Happy Halloween!

Okay, so there was Poppa iPod, Lil' Shuffle and this other kid who was somthing else. "Why isn't that child an iPad?" I asked. "Maybe next year," said the Poppa Apple. 

The Great Kasey Foster's Dance Tribute to Mr. Bungle

I am seriously more Faith No More than Mr. Bungle - but this show was pretty great.  Kasey Foster may have just converted me...  I took the above snapshots with my phone. I have got to start bringing my camera out with me.  Special thanks to the multi-talented, Ms. Sarah Rose Graber for the kind invitation to see her and all of the amazing dancers! http://sarahrosegraber.com

GOBAMA! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE -- DO WE REALLY WANT A REPRISE OF "W."?

YO SOLO theatre festival of latino solo shows

I only got to see three of the YO SOLO Festival shows:  Sandra Delgado's beautiful, para Graciela; KJ Sanchez's fascinating tale of her father's legal odyssey in New Mexico, Highway 47 www.americanrecordstheater.org; and Juan Francisco Villa's gritty, splendid, lyrical chronicle of life on the Lower East Side of New York, Empanada for a Dream. www.juanfranciscovilla.com  Unfortunately, due to a personal scheduling issue, I was not able to see Rey Andujar's Antipoda.  dsph.uiowa.edu/conferences/uilmw/wp/?page_id=326  But I heard he was great. Next year, I will have to buy the festival pass and see them all.   www.teatrovista.org/   www.collaboraction.org  There's so much about Latino culture that I don't know, but I would like to.  I would say that I was entertained and impressed but that would be an understatement.  Catch the talented Ms. Delgado currently starring in Night Over Erzinga at  www.silkroadrising.org  Juan (Solo) Francisco Villa's riveting performance reminded me of a young John Leguizamo/Raul Julia...  Check out Empanda for a Dream in Los Angeles later this month/November: thelatc.org/2012/shows/empanada-for-a-dream and when it returns to Chicago!  www.teatrovista.org



Walkabout Theater Company's Fall Fundraiser: DIS/ORDERED by Dani Bryant

Dani Bryant's foodie cycle of plays that were presented by the Walkabout Theater Company included: Binge, Feminists Who Lunch and Kitchen.  I thought that the thing that all elements of this fun evening had in common was how honest and real everyone/everything was.  In fact, true to the company's moniker -- the show itself was held in a Chicago location I never would have dreamed of -- not quite a hundred mile "walkabout" journey in the desert -- but close enough for the Midwest.  I loved all of the introductions - hearing about how the Walkabout Theater Company started (according to the Big Cheese Dude who spoke - be careful how you challenge your girlfriend in the middle of the night) - what Emma Stanton's experience of performing with Walkabout to an audience that is normally underserved by the theater community was.... The things that happen in life that are truly touching and magical...  All of the crazy reasons why people do theater, make/create things and the meaning gleaned in the end...

 

Bryant strikes a delicate balance between the reality of how loaded a subject food is, and the theatrical aspects that become present quickly in her sharp-witted Feminists Who Lunch.  The plays incorporated down-to-earth revelations, formal structures -- from the funny and fast-moving infomercial of Binge to performance art/mise-en-scene-like moments in Kitchen when Mary Hollis Inboden painstakingly/heartbreakingly measures and weighs servings of cereal, yogurt and grapes...  Dani Bryant/Foodie Plays - this should be a welcome addition to any thinking person's theater anywhere...  www.pantriesinabind.com  www.walkabouttheater.org

 



This was the aweseome outdoor stage built by theater artist, John Wilson. My cell phone camera does not do it justice.  www.collaboraction.org

GLAD FANNY at the Walkabout Theater Company's Fall Fundraiser

J.R. chivalrously offered to block the smoke but that would have also meant that he would have  blocked the audience's view of Glad Fanny. I really liked it that he tried.

                           Alas, my cellphone camera does not do so well at night.

It got darker and it's impossible to see anything in this picture.  But live, it was very special!  I loved Glad Fanny!  They sounded terrific.  Check 'em out... www.gladfanny.com

Uncle Julio's Hacienda, Chicago, IL

Best, fresh, warm chips and tasty salsa ever!  Check out their frosty drink called a "Swirl" ~ a half sangria and margarita slurpee for adults only... www.unclejulios.com
855 W North Ave, Chicago, IL · (312) 266-4222