Haymarket Books describes itself as a radical and independent publisher, and in light of current events, I am grateful that they are still in the game. They have a new home—Haymarket House at 800 W. Buena in Buena Park—which is…
I am a big fan of British comedy and in particular, one master of the genre—John Cleese in Fawlty Towers. That show is an example of farce, done brilliantly. Basil Fawlty is an improbable character trying to run an upscale…
What says snobby teens with step-sibling issues and boy band music cruising the airwaves better than the movie Cruel Intentions? It was a movie made for the’90s. It was a perfect take on Dangerous Liaisons with the same sinister undertone…
The Chicago Theatre started out as a movie palace that could hold more than 3000 viewers for the silent films that were all the rage. It was normal for a silent movie to have a pianist or Wurlitzer organist adding…
When I think of modern or jazz-inspired dance, a few people come to mind. Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Katherine Dunham. Giordano Dance Chicago has established itself in my Hall of Fame for originality while keeping the form of mid-century…
I have been following Jackie Taylor’s Black Ensemble Theater (BET) since their days on Beacon and then to the beautiful new home on Clark. Unlike the old days on Beacon, the A/C is much more reliable and the acoustics are…
That drumbeat hits and then you hear a voice like no other—“I know you wanna leave me but I refuse to let you go!” The Temptations were like no other sound that had come out of the Motor City and…
If we depended on the news media to learn the history of the island nation of Haiti, we would not know a lot of substance. Various dictators, earthquakes, and humanitarian crises have occurred, usually seen as happening far from American…
Quamino’s Map is the 22nd opera by the Belizean-born composer Errollyn Wallen who trained at the University of London and Cambridge. The libretto is by playwright Deborah Brevoort and the result is a richly layered look at another London that…
Identity politics have become a big part of our everyday life. There is always a tussle over who can be called a real American. If you act a certain way, you get the privilege of a peek into the construct…
I had to look up the Greenbelt in Boise, Idaho, to see if it was a real place—it is. There isn’t a lot written about Boise in ways that other cities are described. Terms like conservative, religious, and homogeneous seem…
Women in America have long demanded that society appreciate their worth and contributions beyond the confines of a household. Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, directed by Tasia Jones, mines the history of the first wave of Black migration to New York…
Eva Perón has had many names and titles. A saint, a first lady, a savior, and a dancehall girl–aka prostitute. There are more names and epithets than I can include here for “Evita,” Argentina’s most controversial First Lady. Ballet Hispánico…
I gave high praise to Terence Blanchard’s opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones. The opening night performance at the Lyric was filled with excitement and local luminaries. The following evening, I was privileged to listen to Blanchard and the…
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