Chicago Lifestyle Podcast & Video Blog
The West Ridge Nature Preserve unveiled their new children’s play space. Festivities included live music, fun with dirt and sticks, as well as roasting marshmallows in a fire pit. When visiting you can watch the ducks, geese, seagulls and other waterfowl cavort in the pond, …
Podcast theater review of “The Flower of Hawaii” features tenor Rodel Rosel and soprano Marisa Buchheit. An American premiere presented by “Folks Operetta” as part of their “Reclaimed Voices Series at Stage 773 on Belmont through July 14, 2019.
As part of “Make Music Chicago” celebration, Julie Lovison, Director of The Lake Shore Music Studio and a few of her students performed at Washington Square Park in the Gold Coast area near Rush Street (actually just off Walton).
The piano was provided by the “Pianos in the Park” project.
Pianos have been placed in ten parks around the city providing venues for scheduled and impromptu performances through August 1st.
This particular event was sponsored by The Newberry Library and the Washington Square Park Advisory Council as part of a global endeavor to celebrate music worldwide.
Based on the French Fête de la Musique, the largest world-wide single-day music festival connecting Chicago with over 60 other U.S. cities and 800 cities in 120 countries around the world also celebrating this day of music.
Part of being a good musician is not simply playing by rote. If you have merely memorized a piece you will be easily thrown-off by the unexpected. This includes an environment in which a jack-hammer might be pounding nearby or the piano has a sticky key or two.
If you can deal with that then a routine performance will be much less intimidating.
Piano teacher Julie Lovison teaches her students that regardless of the quality of the instrument that you are presented with, you should learn to do your best to adapt and give a seemless performance (within reason of course).
If you understand the piano’s limitations and how the music is composed you can improvise as necessary, and unless your audience is familiar with the piece note-by-note they will in most cases never be the wiser.
The goal is to try not to interrupt the listener’s overall experience.
These pianos in the park are in various conditions but for the most part are useable in capable hands with some deft adjustment to the music and the player’s technique.
The Lake Shore Music Studio offers piano lessons for all ages at their Sandburg Village location.
We are happy to join forces with our sister channel AuthorsBroadcast.com to cover highlights of the 2019 Chicago Printers Row Lit Fest. In this podcast you can listen to authors give a brief synopsis of their books that include Chicago themes as well as romance, …
Here is an interesting video interview with Michael Corcoran from our Authors Showcase archive talking about contemporary or “modern” Chicago film history. Chicago tour guide Michael Corcoran co-author with Arnie Bernstein in the book “Hollywood on Lake Michigan” was recently interviewed by the Chicago Reader for …
This video of a dubbed 8mm film was posted on youtube as being Chicago 1960’s but judging by the warm weather clothing and the fact that “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” was released in June 1970 likely this was shot around that time.
This is a real throwback for many of us who had an opportunity to spend time in “The Loop” during this era.
For costume or fashion designers, it’s a great chance to observe what people were actually wearing on the street in the work-a-day world and how they were styling their hair.
The street is bustling with a number of “older” women who were obviously shopping but who were also the backbone workers of many of the area businesses.
There is an “L” ride in the first minute that includes passing by the Armitage Avenue stop but most of this is shot around the north end of State Street and along Randolph Street. Look for the Greyhound station, Tad’s Steakhouse and Shopper’s Corner, also a little boy takes a lick of a store window.
Interesting to see the men cautiously eyeing the posters of the X-rated movie houses then standing in line for tickets. Check out the guy with the “shades” counting money in the ticket booth.
Some good glimpses of cars, taxis, and buses, shoeshine boys and newspaper sellers.
Nothing particularly noteworthy but if you like to just watch people and see how much things have changed in the past 50 years this is an interesting moment in time.
The Organic Theater Company’s presentation of “The Memo” is an absurdist black comedy that might be described as Monty Python meets “Office Space” in the “Twilight Zone.” The show runs through June 16, 2019, at the Greenhouse Theater Center on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. “The …
I love the Court Theater in Hyde Park, the cast was outstanding as usual, and I really wanted to love this play. In spite of my tepid “somewhat recommend” I did not dislike “The Adventures of Augie March” playing through June 9, 2019. Basically, I …
Magic Penthouse” is perfect for those looking for an elegant post-dinner night-on-the-town with unique entertainment and a convivial atmosphere.
On their website “Magic Penthouse” encourages “elegant cocktail attire” providing a festive atmosphere with plenty of young ladies in pretty dresses and sparkly jewelry. The men were mostly in sport coats and suits with nary a sneaker to be found.
Listen to our exclusive podcast above or read the entire review at ChicagoTheaterandArts.com
Correction: Co-founder / magician Nick Roy was misread as Nick Ray. Sorry for the confusion.
We are very happy that pop composer Steve Solomon has allowed us to use FOSTER AVENUE BEACH as the theme song for our Chicago Broadcasting Network podcasts. It was important for us to have a unique song that referenced Chicago in a meaningful but subtle …
“THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW” at the Raven Theatre really resonated with me. Maybe it was because of the business point-of-view representing an aging business owner reluctant to pass the baton to the younger generation or maybe because of the all to close-to-home conflicts …
City Lit in Edgewater is winding up their 39th theatrical season pitching “Two Days in Court: A Double-Header of Classic One Acts.”
The two one-acts played back-to-back are “The Devil and Daniel Webster” a soulful drama by Stephen Vincent Benet, and a farcical operetta “Trial by Jury” by Gilbert & Sullivan
Listen to the entire podcast theater review above or read it at ChicagoTheaterandArts.com.
“Two Days in Court: A Double-Header of Classic One Acts” is at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avene, Chicago, IL through May 26, 2019. Running time is approximately 90 minutes with one intermission.
For tickets and information, call (773)293-3682 or visit CityLit.org
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