Comedy Wed Feb 22 2012
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.
(L-to-R Kellen Alexander, Cody Dove, Chelsea Devantez, Hans Holsen)
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— Nellie Huggins /
Preview Wed Feb 22 2012
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.
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— 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 /
Preview Tue Feb 21 2012
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 /
Theatre Tue Feb 21 2012
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 /
Column Fri Feb 17 2012
This Means War
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).
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— Steve Prokopy /
Theatre Thu Feb 16 2012
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.
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— Jason Prechtel /
Event Wed Feb 15 2012
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 /
Comedy Wed Feb 15 2012
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
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.
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— Niki Fritz /
Fashion Mon Feb 13 2012
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.
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— LaShawn Williams /
Comedy Mon Feb 13 2012
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.
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— Nellie Huggins /
