Skin of Our Teeth

We went to see Skin of our Teeth for nostalgia sake (right, Mrs. Antrobus?) but this was kind of an all-over-the map production. Fortune teller had nothing on Ms. J's performance from high school.

Jump Rhythm Jazz at Columbia Dance

Kind of a mixed bag, but the husband and wife leaders of this group performed with real love of the art.

Wilson Wants it All at the House Theatre

Thought this show was a promising new direction for the House.

From Chris Jones's review: "It's 2040. America is, naturally, divided. But there are now seven political parties. Federalists. New Republicans. Greens. Libertarians. Progressives. Territorialists. The Coalition. Each obstructs the other, since political gain has trumped good policymaking, once and for all. That's hardly a stretch from current reality, but now there is also talk of the end of the union. Enter a young woman named Hope, who might be the last chance to unify a nation. The child of a late, great, JFK-esque senator killed by an assassin's bullet, 30-year-old Hope has spent a sheltered youth but is on the verge of stepping up to the political plate. But does she want it? Or would she rather just run away from Wilson, her political handler, and also her destiny?

...

All in all, this is a gutsy, risky piece that's also a fun night out. And for those who think House is trapped in the thrall of whimsy, it demonstrates a newly political bent that adds depth to this intensely creative company's work.

American Buffalo at Steppenwolf

Hey, we live in Chicago. We should be seeing some Mamet right? With Tracy Letts? Even better? And a really, really terrific turn by Housian Patrick Andrews.

From Chris Jones's review: "Trapped behind a computer, writing Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, Tracy Letts clearly has accumulated some pent-up aggression. Clad in polyester and revealing a few cheesy chest hairs, the actor-writer unleashes some of that energy as Teach , the most colorful of the three messed-up characters in the Lincoln Avenue junk store that holds David Mamet’s “American Buffalo.” ...

Morton has created a very credible world. Thanks also to Kevin Depinet’s very clever set, you feel like this place, and the people who hang out there, could really exist (I’ve always imagined Mamet was writing about somewhere near the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Byron Street in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood).

You do see in Patrick Andrews, though, a hugely promising actor who knows how to inhabit a lonely character, living on the edge. Bob is perhaps one of Mamet’s most autobiographically revealing characters. He looks for a family, a community and finds only Chicago hustlers, who seem to care but don’t know how. The more of his pain we feel, the better.

Cloud Gate at Harris Theatre

We've seen Cloud Gate before, and this piece was really wonderful.














"Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Asia ’s leading contemporary dance company, returns to Chicago blending Eastern and Western dance styles with Lin Hwai-min's internationally renowned signature work, Moon Water. Moon Water is a contemporary exploration of the Tai Chi Tao Yin movement, set to JS Bach’s exquisite Six Suites for Solo Cello. During this breathtaking performance, water sweeps across the entire stage and is reflected by a wall of mirror suspended midair, creating a stunning on-stage work of art."

Icarus at Lookingglass

Amazing physical theatre, but the heart of the story didn't quite deliver.














From Chris Jones's review "No troupe in America is more qualified than the Lookingglass Theatre Company to create a show about Icarus, the mythological kid who flew too close to the sun. For at Lookingglass, they really know how to make someone fly. In David Catlin’s new “Icarus,” the sequence in which the overreaching young adventurer with hopeful wings and fickle wax soars and falls to Earth is nothing short of stunning. Thanks to the fusion of choreography and circus skills, you feel as if you really see Icarus (Lindsey Noel Whiting) take wing. And when he crumples and melts above your head, you feel the sudden jolt of pain his loving father Daedalus (Lawrence E. DiStasi) must feel in that moment."

New Year's Eve Blue Moon

It was a blue moon. There was blue food, blue drinks, and the Blue Devils.















Holiday photos here.

Christmas 2009

We managed 7 fish stew for Christmas Eve, and Ms. S's granny's grits for Christmas Day. There were presidents, and a screening of White Christmas, of course.

Holiday photos here.

Solstice

Patti Smith was the honorary goddess guide for Solstice 2009.

Holiday photos here.

Josh at FFC

Did my first session with Josh at Fitness Formula. One of the best things I've done.... Power Balance, baby!

Candlelight tour at Glessner House

We went for the Christmas candlelight tour at Glessner House with Ms. N as one of the guides.

Remembering Rose Friedman

A work Saturday. A memorial event for Rose Friedman.

The Mystery of Irma Vep

A romp and a good time at Court.

From the Time Out Review:

"The Mystery of Irma Vep, which debuted in 1984, is perhaps the archetypal camp play. Camp, per Susan Sontag, privileges artifice over beauty, style over content—which holds largely true of Ludlam’s lovingly ridiculous spoof of horror movies and Gothic novels. The twist that sets Irma Vep apart from, say, the Annoyance’s lineup is a quick-change structure that enables two actors to play the myriad denizens of Mandacrest, the English manor bedeviled by all manner of monsters. The play becomes as much about the challenges it tosses to its performers as the dark secrets that Lord Edgar Hillcrest (Hellman) conceals from his new wife, Enid (Sullivan).

Those challenges are brilliantly met by this dynamic Laurel-and-Hardy pair. Sullivan, whose massive frame gives Lady Enid an almost architectural grandeur, gets the finest tour de force: He engages in a seemingly impossible back-and-forth between Enid and his other major character, the one-legged servant Nicodemus. Hellman wields a mean hatchet as the murderous maid Jane and, as pith-helmeted Lord Edgar, intrepidly plumbs the depths of Egyptology. While the first act could run at an even more manic clip, Graney directs with a steady hand. In the second act, at moments such as Enid and Jane’s strangely potent dulcimer duet, this Irma Vep achieves a sublime fascination, conveying Ludlam’s affection for his misbegotten sources. And Graney’s audacious closing move adds yet another layer of meaning to this daffily compelling play."

MFI Founder's Circle event

A work event to promote the creation of the Milton Friedman Institute for Research in Economics. A spectacular setting at the Morningstar offices.

Holiday Party at the Dean's

Another snowy night, but a wonderful evening at the Dean's for his annual party for staff. Yummy food, good company.