U of C Celebration of Roger Myerson

Finally, the University celebration of Roger's Nobel Prize. A cool evening, except one speech was way too long. Roger was his usual terrific wonderful self.

A Flowering Tree at Chicago Opera Theatre

From Chicago Tribune review:

With "A Flowering Tree," Adams turns from the contemporary political and moral issues of his earlier operas to the simple beauty of an ancient folk tale from southern India about hope, renewal and the magic of transformation. You could think of his newest opera as the luminous yin to the dark yang of "Doctor Atomic," which Lyric Opera mounted last winter....

The story has a local link. Adams and Sellars drew on an English translation of an ancient tale in the native Kannada language of the Indian poet and scholar A.K. Ramanujan, who unearthed it from an archive at the University of Chicago and translated it into English.

The story line, interwoven with a dozen ancient Tamil love poems, concerns Kumudha, a poor but beautiful young girl who can transform herself into a tree whose blossoms she and her sister sell at a market to support their elderly mother. She and a handsome prince fall in love, are married, then are separated through the vicious actions of the prince's jealous sister. As in all fairy tales, the lovers are happily reunited at the end.

Book Club: Lost Horizon

It was my book choice and we hosted: Lost Horizon. Who knew that the term Shangri-La came from this book.

And Another NYC Trip

OK, a week later, back in NYC, this time with the chair of the Department of Economics. Saw that Scottish Play with Patrick Stuart and the Take your time: Olafur Eliasson exhibition at MoMA and PS1. (I'd also seen the Eliasson exhibition in SF.)














The whole Ben Bradley review of the Scottish Play is worth reading.

Ms. M in Chicago and NYC trip

Ms. S's cousin from Australia was in town, mostly to visit the Field, and I was in NYC with the Dean for a Harper lecture and related events.

Sweeney Todd

While it wasn't quite as good as the Broadway version, it was still great to see this John Doyle directed production where the actors are also the musicians.

Chicago Convenes

I helped put together a panel on “The Presidential Terrain, 2008 and Beyond.”













“The United States is on the verge of an historic election which has the possibility of bringing the first African-American or woman into the Oval Office. What will be the political terrain for our next President? How have the last four (or sixteen) years changed the way we view the power of the President, the legislature, and the courts?” My Dean, of course, was a featured speaker as well as John Mearscheimer and Sam Peltzman.

On My Parents' 100th Wedding Anniversary

We went to see On My Parents' 100th Wedding Anniversary by Jesse Weaver at The Side Project.

Well, this is the first time we've seen a play in a rental storage locker. Directed by Mr. M, my former trainer and all around good guy.

Alinea

Went to Alinea for my real treat birthday dinner. It was ridiculously fun. It was serious ridiculous fun. It was theater. There are tons of blogs which give you a blow by blow of the meal. I'm not going to. Serious fun.

Armitage Dance

At the Dance Center:

"Christened in the 1980s by Vanity Fair magazine as the “punk ballerina,” Karole Armitage, along with her dancers, marked a milestone in 2005. After 15 years of choreographing and directing ballets and operas in Europe, she returned to New York and launched her company, Armitage Gone! Dance. On the program at The Dance Center is Ligeti Essays, a suite of concise jewel-like movements choreographed to music by the great Hungarian composer György Ligeti. Each song consists of a short choreographic incident of different character, ranging from the humorous to the ridiculous, to the enchanted and sarcastic. Also on the program is time is the echo of an axe within a wood, set to the music of Bela Bartok. Both pieces are designed by internationally acclaimed visual artist David Salle."

Alvin Ailey Dance

We went with Ms. S's workmate to what ended up being a pretty good show. And yes, they did Revelations.

Birthday 51

A low key tuna steak at Jack's for my birthday. The real event is Saturday, dinner at Alinea.

Bill T. at the MCA

We almost missed it, but read this John Rockwell review in the New York Times: "The new “Chapel/Chapter,”... is the least overtly political dance I have seen from the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. It is also about the most affecting, the most disturbing, the most powerful and the most compassionate. Which is not to say that politics undercuts art, but that “Chapel/Chapter” is a riveting experience."

Carousel

A stripped down, straight-forward production of Carousel at the Court Theatre. Time Magazine called it the greatest musical of the 20th Century, and we'd never seen it. It is one weird script. I guess you've got to follow up Oklahoma with something.

Still, I really like the Court. Hit or miss, they are always very intelligent in their approach.

Final Four

The Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers 75-68 in overtime. Wow, great game. And I won my office pool. Ms. S would have taken it if Memphis won.