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. ✶
Before we go any further, I have to mention that I had no idea that in addition to being a fantastic storyteller, Essay Fiesta's Keith Ecker was so ripped! In case you missed it, last week's Chicago Story Collective show: Summer Lovin', starring the lovely Alyson Lyon, the demure Dana Norris, the sultry Jen Bosworth, and the previously mentioned (but it's worth repeating) abs-tastic Keith Ecker got people to sit up and pay attention as they told real-life stories about blowjobs gone terribly wrong, spontaneous three-ways, virginity, and IML. (Guess which one Keith told?)
But the fun didn't stop there, in addition to storytelling, the audience was treated to performances by the burlesque troupe Vaudezilla, which included a breathtaking interpretation of Prince's "Sexy Motherfucker", and a dance routine set to The Stranglers "Peaches" that got so stuck in my head that when I got home I had to listen to it over and over, like some kind of overgrown toddler hankering for repetition.
Let X is a hysterical 90 minute struggle with reality and the understanding that sometimes the only way to get back on track is to completely lose control. David, a train conductor and sometime playwright, is trapped in a loveless marriage to Christine. He'd love nothing more than to seduce his wife's best friend Lily, a mathematician - he's even written a play about it - but her obnoxious husband Max constantly humiliates him into inaction. It's hopeless... Or is it? David - who is, after all, a playwright - decides to revise the script of the very play in which he is appearing. With the help of a cantankerous (and strangely omniscient) Stagehand, he goes after his girl, abruptly changing the story, confusing his fellow characters, and bringing an angry Playwright storming on stage to retaliate and try to win her back.
Let X performs Mondays through Wednesdays at Strawdog Theatre (3829 N Broadway St.) now through July 20 at 8pm (no show July 4). Tickets are $15.
Two Chicago-based actresses are attempting to have their dream realized: A hit web series based on the life and times of two freelance assassins. Before "Hitwomen" can become a hit, though, Lindsey Marks and Jolie Roberson need to raise $6,000 through the project startup, Kickstarter. Please checkout their video here and donate as much or as little as you want based on what you see.
Tomorrow afternoon the Hyde Park Art Center hosts part four in their series of neighborhood-centric gallery tours -- Artist-Run Spaces in Garfield Park. Hop on your bike and explore the warehouse artist studios and artist run spaces on the west side. Starting at noon at my favorite coffee shop, The Star Lounge (2521 W. Chicago), the tour will visit some of the city's newest exhibition venues and see the work of emerging artists, followed by a barbecue (at my house!). Visit hydeparkart.org for details (the site says the tour is over at 3 but a little bird (and a bunch of fliers) told me it goes 'till 6pm).
It is easy to forget what led to the power and passion that unfolded onstage in HOPERA: Unleashed. Composer and vocalist Adrian Dunn's fusion of hip-hop and opera was the perfect blend, so much so that the merging of two genres that come from separate worlds becomes lost and forgotten.
The performance marks the return of the company's 2009 performance, Hopera: A Fallen Hero and features a series of numbers from the first studio album of hip-hop opera company, HOPERAWorld, released earlier this month.
I've long believed that Cars has long been held as the weakest of the Pixar offerings because it has the broadest appeal and seems more squarely aimed at younger viewers than any of the other works. Beyond that, it's also the one that seems the most "red state," featuring an abundance of racing and core messages about homespun values as seen from the vantage point of Smalltown USA. Those of us who adore what Pixar does in terms of innovation and not always casting the most obvious voice talent for its movies seemed to flat out reject the presence of Larry the Cable Guy's tow truck character Mater, perhaps the broadest stroke in the Pixar character army.
A month ago I found myself in Bloomington Normal for the One State Together in the Arts, the only conference for Illinois' entire creative community. While I was down there, I met a number of people, one of which was Ife Williams who told me about her project "See Me Better", bringing together ten community organizations to create murals on boards that will be secured over windows of vacant properties in North Lawndale, South Lawndale and East Garfield.
Since late January, students and community members have been meeting weekly, brainstorming ideas for their mural concepts and designs, developing fundamentals in art, as well as participating in neighborhood field trips and history lessons. Classes were led by art students from a number of colleges around Chicago.
This Saturday, June 25 the public will get their first look at the results of this project, from 10am to 1:30pm at 1528 S. Christina. You will have the opportunity to meet the artists and talk with the organizations involved in the project, as well as partake in a community barbeque lunch.
Tonight at 7pm, Art In These Times, the community gallery at In These Times' office (2040 N. Milwaukee Ave.), presents a new exhibition of posters and photographs from ongoing labor demonstrations in Wisconsin that began on February 14, 2011. The exhibition is a collaboration with Nicolas Lampert and will feature prints and placards he has collected as an active participant in the labor and community rallies in Madison. The Hard Times Trio, a jazz group which performs classic labor songs, will perform. The artwork will be on display through the summer and fall.
The exhibition features screenprints and off-set posters from rallies in Madison and Milwaukee and features prints by Nicolas Lampert, Colin Matthes, Eric Drooker, Jesus Barraza, Josh MacPhee, Jesse Graves and others. The photography of Lauren Cumbia (who co-organizes the gallery space with Daniel Tucker), Brandon Pittser and the Public Collectors archive will also be exhibited.
Check out this recent report from Wisconsin by curator Nicolas Lampert and Dan S. Wang for more information about the movement to defend collective bargaining rights.
For the vintage-oriented fashion fan, Chicago has finally started to host a round of exclusive pop-up shops, group sales, and special events to cater to this ever-growing market. Cult-favorite independent boutique Sofia is one of the city's most reliable sources for that perfect combination of contemporary labels and high-crafted vintage statement pieces.
For their latest event, the store welcomes Luxury Garage Sale for a pop-up store inside of the boutique. Luxury Garage Sale features new or gently used contemporary and designer clothing, artwork, and other items for the home. Featuring designer clothing, jewelry, and handbags, the sale begins today and lasts through Sunday at 5pm. Sofia is located at 72 East Oak Street. The store is open 11am to 7pm, Thursday through Saturday, and on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.
I spent the better part of last night scrubbing pieces of pasta dough from my skin. Every few minutes, I noticed a rogue piece in the thick strands of my too-long bangs or embedded in the crease of my elbow. Earlier in the evening, I attended one of Dabble's classes (How to Make Fresh Pasta) and the experience was pleasant for this curious attendee. Growing up, my experience with the classic dish was limited to dry spaghetti and my mother's tomato meat sauce. As I've grown older, my tastes have expanded exponentially but my experiences making food from scratch is still a work in progress.
Four youth winners of Graffiti Zone's Next Top Artist Contest will be honored tomorrow night at GZ's Spring Fundraiser. The event will take place at Chicago Urban Arts Society: 2229 S. Halsted from 6 to 9pm. Hosted by Chicago hip hop performer Philip Morris, described as "one of the ultimate word smiths of hip-hop (Skope Magazine)," the evening will feature catering by Green Cuisine, open bar, silent auction and performances by Opera-Matic with sound by Mark Messing. Ample free parking is available behind the building off of Cermak. Tickets are $35 at the door, or online at graffitizone.org. All proceeds to benefit Graffiti Zone, a five-year old non-profit arts organization serving kids from Humboldt Park. More info about the fundraiser can be found here.
Chicago's Cell Camp gets dirty in their latest sketch show inspired by late-night Cinemax movies and the Illicit Dream series. Expect raunchy language, nudity, gay sex, regular sex, cartoon violence and the return of Tifty the Cybercrime and Rape Fighting Mouse.
Cell Camp After Dark will take place at 10:30pm at Stage 773: 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets are available via the Stage 773 website and in person at the box office.
When violence goes viral, as happened most notably in some of the raw video footage depicting and sharing with the world the outpouring of protests during the Middle East's Arab Spring earlier this year, it can be difficult to accept the images we see and the sounds we hear as reality. Our mind chooses to resist the Hollywood tendency to place ourselves in the lead "character's" shoes and we distance ourselves from those living another life, speaking a different language and living in a foreign land. We retweet and move on to the next slice of scandal, society or, if we're lucky, substance amongst the digital deluge.
But once one watches the video depicting the violent April 18 attack of 22-year-old trans woman Chrissy Lee Polis in a Baltimore area McDonald's, it's hard to forget the sound of her screams amidst a backdrop of ambivalence, at best, and egging on, at worst. It's difficult to erase the image of Polis' hair being pulled and her body being dragged along the floor by her teenage assailants, who leapt on her in the restaurant's restroom. It's impossible to un-cry the tears that may shed upon watching the attacks coming to an end only after an older woman interjected -- and the restaurant's employees warned the attackers that police were, finally, en route to the scene.
One of the major points of discussion in feminist literature often comes down to this: Is this story about a woman freeing herself from the patriarchal order a feminist commentary or a commentary on any person who has been marginalized? Can those who are not part of a certain minority relate to that minority? I don't think the play The Homosexuals attempts to answer that question. Haphazardly, though, I found myself relating immensely to the lead character, Evan (Patrick Andrews).
Evan is a 20-something gay man. I am an almost 30-year-old straight woman. When I watched him dump his much older boyfriend, Peter (Scott Bradley) in order to "find himself," he could have been my spiritual twin. We learn as this play takes us back over a 10 year period that Evan has been struggling for years with issues of identity, sexuality and freedom. Specifically, Evan struggles to live in a real capacity in a predominately straight culture. His closest ties are to a group of gay men he has known since his first days in Chicago. These ties become more tangled as Evan's sexual relationships with various men in the group develop. Like me, when Evan begins such a relationship, he often feels torn between who he wants to be and who whomever he is with at the time wants him to be.
The Chicago Urban Art Society is a Pilsen-based not-for-profit exhibition and creative-use space located in the Creative Industry District, 2229 S. Halsted St. Starting at 2pm on June 25, you'll be able to join them for an ol' fashioned fundraising Brew HA HA. Well, maybe this Brew HA HA is more "new" fashioned than old, because if you attend, you'll have a chance to taste some of the best, locally produced beer before other Chicagoans get word of them. If you feel like it, you can also bring a bottle of your favorite brew to share with other curious brewsters. Don't miss these featured home brewers, though: Lowdive, Brutally Honest Brewing and Powell Brewing. Also, save some room for beer-friendly treats from Chef Won Kim & Company. Actually, it'll be best to pace your sips and bites, because this beer tasting will go on until 7pm. Admission is $10 per person.
The Black Ensemble Theater, led by Jackie Taylor, hits Chicago with another summer of sultry shows with its "Sex in the Summer in the City" series. Now in its third year, the series kicks off on June 27 at 7pm with the sizzling Sex Party, a performance that features excerpts from all the shows in the series.
Written by members of the Black Ensemble Theater's Black Playwrights Initiative, "Sex in the Summer in the City" is a three-show series of one-act plays that take a provocative look at "lust, pain and conflict" in relationships. The first show, Virgin and Other Profanities, written by Dawn Bless and directed by Daryl Brooks, runs June 29-30; it tells the story of two roommates whose relationship is tested due to their sexual differences.
If there was even an outside chance of you caring about this movie based on your already established love of the comic book source material or even just the progressively more interesting trailers that have been released over the last few months, then you've already likely read a half-dozen or more reviews of this film that have warned you to stay far, far away from Green Lantern. And I'm afraid my review isn't going to stray far from that line of thinking either, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
Everyone knows who Bobcat Goldthwait is. He's the 'guy from Police Academy, right?'. Yes, he is that guy from Police Academy, but he is also a stand-up comedian. A very funny, endearing, surprisingly underrated stand-up comedian. I had the pleasure of seeing the first of his two sets at Mayne Stage last night, and it was well worth the time and ticket price.
Playing at the About Face Theatre: Kick off GLBTQ Pride Month with the world premiere of The Homosexuals, by Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins. The play is a comedic love story that follows a young gay man who moves to the Midwest. During a party he meets a group new friends who will have a dramatic impact on his life and relationships. The play examines the fears, doubts and hopes that face the gay community.
The Homosexuals plays June 11 through July 24 at The Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets are currently available at www.aboutfacetheatre.com or 773-871-3000.
Blood Dolphin may be a fledgling improv duo, but they are already off to a strong start. During their recent run at Studio BE Blood Dolphin debuted their form, which is a mixture of musical improv and quirky yet grounded scene work. With Carrie Shemanski rocking the banjo and Erin Thorn on tambourine, they take a suggestion of a name and and object from the audience and open with a whimsical musical number. (The night I attended the suggestion was Paulie Prism, which prompted a charming number about a man who rode through the streets of Boystown saying "hi" to everyone that he passed.) What follows is a slew of short but invested scenes that are offbeat, but played with the utmost sincerity. The ladies of Blood Dolphin aren't afraid to wander into strange territory (Such as with the scene that involved using a pooping baby as a graffiti tool.) but they never let things wax too unbelievable.
Opening acts that performed at the show I attended included stand-up comedian Alexandra Tsarpalas and sketch comedy duo Aggie and Irene. Tsarpalas entertained the crowd with "Golden Girls" jokes and tiny porcelain hands, and Aggie and Irene sang, told jokes, and sprayed each other with shaving cream as their friendship comically fell apart onstage.
Jim Norton, who is best known for his brutal honesty on stage and self-deprecating style, recently took some time out of his busy Just For Laughs and Anti-Social Network schedules to answer some questions for us, and to reveal his secret love for Lady Gaga.
Octavarius, a Chicago comedy group and headliner for closing night of the Chicago Improv Festival, takes the stage on Sunday, June 19 at 7pm, at The ComedySportz Theatre Chicago (929 W. Belmont Ave.) for opening night of a 35-week run.
On the seventh floor of the former Carson Pirie Scott building, the graduating students from the School of the Art Institute's Departments of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO), and Fashion, presented works befitting the classic Louis Sullivan-designed building. Aesthetically speaking, their designs and concepts - ranging from mobile food cart projects to illuminated public art works to multi-functional furniture - are a far cry from Sullivan's steel-framed Chicago landmark. But the goals of the students' designs, often touching upon ideas of recycling, conservation of resources, and streamlined communication, were grounded in multi-generational sustainability.
"It was a chance to do something really beautiful, really challenging, and a challenge for myself," said Alysse Filipek (BFA 2013), the Grand Prize winner of the Designers of Tomorrow competition. Filipek's work addresses both her personal history in Southern California and her reaction to the harsh, Seasonal Affective Disorder-creating winters of Chicago.
Other works on view include LOADED: SAIC in Milan, originally presented during the 2011 Milan International Furniture Fair; Industry Partners: Living in a Smart City; a five-year GFRY Design Studio retrospective; and Where is Where, the graduate thesis exhibition.
Furniture geeks and functional art fans, take heed: the 7th Annual Guerrilla Truck Show is tonight, along with a bevy of exhibitions and parties in the area designed to be visited in tandem. These events take place tonight from 5:30 to 9:30 in the West Loop, with the official truck show at Morlen Sinoway Atelier: 1052 W. Fulton Market St. For more information, visit the Facebook event page. For a map of all the locations participating, click here. Also, (not noted on the map) EBERSMOORE (213 N. Morgan, #3C) is hosting a special exhibition of work by the talented group known as the Dock 6 Collective (works pictured above). For photos of past GTS's, check out this Flickr collection.
(left to right) Adam Poss and Amy J. Carle in Animals Out of Paper by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Jaclynn Jutting, part of Steppenwolf's NEXT UP 2011 Repertory. Photo by Michael Brosilow.
Steppenwolf's Next Up program -- featuring three productions showcasing Chicago's next generation of artists -- is going strong right now, with just a handful of shows left before it wraps up on June 19. I strongly encourage you to hurry up and get your tickets to see at least one of the shows this week.
Sadly, I haven't been able to see Venus, but the other two plays: Animals out of Paper and Where We're Born had me on the edge of my seat all day yesterday.
There are a few things that make Chicago remarkable and one of those is the Zombie March every year. This year was a little cooler than last but still a pleasant day for The Walking Dead to gather at the Bean in Millennium Park. The greatness of this city was heightened when once again people of all ages and races were able to join together and march as undead beings united in their quest for brains. Of course, one really did have to feel sorry for all the actual live wedding parties trying to get photographs taken by the Bean, only to have their wedding invaded by two undead wedding parties and hordes of other reanimated corpses, making for a rather surreal scene.
Zombies this year re-enacted Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for the stunned and somewhat fearful tourists and marched throughout the loop, descending on the downtown area with vigor. Highlights of this year included Abe Lincoln zombies, Emergency Room zombies, a plethora of zombie children with their families, zombie couples in love, and punk zombies. If there was any doubt at all about how seriously some Chicagoans take the event, I'll remove all doubt with three words: Black. Swan. Zombie.
Lots of laughter is in store as TBS's Just for Laughs hits town this week; the comedy festival, which boasts a diverse range of comedians, has something in store for everyone, including laughs from the ladies. Here, Chicago native and comedienne Kellye Howard, host of the festival's "5-Star Leading Ladies," talks about women in comedy and what it means to be part of one of the largest comedy festivals around.
How does it feel to be the host of the festival's only all-female lineup?
It is huge! Last year I was a feature on this show, so to come around this year and be selected as a host is amazing. It just shows I've grown a lot in my career which means a lot to me.
Also (furniture nerds): Don't forget about the Guerrilla Truck Show on Tuesday and NeoCon, which goes Monday through Wednesday at the Merchandise Mart.
It took me awhile to realize what the J.J. Abrams written and directed work Super 8 actually was, and once I settled into that notion, the world got a whole lot better. More Stand By Me than Close Encounters or E.T., Super 8 is one of the truest, purest examples in recent memory of a movie that reminded me of friends gone by, the fun that being a kid used to be, and the way movies energized our spirit of adventure to make our own sci-fi short films that borrowed from Star Wars, as well as episodes of "Star Trek" and "Buck Rodgers." If you ever walked out of a Steven Spielberg (a producer on this movie) film wanting to find out more about the possibility of extra-terrestrial life — or wanting to just kick ass after walking out of an Indiana Jones movie — you will absolutely respond to Super 8.
Pat O'Brien ("Saturday Night Live" writer and local performer, not the smutty "Access Hollywood" host.) has been scheduled to perform The POB Show as part of the Just For Laughs Festival for quite some time, but O'Brien just announced on Facebook that "Saturday Night Live" head writer, Seth Meyers, would be joining him for his show on June 16th. The POB Show is a mix of sketch comedy, music, and miscellany, with musician Emme B joining O'Brien and Meyers for the ride.
The POB Show is playing on June 16th at midnight at iO (3541 N Clark St.). It's advised to purchase tickets in advance via TicketWeb or by calling iO's box office (773-880-0199).
Chicago is definitely a musical that despite its many revivals will always be revered among theatergoers--and if the packed house at last night's opening at the Oriental Theatre was any indication, the long-running Broadway hit will remain a fan favorite for many years to come.
A story of murder, adultery and greed, and set in Chicago in the 1920s, Chicago centers on Roxie Hart (Tracy Shayne), a fame-seeking adulteress who murders her lover and is sent to jail. During her incarceration, she becomes entangled with a cast of characters including Matron "Mama" Morton (Roz Ryan), the prison "mother" at Cook County Jail who grants favors, but never without reciprocity; Billy Flynn (award-winning actor John O'Hurley), a slick, sensational lawyer whom Roxie hires to handle her trial; and Velma Kelly, a fellow, fame hungry chanteuse whose fading star fades even faster upon Roxie's arrival. Through a series of musical numbers, the audience learns that in the end, the pursuit of fame often comes with a price.
In the past year, what has become noticeable in Chicago's emerging and contemporary gallery scene is the ubiquitous and relative importance of Anna Cerniglia's Johalla Projects. The space not only provides ample opportunities for many locally-based artists to exhibit their work. It also provides a unique platform for more experimental and brief artist projects that connect a wider variety of artistic practices than the traditional exhibition.
In Urban Dwellers, artist Andrea Jablonski in collaboration with Vicki Fuller of VLF Development created and installed large-scale and glittered deer in the empty lot of 1827 North Milwaukee. The deer serve as a reminder for of the original natural surroundings of the area prior to urban development. Urban Dwellers closes June 11.
Good TV fans know there are shows to get excited about, shows whose return dates get marked on the calendar. Perhaps you've already shed tears over the fact that Mad Men isn't set to return until 2012; maybe you're already counting the days until Modern Family and Community come out of summer reruns.
Comfort ye, my television-loving people. These days, summer marks the return of some great programming, including some shows you might not have made room for on your DVR during the heady days of fall primetime. Here are a few I'm most excited about, including one that premieres tonight:
June 7, 8PM Central, USA White Collar
The bromance at the center of this USA crime show is truly something special. Yeah, it's between an FBI agent and his favorite con, who just happens to be one of the world's foremost white-collar criminals, but somehow it stays believable. Witty, breezy summer fun with a touch of glitz.
June 14, 8PM Central, TNT Memphis Beat
It stars Jason Lee as cop by day, local country music star by night. Enough said.
Thomas Roach, 86 plastic chairs uncomfortable to stack but ill, 2011.
Tonight begins a two-part reading series at Alderman Exhibitions featuring selections from William T. Vollman's short story collection, The Atlas. A companion to the gallery's current exhibition, Thomas Roach: New Drawings, tonight's reading will also include a discussion and reception. Vollman's stories, often quick and glinting descriptions of brief moments in passing, are a compliment to Roach's drawings which often evoke an ethereal and visceral quality. Although the event is free, guests are encouraged to RSVP at info@aldermanexhibitions.com. PDF's of the selected stories are available for each session and copies can be sent to you upon request in the RSVP.
The Program:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 7pm
William T. Vollmann, The Atlas, PART 1
Selected stories for Part 1:
The Back of My Head
It's Too Difficult to Explain
Bad Air
Brandi's Jacket
Houses
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 7pm
William T. Vollmann, The Atlas, PART 2
Selected stories for Part 2:
The Atlas
The Rifles
Where Are You Today
Last Day at the Bakery
Alderman Exhibitions is located at 350 North Ogden, 4th floor.
Chekov fans will want to visit the Raven Theatre by July 23 to check out The Cherry Orchard, his last play, directed by Michael Menendian.
In keeping with Chekov's favorite theme of family discord amidst financial woes, The Cherry Orchard tells the story of the Ranevskayas, a Russian family of wealth and history whose estate faces financial ruin unless strong measures are taken to save it.
Best known for her work with the Wood Sugars and her podcast Dates with Ever, as well as hosting The Starving Artist Project, Ever Mainard is a rising star of Chicago comedy. Her mother, Mary Mainard, has fallen ill and cannot afford the medical care she requires, so Chicago comics, producers, performers and fans have joined forces in an effort to help raise money and lend support.
In a sparsely-furnished office in the Merchandise Mart, five recent graduates of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy are striving to write the next chapter in Chicago's film history. With their independent movie Chicago Rot, currently in pre-production, they're determined to change the perception of their hometown among film-goers and filmmakers alike. And by partially funding the project via the crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter, they're inviting Second Citizens who share that vision to chip in.
Chicago Rot is the brainchild of Brant McCrea, Dorian Weinzimmer, Jeremy Vranich, Ryan Berena, and Sam Fell. All five were part of the 2009 inaugural graduating class of Flashpoint, the school for digital arts and media studies, which opened downtown in 2007. Rather than following the film student's stereotypical path straight to Los Angeles or New York, however, they're committed to proving Chicago can rival its coastal competitors as a hub for successful artists. Only fitting, then, that their first feature-length project should be what Weinzimmer calls "a personal love letter to the city - a dark love letter."
The TBS Just for Laughs festival is still over a week away, but to avoid being turned away from a sold-out show it would be wise to purchase tickets A.S.A.P. Here are some shows that you'll want to make sure to jump on tickets for right away:
4-Square: (June 15, 16) John Lutz (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live), Dan Bakkedahl (The Daily Show, Observe and Report), Peter Grosz (The Colbert Report), and Rob Janas (Second City e.t.c.) perform in one of the smartest, hippest, most grounded long-form improv shows that you'll ever see. These guys have been playing together long before they went big time, and their years of working together are evident in their cohesive group mind and sense of play.
The Chris Gethard Show: (June 17, 18) Chicago is not going to know what hit it. Upright Citizens Brigade regular, Chris Gethard, is bringing his late night talk show to the stage of iO. Filled with bits, stories, games, and assorted insanity, this show is sure to leave you talking for weeks.
Alone: Chicago's Best Solo Acts :(June 17, 18) Individually, you can see the folks in "Alone" performing in various comedy nights and solo shows around town, but now they're conveniently being assembled for one killer night of solo sketch comedy.
I did not see this one coming, and I'm not sure why. To varying degrees, I like all of director Matthew Vaughn's work (Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass), but the X-Men franchise just kept getting more and more scattered after Bryan Singer's second film to the point where it seemed impossible to get this right with an almost-entirely new team in front of and behind the cameras. But as the cast came together, I became more and more hopeful. Mixed in with a few lesser-known young actors are a handful of genuinely fine performers who elevate this material to such a degree that the final product ranks among the best that Marvel Studios has put together in its existence. And by setting the film mostly in the 1960s (during the Kennedy years), it opens up the possibility for future X-Men films that could be set pretty much in any decade that seems appropriate.
When I walked into Gorilla Tango Theater to see You're Being Ridiculous, My First Time, I was admittedly skeptical; a show with that premise could go very wrong, very fast. Much to my delight, what unfolded was an endearing, funny, well written and well produced show, worth the $15 ticket price.
A trailer for Sketchbook 9, to give you an idea of what Sketchbook is.
Collaboraction theater company's wildly popular annual Sketchbook festival begins tonight at the Chopin Theater. Sketchbook is a lively multi-media event, combining several art forms including theater, music, visual art, new technologies and bombastic partying, anchored by a show that features several short plays. Selected from hundreds of submissions, Sketchbook brings together the collective talents of more than two hundred pioneering directors, designers, actors, musicians and artists from Chicago and around the country for a jaw-dropping evening of creativity, experimentation, and celebration.
If you've got this evening free, consider heading downtown for the Art Futura Awards Party.
Art Futura is a small yearly exhibition (in its 9th year with attendance growing to 300 last year) connecting artists and art therapy patients -- blending the best of both worlds. It is a great cause that helps the community of emerging artists who submit work and the work of art therapists who help support over 100 patients as they try to rebuild their lives after spinal cord, brain, and stroke injuries.
The Art Futura website has a collection of inspirational profiles of the artists in the exhibition for you to check out, as well as more information about tonight's benefit, which caters to a younger audience than most events of this type -- this is for people who want to be engaged and may just be starting to get into charitable causes.
Undoubtedly, Chicago has produced some of the best comics around; from many famous Second City alumni to the late Bernie Mac, the Windy City has definitely cemented its place in America's comedy landscape. Perhaps no one knows this better than Comedians You Should Know (CYSK), a six-member comedy collective of some of Chicago's funniest stand-up comics.
Photo courtesy of: Jon Cole.
CYSK debuted at Fizz Chicago in 2008 and after gaining a devoted fan following complete with rave reviews there, the comedy sextet relocated to Timothy O'Toole's in the city's Gold Coast area last year, and performs weekly shows every Wednesday, along with other top talent from the city. Through the weekly show, as well as through videos and tours, CYSK is setting out to "shine a light on the often overlooked, yet immensely talented Chicago stand-up comedy scene," said group member, Danny Kallas.
Despite producing some of the nation's most successful entertainers, at times, according to Kallas, the comedic talent in the city often goes unrecognized. "Comedians You Should Know is out to prove that Chicago stand-up comedy is not only as relevant but of an even higher caliber and quality than that found in New York and LA," he said.
To find out more about Comedians You Should Know's schedule of weekly Wednesday shows, tours and other performances, visit their website.
