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. ✶
Soul mates don't die, directed by J. Preddie Predmore and produced by MacMillan's company, Never Assume Productions, illustrates how soul mates connect regardless of sex or mortal form. Set to debut at The Doppler Stage on September 3, it tells the tale of two star-crossed newlyweds who are ripped apart when their sexually oppressed guardian angels meet and fall in love. Love can be a funny distraction.
For more information about MacMillan and his show, visit his website. Also, check out his blog, which documents his epic bike trip.
This week, the 2nd annual Chicago Fringe Festival kicks off in the Windy City. The festival, which runs September 1-11 in the city's Pilsen neighborhood, is a premiere showcase for the arts, and will feature a variety of unique performances from the world of dance, theater, comedy and much more.
Among the highlights this year is My Salvation Has a First Name: A Wienermobile Journey, Robin Gelfenbien's one-woman, comedic show based on her true story of overcoming bullying and finding redemption via her "Wienermobile."
Robin Gelfenbien in My Salvation Has a First Name: A Wienermobile Journey
Tickets to the Chicago Fringe Festival are $10 for general admission/individual performances, with package rates available. Show times and locations vary; visit the website for a full performance schedule and locations or call 773-428-9977 for more information.
The wildly popular and successful MDW Fair of last spring is happening again this October 21-23 at the Geolofts. Formed as a collaborative project between the Public Media Institute, Roots & Culture and threewalls, the MDW Fair was conceived as a showcase for independent art initiatives, spaces, galleries and artist groups from the Chicago metropolitan area -- basically what NEXT was eight or nine years ago, but on a larger scale.
Corazón de Manzana is a dark, serious and vast play that incorporates many facets of human emotion. The play follows three families in Canada, America and Mexico as they struggle with a post-NAFTA North America.
I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, as this is a must-see, but the crux of this play is the discovery in America by Women's Studies professor Denise (Yadira Correa) that there have been a series of murders of women in Juarez, Mexico. While Denise tries to wrap her head around this atrocity, 17-year-old Sara (Katie Herbert) in Canada, tries to balance becoming a young woman with managing her aggressive mother (Ilyssa Fradin). Oh, yeah, she's also received a heart transplant. In Mexico, 7-year-old Mazi (Cruz Gonzalez) begins a terrifying journey into a magical land that she may never return from.
These three very different stories are connected with a thread that becomes stronger as the play progresses. The acting is wonderful (especially that of Cruz Gonzalez, who actually convinces us she is indeed 7, although the actress is in fact a young woman), and the quick scenery changes allow for a clean, seamless experience.
This play is a must see, because it addresses an extremely important problem that is often overlooked when we discuss the benefits of globalization. If truly art can inform as well as entertain, this play accomplishes that.
Corazón de Manzana runs through Sept. 25 in the DCA Theatre's Storefront Theater, 78 E. Washington St. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors and students, available online or at the box office.
Did it ever bother you that on Friends Ross's son Ben seemed to change ages and faces from season to season? First he was a baby, then he was played by little twin toddlers, and for the last few seasons, he was played by the too-old Cole Sprouse, back when he was known as half of the cute kid from Big Daddy (instead of one of the creepy twins from Suite Life and freaky GoGurt commercials).
Well, this kid-switching happens all the time in the world of sitcoms. And sometimes, all rules of time and space are ignored. One season, a baby is born, and the next season, a cute little toddler has miraculously taken his or her place. For the producers, it's a win-win: they get all the drama of a birth episode, get to skip the inconvenience and expense of having a baby in the cast, and then revel in all the refreshing cuteness of a precocious youngster. And all it costs them is a WTF moment from their adoring fans, along with a certain amount of our trust and goodwill - after all, we thought these people were supposed to be, like, real!
Unsurprisingly, shows that pull this drastic maneuver are sometimes trying to rejuvenate a cast of kids past their prime, or refresh the plot possibilities of a long-running program reaching a lull. Family Ties' baby, Andrew, was born in Season 3 and somehow started preschool in the premiere episode of Season 5, less than two years later. Baby Einstein indeed! Some genius producers recognized that the show was going to outlive Tina Yothers' girlish cuteness. On Growing Pains, fourth child Chrissy (born at the start of Season 3) was aged into a 6-year-old just as the old cutie-pie Ben became the tallest member of the cast (Ashley Johnson debuted as the older Chrissy in the premiere of Season 6, about the time the character should have been turning three).
So, is it even possible to have a baby on a show and let him age as normal? Case and point: I Love Lucy. Little Ricky's "birth" in 1953 was watched by an estimated 44 million people, and the attention-grabbing baby managed to mature at a relatively normal speed. That said, there were a few cast changes involved, and the actor we associate with the character (Keith Thibodeaux) was actually born in 1950. But come on, guys. It still counts.
When a Chicago improvisor and former Second City employee went to New York for the Del Close Marathon (an improv comedy festival) and cluelessly shared the story of when he sexually assaulted a female customer, the internet took notice. Today a variety of comedy blogs, women's sites, and freelance writers have picked up on the story and word has spread like wildfire. Internet sleuths have identified the man in question as Eric D. Angell, who is no longer employed at Second City and has moved away from Chicago. Jezebel.com contacted him for comment but have yet to hear back.
I know a lot of people like to begin their assessments of certain films by saying "If you don't love this movie, you have no soul," or "...there's something damaged inside of you," or "...I can't be friends with you anymore." You get the drift. And although the new film from director Jesse Peretz, Our Idiot Brother, is far from the best film or even the best comedy of the year so far, it's so inherently likable that to not allow yourself to be charmed is actually a criminal act. The film also provides us with one of the best examples of how once tight-knit families become dysfunctional and then rally in times of crisis.
By now, the big TV news has had time to sink in. The drama surrounding Charlie Sheen's real life has faded, but a little fading is nothing compared to his parody life on Two and a Half Men. The world has officially learned that Sheen's fictional counterpart, Charlie Harper, is dead, or will be come this fall. The show will go on without him, however, when a web mogul names Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher, of course) buys Harper's house. Sounds pretty crazy, right? Maybe so, but it's hardly the first time in sitcom history that a popular character has been replaced.
As Fall premiere season nears, let's take a look through the annals of primetime and countdown ten of the biggest cast adjustments in the world of sitcoms.
#10 Saved by the Bell This may be one of the least important cast change stories in the history of the sitcom, but it still frustrates me to even think about it. When Tori, the butch (but purportedly straight) motorcycle chick, rides into Bayside, she seems like a fun-enough addition to the gang. But wait, something's wrong...where are Kelly and Jessie? They aren't there! And fun though she may be, Tori is no substitute for the two leading Lady Tigers.
The explanation? NBC ordered more episodes for the final season od the show, and Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen didn't sign on. They'd already taped a final season, including a graduation episode, so the Tori senior year episodes, taped later, were aired interspersed with the Jessie and Kelly senior year episodes. And when Jessie and Kelly are gone, no one mentions them. It's surreal. And annoying.
This Friday, head back here to find out what big sitcom cast change clocks in at #9.
The demurely high-polish gem of Chicago poetry and literary culture destinations, The Danny's Tavern Reading Series has hit its ten-year mark of stand-out readings. Front man and tireless lynchpin organizer since its inception, DJ and poet Joel Craig sat down recently to answer a few quick questions about his favorite readings, what happens next with the series, and some of his picks for the best in Chicago's poetry and literary art.
Ten years. What has been your favorite reading of all time and why?
We've had so many exceptional readings, some expected, others surprising in their effect, so naming a favorite is hard. If pressed, I'd have to go with James Tate and Dara Wier. James is one of my heroes. Had I not run into his poetry at an early age, I may not have come to love the art form as I do. He opened a huge window for me. He's such an established name, a Pulitzer and National Book Award winner--he didn't have to come to Chicago on his own dime to read at a tavern, but he and Dara really wanted to. James is not a young man, and he had such a hard time seeing in our darkened space, but he pushed through with much levity. They were both on fire.
Sunlight filtered in through the windows of the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Like past dance companies, the River North Chicago Dance Company used the cozy rehearsal space to finalize 9-Person Precision Ball Passing, a company premiere by Charlie Moulton. Nine dancers stood on a set of black stairs performing a largely upper-body based routine featuring repetitive hand gestures and minor juggling feats with colored balls. The entire routine looked not unlike the clapping games little children practice on school playgrounds.
On the surface, the movements appear simple, but a closer examination demonstrates how the movements grow increasingly more complicated rhythmically as the routine progresses. Stay calm and carry on was the motto of the routine as additional pressure to stay on the varying beat of the accompanying music demonstrated the various manifestations of contemporary dance.
A burlesque dancer at "Starving Artist". Photo by Andrew Huff.
The Chicago Artist's Coalition hosted a swanky event last Thursday called "Starving Artist" -- essentially a benefit for the CAC -- where eight Chicago's top chefs and artists were paired up to create a "unique sensory experience," inspired by each other's work. One sixtyblue pastry chef Hillary Blanchard-Rikower was paired with Lauren Brescia, avec's Koren Grieveson was paired with Tim Anderson, The Girl & The Goat's Stephanie Izard was paired with Richard Hull and Province's Randy Zwieban was paired with Judy Ledgerwood.
The results were delicious, both gastronomically and visually. Between finger foods and swigs of champagne, I spoke with each of the artists about their experiences working on this project. (Read interviews with the chefs over in Drive-Thru.)
Influential humorist and art commentator Hennessey Youngman will visit the Windy City on September 7 to join "The Dialogue," an annual live-chat panel on "museums, diversity, and inclusion" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Theater. This year's event with Youngman will focus on Millennials and their effect on museum issues, alongside "Chicago's Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Michelle T. Boone, and our newest curator, Naomi Beckwith, formerly of The Studio Museum in Harlem." While some concerns with Youngman's gender politics have been voiced among those in the art crowd, his highly entertaining video segments are largely appreciated for gleefully punching holes in otherwise hyper-serious art world conventions. The MCA's press materials describe Youngman as "You Tube's most followed art theorist," and points out Art in America's description of his satirical Art Thoughtz program performances as "Ali G with an MFA."
The characterization seems apt. In response to this writer's recent romantic breakup and search for art to make/look at appropriate to the moment, Youngman had the following hilarious advice (intentional spelling errors and grammatical breakages left in): "Break up art? Break into her/his house and lay naked in their bed until they come home from work and recite TLC's "Waterfalls" while they call the police. Videotape the whole ordeal, show the video of you waiting in bed on one channel projected onto the wall, then the police beating and crying on another channel, but way smaller. This way, the audience connects more with your interpretation of your ex's arrival, and your humiliation is underplayed and dismissible, also take every Macbook photobooth photo you've ever taken with them and make a rapid slideshow of the images to enduce nausia."
The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Program and reception $35. Program only: nonmembers $10; MCA members $8; students $6. If you can't make it to the live event, check out the Live Tweet at @mcachicago, using the #thedialogue to participate in the conversation via tweet. Twitter comments can also be followed live during the event at the MCA's website.
How great would it be to have an idea, then walk out to the garage and tell your robot to make it?
Local Artists Taylor Hokanson and Chris Reilly have reached their Kickstarter goal for their low-cost CNC machine, which will do just that, but the fundraiser's still going until 11 tonight, so check it out if you're into art made by robots.
Hokanson and Reilly are the co-creators of the open-source DIYLILCNC project, with the mission of increasing the accessibility and educational potential of CAD/CAM tools and research. Hokanson and Reilly share a taste for the absurd artistic application of high technology in their respective practices (examples include a sledgehammer-operated keyboard and a wind-powered guillotine).
Artist Jeff Zimmermann has painted a mural, titled "You Know What You Should Do," on the Lake Shore Drive underpass to Oak Street Beach. Here's video shot by Jude Appleby and friends of the process.
Here's my review of Warrior over on Ain't It Cool News. The film hits theaters Sept. 9, and stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton (if you don't know who they are, you will) and Nick Nolte. Absolutely one of the best films I've seen all year. Yes, it features mixed martial arts, but it's so far removed from a typical "sports movie." Nolte's Oscar is probably in the mail already.
I will be hosting a screening of Warrior on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 7pm at the AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois St., and you and a guest are invited. All I need is an email from you with the subject "Warrior Screening," your full name and whether you are bringing a guest (limit one) no later than Monday, Aug. 22 at 5pm.
Here's a newsflash that some of you might not agree with. Some remakes are actually alright. Yes, most of them are made because a familiar title tends to bring in more box office dollars than an unfamiliar one, but every so often the right team of people get together and give enough of a shit about a story and its characters to make something old feel fresh. Welcome to Fright Night, one of the better examples of a horror remake I've seen in quite some time. The original story by Tom Holland (and updated by the great Marti Noxon) about a teenager and a late-night television horror movie host going up against a vampire or two to save a small town still has a bit of fun left in it and some neat new ideas.
Everybody has a 9/11 story. That morning as I rode the Red Line to work, I wrote in my journal about the countdown to my impending wedding scheduled for that Saturday. "Just four more days," I wrote in anticipation, "and I'll be married." When I got to work my colleagues were clustered around the television in the reception area, eyes glued to the now iconic image of the World Trade Center up in smoke. I knew that very instant that my wedding would, at best, have to be postponed. I called my mother in tears before the first tower fell, sobbing openly within the flimsy confines of my cubicle and not giving a damn who heard me. Work closed early, and I got a ride home in the backseat of a colleague's car. Traffic was heavy; everyone was leaving work. I cried the whole way home. I sat on my couch and didn't move for hours, eyes glued to the television, absorbing the horrors of what was happening.
Having grown up in Brooklyn, I felt an overwhelming urge to take every last penny that my fiancé and I had saved for our honeymoon and send it to the Red Cross, keeping just enough to get on the next Greyhound bus bound for New York to volunteer to do whatever I could. My fiancé convinced me not to send all of our money, and the talking heads on TV convinced me that unless I had a specific service that I could offer -- emergency psychiatry, for instance -- that I'd just be a burden arriving in New York at that particular moment. In the end I gave $300 to the Red Cross, and stayed in Chicago, and cried. I cried at home, I cried openly in the streets, I cried in the shower. On September 15, 2001, which should have been my wedding day, I woke to a gorgeous blue sky, and a perfect, sunny day. My fiancé went to work; and I hung out at the shop with him. Someone asked when we were getting married, "it was supposed to be today," I said.
(left) one sixtyblue Pastry Chef Hillary Blanchard-Rikower and
(right) Artist Lauren Brescia. Photo by Jon Shaft Photography.
This Thursday the Chicago Artists Coalition is putting on an event pairing local visual artists with local chefs in which they create original works (food & art) inspired by one another's aesthetic. The artwork created will be exhibited and auctioned at the event, while the chefs' creations are eaten. Sorry, chefs.
Tickets aren't cheap -- $100 for CAC members, $125 for the rest of us, $150 at the door -- but it should be a great opportunity for hobnobbing and stuffing your face with some of the best food Chicago has to offer. For more information, click here.
There's a lot going on this weekend but if you haven't cemented your Saturday plans yet, consider going to Comfort Station's kegger. Perhaps the best (and most obvious) abandoned-building-turned-art space ever, Comfort Station took over the little building in the heart/crotch of Logan Square that was vacant for so long, it became invisible to most of us.
Their party this Saturday will feature music, food by Homage Street food truck, face-painting, croquet, ping-pong, quirky film and slide show screenings, and, of course, good-ole' outdoor boozing. A suggested $10 donation gets you a cup for a night of Revolution beer. All proceeds from your donation benefit Comfort Station -- they're raising funds for storm windows to extend their active year into the cooler months and track lighting to keep spotlights on the artwork.
The party is this Saturday, August 20 from 6pm to midnight-ish at Comfort Station: The Keel/Coulson Sideyard @ 3016 W. Logan Blvd. For details, click here.
Pranks and comic relief have always been a part of the arts... well, maybe not always but at least for a while. Let's just say no one alive today can say there was a time, in their lives, when it wasn't. This brings me to Meg Duguid's performance last night in Wicker Park as Part of the Out of Site performance series done in conjunction with Walkabout Theater Company and Defibrillator. It is hard to really know what to say about any public performance, and this is no exception, so I will begin by just telling you what I experienced.
ONE NIGHT ONLY was developed by the cast and director using "found" text and music. Sources include Priscilla Ahn, Howard Barker (The Castle and Death and the One), Battles, Blue Valentine, Charles Bukowski, Ian Paul Custer, Hall & Oates, Matt Hooks, The Notebook, Kasey O'Brien, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers, and Scott Walker.
Featuring: Ian Paul Custer, Matt Hooks, Kasey O'Brien and live painting by Sierra Dufault ONE NIGHT ONLY will be performed in tandem with opening acts by:
Times Three Theatre - http://timesthreechicago.c om/
The Arc Theatre - http://arctheatrechicago.o rg/
and KJ Bessen-Johnson - http://www.kjbessenjohnson .com/
August 12-21 at 9:30pm and 25-28 at 8:30pm at Den Theatre
This is a surely good time to be had; tickets here!
This event in Bridgeport Chicago will highlight paintings by Janice Trecker.
"Most of my paintings reflect people and things I have seen. Although they are rarely painted from life, they are almost always collected from life, via the sketchbooks that I carry, especially to sporting events with my husband, Jerry, a sportswriter.
As a result, I produce a wide range of images, from portraits to fans at sports venues to museum puppets, that all have one thing in common: each emerged out of the daily flux of images to form a picture that suggested some of the radiance, energy and mystery of everyday life. To capture those things is my sole ambition.
My work is representational but very far from photographic, and the paintings are often exaggerated in both form and color in an attempt to capture the rhythms of the subject. I am especially fond of festive occasions and people in costume, especially children who see the wonderful weirdness of life, as well as musicians and theater people at work."
(from http://easternexpansion.blogspot.com)
Opening reception Friday, August 12, 7-9pm
Complementary beverages and snacks served.
Hey everyone. A busy week and some much-needed prep time for this weekend's big Flashback Weekend Horror Convention out in Rosemont, which I emcee, haven't given me much time to get my column together this weekend, so I've had to do something I haven't done in years -- a roundup of films coming out this week. Two or three (maybe more) paragraphs on each film, and hopefully that'll do the trick. Lots of good stuff this week, so pay attention...
30 Minutes or Less
This is a funny fucking movie and one that flies in the face of polite society in all the right ways by giving us four main characters who are largely difficult to like, which of course made me like them even more. Jesse Eisenberg is stoner-slacker pizza delivery guy Nick, who is best friends with Dwayne (Aziz Ansari), a school teacher who really hates kids. On the other side of town, low-life thugs played by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson devise a plan to hire a hitman to kill McBride's overbearing father (Fred Ward) and inherit a tidy sum of money so he can build his dream business -- a tanning salon/brothel. To make this happen, they kidnap Nick, strap a very real bomb to his chest, and force him to rob a bank to get the money.
Although the more underground, independent, and emerging Chicago art scenes and artists might be overshadowed by larger fairs and urban coasts, alternative events still foster and support local practitioners. BUILT Festival, a two-day event founded by Chicago artists Tristan J.M. Hummel and co-produced by David Dvorak, allows contemporary artists and curators the space to transform unusual, transportable, and seemingly temporary environments - shipping containers - into alternative and guerrilla venues in an empty lot on Milwaukee avenue.
The theme for this initial festival is "urban culture" and audiences will get the chance to witness more than 100 projects, exhibitions, and performances inside and surrounding these containers from local spaces and institutions such as the Chicago Urban Art Society, Spudnik Press, and the Chicago Artists Coalition. In addition to the array of visual and performative art projects, visitors can listen to music by musicians and DJ's such as White Mystery, Raj Mahal, and Tim Zawada.
Tickets for BUILT Festival can be purchased online or at the door for $10. All-weekend BUILT VIP passes are also available online today and include $6 worth of drink tickets. BUILT Festival takes place in the empty lot at 1767 N. Milwaukee this Friday from 5:00pm-10:30pm and Saturday from 12:00pm-10:30pm.
You've seen the downtown advertising for the Art Institute's new exhibit, "Windows on the War," which focuses on the Soviet TASS News Agency's World War II posters, a call to arms for the Soviet citizenry against Nazi Germany. Thrilled by the prospect of such an exhibit, marrying the allure of popular culture, modern art, and propoganda, I went to the museum and headed eagerly for the exhibition hall. But I didn't make it to World War II.
I was distracted by World War I.
"Belligerent Encounters: Graphic Chronicles of War and Revolution, 1500-1945" contains works that predate WWI by centuries, like depictions of war by Goya and Dürer, but the majority of the exhibit focuses on war-related art from the early 20th century. Posters calling men to enlist or entreating the public to help with the war effort visually dominate the hall with bold colors and exclamatory statements. Side rooms contain series of lithographs by Max Beckmann and etchings by Otto Dix, both more graphically subtle, but more thematically in-your-face.
"Belligerent Encounters" is an ingenious complement to "Windows on the War," higlighting the general onus of war through art, and showcasing the dynamic war posters of an earlier era in a different part of the world than the TASS posters represent. While the smaller exhibit doesn't have the elaborate display or deep focus of the main-event TASS presentation in the larger Regenstein Hall, it's definitely worth a visit next time you're at the Art Institute.
The page in my notebook where I took notes for Cameron Esposito's "Side Mullet Nation" is covered in jottings that I hoped would help me remember her funniest jokes. The notes started out fairly detailed, such as with "Life was his perpetual keg stand and nobody had to hold his feet," a clever aphorism that Esposito used to describe an ebullient ex-boyfriend, but they quickly devolved into nonsensical scribblings, such as "drest" and "polish-carrying a lot of meat," as I struggled to keep up with the breakneck pace at which Esposito brought on the laughs.
This fun, irreverent ode to the Star Wars trilogy offers both comedy and sexual liberation. If you like burlesque and nerd boobs, this is the show for you. Seriously, though, the show is well-acted, hysterical and delightfully choreographed (one scene features a fan dance wherein the "fans" are replaced by two card board sides of the Millennium Falcon). I'd suggest buying a $20 ticket if you like tassels and sci-fi. (Who doesn't?)
While the month of August has traditionally been a dumping ground as far as summer movies are concerned, a look at the offerings being released in the next four weeks provide some hope the coming weeks will have its fair share of highlights. I'm not allowed to say anything specific just yet, but I will advise you to keep a look out for films like 30 Minutes or Less, Fright Night, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and Our Idiot Brother to name a few. I'm just saying.
But I'll be goddamned if I didn't walk out of Rise of the Planet of the Apes absolutely stunned at how exactly right the filmmakers nailed this one. Finding ways to both give nods to and integrate with the mythology of the other Planet of the Apes movies (thanks to a smart script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver), this new tale takes us back to the beginning of the cycle in what I can only describe as one of the best "setting-the-stage" prequels I've ever seen, thanks in large part to director Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) and another mind-bending motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis (Gollum from The Lord of the Rings trilogy).
Kellen Alexander and Seth Dodson bring the latest in worthless ideas to NEDTalks. Photo credit: Zach Dodson.
If anything deserves to be spoofed, it's the TED Talks, the brainy group who, in their mission statement, explain that they are "a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading." Originally formed as a conference bringing people from the Technology, Entertainment, and Design worlds together, (hence the acronym TED), they have been meeting in Silicon Valley and elsewhere since 1984, showcasing smart people who have better ideas than you do.
Influential humorist and art commentator 
There's a lot going on this weekend but if you haven't cemented your Saturday plans yet, consider going to 
The page in my notebook where I took notes for Cameron Esposito's "Side Mullet Nation" is covered in jottings that I hoped would help me remember her funniest jokes. The notes started out fairly detailed, such as with "Life was his perpetual keg stand and nobody had to hold his feet," a clever aphorism that Esposito used to describe an ebullient ex-boyfriend, but they quickly devolved into nonsensical scribblings, such as "drest" and "polish-carrying a lot of meat," as I struggled to keep up with the breakneck pace at which Esposito brought on the laughs. 
