Recent Posts

‘Arcadia’ at Greenhouse Chicago Review

‘Arcadia’ at Greenhouse Chicago Review

 At its core, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard is a comedic drawing room mystery, but it is also a thought-provoking exploration of humanity through concepts of truth, chaos versus order, discovery and rediscovery, the meaning of time, and our desire to improve on an already …

City of Chicago Golden Diners Program

City of Chicago Golden Diners Program

More than a meal Chicago’s Golden Diners Program provides an opportunity for seniors (over age 60) throughout the city to interact with the community and enjoy time outside their home. The program is funded by the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services. There …

“Frankenstein” by Manual Cinema at Court Theatre | Chicago

“Frankenstein” by Manual Cinema at Court Theatre | Chicago

Manual Cinema’s homage to the 100th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s gothic classic “Frankenstein” is a singular theatrical experience that mixes live action, silhouettes, puppets, shadow puppetry, masks, video, slide projection and all manner of theatrical techniques, ancient and modern to create a captivating monochromatic video mash-up.

At the Court Theatre on the campus of the University of Chicago through December 2, 2018.

After the performance, the audience is invited to come on stage and experiment with some of the technology and get a closer look at the props and process.

Frankenstein onstage technology
A close-up look at some of the technology.

This is a unique theatrical experience that should not be missed.

You can read this entire review at ChicagoTheaterandArts.com

Thanks to Scatterplot for permission to use “Foster Avenue Beach” as our podcast theme song. You can find it at Spotify.

Review and post-performance photos by Reno Lovison.

Erica Rhodes @ North Bar Comedy Chicago

Erica Rhodes @ North Bar Comedy Chicago

Headliner Erica Rhodes has appeared on Modern Family and Veep. She was making her way back to Los Angeles through Chicago after working the comedy club Penguin’s and a casino bar in Iowa over the weekend.  The lithe thirty something wearing a corduroy jeans jacket …

Review of Caroline or Change at the Den Theater Chicago

Review of Caroline or Change at the Den Theater Chicago

It is the dawn of the civil rights movement, times are changing, President JFK has just been assassinated. Caroline is recently divorced, has three girls at home and a grown son in Vietnam. To make matters worse she is under employed and feeling like she …

KPOP Band BTS Rocks Chicago’s United Center

KPOP Band BTS Rocks Chicago’s United Center

While investigating the net to see what is happening in Chicago this week I was nearly overwhelmed by the number of fan videos for BTS at the United Center. It seems the K-pop (Korean Pop Music) boy band from South Korea has been rocking the world since about 2011 and enjoyed a huge audience of enthusiastic admirers from in and around The Windy City October 2 -3, 2018.

Wikipedia tells me the group’s name, BTS, evidently refers to the Korean expression Bangtan Sonyeondan which literally means “Bulletproof Boy Scouts.” I’ll leave it to you to figure out or research further.

They blew up youtube with fan video from their “Love Yourself Tour”, feel free to surf through it all here.

Enjoy this somewhat random video from Micky’s Basement who claims this was “seriously one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to in my life.”

I’m not sure how many concerts Mickey’s been to but judging from his channel he’s been to a few so I’ll take him at his word.  Check it out for yourself.

 

Chicago Based Beer Reviewer

Chicago Based Beer Reviewer

I thought it would be fun to feature beer reviewer Mark McDermott who I found while simply trolling the web for interesting Chicago related content. Though he does not review Chicago beers exclusively he is based in Chicago. To give this intro to Mark a …

My Chicago Parking Hero

My Chicago Parking Hero

I have two pet peeves when parking in Chicago. The first is the high cost, especially downtown, and the second is giving money to Chicago Parking Meters LLC which will probably go down in history as one of the worst business deals in history for the …

“Serious Times” Reggae Music Video by Chicago Musician

“Serious Times” Reggae Music Video by Chicago Musician

This is a new reggae music video release produced by Reno Lovison RenoWeb.net for Chicago musician Robert Burchell with Tony Aiken & Future for New Vision One Records, distributed by VPAL Music. The primary video was shot on a roof deck on the north-west side of the city. Listen here on Soundcloud.

Download and Buy it here.

Ravenswood Art Walk 2018 Chicago

Ravenswood Art Walk 2018 Chicago

Part of the fun and allure of the Ravenswood Art Walk is the opportunity to poke in and out of many of the art galleries and businesses along this former light industrial corridor on Chicago’s Northside. This is as much an architectural tour as it …

Review of August Wilson’s Radio Golf at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park

Review of August Wilson’s Radio Golf at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park

A quest for success, what is legal, what is fair and ultimately, what is right and what is wrong. Real estate developer Harmond Wilks who has aspirations of becoming mayor finds himself at odds with his wife and his business partner after encountering a couple …

Andersonville Arts Week 2018 | Chicago

Andersonville Arts Week 2018 | Chicago

Enjoy a quick glimpse of the Andersonville shopping area as the neighborhood gears up for an evening of festivities centered around the annual Andersonville Arts Week.

This video features a close-up look at the creation of an anamorphic 3D chalk drawing by Chris Carlson on the sidewalk near Summerdale and Clark Streets.

Also a little bit of street music and peek at the various business establishments that contribute to the unique character of this area.

Whether you are a visitor or a local you should know that this is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own contribution to the diverse cultural milieu that is Chicago.