Seth Saith

Stellar Observations, Strong Performances Make 'Stella & Lou' Rather Likable -- Chicago Theater Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Theater Review

Stella & Lou
a play by Bruce Graham
directed by BJ Jones
Northlight Theatre, Skokie
Thru June 9
@@@@

There have been few television characters more caustically nasty--in a wonderful way--than Carla Tortelli of Cheers, played for all 11 seasons by Rhea Perlman, who won four Emmys for doing so.

In Bruce Graham's new play, Stella & Lou, which is world premiering at Skokie's Northlight Theatre, Perlman again spends her time in a bar and at times approaches being caustic, but as Stella--a long-divorced Philadelphia nurse who seeks a romance with bar owner Lou (played by Francis Guinan)--she is far from nasty.

Yet still quite wonderful.

As is the always outstanding Guinan, a Steppenwolf ensemble member I've seen in several shows.

Together, these two fine actors--along with a third, Ed Flynn, of the Gift Theatre Company--make a play that doesn't offer much in the way of surprise nonetheless eminently entertaining.

Especially as the 85-minute drama, with a good bit of comedy and romance, proceeds in directions one might readily guess, I won't reveal too much of the storyline.

Essentially it is a play about its title characters, with Flynn's Donnie having a bit of narrative of his own but largely serving to break up the dialogue between Stella and Lou.

Lou's is an old-time Philadelphia bar that its owner seemingly runs by himself primarily for loyal, serious-drinking patrons, of which Donnie is one even if several years younger than the norm.

Which is somewhat how I felt catching this show at a Wednesday matinee, where I believe I was the youngest audience member by at least 20 years.

But having loved Graham's previous play at Northlight, The Outgoing Tide--which was the best play I saw in 2011--and being able to avail myself of a $20 day-of-show discount ticket, I was happy to be among a mature audience, especially given the subject matter of Stella & Lou.

The Outgoing Tide, which starred John Mahoney and Rondi Reed, premiered at Northlight and went on to play at the Galway Arts Festival last summer in Ireland. There, Perlman caught it thanks to Mahoney, who had done a guest spot on Cheers before playing Martin Crane on Frasier (a Cheers spinoff).

As revealed in this Tribune interview with Perlman and in the program for Stella & Lou, although Rhea had met Northlight artistic director and Outgoing Tide/Stella & Lou director BJ Jones after the performance in Ireland, it was through another Cheers castmate--George Wendt--that she was eventually cast as Stella.

Wendt was supposed to star in The Odd Couple at Northlight last fall, but had to drop out during rehearsals due to heart issues.

Jones had commissioned Graham to write Stella & Lou for Northlight after the success of The Outgoing Tide, and had mentioned to Wendt that he could envision Perlman in the role. Wendt told Perlman and faster than she could insult Diane, Rebecca or Cliff--OK, not quite--here she is.

Though it does not have the same heft or gravitas as The Outgoing Tide, a drama that revolves around Alzheimer's disease, Stella & Lou works not only because of the work of Perlman, Guinan and Flynn, but because in depicting a late-in-life romance, Graham's script is plenty smart, even if not exceedingly novel.

I imagine many in the audience could likely relate to issues of carrying on after losing a spouse, appreciating companionship, resisting commitment and contemplating moving to Florida.

And perhaps more pertinent to the young whippersnappers in the crowd--well, me, I guess, at 44--through Stella, Graham makes some savvy observations about Facebook, texting and the digital age that largely parallel my thoughts on how face-to-face communication is being corrupted.

So while Stella & Lou isn't quite The Outgoing Tide, or even a particularly terrific episode of Cheers, it offers a lot to like.

And particularly for just $20, but even a good bit more, its title characters and the wonderful actors who play them, prove to be a couple worth getting to know.

Profile in Courage: Paul Rusesabagina of 'Hotel Rwanda' Brings "Voice for the Voiceless" to DuPage County

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:19:00 +0000

Event Recap

Paul Rusesabagina
Fundraiser for the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation
Hosted by the Democratic Party of DuPage County
May 15, 2013

If you haven't seen the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda--and you absolutely should, as it's a terrific movie and important true story--chances are the name Paul Rusesabagina doesn't mean much to you.

But he is a hero.

Like Oskar Schindler and courageous others throughout history, Rusesabagina saved many lives while putting his own at considerable risk.

Hotel Rwanda, in which Rusesabagina is remarkably embodied by Don Cheadle, chronicles his selfless efforts as manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda in 1994.

Though this brief synopsis won't do justice to Rusesabagina's exploits, the movie or his book, An Ordinary Man, at great peril to himself Paul essentially hid 1,268 refugees at the hotel in the midst of a genocide arising out of a clash between warring factions in Rwanda (Hutu and Tutsi), almost assuredly saving their lives.

So it seemed that taking a ride out to Lombard for a fundraiser for Rusesabagina's foundation, hosted by the Democratic Party of DuPage County, was not only a very slight effort compared to what the guest of honor had done and seen, but something I should do.

And other than Bob Peickert, chairman of the DuPage Dems--for whom I have done some marketing work over the years--Mr. Rusesabagina was the first person I spoke with after arriving at the King's Hall Banquets, now occupying a space I remembered as once being the second-run Northgate movie theater.

I found Paul to be quite friendly and down-to-earth, and while he pointed out that he is 10 years older than Cheadle, not so unlike the movie version of himself.

As I waited to greet him, Rusesabagina was entertaining a group of Hinsdale South high school students who were at the fundraiser and seemingly quite passionate in learning about a man who had walked in the shadow of death before they were even born.

In his formal speech to a crowd of perhaps 100 or so, Rusesabagina noted that shortly before the genocide erupted--marked, as depicted in Hotel Rwanda, by mass slaughter by machete--he had traveled to Belgium with his family for a managers meeting at the headquarters of Sabena, the Mille Collines' parent company.

Had he any inkling of what would happen in the days ahead, he surely would have stayed in Belgium, or at least left his wife and kids there. For as he related, he arrived back in Rwanda on March 31, 1994--six days before things went to hell (my phrasing, not his).

On the evening of April 6, Paul was having dinner with his brother-in-law and the latter's wife, celebrating her recent college graduation. Around 8:30pm, they heard a missile hitting the plane of Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana, who like Paul was part of the Hutu ethnic group. His wife Tatiana and her relatives were Tutsi.

The president and 11 others were killed instantly, setting off a genocide of Tutsis at the hands--and swords--of the Hutus that would see over 500,000 people slaughtered in just 100 days, including Tatiana's brother and sister-in-law, with whom Paul had dined on a day he recalled as "the worst moment in my life."

As shown in the movie--SPOILER ALERT--Paul and Tatiana eventually found their two orphaned nieces in a refugee camp, and subsequently adopted them (joining their four other children).

Thus, it was quite touching and gratifying to hear Rusesabagina--who now lives primarily in Texas, by way of Belgium, where he had left Rwanda for in 1996--that his two adopted daughters are now studying at Georgetown and Northwestern.

Not too surprisingly, given that when I had directly asked him about Hotel Rwanda he said it was nearly a documentary, many of Rusesabagina's remembrances closely echoed events in the film, which I just watched again over the weekend.

He expressed how, every day from the hotel office, he sent faxes to Washington, London, Paris and other world capitals, asking for international help to quell the devastation.

"I knew they weren't coming, but I still wanted to shame them into doing the right thing," Rusesabagina stated in his speech.

Paul also shared how he wound up being #1 on a list of Rwandans to be evacuated during the genocide, along with his family. But as enacted in the movie, he decided he couldn't leave the Mille Collines refugees behind.

"I was the only one who could negotiate with the bad guys not to kill everyone."

Rusesabagina denied acute awareness about why he was designated for--or even particularly disposed to--this pivotal peace broker role, but did offer:

"Whenever there's a conflict, it can be better solved with words than guns."

Through his Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, to which all of the evening's proceeds were directed, Paul remains entirely dedicated to raising awareness about human rights abuses, and especially to preventing future genocides.

In closing his formal remarks, Paul Rusesabagina--who has seen and done things most people never will--urged the integrated crowd to action.

"We need your help. We need everyone to get involved.

"Spread the word. Tell the world leaders: 'Stand up and do the right thing.'

"Help the helpless. Be the voice of the voiceless.

"This is my mission. I hope it can be yours."

Pretty inspiring. And more than reason enough to contribute an extra $20 to get a signed copy of Rusesabagina's book, An Ordinary Man, before heading back to Skokie.

But not before I was advised not to engage with the "Rwandan agents" that were supposedly in the King's Hall parking lot.

Especially given the altruistic, humanitarian and noble tenor of the evening, I certainly hope that everyone--including the guest of honor--made their way to their cars, and home, without incident.

And that Paul Rusesabagina will return to the Chicago area in the not too distant future, so that you, too, can see and hear a true movie hero share his remarkable real-life story.

--
To donate to the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation and/or contact Paul, please visit hrrfoundation.org

Does Anyone Here Remember Vera Stark? Play's Focus on Black & White Hollywood Feels a Bit Gray -- Chicago Theater Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000

Theater Review

By The Way, Meet Vera Stark
by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Chuck Smith
Goodman Theatre, Chicago
Thru June 2
@@@1/2

By the way, the recent play titled By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, has several admirable qualities.

It is inventively written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage. It is thematically substantive, about how African-American actors and actresses have largely been marginalized in Hollywood. Despite a poignant topic, it is often quite humorous. And while the first act of the 2-1/2 hour play is better than the second, Vera Stark--the play, and the fictional actress personified at the Goodman by the beautiful Tamberla Perry--is never less than watchable.

But while there is plenty that is good about it, somehow the sum of its parts never reaches the level of greatness.

Though there is savvy writing throughout, I can't say I ever found Meet Vera Stark all that pointed, informative or engrossing.

With the play set in Hollywood over three time periods, Act I takes place in 1933. Gloria Mitchell, played by Kara Zediker, is a vacuous starlet--"America's little sweetheart"--and Vera Stark is her maid.

As the play opens, Vera is helping Gloria memorize lines for an audition for a historical epic called The Belle of New Orleans. It is instantly clear that Vera is just as talented and appealing as Gloria, if not more so, but as the play develops--including interactions with the movie director and studio head--it becomes clear that even if Vera can be "discovered," she will be relegated to playing a slave and (in the future) other subordinate roles designated to keep African-American actors on the periphery.

But while it entertains, raises some contemplative issues and features good performances throughout--from Perry, Zediker, TaRon Patton as Vera's roommate Lottie, Chiké Johnson as her paramour Leroy, Patrick Clear as the studio chief, Ron Rains as the director and Amelia Workman as a friend of Vera and Lottie--the first act feels like a preface. We are led to the point where Vera should get her shot in the movies, but not past it.

Which makes Act II feel like a post-script.

It opens with a rather long movie clip showing Gloria and Vera essentially reprising their real-life roles on screen in The Belle of New Orleans.

I was somewhat surprised with where Nottage and director Chuck Smith take the second act, which features characters in 1993 referencing events in 1973, from which Vera harkens back to 1933 and the years since.

So I won't reveal much about the formatting of Act II, but while rather inventive in itself, with funny flashbacks to '70s fashion, TV, rock stardom and more, it felt a good bit lesser than Act I and didn't add to my tempered enjoyment of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.

It's clear that there is something important in the gist of what Nottage is trying to say through the character of Vera Stark, but while the play has enough moments to be worthwhile at a subscriber or discount price (HotTix, Goodman box office), the sum of its parts just doesn't feel that legendary.

Nottage has put together a website supporting Vera's backstory at meetverastark.com. It's a nice complement to the play, and can open one's eyes to the central themes even without getting to the Goodman.

The Chicago Dining World Tour: Muy Bueno Mexican Food, If Not a Wholly Satisfying Visit to an Old Favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:22:00 +0000

Wholly Frijoles
Mexican
3908 W. Touhy, Lincolnwood
847.329.9810
WhollyFrijolesGrill.com
BYOB

What I ate: Chile Relleno, Enchilada with mole Oaxaqueño, Chips & Salsa, Platanos y Mangos flameados

Mexican food is a cuisine I eat fairly frequently and there is no shortage of places to enjoy it in and around Chicago.

From Rick Bayless' snazzy Frontera Grill and Topolobampo to street corner taquerias that dot the local landscape, one can find tacos, burritos, fajitas and my favorite, chimichangas, at various levels of price and quality, with most being quite adequate in my book.

In just the last few weeks I've enjoyed savory meals at El Tipico in Skokie and Fiesta Mexicano in Uptown, as well as a cute little taco place in Northfield called Taco Nano.

I also solicited opinions on Facebook about some of my friends' favorite Mexican restaurants across Chicagoland. Among those cited were Chicago establishments The Little Mexican Cafe, El Barco, Zapatista, De Cero, El Tapatio and Pancho Pistolas, and Mago in Arlington Heights.

I trust all of these are well worth trying and I hope to do so one day.

But the restaurant I wanted to visit and spotlight for my Chicago Dining World Tour was one I had enjoyed several times, but not recently enough to immediately recall (it's likely been a couple years).

Wholly Frijoles is a single-location, family-owned establishment that occupies a double storefront on Touhy Ave. in Lincolnwood, just west of Crawford (Pulaski).

I've always found that their menu choices, food presentation and quality go well beyond standard-issue Mexican and merits Wholly Frijoles' local popularity, as both the parking lot and restaurant seem to be full anytime I visit.

Still, my friend and fellow Skokie resident, Bob, who accompanied me there last week, had never heard of the restaurant, and he's a big fan of Mexican eateries (including Taqueria el Ranchito near Clark & Wilson in Chicago).

Though we both had to find parking in the neighborhood near the restaurant (note that some of the nearby streets have parking restrictions), we were able to be seated upon arrival by a cute hostess.

Chips and salsa were brought to the table, with the chips being really good and the salsa fine but not particularly zesty.

Wholly Frijoles is BYOB--though does accept credit cards unlike some recent excursions on my dining tour--so without any margaritas to tempt us, Bob and I both opted for Diet Cokes.

We also forwent any appetizers, but our entrees both came with soup (Tortilla) or salad, and we each opted for the latter.

This was a chopped salad with a cream of cilantro dressing, and it was very tasty.

Between its regular menu and daily specials, Wholly Frijoles seems to have at least a few selections that go beyond the tried-and-true, but both Bob and I were content to explore their takes on commonplace items.

I got a combination plate with a Chile Relleno and an Enchilada with my choice of filling (Steak) and sauce (Mole Oaxaqueño). It came with a side of rice; I usually opt for no beans, but they weren't an option here.

Bob went with a Chicken Enchilada, also with the Mole Oaxaqueño sauce.

I am not being overly diplomatic nor deferential to say that we both enjoyed our meals, with Bob offering that he would gladly return.

And as you can see, the presentation at Wholly Frijoles is kind of spiffy.

So I happily recommend it to anyone seeking out a local Mexican joint that's a cut above the norm.

But I think it only fair to note that while more than credible and edible, the Chile Relleno did not impress me quite as much as one I'd recently had at El Tipico (on Dempster near McCormick in Skokie).

More troubling were the noise level in the restaurant and the sluggish speed of service.

As I noted above, Wholly Frijoles does a high-volume business in a fairly intimate space, and that's great. But the volume of the patron conversations was ear-splitting to the point that Bob and I practically had to yell to speak with each other across the same table.

And while we weren't in a major hurry, Bob did have plans to get to a show at The Old Town School of Folk Music, and the time between our salads and entrees seemed excessively long.

I don't mean to be too disparaging about a place that I've long liked, but feel these issues were significant enough to point out.

Not reason enough to avoid an otherwise wholly satisfying meal at Wholly Frijoles, but you may wish to bring ear plugs and only go when time is not of the essence.

Fortunately, our main courses were cleared with enough time for me to forage into the dessert menu, opting for Platanos y Mangos flameados, which translates to Bananas & Mangos sautéed and flamed served with vanilla ice cream.

I can't recall ever having mangos with ice cream and I certainly didn't let any of the sweet concoction go to waste. (Bob abstained from ordering dessert and declined to try mine.) But a bit like the entire meal this night at Wholly Frijoles, the dessert wasn't quite as thrilling as I'd expected.

Nonetheless I'll happily return and was pleased to note that not only did Bob like his meal, but other patrons openly expressed how much they enjoyed theirs.

But with a number of other appealing Mexican dining options cited by friends, I look forward to trying somewhere new before likely saying 'hola' to Wholly Frijoles once again.

Attending a Taping of 'America's Got Talent' is Enjoyable Enough, But Leaves Me Unconvinced

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:14:00 +0000

I have never been a fan of so-called reality TV in any form, including popular talent competition shows such as American Idol, The Voice and America's Got Talent.

I don't need to belabor this opinion here, especially as my familiarity with the shows is admittedly rather scant, but suffice it to say I've never much liked what I've seen.

This has as much to do with the whole concept, presentation, format and judging of these shows as it has to do with the talent auditioning, but with all due respect to people like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood, my sense is that I can see many performers who are just as talented, dedicated and polished in storefront theaters, small music & comedy clubs and college recital halls.

So you may wonder why I jumped at the chance to attend a taping of America's Got Talent Wednesday afternoon at the Rosemont Theatre.

Though this is seemingly one of those things you're not supposed to openly admit, I am unabashedly and unapologetically a fan of Howard Stern, as I have been for many years.

I will not belabor this opinion either, especially as I've written at length about why I so enjoy Stern's radio
program, currently heard on Sirius XM satellite radio.

Last year Stern became a judge on America's Got Talent, taking over for Piers Morgan. Due to how much he talked about it on his radio program, I felt compelled to watch the King of all Media's latest foray into television.

Even with Howard being the best thing about AGT and similar shows that I'd yet seen, it took all of about 15 minutes of his first episode for it to be reiterated why I hate reality TV talent competitions.

So I remain far from a convert, but with free tickets offered to the six tapings in Rosemont and the rare chance to see Howard Stern in Chicago, I grabbed tickets to the Wednesday afternoon and evening tapings.

Despite the $13 in parking, long lines of people waiting to get in and about 7 hours devoted to a Noon-4pm taping, during which only about 90 minutes featured auditioning acts, I have to admit that I enjoyed being there.

But not enough not to have decided early on that I really didn't need to stay for the second taping of the day.

And not enough to become any kind of fan of America's Got Talent.

Or to be convinced--based on the acts that auditioned, despite my having great regard for their efforts, dedication and courage--that the show's title statement is indeed true.

Not shocking given my reason for being there, my favorite part was seeing and hearing Howard Stern, both in his fair-minded but sometimes risqué critiques of the performers and a couple of occasions when he directly addressed the crowd, as below (though if you're not already a Stern fan, I doubt this will convince you).

While I'm not a major fan of any of them individually, it was also part of the fun to see AGT host Nick Cannon (who appeared onstage for all of about 3 minutes) and Stern's fellow judges Howie Mandel, Mel B (of the Spice Girls) and supermodel Heidi Klum.

No disrespect to them, but other than Howard and a couple of the auditioning acts, the most entertaining
person for me was emcee Frank Nicotero, who if not outright hilarious, affably helped the time pass by.

I don't know what the official restrictions are on audience members of a taping of a show not likely to air until sometime in July, but I think it proper to refrain from giving any details about who auditioned, how many acts were sent on to the next round and which ones.

But except for appreciating that most of those auditioning had unique talent of some kind, and applauding their guts to openly invite public ridicule, I was far from impressed.

My basic understanding is that the winner of America's Got Talent gets $1 million and a headlining show in Las Vegas.

So for me, the standard for "Should they continue on?" isn't "Are they talented?" or even "Is it conceivable that people would gather 'round in a park and watch the act do their thing?"

That is almost entirely different than asking, "Would you pay at least $50 to see them perform in Las Vegas (or the Rosemont Theatre, or any venue) for an hour or more?"

With that barometer, I would say that even with the low percentage of acts that Howard, Howie, Heidi and Mel B. gave at least 3 votes out of 4 and allowed to keep following their AGT dreams, the ones that did "survive" do not meet the above criteria.

Nor likely for that matter, did last season's winner--of which I'm only aware due to Stern--the Olate Dogs. Fun? Cool to watch? Sure. But worthy of a Vegas show? Perhaps, but not for me.

So while being in the audience for America's Got Talent was a more than adequate way to spend a Wednesday afternoon, it did absolutely nothing to change my mind about the show, or its brethren.

Nonetheless, I remain thoroughly convinced that America has tons of talent.

But as to whether it will filter its way through shows like AGT, I have to vote "No."

Pithy Philosophies - #5

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:34:00 +0000

Seth Saith:

If it won't matter tomorrow,
it don't matter
today.

Oh What a Beautiful Day: 'Oklahoma' at the Lyric Opera Goes a Country Mile Beyond Just OK

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:03:00 +0000

Theater / Opera Review

Oklahoma
Lyric Opera, Chicago
Thru May 19
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I have great respect and appreciation for opera in the traditional sense. I acknowledge that it has been a great art form for hundreds of years, and have seen more than 40 operas, most by Chicago's esteemed Lyric Opera.

But though I have enjoyed many of the classic operas--La Boheme, La Traviata, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Aida, The Magic Flute, The Merry Widow, Tosca and more--I can't pretend they have evoked the same emotional connection or sense of exhilaration as the best of Broadway or rock 'n roll.

So while I understand the devotion many among the Lyric's loyal subscriber base have for the traditional classics, and fully realize that there are many more outlets around Chicagoland for musical theater than for opera, I love it when a Broadway masterpiece is presented as part of the canon at the Civic Opera House.

And I hope that with a glorious rendition of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma coming the year after a similarly sublime take on Show Boat--featuring the same leading lady, Ashley Brown--the powers that be at the Lyric will opt to include a "musical" in each of its coming seasons. Despite the fact that they haven't for the 2013-2014 season. But in truth Oklahoma was an add-on to the 2012-2013 campaign, not part of the subscriber options.

So maybe that's the happy medium: don't make opera subscribers see a musical--albeit done operatically--if that's not their preference, but put an à la carte operatic twist on Les Miserables, West Side Story, The Music Man, Phantom of the Opera, Sunday in the Park with George, Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, The Sound of Music and other Broadway vanguards that could fit well into the venerated opera house. (Besides Show Boat and Gershwin's operatic-to-begin-with Porgy & Bess, Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in 2002 is the only musical to have been presented at the Lyric since I began paying attention.)

I am not saying the Lyric should do more musicals (as operas) simply because I like them better; that would be silly.

But while I respect the typical tenets of traditional opera--singing in Italian or German, with booming bass and baritone voices, lengthy arias, Baroque costuming, etc., etc.--given that the Oxford English Dictionary defines opera as a dramatic musical work in which singing forms an essential part, I'm not sure why the legendary musicals (in particular) can't be construed as "opera."

And given that a production of a 70-year-old musical brought a full house to the Civic with an average age a good 30-40 years younger than the norm, I would suggest that if the Lyric wants to survive and thrive beyond its current crop of subscribers, it needs to include more musicals, even if only as an introduction to the operatic art.

Which brings me back to Oklahoma, where the winds go whipping down the plain.

With the caveat that perhaps I didn't note every nuance in the acting from my perch at the very top of the house--as I do at, say, Light Opera Works, which did an amazing version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel a couple years ago--I couldn't have wanted Oklahoma to be any more pleasing than it was.

John Cudia, a veteran of lead roles in Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables on Broadway, and who I'd seen dazzle in the latter show at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire, was terrific as Curly. While his voice wasn't truly operatic, in a way that would have seemed strange for an Oklahoma cowboy, and Cudia's pipes were powerful enough.

And Ashley Brown, who starred as Mary Poppins on Broadway and on tour in Chicago, was wonderfully well-sung as Laurey, the love interest of Curly, but also Jud Fry (David Adam Moore).

Also quite good as Ado Annie and Will Parker are Tari Kelly and Curtis Holbrook, both with solid Broadway credits, while baritone Moore provided Jud with a voice as imposing as his character.

And a lot of fun for me was seeing local theater stalwarts like Paula Scrofano (excellent as Aunt Eller), Usman Ally (hilarious as peddler Ali Hakim), Matt DeCaro (Annie's father) and others shine upon the opera stage.

With a vast and excellent ensemble, the blissful Lyric orchestra, wonderful costumes, re-enactment of the original dances by Agnes De Mille, impressive-enough sets and strong direction from Gary Griffin--who has helmed all of the awesome Sondheim musicals produced at Chicago Shakespeare Theater--everything about this Oklahoma was A-OK and then some.

Especially in contrast to recently-in-Chicago newer musicals like Big Fish and Catch Me If You Can, Oklahoma has a sublime score full of songs that keep you smiling from beginning to end.

"Oh What a Beautiful Morning," "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Kansas City," "I Cain't Say No," "People Will Say Were in Love," the title song and many other gems were magnificently rendered.

And with the lyrics projected as supertitles--as is custom at the Lyric, typically to translate the foreign languages--I was again reminded of just how progressive Rodgers and Hammerstein were, contrary to any previous assumptions.

When it's been awhile since I've seen one of their shows, it's easy for me to think of R&H's genre-defining works as being a bit too populist and quaint. But as I noted in reviewing a superb touring version of South Pacific last year, there's really a lot of verve to their subject matter, dialogue (especially between-the-lines) and Hammerstein's lyrics.

While I've tended to perceive the literate nature and sophisticated rhymes of Stephen Sondheim's lyrics as a step advanced, being able to read along with Oklahoma's songs on the screen above the stage helped me to better appreciate just how terrific Hammerstein was, and the influence he clearly had as Sondheim's mentor.

Although preceded in its creation by glorious book musicals like Show Boat (for which Hammerstein wrote the lyrics, working with composer Jerome Kern) and Cole Porter's Anything Goes, which I just saw and loved, Oklahoma helped the musical theater form take a quantum leap forward, and without getting too wonky, I can see where bits of it--like the extended dream ballet sequence--influenced similar pieces in West Side Story and the movie Singin' in the Rain.

70 years down the road, it remains one of the great works of American artistry. Whether it belongs, or is best rendered, within an opera's repertoire is a debate others can have, but watching it Sunday afternoon from the upper balcony of the stately Civic Opera House, accompanied by two of my dearest friends, there was truly nowhere else I would rather be than Oklahoma. OK.
---

Note: Ticket discount service Goldstar is offering discounted tickets for most performances of Oklahoma. I availed myself of these tickets as did seemingly many other patrons on Sunday. Goldstar requires registration and charges a per-ticket fee, but there is no other cost or catch to using this valuable service.

50 Brides for 50 Cousins: Strawdog's 'Big Love' Introduces Mee to Someone New -- Chicago Theater Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:51:00 +0000

Theater Review

Big Love
a play by Charles L. Mee
Strawdog Theatre Company, Chicago
Thru May 25
@@@@

Whenever I travel, I always appreciate--and often heed--when a friend says something like:

"I have a cousin who runs a store in (so and so). You should check it out."

or

"There's an awesome ice cream place over near (place). Try to get to it."

While I enjoy talking to locals and, certainly, eating great ice cream, following suggestions like the above tends to be most fulfilling simply for taking me off the beaten path.

What I discover along the way is often more gratifying than tourbook recommendations, and may even be better than the acute reason for taking the diversion.

This isn't a perfect analogy or explanation for why I saw Big Love at Chicago's intimate Strawdog Theatre on Friday night, but definitely has some relevance.

Although I see loads of theater of all kinds and levels, at venues large and small in Chicago, the suburbs and beyond, I doubt I would have much noticed, let alone seen, the play by Charles L. Mee had a friend not been in the ensemble (and one I'd only recently reconnected with at that).

But I'm glad I did.

And not just because it afforded me the pleasant opportunity to see my friend both onstage and off.

I'll let Wikipedia provide an overview of Big Love author Charles L. Mee, and defer to the Chicago Tribune review by Kerry Reid for a bigger picture assessment of this production.

In fact, it's only because of Reid that I'm aware that the play is "Mee's takeoff on Aeschylus' The Suppliant Women."

Though I was not heretofore familiar with Mee, or even beyond the name, Strawdog Theatre Company, I genuinely enjoyed Big Love for a variety of reasons, including not in the least, pure entertainment value.

The show centers around 50 sisters who flee Greece for Italy in order to avoid a mass forced marriage to their 50 cousins, whose prior excursion to America has added to their loutishness; they too wind up in Italy.

As performed in Strawdog's intimate second floor space at 3829 N. Broadway, this cast of Big Love includes only 12 brides and 12 grooms--unless I've miscounted--with most of the action revolving around three of each.

Stacy Stoltz, Michaela Petro and Sarah Goeden excellently embody the primary brides-to-be; defiant but wistful Lydia, seething yet self-aware Thyona and unapologetically romantic Olympia. They are matched, and to some extent paralleled, by Nikos (John Ferrick), Constantine (Shane Kenyon) and Oed (Kyle A. Gibson).

Other than to reveal that upon arriving in Italy, the runaway brides seek refuge with the help of heretofore unknown locals Giuliano (Paul Fagen), Piero (John Henry Roberts) and Bella (Cheryl Roy), I think it best to leave the details for you to discover, even if merely through freely reading Big Love on Mee's website.

While the format and composition of Big Love leans toward the unique compared to most plays I see and enjoy, it was neither too abstract nor avant garde to digest comfortably.

The fine acting, from the core characters through the entire ensemble, makes the drama pleasurable to watch over 95 minutes, as very much does the accompaniment of pianist Dane Halvorson, who performs a variety of love songs before, throughout and at the end of the show. And while this isn't to be confused with a musical, an offbeat vocal rendition of "Call Me Maybe" and a P.A.-pumping "Highway to Hell"--among other anachronistic choices--infuse Matt Hawkins' production with imagination, charm and verve reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann movies.

Though I wouldn't really venture to guess the meaning Mee was intending for me to derive from the narrative--which I understand director Hawkins to have adjusted a bit--I appreciate the way it caused me to think about how love, marriage, freedom, choice and/or the lack thereof intersect in various societies, including our own.

Given that Big Love premiered in 2000, I can't surmise if Mee was reflecting on any specific cultures that keep women subservient, those in which arranged marriages are the norm (to happy and unhappy outcomes), places in which love among cousins isn't considered icky and/or the much-in-today's-news (to me, non-) issue of gay marriage, but I can see how Big Love can take on different shapes and colors when viewed through one's own prism.

If nothing else, it's yet another excellent example of the type of skill and dedication regularly and impressively on display at storefront venues (and the like) throughout Chicago--in Strawdog's case for 25 seasons now.

Especially with low-priced tickets available for most performances through HotTix, even if I only fortuitously stumbled upon it myself, I'm happy to suggest that Big Love is well worth your time and affection.

The Chicago Dining World Tour: A Friendly Foray Into Vietnam, with No Pho

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Sun, 05 May 2013 16:25:00 +0000

New Saigon
Vietnamese
5000 N Broadway, Chicago
773.334.332
Menu Pages
Note: Cash Only

What I ate: Tom Cuon (shrimp rolls), Mi Xao Don Thit Heo (crispy yellow noodle with pork), Bo Xao Dau Hoa Lan (stir-fried beef with pea pods)

Given my aim to explore a variety of cultural cuisines--many largely or entirely new to me--it would seem that if one has a particularly emblematic dish, I should choose to try and spotlight it.

Prior to the present occasion, I would guess I've eaten Vietnamese food fewer than five times in my life--almost all of them before a concert in the Lawrence and Broadway corridor (i.e. Uptown), whether at the Riviera, Aragon or Green Mill.

Just a bit north on Broadway, clustered near--and also east on--Argyle St. are a number of Asian restaurants, several of them Vietnamese.

On each previous dining occasion that I recall, I was convinced to order Pho--a large soup bowl containing the
protein of one's choice and several vegetables--which is to Vietnamese food seemingly what Pad Thai is to Thai food; i.e. the quintessential dish, at least as digested in America.

Although I've never found Pho distasteful, I have also never found it to be delicious. Perhaps this is due to not being all that excited by vegetables, but eating Pho for me entails fishing around a bland soup broth to find a few bland pieces of beef or pork.

So in being no great friend of Pho, in looking for a local Vietnamese restaurant to visit for my Chicago Dining World Tour, I was impressed by the vastness of the New Saigon menu. While they certainly do have Pho, they have a rather vast array of other dishes as well (which, to be fair, so may many of their Uptown neighbors).

Last Sunday, after a nice time touring around Hyde Park with my mom, and knowing of no uniquely ethnic restaurants in that area to try, we decided to take LSD to Lawrence for an exploration of Vietnamese food at New Saigon.

We arrived at 5000 N. Broadway around 5:00 to find easy seating despite one table being occupied by about 20 guests, and a couple others in use.

We were greeted by a very friendly man--I wouldn't be shocked if he was the owner--who was singlehandedly handling all front-of-house duties, and likely assisting in the kitchen as well.

For an appetizer, we ordered, as shown: Tom Cuon = shrimp, noodle and vegetables rolled in rice paper served with peanut sauce.

These were good, especially given the dipping sauce, but I can't say they were better than fried Egg Rolls or spring rolls--either soft or fried--of the Thai variety.

For an entree, even without Pho in the equation, I changed my mind about four times before settling on Mi Xao Don Thit Heo = crispy yellow noodle with pork.

A solid portion cost just $6.50 and what made it quite enjoyable was the flavoring of the crispy noodles, which when combined with their texture, brought life to the mildness of the pork and vegetables.

Still not the greatest thing I've ever tasted, but I liked it more than Pho and would more happily revisit it sometime down the road.

My mom ordered Bo Xao Dau Hoa Lan = stir-fried beef with pea pods, served with rice.

She also was sufficiently satisfied by it as an inexpensive dinner of which she took half home for later--combined, our total check at yet another Cash Only restaurant (1, 2) was just $20--but seemed unlikely to be writing books, or even blog posts, about how extraordinary it was.

Perhaps the most acutely enjoyable aspect of my meal at New Saigon--except for the company of course--I almost miscued my way out of.

Initially, when the waiter/owner(?)/host/cashier asked us about drinks, I ordered a Diet Coke, almost by default.

But before it came, I noticed the menu offered Fruit Shakes, in the flavors of Avocado, Pineapple, Jackfruit and Guanabana. No offense to the other, more exotic varieties, but with Pineapple being among my favorite of all flavors, this sounded really good, especially for just $2.00.

Fortunately, the Diet Coke arrived in an unopened can, so I was able to send it back in favor of Sinh To Thom, the pineapple shake.

I couldn't quite guess at what accompanied the pineapple flavoring, but the consistency was not that of a milkshake, smoothie, Slurpee or lassi, despite having a good amount of thickness.

But it was quite good, and while the service, price, crispy noodles, exploratory aspect and hanging out with my mom made this visit to New Saigon pleasurable, the Pineapple Shake is likely what would most move me to return.

Firing of Susannah Collins Makes CSN Look Like Really Bad Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:12:00 +0000

The world's biggest banks conspire to fix prices on interest rate swaps, essentially rigging a $379 billion market and providing fodder for yet another terrific Matt Taibbi tome?

Yawn.

A local TV sports channel fires a pretty female reporter?

Dammit, I'm grabbing my pitchfork, along with thousands of others across social media and the blogosphere.

But in one sense, both of the above can be seen as the same story: big shots ruling the world, getting away with capricious, often corrupt (or at least hypocritical) behavior and good people getting crushed under the weight of the corporatocracy.

Which is quite a pompous preamble to expressing my outrage over CSN's firing of Susannah Collins, depriving Chicago Blackhawks fans the pleasure of seeing her informative reports, fun interviews and, yes, attractive visage during the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In case you've been sleeping under a rock, or are just oblivious to things you're oblivious to, Susannah Collins is--err, was--a sideline reporter, occasional anchor and Gas Money (a local quiz-the-public-about-sports game show of sorts) co-host for Comcast Sports Net, which broadcasts numerous Hawks, Bulls, Cubs and Sox games.

Last year, she essentially replaced Sarah Kustok, also a quite attractive and eminently professional reporter. I swear it wasn't just the Neanderthal in me that rued Kustok's departure to New York; I found her to be terrifically good at her job, which largely involved interviewing players immediately after games.

When Collins arrived, it was--sexist as it may sound--easy to think that CSN's primary criteria for replacing a beautiful female sideline reporter was to provide their large male audience with another piece of eye candy.

But with her buoyantly engaging demeanor and stellar postgame questions, Collins soon proved that good looks, charisma, intelligence and deep sports knowledge are--for a woman--only mutually exclusive in the minds of morons.

In other words, Susannah Collins was truly good at her job and very pretty.

And what I also like about her is the way she seems to take her role seriously, but not it--or herself--too seriously. After all, she is covering sports, not war.

Well, Tuesday night, before the Blackhawks' first playoff game, Susannah Collins made national news for doing this:

A momentary gaffe, which didn't violate FCC standards, that she instantly corrected, apologized for on Twitter and--as it began to go viral--took in stride by tweeting: Thanks for laughing along with me & my "tremendous" slip, guys. Who couldn't use a good chuckle every now & then right?? #Whoops

With the attention cycle seemingly about to wind down on an embarrassing but not in any way detrimental miscue--or likely a false one, the Blackhawks presumably did have a tremendous amount of sex during this lockout-delayed, unprecedentedly successful-to-begin season--last night the Tribune reported that Collins and CSN had parted ways.

The news soon spread like wildfire on Twitter, with nearly every tweet I've seen condemning CSN for their actions (which one assumes to be a firing, if not explicitly announced as such). And as of now, the story remains the top news item on the Chicago Tribune website.

As far as I understand it, the "there's more to the story" part of this is that CSN--and/or has been insinuated, the Blackhawks--was supposedly concerned that Collins' new notoriety would bring greater prominence to a series of sports comedy videos she had done a few years ago called Sports Nutz.

I've now seen a few Sports Nutz clips and while not mortally offended, I can see where they were perhaps overly risqué, possibly in poor taste to those with certain sensibilities and likely--seen through a rearview mirror--not displaying the best judgment.

But as revealed a month ago in an interview with Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch, the Sports Nutz clips--which do demonstrate Collins' likable personality--are what got her noticed, and eventually the job with CSN.

So as Banks conveys in a post about Collins' termination, it seems like B.S. to suddenly hold Sports Nutz against her, due to a millisecond flub that got CSN oodles of national exposure.

If CSN claims they didn't know about Sports Nutz upon hiring Collins, not only would this appear fictitious, but it's on them for not properly vetting--or even bothering to Google--her.

And assuming CSN knew about Sports Nutz all along, why dump Collins now, when they most need her talents to liven their Blackhawks coverage?

While I would've loved to have interviewed her for this blog--and still would--I don't know Susannah Collins.

I also don't endorse everything she did on Sports Nutz, but also can't say I perceived any overt malice on her part, and find the clips--now much, much more known due to CSN's actions--largely irrelevant, especially as any offenses should be weighed against the talent, initiative and verve demonstrated in creating them.

Do people hold SNL cast members' feet to the fire for every skit that may be a touch misguided?

And as much as I often have to explain to non-fans (mostly those who have never listened) that Howard Stern really isn't all that bawdy much of the time--and when he is, I'm an adult with the freedom of choice--in being a longtime listener I've come to know that even Howard would admit that not everything one says and does looks wonderful in retrospect.

In other words, while I would hope Susannah Collins would respect the feelings of anyone truly offended by anything she did on Sports Nutz, or even her flub the other night, based on what I know, I don't think she has anything to apologize for nor be ashamed of.

I even surmise that the fun, self-deprecating persona she showed--and likely honed--through Sports Nutz is what made her so good on CSN, largely on behalf of the Blackhawks. She clearly loved her job, and again, beyond finding her attractive, I genuinely think she was really good at it (and is quite likely to land somewhere even better soon).

So her firing seems not only unfortunate, petty, harsh and shortsighted, but rather silly.

And also--given this sage tweet by The Score's often quite insightful Dan Bernstein--rather hypocritical:

The Chicago Dining World Tour: A Terrifically Tasty, Albeit a Bit Abbreviated, Exploration on the Irving Park Road to Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:09:00 +0000

Shokran
Moroccan
4027 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago
773.427.9130
www.shokranchicago.com
Note: Cash only and BYOB

What I ate: Merguez, Taktouka, Sweet Lamb Couscous, Pita Bread

Irving Park Road is the first exit after the Edens Expressway merges with the Kennedy.

To get to one event or another, I take Irving Park and head east on it likely a dozen or more times each year.

Shokran, a Moroccan restaurant I discovered online, is the first storefront east of the Irving Park exit, on the south side of the street. I've never noticed it, and was I not seeking it out as part of my Chicago Dining World Tour, I'm guessing I never would have.

So I'm happy that my local global dining initiative helped me to quite literally discover a restaurant that for the most part provided a tremendous experience for me and my friend Ken.

We got to Shokran shortly after 5:00pm--me straight from seeing the musical Barnum--and were the first patrons at the small (10 tables) but attractively appointed restaurant. We did not have a reservation, nor did it seem like we needed one.

A pleasant waiter greeted us, seated us and provided some appreciated menu guidance.

We started with a pair of $5 appetizers; one hot: Merguez = homemade beef and lamb sausage and one cold: Taktouka = roasted green peppers and tomatoes flavored with virgin olive oil and special Moroccan spices.

The Taktouka arrived first, almost in conjunction with a complimentary basket of pita bread, a dish of olives and some hot sauce (which really wasn't all that spicy). The green pepper & tomato concoction worked wonderfully with the fresh pita, and though I'm not typically a fan of olives, I also enjoyed loading up other pieces of pita bread with them and the hot sauce.

The Merguez looked like breakfast sausages and were accompanied by Dijon mustard. They were good but not nearly as captivating as the Taktouka.

Ken has now accompanied me on several Dining Tour excursions--Greek, Ukrainian, Peruvian, Polish, Italian--and especially in understanding my exploratory and expository aims, he usually orders something different so that I can have a second entree to photograph, reference and often share.

But at Shokran, we both locked in on--and ordered--the same entree: Sweet Lamb Couscous.

Per the menu, couscous is made from small grains of semolina, coated with finely ground wheat flour. Couscous dishes at Shokran include Lamb, Sweet Lamb, Chicken, Sweet Chicken, Merguez, Vegetarian and Royal, a combination of lamb, chicken and merguez.

The Sweet Lamb selection is described as braised lamb shank over a bed of couscous with carmelized onions, raisins and roasted almonds.

It was every bit as good as it sounds, and Ken and I devoured everything on our plates except the bone.

Over the course of my gastro-ethnic undertaking this year, I have enjoyed many scintillating and distinctive meals, and the Sweet Lamb Couscous at Shokran ranks up there with any of them.

So certainly, I recommend trying the Moroccan restaurant, on a weeknight or, as we learned, with a reservation on Friday or Saturday. And be aware that it is BYOB and, like I similarly discovered at the Costa Rican Irazu, cash only (with an ATM inside).

For although our meal up to this point was ideal, things became a little less than perfect.

It was around 6:20 and we were done with our entrees. Ken usually likes coffee and we would've considered dessert had we been offered any (I still have no idea what Shokran has for dessert, if anything).

I realize the waiter didn't know this, but my parking meter across Irving Park was expiring at 6:45, so it's not as if we were planning to stay all night. But with 4 or 5 of the 10 tables still empty, without offering us coffee or dessert, he said that we'd have to leave as there were people with reservations coming in.

So after making a point of finding and trying Shokran, being the first patrons to arrive, getting 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 Diet Cokes, we were essentially given the heave ho.

And then reminded of the sign on the door that says "Cash Only."

Fortunately, we didn't have to reach out to Rick Blaine to get us out of this Moroccan jam, as we cobbled together enough cash to pay the bill without incurring likely lofty ATM fees.

After paying the check, and deciding to go to Julius Meinl for coffee and dessert, with no other patrons having come in and several tables sitting empty, the waiter then told us that they'd had a cancellation and we were welcome to stay.

We didn't.

'Barnum' Not Just For Suckers, Even If Not Quite the Greatest Show on Earth -- Chicago Theater Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:49:00 +0000

Theater Review

Barnum
Music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Michael Stewart
Directed by L. Walter Stearns
Mercury Theater, Chicago
Thru June 16
@@@@

I wanted to see the rarely staged musical, Barnum, largely for nostalgic reasons.

Not because I had previously seen a production of "the circus musical" about Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum, which bowed on Broadway in 1980.

And not due to any overt sentimentality for the circus that in part bears Barnum's name.

Strange as it may sound, I just distinctly remember the original cast recording being an album that resided in the record cabinet at my family's home.

It isn't even that I listened to it much, if at all. Maybe due to its title, the record was at the very front of my dad's collection of Broadway albums, or perhaps the bright yellow cover heralding star Jim Dale was that powerfully iconic. But for whatever weird reason, when I noted that the Mercury Theater was staging the show--as part of the venue's recent foray into self-producing musicals--it brought a reminiscense of inherent interest.

Of course, there were more direct reasons for my wanting to see Barnum, not that it ever takes much for me to explore a musical I've yet to witness.

- Though the musical had a strong initial Broadway run--854 performances--and was nominated for the 1980 Tony (it lost to Evita, deservingly), I have never noted it being performed at any level, anywhere since I started heavily paying interest to musical theater around 1999.

- The show has at least a couple top notch songs that I fondly recalled and recently rediscovered through Spotify: "There Is A Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute" and "Come Follow the Band."

- The Mercury's robust, largely-Equity cast stars three terrific local performers I've seen and liked in several other shows: Gene Weygandt, Cory Goodrich and Summer Naomi Smart.

- I applaud the Mercury's seemingly risky decision to start producing its own musicals, rather than simply renting out the venue.

- And while Chris Jones' review in the Tribune wasn't completely glowing, it is positive and champions the efforts of director L. Walter Stearns and his crew to shoehorn a show that includes circus acts into a relatively small space.

So between wanting to support an ambitious effort, warmly remembering an old record album and being able to get a half-price ticket on Goldstar (the show has also been on HotTix), last Saturday I wandered down to the Mercury on Southport, just steps from the Music Box Theater.

Though I could have done without the clowns climbing over audience members pre-show--the one on stilts in the lobby was pretty cool--Barnum turned out to be a highly enjoyable and admirable production of a good but not quite fantastic musical.

Weygandt, who was the Wizard of Oz in the long-running Chicago production of Wicked and stellar in shows such as Working and Snapshots, among others, is perfectly cast as P.T. Barnum and terrific throughout.

In watching him cover Barnum's life as an impresario--largely before he connected with James Anthony Bailey late in life--it was hard to imagine anyone being much better suited for the leading role.

Weygant was well-sung and lest anyone--OK, me--wonder whether a performer can be quite as good at a Saturday matinee following a show the night before and preceding an evening performance, he and the rest of the cast consistently made me feel that this was the one and only performance they were giving.

Goodrich plays Barnum's ever-tolerant but exasperated wife, Chairy, and their relationship forms the closest thing to a contextual storyline aside from Mark Bramble's book being a cursory biography of the showman's life from the 1830s through the 1880s.

And while the ravishing Smart is onstage throughout alongside the circus/sideshow troupe, she is also featured as Jenny Lind, a Swedish opera singer Barnum promoted in America. This allows her to demonstrate her lovely voice on "Love Makes Fools of Us All."

While the three stars are impressive, so too are the circus performers, including clowns, acrobats and ones embodying Tom Thumb, the world's smallest man (Christian Libonati) and Joyce Heth, the world's oldest lady (Donica Lynn).

Between the acrobatics, biographical overview, strong performances and a some terrific songs by the legendary composer Cy Coleman (he also wrote Sweet Charity, City of Angels, The Will Rogers Follies and other musicals) and lyricist Michael Stewart, Barnum makes for a rather pleasing 135 minutes and is well-worth recommending.

Especially, because of hummable tunes like "There's A Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute," "Come Follow The Band," "Bigger Isn't Better," "Out There" and "The Colors of My Life," I think Barnum outshines the in-Chicago-on-its-way-to Broadway Big Fish and the recently-here Catch Me If You Can.

All this said, in viewing Barnum for the first time, I never felt I was watching a @@@@@, truly top-tier musical.

Not every song was a rock-solid winner and the biographical synopsis of P.T. Barnum was a bit slight and sketchy at parts.

So while excellent, I wouldn't quite declare Barnum "must see" for those without any sentimental connection.

If you can get to the Mercury and support this impressive big-top undertaking, particularly with half-price tickets, I'm certain you'll find plenty to enjoy.

But, re: the famous slogan of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, you may not find it quite the greatest show on Earth.

Hyde Park and Seek: Photographic Proof That I Went to the University of Chicago (at least for a day as a tourist)

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:38:00 +0000

I had a very nice day yesterday with my mom in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, home to the University of Chicago.

Below is a photo recap, covering:

Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - We took a tour but interior photos were not allowed
Rockefeller Chapel
Oriental Institute Museum
Smart Museum of Art
Various sights around campus, including Henry Moore's Nuclear Energy sculpture

Robie House

Charles Harper Center, across from Robie House

Rockefeller Chapel

Above the entrance to the Oriental Institute

My Mummy with a Mummy

Who knew I was a god? Of course, my artifact was among the smallest in the museum.

Inside the Smart Museum of Art

Soldier at a Game of Chess by Jean Metzinger, French, circa 1915-16

The original dining room table & chairs from Robie House, now at Smart Museum.

Nuclear Energy by Henry Moore, at the site of the world's first self-sustaining nuclear reaction

'Anything Goes' Blissfully Takes Me To Another Time and Place -- Chicago Theater Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Theater Review

Anything Goes
Music & lyrics by Cole Porter
Directed & choreographed by Kathleen Marshall
Cadillac Palace, Chicago
Thru May 5
@@@@1/2

Watching Anything Goes at the Cadillac Palace on Tuesday night, I felt terrifically happy.

With a blissful Cole Porter score--including such standards as "I Get A Kick Out of You," "You're The Top," "It's De-lovely" and the title song--wonderfully executed by a 32-member Equity cast led by the gorgeous Rachel York, the top-notch touring production, highlighted by a knockout tap-dance routine (to "Anything Goes"), left very little not to like.

Yet I couldn't help but to also feel a sense of wistfulness.

While those gathered at the Palace seemed to appreciate this mirthful piece of anachronistic entertainment--and an aunt of mine in attendance quite affirmatively did--on the first night of a two-week run in Chicago, the balcony was no more than half-full.

And though I, born in 1968, recognized nearly all the lyrical references made in "You're The Top," I couldn't help but imagine that whatever rather small percentage of today's "masses" still cares about the majesty of Cole Porter's music and this terrific show--originally produced on Broadway in 1934--it is largely at risk of dying off within the next couple decades.

Yes, one hopes, there will always be some younger folks who love musical theater and are willing to look backward, or appreciate revivals of shows from another time and place.

After all, nearly 80 years after its creation, Anything Goes continues to sail on, as it has through the advent of Bebop and Elvis and the Beatles and disco, punk, hip hop and more modern theatrical songsmiths like Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber, plus eminently "hipper" shows like Spring Awakening and The Book of Mormon.

In fact, this tour is derived from a rather successful Roundabout Theatre Company 2011 staging on Broadway, where I saw it with the remarkable Sutton Foster and a cast that included Joel Grey, John McMartin, Laura Osnes, Kelly Bishop, Colin Donnell and Adam Godley. The production won a Tony for Best Revival--Anything Goes was also revived on Broadway in 1987 with Patti LuPone--and earned Foster a Tony as well, while running for 521 performances.

So I am not here to give last rites to such a joyous piece of American entertainment. I just fear that in an age of ever-more-fractionalized and superficial interests, and a willful obliviousness to the past, the stage works of Porter, George Gershwin and others of their ilk may go the way of the dinosaur even more rapidly than an appreciation of Rogers & Hammerstein, Sondheim and Webber.

And I am prattling on about this because I think it would be a real shame.

I certainly can't claim to have been fully enamored with musical theater until after the age of 30, and my musical tastes range from hard rock to jazz, blues to bluegrass. But it's hard for me to imagine that anybody who gives a show like Anything Goes an open-eared, open-eyed and open-hearted chance wouldn't find it delightful.

Though the lovely and rich-voiced York, who I've seen in several shows, doesn't quite have Sutton Foster's charisma and Fred Applegate--a likable Producers veteran--isn't nearly as legendary as Joel Grey, the touring production is about 95% as good as I recall the Broadway version being, with similar sets, a full orchestra and wondrous singing and dancing.

The story is hokey, but in a way that also seems timeless.

York stars as Reno Sweeney, a singer who boards the S.S. American cruise ship from New York to London.

Joining her is Billy (Josh Franklin), on whom Reno has a crush, but who is in love with Hope Harcourt (Alex Finke), also on board with her fiance (Edward Staudenmayer) and her parents. Throw in gangster Moonface Martin (Applegate), his sassy companion, Erma (Joyce Chittick), Billy's Wall St. boss Elisha Whitney (Dennis Kelly) and plenty of 1930's gags and misdirections--some more recently updated--and well, you've got a boatload of enjoyable entertainment.

With most of the best songs in Act I, which ends with the sensational "Anything Goes" production number, Act II feels a bit like an afterthought, but the whole show is well worth your time and money. (Discounts for all performances should be readily available on HotTix and Goldstar.)

I certainly can love a great new show as much as I do a great old one. But in a Broadway in Chicago season that has presented Peter Pan, Jekyll & Hyde, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Catch Me If You Can and Big Fish, this is by far the best musical I've seen on stage in 2013.

So don't miss the boat. Anything Goes is that delightful, delicious and de-lovely.

And hopefully, no time soon at risk of being decommissioned.

---
This is a promotional clip featuring the recent Broadway cast, but should give you some sense of Anything Goes:

The Chicago Dining World Tour: Terrific Italian Food in Edison Park Tastes Like Rome Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:09:00 +0000

Nonno Pino's
Italian
6718 Northwest Highway, Chicago
(Edison Park)
773.594.1155
Website

What I ate: Grilled Calamari, Salad, Bowtie Arrosto, Pork Brasciole, Cannoli, Nonno's Chocolate Delight

According to Yelp, there are over 2,000 listings for "Italian Restaurant" in the Chicagoland area.

I have to imagine many are quite good, and are favorited and frequented by those who live nearby, or even further away.

Yet while I have eaten at a number of savory Italian joints over the years, and have noticed many more, there was nowhere that readily came to mind as a place I should sample and spotlight for my Chicago Dining World Tour.

Although The Noodle in Wilmette is one of my favorite restaurants of any kind--in large part due to pasta made fresh before your eyes--I don't really think of it as expressly Italian. And while Maggiano's has been good to me over the years, including just this week, it's far too hugely popular to merit a detailed dining dissertation.

Fortunately, my friend and frequent dining partner, Ken, had an Italian restaurant to recommend: Nonno Pino's, along the Northwest Highway restaurant row in Edison Park.

With its name translating to "Grandpa Pino's," it was nice to note the comfortable, casual atmosphere included a number of families among the weeknight patrons. The restaurant also seems to be quite popular as a place for groups of women to dine out together.

(I don't mean this in reference to any of the ladies at Nonno Pino's, but now seems like as good a time as any to reference this cartoon, one of my favorite Once Upun a Time works.)

The decor is attractive, but far from stuffy and the prices at Nonno Pino's are quite reasonable, with a wide selection of items under $15, and almost all under $20 (see the menu here).

Opting for Diet Coke in lieu of wine or a Moretti, after some delectable bread was brought to the table Ken and I opened our dining festivities with Grilled Calamari, sautéed with tomatoes, spinach & a spicy broth. Delizioso!

Thanks in part to strong mentions on Yelp, I was also intrigued by the Pino Puffs appetizer, comprised of shredded zucchini with 3 cheeses formed in a light puffy ball. Something to look forward to next time.

Next, as included with our entrees--which we would split--was family-style salad, for which we wisely chose (from a taste if not cardiology standpoint) to have Creamy Garlic dressing mixed in, not on the side.

This made for one of the tastiest salads in ready recall.

Up front our plan was to share our entrees, but with a recommendation from our waiter, I ordered Bowtie Arrosto, a bowtie pasta with crumbled sausage, peppers, ricotta cheese and marinara.

Though even in splitting it with Ken I couldn't come close to finishing my half-portion, this dish was truly outstanding. I don't go out for pasta all that often, but the Bowtie Arrosto was about as good as I could want.

Unlike this pasta, which our friendly waiter described as the most popular item on Nonno Pino's menu, Ken chose--but again, split with me--a special written on a chalkboard upon the wall, a dish that the waiter said shows up every once in awhile.

This was Pork Brasciole = pork tenderloin rolled with spinach, Fontinella & salami. Served with roasted red pepper cream sauce, garlic mashed potato and spinach.

Not to sound like a hyperbolic broken record, but again, absolutely fantastic.

Even before taking a bite, of the pork or the pasta, it was pretty clear why Ken was such a fan of Nonno Pino's. And I'm pretty sure, both entrees we ordered were different than those he'd had in the past.

Continuing the spirit of sharing into the dessert portion of the meal, Ken and I divided and devoured a Cannoli--good but not historic--and a slice of Nonno's Chocolate Delight, a 3-layer chocolate fudge cake, coated with walnuts.

This was rich and sensational, even better than the chocolate cake at Portillo's (long a favorite).

Ken had a coffee and I continued getting Diet Coke refills (yes, a bit paradoxically perhaps), and until
our parking meter boxes ran us out of time--a reminder that Edison Park is still Chicago--we sat and savored yet another truly remarkable meal.

Even if Italian may be among the most commonplace cuisines I'll sample as part of my local gastro-ethnic expedition, the wonderful flavors of Nonno Pino's made this excursion one of the most memorable.

Ciao for now! And hopefully again.

From the Balcony, Spirit of Namesake on Heartwarming Display at Ebertfest

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Roger Ebert was born in Urbana, IL on June 18, 1942.

After years of bravely facing cancer and disfigurement, the loss of his speaking voice and ability to eat, and following a year in which he wrote more movie reviews than ever before in his life, Roger Ebert passed away on April 4.

On April 8, he was buried.

On April 20, his wife of 20 years, Chaz, opened the day's events at Ebertfest in Champaign by walking on-stage with actress Tilda Swinton--who was the special guest at the previous evening's screening.

Saying something like, "Tilda insisted we do this, because it's what happens at film festivals in Scotland,"--and according to this article, keeping a promise Tilda had made the night before--Chaz called everyone in the Virginia Theatre to their feet, pumped a Barry White song over the historic theater's speakers and, as Swinton proceeded into the audience to lead a conga line, Chaz Ebert stayed onstage.

And she danced.

It was one of the most amazing, and heartwarming, things I've ever seen.

As was the movie that followed, a 2012 black-and-white silent film from Spain called Blancanieves.

The title translates to Snow White and brings the Brothers Grimm fairy tale--not so much the Disney movie--into 1920s Andalusia.

If, after a cinematic year that saw--though I didn't see--Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror, plus the ongoing TV show Once Upon a Time, you may be thinking "I've had all the Snow I need for awhile," you'll be missing out on a truly unique and special film, about which Chaz instantly said:

"That is the most beautiful movie I've ever seen."

I'm told Blancanieves will have a limited release in Chicago soon, so it'll be a good while until it turns up on Netflix or in your local library, but I suggest you keep an eye out for it.

Being a latter-day silent film, it certainly reminds in some ways of The Artist, but its sensibilities also made me think of Pan's Labyrinth (with a shared star, the lovely, but not so nice here, Maribel Verdú).

The movie was made, over 8 years, by Pablo Berger, who both introduced it at Ebertfest and participated in a Q&A afterwards, moderated by film historian David Bordwell.

Given audience comments about how wonderful the movie's score is--composed by Alfonso de Vilallonga--Berger adroitly suggested that it should more accurately be called a "music film," rather than a silent one.

Reflecting on a much-cited line from Ebert's autobiography, Life Itself--"We must try to contribute joy to the world"--which was reprinted on a remembrance card handed out at Ebertfest, Berger said that is why he makes films.

And it certainly felt to me that this is a man who directs movies primarily because he loves to tell stories (rather than, overtly, to make money), something Ebert strongly championed for years.

Whereas The Artist was a love letter to Hollywood's silent film era, Blancanieves is, as Berger confirmed, a love letter to silent European cinema.

And in watching it, it was easy to see why Roger Ebert loved it so much.

I can also imagine what Roger appreciated about Escape From Tomorrow, a film shot guerilla-style at Walt Disney World and Disneyland by director Randy Moore, who was on-hand with a collaborator and three of the film's actors.

But while the film has an interesting premise and was quite funny in parts, I didn't like it nearly as much as Blancanieves.

Of course, it didn't help that those of us in the standby line weren't let into the 5:00pm screening until 5:20pm. Films at Ebertfest rarely start right on time, with Chaz--and in past years, Roger--typically providing a nice introduction, but I know I missed at least 5 minutes of Escape From Tomorrow, if not more, after waiting in line for an hour.

Thus I opted not to bother trying to get into Saturday's 9:00pm film, The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt and starring Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), both of whom were on hand.

That was fine, as part of the fun of Ebertfest for me is that it allows me to visit my longtime friends, Jordan and Erin, who live just blocks from the Urbana house in which Roger grew up.

So while Ebertfest, or the world for that matter, will never quite be the same without Roger Ebert, it was nice to see that through the town, the university, the movies and the woman he so clearly and dearly loved, his spirit will live on.

Thumbs up, indeed.

Pithy Philosophies #4

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:53:00 +0000

I share credit on this one with my friend Ken and a Kirk Douglas movie I've never seen (I'm told it was his first):

Find at least one thing to truly enjoy each and every day.

That way, even it you don't win, at least you'll lose more slowly."

(P.S. I've now learned the movie is Out of the Past, which I actually have seen.)

"And the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth" -- Saluting Rush on Its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction (and Citing the Remaining Snubs)

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:11:00 +0000

As a longtime Rush fan, I am quite geddily (misspelling & pun intended) anticipating their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this evening.

I realize that saying this might prevent me from making friends, getting dates, landing a job with Pitchfork or otherwise seeming hip, cool or musically astute.

But I don't care. I love Rush.

And I have since before I was a teenager.

So I am thrilled that tonight in Los Angeles--the Hall itself is in Cleveland--they will be part of a stellar class that also includes Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Heart, Donna Summer, Albert King, Quincy Jones and Lou Adler.

I don't think Rush needed this honor for validation; 40 years of sold out arenas and legions of loyal fans should have provided such.

And though I can't deny paying attention to it as a topic of discussion, I find the whole notion of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame--and the inductee selection process--to be rather nebulous.

In light of the fact that Rush has been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1999--the 25th anniversary of their first album--but wasn't even deemed worthy of being on the ballot until 2012, bassist and singer Geddy Lee told USA Today:

"Rock music was born in rebellion, so it's odd to have (a Hall of Fame) where there seem to be guidelines for who's acceptable and who's not."

He added that that while the trio is "pleased and honored" to be getting in, "it wasn't something we thought about a lot … We've had a great career that's on a high right now."

While I have a number of friends who have liked and followed Rush as much as I--and then some--there are others whose musical tastes I respect who do not care for the band's "prog rock" sound.

That's fine. To each their own.

There are many people who can't stand anything about Elvis, including his music. Does this mean he doesn't belong within any entity purporting to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

For even if you don't like many, or any, of Rush's songs--though how could anyone not love "The Spirit of Radio" (below), "Tom Sawyer," "2112 Overture," "Limelight," "Free Will" and more--many a musician, both famous and not, will vociferously attest that the technical ability Lee, drummer Neil Peart and guitarist Alex Lifeson bring to their craft is surpassed in few if any bands.

Even if the musical merits of Rush's output is debatable, their influence--among many instrumentalists, heavy metal bands, Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan and Dave Grohl (who along with Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins is inducting Rush tonight--is not.

While being delighted to see Rush get the recognition I believe they deserve, they ranked only 9th on a list I made last year about notable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame omissions.

I put together a similar list in 2009, and it is nice to note that a handful of artists I cited on one or both occasions--Heart, The Faces, Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Tom Waits and the Beastie Boys, along with Rush--have now been inducted.

But there are still several acts I feel are eminently deserving, even if--in some cases--they weren't all that popular in America, or at all. I am not advocating the inclusion of every unknown garage band of worth nor every successful rock act from countries around the world. But I believe renown and/or popularity in England should be every bit a qualifier as success in the States.

So with a tip of the hat to Rush as they enjoy this merited moment in the Limelight, as well as the rest of the Rock Hall Class of 2013, here is my updated list of:

Artists Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Aren't
(...of those eligible, having released their first album in 1987 or earlier. I'm not considering Soundgarden as I'm not sure their 1987 EP makes them eligible)

1. The Jam
2. The Replacements
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. The Zombies
5. Warren Zevon
6. Cheap Trick
7. Hüsker Dü
8. The Cure
9. The Monkees
10. Midnight Oil
11. Peter Gabriel (solo)
12. Roxy Music
13. Dire Straits
14. The Smiths
15. Love
16. Deep Purple
17. Depeche Mode
18. KISS
19. New York Dolls
20. ELO and/or The Move (they're linked via Jeff Lynne)
21. Thin Lizzy
22. The Cars
23. Sonic Youth
24. Dinosaur Jr.
25. Chic
26. Paul Revere & the Raiders
27. The Moody Blues
28. Jane's Addiction
29. Yes
30. Jethro Tull

The Chicago Dining World Tour: A Completely 'Maravilloso' (albeit Cash Only) Discovery of Costa Rican Cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:55:00 +0000

Irazu
Costa Rican
1865 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
773.252.5687
www.irazuchicago.com

What I ate: Chifrijo, Beef & Potato Empanada, El Tico, Chips & Salsa

When I introduced my idea for a Chicago Dining World Tour at the beginning of this year, my friend Paolo was the first to comment, with the suggestion that we visit Irazu as my Costa Rican entry.

So before we went to see Fleetwood Mac on Saturday night and following Paolo's trip to Lollapalooza in Brazil--from which he brought me a t-shirt, Pelé jersey and a shot glass--it was my pleasure to treat him to dinner at the Milwaukee Ave. BYOB. (We didn't bring anything; also note that the restaurant is Cash Only, but has an ATM.)

I have never been to any Latin American countries--beyond Tijuana--but Paolo once lived in Costa Rica, has visited often and CR seems to a fairly common destination among my friends and relatives.

And if the food at Irazu is truly representative, I can see why.

Before Paolo arrived, I was brought a basket of corn chips and a bottle of green salsa, although a bit puzzling to me, no bowl.

Paolo subsequently explained that the chips aren't common to dining in Costa Rica and likely more an offshoot of what American expect from Mexican restaurants. And he had no ready answer for the absence of a bowl in which to put the green salsa.

But that was my only quite minor quibble of the whole experience at Irazu (other than their no credit card policy).

Paolo cited the appetizer shown-- Chifrijo = Fried pork layered with whole black beans, white rice, pico de gallo and topped with avocado and Lizano sauce--as being quite good, although only a Costa Rican staple over the past 15 years or so.

Although I have a general aversion to beans of any kind other than jelly, Chifrijo sounded too good not to try. And especially with the crunchy fried pork rinds being delicious, it was a truly terrific and unique dish.

While empanadas, or something closely akin, extend across several cuisines I've sampled--Argentinean, Cuban, Jamaican, Peruvian--I've never had one I haven't liked, so I was compelled to order a Beef & Potato Empanada as a second appetizer.

It too was excellent, possibly the best I've ever had.

For entrees, the first item under "Costa Rican Dinners" on the menu-- Casado = either thin rib-eye steak, chicken breast or tilapia with white rice, black beans, sweet plantains, an over easy egg and cabbage salad--sounded quite savory, but not being a fan of black beans nor eggs other than scrambled, I went with the second item listed, which I'll describe in a moment.

Paolo did order the Casado, with steak, and found it to be outstanding, saying of Irazu:

"I really should make a point of coming here more often."

Pretty high praise from a guy who has literally eaten all around the world, including at several of the most highly rated restaurants.

El Tico--which Google Translate tells me means "the attic"; not sure how accurate that is in this case--was thin rib eye or chicken breast sautéed with onions, bell peppers and tomato. Served with white rice, black beans, sweet plantains & cabbage salad. Guess you can now call me a fan-attic. (Note: Paolo has now explained that Costa Ricans are called "Ticos.")

Being allergic to poultry, I of course went with the steak and had them hold the black beans.

Without meaning to hyperbolically slight any other restaurants--ethnic or otherwise--where I've enjoyed some really amazing and eye-opening meals this year, El Tico was one of the best things I've eaten in quite some time.

Paolo conveyed that it was culturally customary to mix all the various plate items together, and the combination of steak, peppers, onions, tomatoes, sweet plantains and rice was truly magnifico. Which according to Google Translate means magnificent, while maravilloso (in my heading) seems to be how I would say "wonderful" in Spanish.

Though the bill was quite reasonable--roughly $45 for all of the above and two Diet Cokes--not knowing that plastic was forbidden, I had pull to out an emergency $20 from the inner reaches of my wallet and take Paolo's only four bucks on hand just to cover the tab (and an apologetically not-so-big tip) without incurring ATM fees...or wind up washing dishes.

Then it was onto see Fleetwood Mac, who were also terrific in my estimation.

"Don't stop thinking about... the next time I visit Irazu" already seems rather aptly appetizing, if not quite deliciously lyrical.

Perhaps not tomorrow, but I assure you it won't be a case of "Never Going Back Again."

Rumours of True Harmony Elevate Fleetwood Mac (or at least my enjoyment) -- Chicago Concert Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:51:00 +0000

Concert Review

Fleetwood Mac
United Center, Chicago
April 13, 2013
@@@@1/2

It could be easy, I suppose, to be cynical about yet another Fleetwood Mac tour, especially as they are again not supporting a new album (though they promised an EP soon).

I don't think one could be blamed for suspecting that Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham simply appreciate the much greater income and ego boost sold-out arenas give them over their less appreciated solo outings. Or that every few years Mick Fleetwood and John McVie need to rake in more cash to pay for their butlers and gardeners.

Whether or not any or all of the above is true, I am not enough of a purist--I will continue to pay to hear great bands play great songs regardless of their reasons, so long as I don't feel they are cheating me--not to have attended Fleetwood Mac shows in 2003, 2009 and again on Saturday night at the United Center. (I didn't see the initial, 1997 reunion tour of the classic lineup but I did watch The Dance televised performance and purchased the live album of the same name).

I love enough of the band's best material--especially from 1975's Fleetwood Mac, 1979's Tusk and especially 1977's Rumours--and feel that Buckingham and Nicks, in particular, showcase enough professional pride and integrity every time they step on stage that I largely enjoyed the previous Fleetwood Mac shows I've seen.

Until Lindsey and Stevie begin to sound like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits I could happily hear them sing songs like "Dreams," "Rhiannon," "The Chain," "Landslide," "Tusk," "Don't Stop" and "Go Your Own Way" until the end of time.

But while I can't recall exact particulars of past shows, my perception was that the acrimony that helped fuel the brilliance of Rumours--an album famously made in the aftermath of Lindsey and Stevie's romantic split, the divorce of John & Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood's own divorce proceedings--wasn't entirely a thing in the past. (Although Christine participated in the 1997 reunion, she has not been on any of the tours of the new millennium, as the other four members have .)

There were enough times when Lindsey and Stevie seemed to seethe at each other--whether on stage or in the press--that although their inherent love was apparent, so too was plenty of unfinished business.

Given that this is how Fleetwood Mac existed, and even flourished, on Rumours and over the subsequent 10 years of the "classic lineup," I can't really say that the past shows I saw artistically suffered for it. In fact, the soap opera revolving around rock's greatest doomed romance has always been part of what has made Fleetwood Mac so riveting.

And the resulting "Can you top this?" creative rivalry between the former lovers has not only generated many classic songs, but helped the latter-day live shows bristle with a storied sense of tension.

Well, who knows what really happens in the dressing room and on the road between shows, but at the UC it looked to me like Lindsey and Stevie have buried the hatchet to a greater extent than I recall previously perceiving.

Sure, they still faced off during "Go Your Own Way" (video below) and on Stevie's originally-scrapped-from-Rumours rebuttal, "Silver Springs," but with tender takes on "Landslide," a rediscovered lost Buckingham Nicks song, "Without You"--which Stevie called the nicest song she'd ever written about Lindsey--and the show closing "Say Goodbye", which Lindsay said he wrote as a song of closure, it was nice to sense that detente, this time, wasn't merely a mercenary measure.

Yet, even if true, did this really make Fleetwood Mac's performance better?

That's debatable. I missed the great "Monday Morning," which the band used as an opener on the 2009 tour and my friend Paolo missed the harmonies Christine McVie had brought to the recordings. He also was a bit more troubled than I by the tenor of Stevie's singing voice on the edge of 65.

But while noting that our seats in the front row of the 3rd deck meant a glass barrier muffled the sound a bit, I was every bit as pleased with what Fleetwood Mac delivered as I was with Bob Seger the previous Saturday (who I likewise awarded @@@@1/2).

I thought the band both chose their material and paced their set well. Given that the Mac is celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Rumours--albeit a year late--seven songs were included from it, one of the best-selling albums of all-time. (See the full Fleetwood Mac United Center setlist on Setlist.fm.)

But the group played a new song--"Sad Angel"--that sounded strong, and I believe "Eyes of the World" was another new one (Note: Commenters have corrected me; the latter is from Mirage). They showcased the under appreciated Tusk album with a quartet of songs--"Not That Funny," "Tusk," "Sisters of the Moon" and "Sara"--while Buckingham's typically terrific guitar playing was most demonstrably sublime on "Big Love" and "I'm So Afraid."

The animated Mick Fleetwood remains a powerhouse drummer, and though the steady as a statue John McVie doesn't look like he deserves a quarter of the box office take, he has been holding down the band's rhythm section since 1967. (Two extra musicians and two backup singers also were on-stage.)

A shout out to recently passed early band members--particularly Bob Welch--seemed in order, but was never forthcoming, despite a number of monologues from Lindsey and Stevie.

Nonetheless, this was a show that reminded me that Fleetwood Mac has been a really good band for a really long time, with the twosome who took them to another level--Buckingham and Nicks--literally front and center.

And seemingly quite happy to be there. Together.

---
Here's a clip of "Go Your Own Way," which I and everyone else lustily sang along with. Posted to YouTube by trboogaard.

No Ifs, Ands or Butz: Pleasant, Well-Crafted 'Big Fish' Just Isn't Catchy Enough -- Chicago Theater Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Theater Review

Big Fish
a world premiere, pre-Broadway musical
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Book by John August
Directed & Choreographed by Susan Stroman
Oriental Theatre, Chicago
Thru May 5
@@@1/2

I am not musical and don't have a clear concept on how difficult it is to write a song that is both instantly catchy and thematically meaningful. I imagine it is extremely difficult, even for the most gifted composers and lyricists.

But as a lover of musical theater who has seen well over 200 different musicals--including many truly special ones and several that are just so-so--my advice for anyone attempting to write a new one, whether from scratch or based on a movie or any other source material, would be this:

Start by writing at least 5 killer songs.

5 songs that if I heard tonight, I would still remember--and perhaps even hum--tomorrow. 5 songs that would prompt patrons to buy the cast album upon leaving the theater. 5 songs that cabaret singers would want to cover. 5 songs that could all be highlights on a year-end Broadway compilation. 5 songs that if this was 1951 could be turned into hit singles. 5 songs that would be considered terrific beyond the context of the show.

5 songs that are inventive and catchy and infectious and memorable and truly make people smile, even the first time they hear them.

Because think about it: How many musicals that you truly love don't have at least 5 songs you truly love?

And while it may be valid to say that some great songs take time (and repeated exposure) to appreciate, there have been enough shows I've seen "cold"--without having heard any of the songs previously--that I have absolutely loved, in large part due to their catchy, hummable songs: The Producers, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Avenue Q, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Bat Boy, The Visit, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Christmas Story and Kinky Boots (which enamored me on its very first public performance), just to name a few.

Norbert Leo Butz, Kate Baldwin and Bobby Steggert,

Unfortunately, in my estimation, Big Fish, based on the 2003 Tim Burton film and now in Chicago on a pre-Broadway tryout, doesn't have at least 5 killer songs. I'm not sure it even has one.

On Saturday morning after seeing the show Thursday night, the only two tunes I recollect with melodic fondness are "Bigger" and "Fight the Dragons," the latter likely because I listened to it again on the Big Fish website.

This isn't to say that the show isn't tuneful, nor that it is terrible.

To be fair, I saw a performance that was officially still a preview, and I was a bit surprised at how effusively my fellow patrons in the under-filled balcony seemed to like it, bestowing a standing ovation. So, with admittedly some other things on my mind that night, maybe there is something special in Big Fish onstage that I just just didn't appreciate.

But I still think I would have noticed 5 killer songs.

Though I also assure you that at no point as I sat within the resplendent Oriental Theatre did I think, "Boy, this is really bad."

With a terrific star in Norbert Leo Butz--a bona fide Broadway leading man who I've enjoyed in several shows dating back to a touring Cabaret in 1999--and a superb director & choreographer in Susan Stroman, who helmed my all-time favorite musical, The Producers, there was enough first-rate singing, clever production numbers with stellar dancing and much truly inventive staging & impressive scenery for Big Fish to merit a Seth Saith recommendation--albeit a lukewarm one--for those who love musicals and champion worthwhile new ones like I do.

Scenes from the Big Fish movie

But somewhat akin to--if slightly better than--Catch Me If You Can, which I saw just last week, and Stroman's own Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, the stage version of Big Fish doesn't substantially transcend its source movie to justify an average couple spending $100 & up to see it versus just checking the film out of their local library.

And I say this as someone with little pre-existing love of Big Fish on screen. In fact, somewhat surprising to me and others, upon noting that this world premiere was part of my Broadway in Chicago series, I had to admit that I had never seen, nor to my recall, even heard of the movie (and I see hundreds each year).

A friend advised that before seeing the show I should watch the film, which features Albert Finney as Edward Bloom, a father who has put off his grown son Will (played by Billy Crudup) by telling seemingly tall tales his whole life, several of which are depicted by Ewan McGregor as a younger Edward.

I found Big Fish to be a really quirky and charming movie, likely one of Tim Burton's very best.

With the film's screenwriter John August also penning the book for the musical, he and Stroman admirably re-enact (and somewhat re-imagine) Big Fish for the stage, and probably wisely opted to have a single actor--in this case Butz--embody Edward Bloom from across his teens into his 60s or 70s. Kate Baldwin and Bobby Steggert also do nice jobs as Edward's wife and son, and it was fun to see Producers stalwart Brad Oscar as Ringmaster Amos Callaway (played by Danny DeVito in the movie).

And Andrew Lippa, the composer/lyricist whose past credits include The Wild Party and The Addams Family, does a credible job in moving the story along with songs that are more-than-passable, even if few felt phenomenal.

But given the somewhat mystical, Burtonesque nature of the film, and the reconfigurations a sensible theatrical rendering likely demanded, I didn't feel that the core story of Big Fish--a man coming to know who his father really was by learning to love the fanciful stories that long made him cringe--was delivered with the same level of magical quirkiness, or just emotion, that makes the movie so special.

And this is hard for me to exactly discern given how recently I saw the movie, but had I not done so, I sense I really might have been confused by what was going on onstage--and why.

And I still wouldn't have loved the songs.

So while Big Fish has a number of admirable elements, and I wouldn't dissuade anyone from seeing it, in keeping it reel, I can't truly say it ever had me hooked.

The Chicago Dining World Tour: Polishing Off a Perfect Polish Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:48:00 +0000

Staropolska
Polish
3030 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
773.342.0779
www.staropolskarestaurant.com

Although I think I have some Polish in my heritage and hope to visit Krakow on my next European expedition--possibly even this year--I really don't know all that much about Poland, its culture or cuisine, besides pierogies and Polish sausages, long my favorite tubular food on a bun.

At some point last year, well before I hatched the idea of a devoted Chicago Dining World Tour, I ate at a well-reviewed and rather authentic-feeling Polish restaurant called Smak Tak, at 5961 N. Elston in Chicago. My entree was a breaded pork loin with peach, and it was delicious.

Had the timing been different, Smak Tak would have made a terrifically suitable Polish entry on my 2013 gastro-ethnic exploration.

But in doing some research--a.k.a. clicking around on Yelp!--I discovered that Staropolska, in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood, was even more highly-rated and seemingly beloved.

So on Wednesday night, I went there with my good friend, Ken, a first-generation Polish-American whose father fought and was imprisoned by Nazis during World War II and subsequently hunted them down and brought some to trial at Nuremburg.

Ken was graciously treating me to dinner, as I had snagged him a pair of Stones tickets on Ticketmaster, and we instantly found Staropolska's decor--including the painted wall at right, a fireplace and, a bit less so, a mounted moose skin--to be delightful.

And even more so, our authentically Polish, absolutely stunning waitress named Agnieszka.

(If any Seth Saith devotees think this sounds eerily similar to my recap of a visit by Ken and me to the Ukrainian restaurant, Magic Jug, there were certain similarities in both the scintillating food and Eastern European waitresses, but Staropolska was even better in both respects.)

The restaurant, which we were surprised to learn from Agnieszka has been around for 30 years, had a number of Polish beers on tap, but Ken and I both abstained in favor of Diet Coke.

Arriving first was a basket of delicious bread, which Ken aptly described as "Polish rye bread with a sour tinge."

Ken then showed off his admittedly meager command of Polish by ordering a cup of Red Beetroot Soup by its native name--"Chevonu borscht" or something like that. I didn't choose to try any, but he said it was excellent.

As were, and then some, our appetizers.

We got an order of pierogies, split between those filled with sweet cheese and those with strawberry. Both were wonderful.

Even more amazing was an order of something every bit as good as it sounded on the menu: Plums rolled in bacon.

These were truly unique--I never had anything like it--and truly awesome, once I refrained from burning my tongue. A second time.

If, at this point, you're thinking I didn't even really need my main course, you wouldn't be completely wrong. Despite the title of this blog post, I had some leftovers for lunch as I'm writing this. And there's still some left.

I was going to go with the Beef Stroganoff, but Agnieszka pointed me to a selection called "Staropolska
Style Potato Pancakes with Beef Stew, Pickle, Cream," which was essentially Beef Stroganoff between two huge potato pancakes. For just $8.99.

Despite my not being able to finish in one sitting, it was terrific.

As was the Cucumber Salad I chose as a side dish, as well as the pieces of sausage, stuffed cabbage and some puff pastry-type thing that Ken gave me from his "Polish Plate."

As you can see at left, Ken also got potato pancakes and some more pierogies as part of his meal, all of which he happily finished minus his donations to my cause.

"Boy was that good," being his direct quote.

We hung around conversing for a good while, with Ken getting a couple cups of coffee, which he also declared to be quite good.

All of this, before tip, came to only $47.

So to recap, an authentic, attractive Polish restaurant (complete with Polish programming on the TV), a nice, beautiful waitress, pierogies, plums wrapped in bacon, great bread, beet soup, Beef Stroganoff between potato pancakes, a Polish Plate, a good time with a great friend and out the door for 56 bucks.

And for me, nothing.

It would be easy to say that dinner doesn't get much better than this.

But for my money, or lack thereof, even life itself doesn't.

Pithy Philosophies - #3

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:47:00 +0000

Noting that today is the birthday of legendary football coach and announcer, John Madden, I share something he once said (while calling a game) that has always stuck with me.

I believe its wisdom applies far beyond the gridiron.

"Any team that says they have two starting quarterbacks doesn't have one."

-- John Madden

The Chicago Dining World Tour: Terrible Service Detracts from Terrifically Tasty Chinese Excursion

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:07:00 +0000

Lao Sze Chuan
Chinese
2172 S. Archer Ave., Chicago
312.326.5040
Website

What I ate: Hot and Sour Soup, Egg Rolls, Salt & Pepper Lamb

Over the course of my Chicago Dining World Tour, I have visited and spotlighted--and intend to continue to--a mix of restaurants/cuisines with which I was already familiar and those that are largely new to me.

While Chinese food certainly counts as an international cuisine, it is so commonplace in the United States, I almost wonder if it isn't more popular than whatever may be construed as "American food."

Thus, while I have long patronized and enjoyed stellar sit-down Chinese restaurants such as China Chef in Morton Grove, Great Beijing in Lincolnwood, Beijing Wok in Skokie, Empire Szechuan in Northbrook, Golden Wok II in Glen Ellyn (when I lived out that way), Moon Palace in Chicago's Chinatown and PF Chang's in Northbrook and elsewhere, I felt them all a bit too commonplace to feature as the Chinese entry on my gastro-ethnic expedition.

Especially as at all of them, on every visit, I've ordered either Orange Beef, Sweet 'n Sour Pork or Mongolian Beef, all of which I've enjoyed but also wouldn't represent anything exotic on an exploratory level.

But I mention the places above because I feel I owe them an apology. Or at least a shout out in this article.

For in having read about how Tony Hu has become the kingpin of Chinatown restauranteurs--he seems to now have 11 restaurants there and throughout the area--and hearing good things about Lao Sze Chuan (Hu's original outpost), I decided that should be the unique somewhere I ventured to and highlighted in the name of Chinese food, Chicago style.

So after last Sunday's White Sox game--won on a 10th inning walkoff homer by Dayan Viciedo--I convinced my friend Dave to try Lao Sze Chuan with me, located in a strip mall along Archer near the Chinatown gate.

The restaurant was attractive and bright, and both our meals were truly delicious. But with due deference to Mr. Hu and things he likely cannot directly control, I am unlikely to return. For even if the places I named above aren't as inventive with their menus or meals, I'd rather go somewhere and get good food & good service than great food & atrocious service, as was the case at Lao Sze Chuan.

In saying that, let me explain that Dave and I were in absolutely no hurry, we raised no fuss about the disservice within the course of our visit, we left a fair tip and I take no pleasure in trashing anyone. I am not going to describe our waitress as I have no desire to see her or anyone else reprimanded. But in fairness to the many restaurants--Chinese or otherwise--that treat customers right, let me detail what Lao Sze Chuan did wrong:

1. After being seated, it took at least 5 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us at the table.
2. When I asked our waitress--who clearly spoke and understood English--what "special dishes" a first-time visitor might enjoy, she couldn't cite any. And when I said--based on a quick perusal of Yelp!--that I'd heard good things about the Salt & Pepper Shrimp and Salt & Pepper Lamb, she simply said, "Yes, we have them."
3. There were no place settings on our table, other than chopsticks, and we didn't have the opportunity to request forks until after our entrees were served.
4. Our food was dropped off by a server, not the waitress who took our order, and the latter never came around to check on us.
5. My entree was served 5 minutes before Dave's arrived.
6. I wanted a refill on my water and asked three other wait staff members (as ours never came around) and all three ignored me.
7. I ordered a second can of Diet Coke, after flagging down our waitress; she brought it without refreshing my nearly empty glass of ice.
8. After we finished eating, we had to wait about 15 minutes before the waitress came to clear Dave's plate, box my leftovers and give us the check.
9. The check was brought while I was in the rest room--oddly with no urinals, I had to double check to ensure I was in the right one--accompanied by 2 fortune cookies. While I would have liked some almond cookies, it wasn't worth waiting another 10 minutes, so we paid cash and left. (And went to the Chiu Quon bakery for almond cookies.)

Now, I've never worked as a waiter and have tremendous respect for the demands on those who do. For me, a standard tip is at least 20%. But the above strikes me as failing Service 101.

Certainly not the end of the world, but definitely a reason to stick with the tried and true. Even if the food at Lao Sze Chuan was truly unique and delicious, which it was.

OK, so Hot 'n Sour Soup and Egg Rolls aren't exactly novel when it comes to Chinese food. But both were really good.

For my entree, I went with the Salt & Pepper Lamb, which was chopped up, lightly battered and--if not ideal for my blood pressure--really sublime.

And the leftovers I brought home held up really well and made for an enjoyable meal during the NCAA Final.

Dave went with a traditional favorite, Kung Pao Shrimp, and had already siphoned out most of the shrimp
before I snapped the photo at right.

He declared it "very tasty."

All of which makes the poor service a real shame.

The original location of Lao Sze Chuan--forebearer of Lao Shanghai, Lao Hunan, Lao Beijing and others--has been around since 1998 and seems to be quite popular. Hu and his chefs are obviously doing something quite right.

Too bad the wait staff seemed to get everything wrong. Yes, I realize it may have just been a bad day, but while I could easily have forgiven 2-3 of the above problems, the sum seems to suggest intrinsic deficiencies.

Still, I'm not suggesting you avoid Lao Sze Chuan or any of Hu's other restaurants. The food certainly may well be worth any possible service displeasure.

But for me, Moon Palace or China Chef or Great Beijing, etc. will be just fine.

Like a Rock, and Life's Been Good: A Solidly Entertaining Evening of Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger and Joe Walsh -- Chicago Concert Review

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Arkin) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:07:00 +0000

Concert Review

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
w/ opening act Joe Walsh
United Center, Chicago
April 6, 2013
@@@@1/2
(for Seger, and night as a whole)

"Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage"
-- Bob Seger, "Turn the Page,"
written in 1970

Chalk one up for the old and unhip.

A little over a week ago, I saw a terrific show by Green Day, a band that has remained current for over 20 years, has impressively re-generated a teenage audience and has released three albums of new music in the last 8 months.

They failed to fill the Allstate Arena.

Though the crowd wasn't embarrassing, I'd guess the turnout to be about 11,000.

Saturday night, I saw Bob Seger at the considerably larger United Center. He last released an album in 2006, with the one prior being in 1995, likely hasn't been on the tip of anyone's tongue--nor garnered much press coverage--of late and attracts an audience in which I was one of the youngsters.

Though I don't think the show was officially a sellout, and attendance may have been helped a bit by Joe Walsh being the opening act, Seger and his Silver Bullet Band basically packed the place. 15,000 would be a conservative guess; maybe closer to 18,000.

"Rock and Roll Never Forgets," indeed.

Photo from Bob Seger's Facebook page.

On an evening when the young and hip could be seeing Maroon 5 at the Allstate Arena and the old and hip could choose between Mike Nesmith at the Old Town School of Folk Music and Allen Toussaint at City Winery, the rest of us settled in for a night of old time rock 'n roll with Bob and Joe.

Quite happily.

A few minutes before the ticketed start time of 8:00pm, Joe Walsh walked on stage with a gleeful shout of "How you doin'?"--still resonant for those of us who recall his wonderful visits with Steve & Garry back in the day.

He and his band, including a trio of drummers, kicked into the old James Gang hit, "Walk Away," and things were joyously up and running on a delightful 7-song opening set. (Setlist here)

Even if I couldn't quite understand much of his buoyantly goofy--if now supposedly clean and sober--stage patter from near the back of the UC, the 65-year-old Walsh sounded great on guitar and vocals in belting out classics like "Funk #49," "In the City," and "Rocky Mountain Way," and "Band Played On," off his solid new album, Analog Man.

"Life's Been Good" was a hoot as always, with Joe updating "they write me letters, tell me I'm great" to "they write me emails..." Someone hipper than I should let him know that even email is passé among those too young to know who Joe Walsh is.

And as "Turn to Stone" is the favorite Walsh song of my friend Dave, who accompanied me along with two others, it was nice that Joe played that one, too.

As someone remarked, in the early '70s Seger would've been opening for Walsh, and given his stint in the oft-reunited Eagles, Joe has likely played for more people than Bob. So his 45-minute set served to remind just how nice it is to get a first-rate opening act and not some new band you've never heard of (with respect to several who have been quite entertaining).

Photo Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune

Having seen Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band three previous times since he started touring again in late 2006 (after a long hiatus from music, before which I had never seen him live), I pretty much knew what to expect.

I knew he would put on an excellent show featuring numerous terrific, crowd-pleasing songs, but wouldn't dig as deep into his vast catalog, nor deviate from past setlists (of prior tours or earlier shows on this one) as I would wish.

I also knew that a month shy of 68, the paunchy Seger wouldn't match the ferocity of his youth, as attested to by a colleague of Dave's who joined us after having last seen Bob & the SBB in 1978.

(Reflecting the above two statements, here's a great YouTube clip from '78 of "Still the Same," one of my favorite songs that Seger never plays anymore.)

But what I did find pleasantly surprising was how good his voice sounded.

While the shows I'd seen in recent years were all satisfying--my review of a 2011 gig in Grand Rapids, MI isn't so different than this one--I worried if perhaps he'd had a minor stroke or other physical impairment, as his vocals just didn't seem as powerfully wrought, though likely this was just the ravages of age and a life on the road.

But Saturday night, everything seemed right again. During "Turn the Page," I closed my eyes for a moment and really couldn't tell the difference from the Live Bullet rendition from the mid-70s. (A clip of "Turn the Page" is at bottom.) Along with the essence of Seger himself being still the same--no frills, no BS from BS, just a show that makes you smile fondly and sing along often--here his singing largely was, too.

Given my desire that he loosen up his setlists a bit--they've largely been similar all 4 times I've now seen him, with the exact same 4 encore songs--you might think I'd be thrilled that he didn't open with "Roll Me Away," like he did the last 3 times. Primarily on this tour, he's been opening with the appropriately-titled John Hiatt-cover, "Detroit Made," but at the UC, he opened with another song I didn't know, "Long Twin Silver Line."

But maybe he knew best all along, as I think "Roll Me Away"--which he did play later on--would've been a better opener. Though I would advocate the neglected "Feel Like a Number" or "Even Now."

Taking a look at Bob Seger's United Center setlist (on Setlist.fm), you can see why despite some wishes and trifling gripes, there was a whole lot to like, with "The Fire Down Below," "Mainstreet," "Travelin' Man/Beautiful Loser," "Katmandu," "Hollywood Nights" and "Night Moves" being among many gems not already mentioned.

Seger played one recently-written song, "All the Roads," from a new album promised in August (he was also supposedly going to release one in 2011 but didn't). It fit in well, as did "California Stars," a cover of a song for which Wilco had put music to old Woody Guthrie lyrics. Though Seger mentioned Guthrie, it would have been nice had he credited Wilco in their hometown, or even had Jeff Tweedy join him onstage.

With Seger being such a long and loyal Michigander, it was nice to hear him announce with glee that the U of M had made the NCAA basketball finals, before launching into encore opener "Against the Wind."

And enough time has passed that I didn't cringe and think of pickup trucks--well, not too much--when, earlier in the show, Seger played "Like A Rock," which has not been a staple of the recent tours.

Especially as, though far from his best song, it seems to define him.

Even thinking back to his '70s heyday, though he may have been more popular, I don't believe Bob Seger was quite as hip as contemporaries like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Billy Joel or Warren Zevon.

Nor did he have the panache of Bowie, the CBGB and British punks, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin or even the best of disco. He just put out album after album of good, solidly-enjoyable music that people seemed to like.

He was populist in the best sense of the word.

And having been heartened that he can still fill the largest arena in town, it's nice to know that he remains that way. Particularly because even after selling more than 50 million albums (according to Wikipedia, and that seems low to me), Bob Seger still seems like a guy it'd be fun to talk baseball with over a beer.

Down on "Mainstreet."

---
Here's a video clip of "Turn the Page" from the United Center, posted to YouTube by jwvargas55: