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.
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Thursday, April 25
Watching the US premiere of Infra by Wayne McGregor was more like walking into a living, breathing art installation at the MCA and less of what we traditionally perceive as "ballet" -- a term that stereotypically evokes images of pink tutus and satin pointe shoes.
— Alexa DeTogne
The CAC is hosting an open house today from 5 to 7pm to give prospective BOLT residents a chance to see the space and get a sense of what goes on there before applying. You will have the opportunity to explore the studio spaces, their 8,000 square foot exhibition space, and meet CAC staff and current residents (many of the residents are very cool people with interesting art practices: Sarah and Joseph Belknap, Marty Burns, Amber Hawk Swanson, etc., so go if only to see their studios and talk to them.) Tours will run every 15 minutes. Another open house will be offered on March 5 (5-7pm).
BOLT Residency is a highly competitive, juried, one-year artist studio residency program offering artists the opportunity to engage the Chicago arts community and its public in critical dialogue about contemporary art. Located at the CAC in the West Loop, BOLT provides workspace, creative community, exhibition opportunities and professional development for emerging contemporary artists.
The 2012 BOLT Residency Application Guidelines are available HERE for DOWNLOAD. Applications are due March 15, 2012. To Apply, click HERE. The CAC and the BOLT studios are located at 217 N. Carpenter St.
— Kelly Reaves
If you can't make it to the benefit for Kristen Romaniszak at Double Door on Monday, or if you're looking for another way to be supportive, consider purchasing a print from Chicago Tattoo Company artist Nick Colella. Prints are $30 and all proceeds go to support Kristen's recovery.
— J.H. Palmer
What's the best way to tell a story? Performing a set of carefully-selected words and painting a picture with your poetry? Or conveying that imagery with light, shadows, translucent photographs, music, movement and written text? I may never know the answer, but The Poetry Foundation's hosting of FJORDS deftly explores that question from both sides of the coin.
FJORDS is an interpretative collaboration between shadow puppet performance group Manual Cinema and string quartet Chicago Q Ensemble, based on the poems of Portland, OR-based author Zachary Schomburg.
— Jason Prechtel
Wednesday, February 22, Red line--south to Fullerton
— Mark Addison Smith
Previous Entry: Galentine's Day
Next Entry: Embrace Yes And
FAIL: Number 29: Go to Logan Square and don't make fun of hipsters (An impossibly difficult "to-do" that I knocked off my original list of 25 for its implausibility. I know myself well.)
I have a notoriously nasty habit of routinely and senselessly making fun of hipsters.
I do not make clever little "Portlandia"-worthy jabs or even witty insight into the hypocrisy of the hipster subculture; I'm more prone to nod towards a dude on a bike and say, "Hey man, look at that hipster riding a bike. He looks so...stupid."
I have justified such high-brown heckling because I have dated approximately 53 percent of the hipster community in Chicago. If I have had to help shimmy off skinny jeans, then I should be allowed the reward of mockery for my troubles.
But recently it has been rather loudly brought to my attention that I may indeed be a hipster myself. (See most recent Facebook pic update for proof of hipster demise). It may be time for the dimly disguised self-loathing to stop.
— Niki Fritz / Comments (7)
"It's a love story," "No, it's a mystery," "No, it's a comedy," "...a comedy-drama,", "It's a drama about a love story"....
Those first few lines of dialogue from writer's Jon Steinhagen's "Dating Walter Dante" are equally poignant and ironic, for the Raven Theater's presentation could have been a superlative suspense drama rather than a mostly good stage play.
Steinhagen writes a story in need of flushing out in one direction; my vote is the dramatic, if only for the fact that the story of Walter Dante plays out as a lurid, blood-soak-sexed-up "get ya' villains and victims right here folks!" in perpetual rotation with every newscast and Nancy Grace minstrel show.
— Alice Singleton
While many know of Don Hertzfeldt by his humorously violent animated shorts, the Academy Award-nominated animator has spent the past six years working on a more serious, heartfelt trilogy of animated films centering around the mental deterioration of a man named Bill. Hertzfeldt has finally completed the final chapter of his critically-acclaimed Everything will be OK trilogy and his greatest and most ambitious work to date with It's such a beautiful day.
The film certainly lives up to its title: the animation is gorgeous. Captured on an antique 35mm animation stand, Hertzfeldt's trademark stick figure human drawings are mixed with photographs, live video, optical effects, and hybrid digital/film techniques to create a mesmerizing blend of visual styles. It's such a beautiful day is a major evolution in the animated style of his previous works - the colors are brighter, the palette of textures is wider, and the actual animation is smoother and fully-fleshed out. I was particularly impressed the animation during the last third - there are some very sharp contrasts in settings, and Hertzfeldt managed to create a distinct visual space for each of them.
— Jason Prechtel / Comments (1)
After writing an article about local stand-up comedy for a Chicago magazine, Adam Burke started performing himself and is now a fixture at comedy showcases across the Chicago and the Midwest. Born in Australia and raised in Northern Ireland, he is known for his distinct accent and his verbose, clever wordplay on subjects ranging from Mick Jagger to the word "callipygian." In addition, he has opened for comedians such as Jeff Ross, Maria Bamford, Bo Burnham, Brendon Burns, and Jake Johannsen, and co-hosts the popular Cole's Bar comedy open mic on Wednesdays with Cameron Esposito.
Growing up, were you interested in writing or comedy?
Growing up, I was the one - I have two brothers and a sister - but I was the one that everyone thought was going to be a writer...and I think that's just 'cause I was the most pretentious kid. This is an apocryphal tale that I deny of my sister catching me at night with a flashlight just reading the dictionary. So yeah, I think everyone thought I was going to be some sort of writer. I think my mom really wanted me to do something with that. But my brother's a really good writer, too.
— Jason Prechtel
— Kelly Reaves
It's Oscar weekend, so I'm guessing that a lot of you are going to be filling these next couple of days trying to catch one or two of the nominees you may have missed, and that's a noble effort. But if you let this weekend pass without seeing the awfully funny new film from director David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models), you'd be making a horrible mistake. Wain once again teams up with his constant actor companion Paul Rudd and co-writer Ken Marino (who appears in the film as Rudd's piggish brother) to make Wanderlust, a movie that had me laughing throughout, sometimes convulsing into violent fits that resemble a seizure (yeah, I'm a lot of fun to sit next to in the theater).
— Steve Prokopy / Comments (2)
Well, that didn't take long. While it may have turned out to be a publicity campaign by Sonic, it doesn't make it any less awesome to see TJ Jagodowski and Peter Grosz back in the Sonic commercial saddle.
— Dyan Flores
The tone in Chicago comedy these days feels like one of change and transition. New theaters like The Laugh Factory and Up are opening, and an interest in high-brow comedy and stand-up seems to be on the rise. I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical when I learned that Second City, legendary for improv and sketch comedy, was opening a club that would feature stand-up, sketch and improv, among other mediums. I was unsure of whether or not UP could cross all of those boundaries in one theater, but I wanted to keep an open mind. While I was hesitant going in, I left the theater feeling optimistic and excited for things to come.
Second City's Improv All Stars was the first show to bring me around.
— Nellie Huggins
True stories are often the most compelling in film. People are drawn to the stunning realities revealed in a grass roots documentary, or the retelling of a series of fantastic and awe-inspiring events that lead to either personal accomplishment or demise. As moving as these films can be, is there an irreconcilable disconnect between the silver screen and the life it portrays? Can cinema ever really depict the "truth"?
This is the question the Night School offshoot of Facets Film School poses in its 10th series, "Reel People." Midnight screenings, lectures and discussions will take place every Saturday from February 25 to April 21 at Facets Multi-Media, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
— Janna Dons
If you're looking for a fun, family-friendly event in celebration of the last weekend of Black History Month, then you'll definitely want to attend Afro-Beats! at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, part of the theater's 2011-2012 Family Series.
Join the Fulcrum Point New Music Project, dancer Idy Ciss and musicians Jim Gailloreto and Morikeba Kouyate as they engage the audience in a multi-media performance with rhythms, dance, sounds and images from West Africa. As an extra treat, kids of all ages are invited to participate in drumming circles and traditional African dancing that features works by famed musician and composer Fela Kuti, jazz greats John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk and others. Tickets are $10 and are available at the box office or online. For more information, call 312-334-7777.
— LaShawn Williams / Comments (1)
For those who love musical numbers in their intergalactic adventure, Chicago-based improv group Octavarius presents Stars! Wars! The Musical!
Join Luke, Leia and the gang of robots for this one-night-only showing at Mercury Theater on Friday, March 9 at 8pm. After its premier in November, the musical is back by popular demand, telling the story of Star Wars: a New Hope with original song and dance numbers, accompanied by a live band.
Following the musical, attendees will get a bonus improv set from Octavarius, joined by R2D2 who will be playing himself.
Tickets are regularly $10, but discounted admission of $7 will be offered to audience members who dress like their favorite Star Wars character or bring a light saber - like you wouldn't have done that anyway.
The top-ranked troupe will have just come off one of the longest running independent improv shows at ComedySportz where they perform on Sundays at 7pm, with a final show on February 26. To learn more about the group, view videos and listen to their weekly themed podcasts visit their homepage.
— Janna Dons / Comments (1)
Photo credit: Anthony La Penna
Last year's infamous blizzard may have been a hassle to most Chicagoans, but to the TUTA Theatre Chicago ensemble, it served as an inspiration for their tenth anniversary show, Fulton Street Sessions.
Directed by Zeljko Djukic, the show is an original cabaret-style production in the form of a collection of sketches, musical numbers and interludes loosely-based around events past and present. I previously caught a preview of Fulton Street Sessions at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. What I saw was a work-in-progress collage of scenes and ideas woven together by emotion and feeling, and the grand sum of the ensemble's performances added up a production that was beautiful and poignant as a whole.
Fulton Street Sessions runs Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm from Feb. 23 - March 25, 2012, at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. Preview performances are Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 8pm. Tickets are $30 and there is a $25 senior citizen and student ticket available for all performances at the door one hour before show time or online. To purchase tickets, call 847.217.0691 or www.tutato.com .
— Jason Prechtel
Saturday, February 18, my dining room--Uptown
— Mark Addison Smith
— Kelly Reaves
Just in time to crap-up your Valentine's Day week, we have the latest shallow example of grown adults acting like special-needs children, This Means War, a romantic comedy set in the spy world that has as much to do with romance as a heart-shaped Peep and as much to do with the spy world as an episode of "Chuck." Actually, the "Chuck" comparison is appropriate since the movie is directed by the now-defunct show's executive producer McG (helmer of We Are Marshall, both Charlie's Angels films and Terminator Salvation).
— Steve Prokopy / Comments (1)
Adapted from a novel by Elise Blackwell by Lifeline Theatre, Hunger is based on the true story of a team of Soviet Russian botanists struggling to preserve a collection of edible seeds during the 900-day siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany. Bombings, food shortages, and the bureaucratic nightmares of Stalinism all test the physical and emotional limits of the scientists as they are forced to confront "hunger" in its multiple forms, and the unpleasant choices that hunger leads to.
— Jason Prechtel
Law and literary enthusiasts unite!
The University of Chicago's Law School is hosting a two--day conference, Manhood in American Law and Literature, which will serve as a platform for discussion surrounding the issues of sexuality and law within the context of literary works.
A highlight of the conference is sure to be the two dramatic scenes presented by the school's faculty members. Judge Richard Posner, Professor Jonathan Masur, and Professor Daniel Abebe will perform scenes from The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, by Herman Wouk, followed by performances from Professor Martha Nussbaum and Professor Douglas Baird in The Little Foxes, by Lillian Hellman.
The conference will also feature speakers from a variety of fields and universities. Discussions will be anchored in literature, including classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. There will even be a live reading by renowned author, Joyce Carol Oates.
The conference will take place on UofC's campus on Friday, February 17 through Saturday, February 18. A full schedule of events can be found here.
The conference is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required, but seating may be limited.
— Janna Dons
TJ Jagodowski and Peter Grosz aren't too proud to beg. The Chicago improvisers and erstwhile Sonic spokesmen have set up Those 2 Guys! to use as a public platform to ask for their Sonic commercial gig back. Sign their petition, like them on Facebook, or do whatever you can to be part of the grassroots movement to get these talented dudes back on the air!
— Dyan Flores
Friday, February 10, Prospect Avenue (outside Alterra coffee)--Milwaukee
— Mark Addison Smith
Previous Entry: Learning to Kick a Guy in the Groin
Next Entry: Stop Making Fun of Hipsters
Number 6: Make a New Friend
I love Amy Poehler.
I love Amy Poehler because she is funny.
I love Amy Poehler because she makes bright blonde hair and pants suits look like an awesome choice.
I love Amy Poehler because Tina Fey describes her like this:
"Amy made it clear that she wasn't there to be cute. She wasn't there to play wives and girlfriends in the boys' scenes. She was there to do what she wanted to do and she did not fucking care if you like it."
But most of all I love Amy Poehler for legitimizing Galentine's Day
on primetime television.
As Leslie Knope explains, Galentine's Day is "ladies celebrating ladies, like Lilith field minus the angst" (and perhaps more shaving). For me though the idea of Galentine's Day is celebrating all that freakin' friend love that we often take for granted in this couple obsessed world.
— Niki Fritz
For Marcus Noel, fashion is more than just about style and appearance--it's also a movement. Here, the Maryland native (now residing in Chicago) and former JP Morgan Chase financial analyst talks about Heart of Man, his fashion line with a purpose: helping and mentoring disadvantaged youth.
Professionally, you have a finance background--when did you leave that industry to pursue fashion full-time?
I went to Morehouse College and studied finance. I took a trip to Beijing, China in my senior year and when I was over there, I saw the level of poverty. I spent a lot of time in their silk market where there is tons of garment production and fell in love with that process.Two years ago, I was sitting in my room and noticed I had lots of sweaters and thought to myself, "What if I made my own sweater?" But then I later thought if I made my own sweaters, I wanted to have a social factor to it.
— LaShawn Williams / Comments (1)
Ben Lerman has been entertaining Chicago audiences for years, and Chicago audiences love him. Lerman graces us with his presence a few times a year and is in town this week for his Valentine's Day show at Mary's Attic, Heart Doctor; An Evening of Music and Comedy. Ben also brings with him local comics Adam Guerino (Queer Comedy at Zanies) and Meredith Kachel (Side-Mullet Nation)
How does it feel to be back in Chicago? Are you from Chicago?
I am from South Bend, Indiana. Still, I have a lot of friends and family in Chicago because when you're from South Bend, Indiana, you want to get the hell out of town, and Chicago is the nearest, likeliest migration point. It's far enough that you don't have to watch a percentage of your schoolmates become meth heads and close enough for minimal drive time on national holidays. Not that there aren't meth heads in Chicago or that I don't want them at my show. If you've got $10, you're welcome at my show. But don't ask to borrow money from other audience members or wash their windshields. That's the rule.
— Nellie Huggins
Still looking for something special to do for Valentine's Day? The Black Ensemble Theater presents For Lovers Only (And For People Who Love Themselves). This special, one night tribute to love will be a must see event hosted by Ms. Dawn. The most famous love songs of all time such as Al Green's "Love & Happiness", Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness", and Etta James' "At Last" will be performed by the Black Ensemble Theater Performers. As Jackie Taylor states, "There's nothing more fitting than to spend Valentine's Day celebrating some of the best love songs of all time."
The Black Ensemble Theater's second floor theater will be transformed into a "Love Club" complete with champagne, dessert, and a four-piece band. This event will take place on February 14 at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 2250 N. Clark St. Tickets will be $125 per couple and $65 for single tickets. Tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster or by calling 773-769-4451. Reserve your tickets today!
— Marcherie Davis
They say the opposite of Love is Hate. But this Valentines Day at the Logan Square Auditorium, the opposite of Love is Hilarity, Charity and possibly Intoxication.
Thanks to the love-filled partnership of the Chicago Reader, 2nd Story, WBEZ and Empty Bottle, Chicago will be graced with the Third Annual Anti-Valentines Day Party on Tuesday 14 February. Chicago comedians Seth and Kellen will be hosting this shindig and will also be the night's official demolisher of ex memorabilia; everything from T-shirts to love letters to saved nail clippings will destroyed. In between the destroying (and healing) 2nd Story will be regaling the audience with the best bad date stories.
— Niki Fritz
— Kelly Reaves
I've never had the pleasure of seeing any of Swedish-born director Daniel Espinosa's other films (he's only made three, all in his native country/tongue), but based on his approach to his first studio movie, Safe House, I have to imagine there are probably examples in his older works of his "more-is-more" style that nearly smothers what might have been a fairly interesting psychological action film. The idea of a rookie CIA safe house operative trying to protect a prisoner, while said prisoner is trying to get into the rookie's head and make him doubt his every decision and move is a cool one. But Espinosa's overdone atmosphere is at times so distracting that you forget to actually pay attention to what's being said. Add to that some ridiculous shaky-cam cinematography (thanks to Oliver Wood, who clearly never met a tripod that was good enough for him), and you get a film that feels like the actors are actually competing for attention with the director.
The rookie CIA agent is Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds, stripped of most of his comic smarm, and that's a good thing for this role), stationed in South Africa for a year and wanting desperately to be reassigned to Paris, where his hot girlfriend (Nora Arnezeder) is about to move. He's lobbying a higher-up fellow agent and friend David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) for a better job, but even he's not sure he can help Weston with his promotion.
— Steve Prokopy / Comments (1)
Spike Lee's love for sports is as widely known as his love for filmmaking; last night, adorned in full New York Giants gear, in front of a packed Chicago audience full of Bears fans, he didn't hesitate to gloat a bit about his hometown team's recent Super Bowl win.
The playful taunting by Lee, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, director and screenwriter behind critically-acclaimed films such as Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls and Do the Right Thing, led to a more serious tone for his keynote address at Chicago State University's "Revolutions, Reels & Rhythms" lecture series, part of the university's Black History Month programming.
— LaShawn Williams / Comments (6)
It's time for the Ox-Bow Winter Benefit! Hooray!!! What's Ox-Bow, you ask? Only Michigan's most inspiring, wild, longtime retreat/residency for artists, where Jim Henson is said to have invented Kermit the frog. What's the Winter Benefit? Only Chicago's best winter art party. Why? Well, it's a great chance to buy some fiiine pieces of work by Chicago's finest pieces of work -- big names, people. We're talking Jim Lutes. Rachel Niffenegger. Carl Baratta. In short, if you collect art, this is the premier event for buying it -- not only because you can get great deals on it, but the money goes to a pretty damn cool cause (Ox-Bow). And if you, like me, can't afford to buy much art but you still appreciate a good Swamp Thing-themed dance party, well, this is for you, too. Not convinced yet? Here are some more reasons for you to go:
— Kelly Reaves
Rock operas and punk rock concept albums have both been around for decades, but it took Green Day singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong to finally combine the two. Co-written and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, American Idiot -- based on the Green Day album of the same name -- follows three bored, 20-something friends and the differing life paths they take: one stays in the suburbs, one joins the army, and one moves to the big city to follow his rock 'n' roll dreams.
...At least, that's what I could make of the plot. Through choreographed song performances and the occasional non-musical monologue, the characters' storylines are told through a melodramatic collage of anti-Bush/pro-"revolutionary" sentiment, middle-class white male angst, and sloppy Christian allegory (a la "Jesus of Suburbia"). By the end of the production, I wasn't sure what exactly it was trying to say.
— Jason Prechtel / Comments (1)
Chicago is a breeding ground for viral videos, but rarely do they gain traction as quickly as Holly Laurent's (Second City Mainstage, The Reckoning) "Hunger Games" music video. The video, directed by local filmmaker Steve Delahoyde, is a parody of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games," rewritten from the viewpoint of Katniss, the protagonist of The Hunger Games. The video was just posted yesterday, but already Rolling Stone has picked it up and called it "the perfect pop culture sweet spot." Check out the collision of pop culture phenomena below:
— Dyan Flores
Just released is both a short trailer and behind the scenes look at the upcoming animated short Cadaver. A "cinematic poem" inspired by Shakespeare and Shel Silverstein, the film features Christopher Lloyd, Kathy Bates and Chicago's Tavi Gevinson, who also covers "Heart of Gold" for the film's soundtrack.
CADAVER - The Film - Trailer from JAMS on Vimeo.
— Tim Rolph
Previous Entry:4 AM at the Green Mill
Next Entry: Gallentine's Day
Number 28: Take a Self-Defense Class
I've never really been the self defense "type" of girl. To be honest, I didn't want another bullet point to add to the "angry feminist" stereotype. I've already got the NOW signs in my living room and the "hey hey, ho ho" chants memorized; I didn't want the imagine of an angry Niki Fritz kneeing some hooded guy in the crotch added to the already characterized version of my feminist self.
Plus I really really really like to avoid unpleasant thoughts in life, you know, things like muggings and rapes. I like to pretend violence against women is just a thing that happens to other people. I am safe.
And then something rather innocuous happened: a guy was rude at a party.
— Niki Fritz / Comments (4)
by Raf Miastkowski
If you've walked down one of Chicago's streets and seen a crusty-looking guy riding something that looks like a penny-farthing built by Mad Max, then you've most likely seen a member of the Rat Patrol. A loose group of punk-looking bicycle aficionados, members of the Rat Patrol are usually regarded by outsiders as either zany or downright intimidating. Since the Rat Patrol website seems rife with bong-brained anti-consumerist rants, we decided to get some answers face-to-face. Though perhaps not as approachable as a smiling, long-legged British girl holding a tray of just-fried bacon, the Rat Patrol member that we interviewed was quite polite and pretty much friendly as hell. Over some pitcher of Old Style, we chatted about garbage trucks, alleys, and taking the Batmobile for a joyride.
Why don't you summarize what Rat Patrol is all about?
Rat Patrol: Basically, Rat Patrol is a group of people who like riding bikes and digging through the trash. Anti-consumerists that don't like seeing things go to waste. Every person I know in the Rat Patrol, or loosely affiliated with it, has mountains of bikes. Tons of bikes that have been found in alleys, or were donated from friends that know they like chopping bikes. It's also about making weird bikes, riding them through the alleys at night. Not everybody drinks, but there's a lot of drinking. Digging through the trash for food or building materials. Whatever you want, you can find it in the trash.
— A/C
Tuesday, January 31, Kopi Traveler's Cafe--Andersonville
— Mark Addison Smith
When it comes to classic soul music, Chicago has richly contributed to America's cultural landscape; with groups and singers such as Jerry "The Iceman" Butler, The Impressions, Gene Chandler, The Staple Singers, The Artistics and The Chi-Lites, the Chicago sound is a major contributor to popular music. According to legendary Chicago radio personality, V103's Herb Kent, the "Chicago sound" is undeniable. "Back in the day there was the Philly sound and the Motown sound--and we had the Chicago sound. It started a bit before Carl Davis, but he refined it," said Kent.
— LaShawn Williams / Comments (1)
Steppenwolf's 2011-2012 season has been addressing the ways in which war has affected the lives of many in various ways through the theme of Dispatches from the Homefront. The production Time Stands Still, written by Donald Margulies, is one of the stage plays included under this theme.
— Marcherie Davis
Directed by Joe Avella, local improviser Patrick Raynor's one-man show at the Annoyance Theatre, Come On! We're All Adults!, is a collection of solo pieces (with a couple guest appearances by Nat Topping) mostly featuring characters in absurd situations.
Starting off with a scene of a newscaster launching into increasingly specific tangents about the local community, the show jumps from one character to the next, ranging from a South Dakota man trying to win his love back at the airport, to a substitute dry cleaner manager who can't stop talking about his weight loss.
— Jason Prechtel
Last Tuesday, the Seldoms rehearsed in a chilly, dark studio in the Visceral Dance Center. The rehearsal was in preparation for This Is Not A Dance Concert, an experimental and new work that kicks off the celebration of the group's 10th anniversary.
Staying true to their avant-garde spirit, this new work challenges traditional notions of performance and performance space, as the Harris Theater for Music and Dance becomes the 2nd performer. Most of the space in the venue is up for grabs, as viewers can witness the group's performers in actions in such non-traditional spaces as the bathrooms, stairs, and the house seats.
Throughout the performance, the audience also participates as they move from piece to piece on a timed schedule. This Is Not A Dance Concert is a meta-narrative about performance, turning actions such as post-performance gossip and finding one's seats into the main show.
— Britt Julious
Previous Entry: A Dance Experiment
Next Entry: Learning to Kick a Guy in the Groin
Number 15. Go home by 2am unless the late night destination is Green Mill; then go and jive hard.
Sometimes you must go and actively pursue your bucket list.
Other times the good lord drunkenly steps in at 2 a.m. and helps a sister out. And thankfully the alcohol-fuzzy stars aligned the first weekend in January to help me cross number 15 off my list: an epic night at Green Mill.
It is a check mark three years in the making. The first night I was in Chicago, back in January 2009, my bestie and I had planned a night of appetizers, wine and the exciting "grownupness" of the Green Mill. Instead I got plastered on a bottle of Barefoot, climbed a goat statue and lured home my first hipster with the promise of PBR.
I think that night might have been the opposite of "grownupness." It was also what being 23 in Chicago is all about. And it was glorious.
But three years later, on the weekend of my official third anniversary with Chicago, I finally completed those well-laid plans I had back in 2009.
— Niki Fritz
— Kelly Reaves
The thing that strikes you about the new Gothic ghost story The Woman In Black is how little talking there is. There are huge passages of this film that are completely dialogue free, and by committing to that filmmaking style, director James Watkins (maker of the little-known but well worth checking out Eden Lake) removes any distractions we might have from being as tense and scared as we possibly can. And believe me, you will spend a great deal of time being both while watching this one. Sure, Watkins throws in a few cheap thrills in the process (a bird flying out of a chimney springs to mind), but most of his scares are well-earned in this classic tale of vengeful spirits courtesy of the folks at the revitalized Hammer Film.
A much older looking Daniel Radcliffe (well, he looks older than a wizard schoolboy now) plays Arthur Kipps, a widowed lawyer whose wife died during childbirth, and who has been thrust into single parenthood to raise his son. His work at his law firm has also suffered as a result of his grief, and when his superior sends him to a small village in the English countryside to settle the estate of a recently deceased woman, he makes it clear that if he screws things up, his days at the firm are through. One of the more interesting aspect of The Woman In Black is how shrouded in death everything is even before Arthur gets to the village, where it's very clear that he is not welcome and that his very presence seems to send the parents of the community into a frenzy of hiding their children. The open sequence of the film is of three little girls having a tea party, suddenly stopping their play, and jumping out a high window to their certain death. As a fellow Chicago critic pointed out to me, there is an awful lot of child death for a PG-13-rated movie. Whatever you do, don't let that rating fool you; it in no way reduced the number of truly terrifying moments.
— Steve Prokopy
The ride from Chicago to Los Angeles is indeed a long one, but for the very determined "conductor" of one particular "train," it was a ride that was definitely worth taking.
Don Cornelius, 75, "Soul Train's" creator and founder, was pronounced dead yesterday in Los Angeles, sending shockwaves through the entertainment community; for many, this legendary TV icon epitomized what the culture of soul music was all about.
Cornelius, a Chicago native, created "Soul Train" to provide a platform for African-American singers and performers who weren't booked on mainstream programs. The nationally-syndicated show, which ran for 35 years, began in Chicago and later moved to California, and featured the latest trends in the world of fashion, music and of course, dance.
To celebrate the legacy of Don Cornelius, WCIU, which aired the original "Soul Train" at its former Chicago Board of Trade studios, will simulcast "Bounce TV Remembers Don Cornelius," this Saturday at 6pm. Hosted by Chilli of the 90s R&B trio TLC, the marathon's episodes will feature R&B/Soul music stars such as The Commodores, Kool and the Gang and Gladys Knight and the Pips; in addition, Cornelius' last show as host in 1993 will be aired.
For a full list of Chicago's WCIU broadcast channels, click here.
— LaShawn Williams / Comments (3)
And man, are we excited. If you're as unimpressed as we are with all of the run-of-the-mill options for Valentines Day, join us on Sunday, February 12th at Quenchers for the First Annual Gapers Block Valentines Dance-a-Thon.
— Nellie Huggins
I've checked in on OhNo!Doom's website since November for any events worth highlighting and always wound up disappointed on a calendar for 2011. I feared that the little gallery that could might have called it quits until I recently spotted a Facebook feed from them that read, "DOOM IS NEAR," and was filled with the same excitement I felt when I heard Bueller is back. Now, it's Facebook official.
Saturday, Feb. 11, marks OhNo!Doom's [temporary] name change to OhNo!Arcade and opening of its first 2012 exhibit, titled Super Button Mashers, a gamer tribute. The night will feature works from several local and import artists such as, Jeremiah Ketner, Aya Kakeda, Alex Willan (top right) and many more, as they present original art inspired by game console classics.
Accompanying the art will be local accents of food from the Duck N Roll truck, music from Saskrotch & Kkrusty, coffee from The Wormhole, and beer from start-up brewery LowDive.
Doors will be open from 6pm to 10pm.
— Ricardo Villarreal
Architecture critic Paul Goldberger talks about Frank Gehry's life and work in a new book.
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