Posted inArts & Culture

Oly

Lots of synth pop is so sweet and overearnest it makes me gag–I can’t stand that lovey-dovey doe-eyed little-girl crap. But I find Oly strangely touching, probably because her forlorn-orphan melodies and almost bluesy vocals don’t give me the impression that she’s looking for a hug–she’s actually OK with being sad. She has to take […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Chicago Chamber Musicians

This concert of romantic works includes one of the most glorious examples of the genre: Schumann’s Piano Quintet, whose virtuosic piano writing and scale almost make it a concerto. The exhilarating first movement alternates optimism and yearning tenderness; the second is mournful and tumultuous. The joyful third contrasts a rush of ascending scales and dotted […]

Posted inArts & Culture

One Small, Illegal Woman/Una Pequena Mujer Illegal

One Small, Illegal Woman/Una pequena mujer ilegal | M. Litwicki’s new two-hander is certainly passionate about illegal immigration, bristling with intertwined issues: drug trafficking, violence against poor women, assimilation into the dominant Anglo culture. What Litwicki hasn’t done is provide a convincing dramatic framework for the encounter between Charlie, a Mexican-American border guard in Arizona’s […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Sweet Charity

This New York-bound revival of the 1966 musical boasts a star who combines kooky clowning, innocent charm, and heartbreaking pathos. No, it’s not leading lady Christina Applegate as taxi dancer Charity Hope Valentine, a role created by the great Gwen Verdon. The most exciting performer in this dance-filled show is nondancing former off-Loop actor Denis […]

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Don’t Spit the Water!

In the spirit of Make Me Laugh, Comedy Central’s series in which contestants won when they didn’t laugh at comedians’ jokes, Blewt! Productions has created this hour-long interactive game show. Three anything-for-a-guffaw comics try to get audience volunteers in funny hats to laugh and spit out a mouthful of water, occasionally on each other or […]

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One Trick Ponies

Jay Steigmann and Emily Boardman are more talented than their name implies, but they’re not quite versatile enough to do full justice to the dark comic sketches in their 35-minute show on religion, adoption, cancer, sexual harassment, and pornography. Some scene transitions, seamlessly staged by director Butch Jerinic, have greater energy than the sketches, and […]

Posted inNews & Politics

The Straight Dope

I’ve often read that if you jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, you will accelerate to the point where hitting the water will be like hitting concrete. But my little brain keeps saying, “Yeah, but it’s WATER!” Could you jump off a bridge like the Golden Gate and contort your body in such a way […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Dear Frankie

One should know as little as possible in advance about the plot of cinematographer Shona Auerbach’s subtle and graceful directorial debut, written by Andrea Gibb. So let’s just say that the main characters are a single mother (Emily Mortimer), her deaf nine-year-old son (Jack McElhone), his mysteriously absent father, a sailor hired by the mother […]

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Sam Prekop

When Sam Prekop made his 1999 debut solo album, he assembled a superb group of musicians who headed into the studio before they’d spent much time playing together. But on the road they matured into a confident, expansive band: cornetist Rob Mazurek became more than an occasional accompanist, and Prekop and fellow Sea and Cake […]

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European Union Film Festival

The eighth annual European Union Film Festival, with entries from all 25 member states, continues Friday, March 11, through Thursday, March 24, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, 312-846-2800. Tickets are $9, $7 for students, and $5 for Film Center members. Following are listings through Thursday, March 17; a full schedule is […]

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Ladysmith Black Mambazo

No Boundaries (Heads Up International), a collaboration between South Africa’s leading Zulu gospel choir and the string section of the English Chamber Orchestra, is in many ways a similar project to Youssou N’Dour’s 2004 album Egypt. Both integrate religious music from a foreign tradition: N’Dour uses the distinctive inflections of an Egyptian orchestra to celebrate […]

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Henry Grimes Quartet

Perhaps the biggest jazz story in recent years is the unexpected reemergence of the great bassist Henry Grimes. A flexible and powerful musician, Grimes was a crucial fixture during the 60s, working with avant-gardists like Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor as well as more daring mainstream players like Sonny Rollins, Lee […]