FROM JULY 2006: Except Bruce Norris. The playwright’s growing notoriety as a social satirist is surpassing his success as an actor, and Chicago’s top directors value him as an original mind and an excellent dinner companion. But nothing saves him (or the rest of us) from his contempt
In a new book on friendship, a noted Chicago author concludes that it should be treated as an art—one worthy of regular maintenance through thoughtful cultivation
Features Breakthrough Medicineby Dennis RodkinBecause its world-renowned teaching hospitals regularly attract scores of talented doctors and scientists, Chicago stands in the front ranks of medical innovation. Here are some of the latest cutting-edge advances and treatments related to breast cancer, the brain, prostate surgery, bionic limbs, the heart, minimally invasive hip and knee surgery, autoimmune … Read more
A new film fest comes to town; The Decemberists’ wild summer show; easy “homebaked” cookies; beauty on the go; and more for July
Chick lit novels rarely heat up the black market. But that’s what Girls of Riyadhdid when it débuted two years ago in Saudi Arabia.
Features Before They Were Famous by Michael Austin and Jennifer Wehunt We open up the yearbooks, talk to the classmates, and reveal what Jenny McCarthy, Donald Rumsfeld, Donovan McNabb, Lara Flynn Boyle, David Hasselhoff, and a host of other Chicago high-school students were really like when they were still just the promising kids-or in some … Read more
For his first three plays, Tracy Letts, the Steppenwolf actor and writer, produced trailer-trash pulp, a creepy horror-romance, and a simple story involving average people in wrist restraints. His latest work—a sprawling family saga that premières this summer—suggests where some of that menacing energy comes from.
Asking a Lot Photograph: mptv.net Maria Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Dreyer’s 1928 silent-film masterpiece, “is the greatest work of 20th-century art in any medium. The drama is unforgettable.” That’s the opinion of Paul Caldwell, who is conducting the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago in … Read more
At 24, Alice Hoffman kicked off a stellar literary career by publishing her very first book, Property Of. That was 1977. Then came the deluge: 16 more novels (including Practical Magic, The Ice Queen, The River King, Here on Earth), plus short stories, screenplays, fiction for teens, picture books for youngsters, not to mention critical … Read more
Photograph: Drew Reynolds Max King Cap Two years ago, Max King Cap conceived God’s Punk, a story about an interracial romance at a military academy. Initially, the seasoned local artist considered creating a graphic novel or turning the tale into a play. Eventually he began to envision giant set pieces and, although he’d never formally … Read more
