New Work, will be featuring it's 100th artist this Friday, December 3. Jessica Labatte, a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is the lucky participant in this milestone for the MCA. Her photographs of paper objects toy with the perception of three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional formats. The materials of her work are collaged and photographed in a way that focuses on composition and color. Her subjects often appear deceivingly two-dimensional and Labatte reminds viewers of their three-dimensional nature, only with very subtle shadows.
Ticket's to this week's First Friday event, which will be the opening reception for Labatte's exhibit, are available online for $13 and at the door for $18.
If you're looking for some end-of-the-year entertainment you should let Creepy Hug engulf you in a warm comedic embrace. With their latest show "The 2010 Commandments: The Year in Revue," sketch comedy group Creepy Hug will put their own spin on the biggest events of 2010. Relive the BP oil spill, the rise of the Tea Party, and all of their other happenings that made 2010 great.
"The 2010 Commandments" will run in Donny's Skybox Theatre at The Second City in Piper's Alley on Fridays at 9 p.m. until December 17, 2010. Tickets are $13 for general admission, $10 for students with ID and $6 for Second City students. For ticket information call Donny's Skybox Theatre at 312-337-3992 or log onto www.SecondCity.com.
Performance artist (and Glen Ellyn native) Laurie Anderson returns to Chicago to perform her latest work, Delusion, at the Harris Theater Jan. 11, 2011.
Delusion was commissioned for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and was most recently performed in New York as part of the Next Wave Festival at BAM Harvey Theater. It's made up of several plays, songs and improvised bits, evoking a dialogue about dreams, longing, identity and memory.
Tickets range from $35 to $80 and are available online, at the Harris Theater box office at 205 E. Randolph Dr., or by calling 312-334-7777.
Saturday, Dec. 4, #81 Lawrence bus
