Art Imitates Death
Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife, discusses art, writing, and her upcoming exhibition on Isabella Blow, the fashion icon who died last spring.
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Chicagoween
Not too long ago, I called up the owner of Fantasy Costume Headquarters on Milwaukee Avenue and asked which costumes he predicted would sweep Chicago. His top picks for this year: caveman masks and pirate paraphernalia. He was riffing, of course, off the Geico cavemen character and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Well, since Saturday, I’ve attended three Halloween parties and a pumpkin-carving fête, and I have not spotted any cavemen. I’ve seen a pirate or two. By far, the most popular costumes I’ve seen are Amy Winehouse (complete with the Blake tattoo over the bosom) and the “d*ck-in-the-box”…
Guest Blog: Jeff Awards Redux
My take on the Joseph Jefferson Awards, which happened last night at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, is that the ceremony is pretty boring unless you are 1. a nominee; 2. an actor who was in or a person who worked on a nominated show; or 3. drunk. I drew my third conclusion from the mob scenes around the Grey Goose vodka free-martini bar, at which two bartendresses languidly shook cocktails for the restless throng, and the cash bar, where I found Jeff Award-nominee Jason Loewith standing with veteran actor Mary Ann Thebus…
A House Divided on Passion
Here at Chicago magazine headquarters, we’re divided about Passion, the Sondheim musical that’s playing upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre through Nov. 11.
Passion is one of the hot tickets for fall, partly because of its director (Gary Griffin) but mostly because of its star: Ana Gasteyer, the SNL alum. Gasteyer doesn’t live here, but one of her early ventures into musical theatre was opening Wicked for Broadway in Chicago. Now she’s back!…
Drawing a Crowd
The Art Institute’s astounding collection of prints and drawings deserves a closer look.
5 Albums that Move…
Nico Muhly, the composer whose Step Team will première Nov. 5th in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNow series
Introducing The Callback
With a fully functioning bar on the second floor, Strawdog Theatre is something of an actor’s hangout. So when the playwright Hank Boland and his friend, the actress Kate Parker, decided they wanted to start a theatre “talk show,” it made sense that they’d do it at Strawdog.
Their show, The Callback, kicked off last week: it’s an hourlong variety program on Wednesday nights, including Kate’s interviews with guests like T.J. Jagadowski, one half of the improv duo TJ and Dave (who’s the guest tonight at 8 p.m). Also fueling the show are copious amounts of beer…
Critical Mass
Noteworthy new releases for November
The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America
September 28, 2007- The Signature Room at the 95th hosted Chicago’s James Beard Foundation “Taste America” event to celebrate the Foundation’s 20th anniversary with a tribute to Midwest seasonal dining. Event hosts included Chef Charlie Trotter with Chicago Chefs Alexander Cheswick, Bill Kim, Mike Sheerin, Patrick Sheerin, and Bruce Sherman. Photos courtesy of The Signature Room
Lake Geneva Wine Festival
September 6-9, 2007- Sponsored by Chicago Magazine, the 2007 Lake Geneva Wine Festival presented the artistry of acclaimed winemakers and chefs, featuring headliner talent from Carnivale, Opera, Le Lan, Room 21 and Spiaggia to over 1,500 participants in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Intimate wine dinners, seminars, a gala event, and a lakeside grand tasting and auction were included. Visit www.lakegenevawinefestival.com.