Chicagostyle, Factory Theater, at Angel Island. In Factory Theater’s early days, the ensemble frequently staged sketch revues as a way of showcasing members’ writing and allowing them to recharge between full-length scripts. But compared to the company’s more ambitious projects during its mid-90s heyday, these shows seemed slapdash and insufficiently edited. The rough edges were […]
Tag: Vol. 32 No. 37
Issue of Jun. 12 – 18, 2003
Posted inArts & Culture
Christopher O’Riley and Tokyo String Quartet
Like a growing number of younger classical players, pianist Christopher O’Riley comfortably straddles the fence between his metier and the pop realm. Trained at a conservatory, he has the requisite concertos and sonatas in his repertoire–namely works by late Romantics (Busoni, Tchaikovsky), modern Russians (Scriabin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev), and Americans (Gershwin). At Ravinia, where I first […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Doug Cocker
The elegant but spare sculptures of Doug Cocker, a resident of rural Scotland, are crafted of unstained wood without nails, screws, or glue and shaped to echo farm implements or natural scenes. The 16 pieces of Speaking in Tongues, part of the exhibit at the John David Mooney Foundation, include wooden plows and yokes; mirrored […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Martin & Orloff
Winner of the 2003 Christopher Wetzel Award for Independent Film Comedy, this madcap 2002 farce opens with corporate nebbish Martin (Ian Roberts) being released from the hospital after a suicide attempt (he cleans up the blood in his bathroom to a brassy rendition of “Put On a Happy Face”). His first therapy session is cut […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Journey’s End
Journey’s End, Seanachai Theatre Company, at Breadline Theatre. Settling in before Elizabeth Schuch’s lyrically dreary underground bunker, its ossified crud nestled beneath massive blackened planks that seem to groan under tons of earth, one fact is immediately apparent: few plays could live up to this magnificent set. R.C. Sherriff’s unwaveringly adequate World War I drama […]
Posted inNews & Politics
Three Enchanted Evenings
When Across a Crowded Room–a roundup of music by Richard Rodgers–played in Chicago last summer, Reader critic Neil Tesser noted a paradox that made the show especially welcome: Rodgers’s versatility contributed to his relative obscurity. His centennial last year spurred new interest in the composer, but before that he “seldom topped anyone’s list in discussions […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Paper Dreams and Plastic Promises
Paper Dreams and Plastic Promises, Sandbox Theatre Project, at the Athenaeum Theatre. Let’s make a rule. Let’s say that college theater majors may not make professional use of material developed in class for at least five years after graduation. No, seven. That way, they’ll have some time to consider whether the world really needs to […]
Posted inNews & Politics
TRG Music Listings
Rock, Pop, Etc. Concerts AC ROCK Thu 6/19, 7 PM, Petty Auditorium, Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton, Skokie. 847-673-7774. A.D.D., DIGITAL KILL, FETOR, VIBE, NIX perform as part of the Music With Meaning Series. Fri 6/20, 6 PM, Pilgrim Church, 460 Lake, Oak Park. 708-848-5860. AMERICAN ENGLISH Beatles tribute. Fri 6/20, 6 PM, Millennium Plaza, […]