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Lexus Artistic Pursuits
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Tom Marker's DJ Pick
THE SECOND CITY:
1616 North Wells Street
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Approaching 50 years on North Wells Street, Chicago's beloved Second City continues to crack us up.
Back in the fifties a group of undergrads at the University of Chicago started a cabaret comedy revue show. Taking a self-mocking name from an article in New Yorker magazine, The Second City first opened on Wells Street in 1959, a couple of blocks north of their current home at 1616 North. In the sixties, with Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson, Hippies and Yippies, War in Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement, and turmoil in the Middle East, the time was ripe for social and political satire. As it turns out, there's been a wealth of material ever since. In the seventies there was Watergate, disco and turmoil in the Middle East. In the eighties there was scandal in the Reagan White House and turmoil in the Middle East. The nineties brought cell phones, dot coms, scandal in the Clinton White House and turmoil in the Middle East. Even when it seems like there's not much to laugh about, The Second City saves the day. For example, they were among the first to makes us laugh, and laugh hard, post 9-11 with the hilarious revue, Yellow Cab of Courage. Right now, with the current campaign for the presidency having past the one year mark, "No Country for Old White Men" has audiences howling at their classic tiny little cocktail tables just like they've been for half a century, and while the Chicago mainstage is the main attraction, Second City has become so much more.
In 1973, The Second City opened it's first out-of-town location in Toronto which soon became home to players including Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner, John Candy and Eugene Levy and, in 1974, debuted SCTV in Canada. There are now also Second City theaters in Las Vegas and Detroit and a training center in Los Angeles. And a second stage on Wells Street, Second City E.T.C., competes with the mainstage for title of Funniest Show in Town.
Okay, time for the required, and very impressive, list of some of the Second City alums: Alan Arkin, Ed Asner, Shelley Berman, Valerie Harper, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, Joan Rivers, David Steinberg, Robert Klein, Peter Boyle, Brian Doyle Murray, Harold Ramis, John Belushi, Bill Murray, George Wendt, Jim Belushi, Tim Kazurinsky, Rick Hall, Mike Myers, Tim Meadows, Steve Carell, and Tina Fey.
Currently at The Second City the writing is sharp, the performances are animated and athletic, the minimal staging, lights and sound are just right, the jokes are about right now, and the audiences are laughing their butts off. Get over there! It'll do you good.
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The Arts
When you think of “art” in Chicago, there is a magnitude of opportunities to choose from. Among them- the “Bean” in Millennium Park, The Field Museum, the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier, and even the incredible Lake Michigan. Much like WXRT, the arts in Chicago are one of a kind.
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Artists in Depth: Works from the MCA Collection
begins May 10th at the Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibit showcases and takes a closer look at featured artists who have a large collection at the museum and those who have defined their singular aesthetic.
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Ed Ruscha and Photography
is currently featured at the Art Institute through June 1st The museum’s Curator will walk guests through an “Overview of Ed Ruscha and Photography” on May 16th which features Ruscha’s photographic books along with original prints.
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Comedy
Looking for a good laugh? You’ve come to the right place! There is a constantly changing line up of improve troupes, stand up comics, and much more rolling through Chicago and hitting some of your favorite venues; Second City, IO, Zanies, and the Del Close Theatre just to name a few. Whether you’re looking for your favorite national act or a local Chicago comedian you’re in the right town.
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Young and Handsome: A Night with Jeff Garlin
May 12th brings “Young and Handsome: A Night with Jeff Garlin” back to his hometown of Chicago at The Second City. Don’t miss your chance that day to see one of two shows with a star of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
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Quit Your Job
“Quit Your Job” is playing at the Chicago Center for Performing Arts. Come and laugh your head off viewing this office from hell! The actors take real stories to the stage in hilarious sketches! Now playing Every Friday and Saturday through May.
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Dance
The City of Chicago celebrates dance of all genres. From ballet to contemporary dance, Chicago dance companies have it all. Ballet lovers enjoy performances at the Joffrey Ballet; the Harris Theatre offers a new venue and an experience that engages challenges and inspires the whole family, and those looking for a modern take on dance look to the Hubbard Street Dance Company. Chicago dance offers an experience filled with exuberance and innovation making it a must when art in Chicago is concerned.
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Macbeth
Greasy Joan presents a freshly imagined version of one of Shakespeare's fastest moving plays. Paranoid of losing power, Macbeth forges a path of murder and violence that tears his country apart. How will his people emerge from his tyrannical rule and find hope to remake themselves? Full of supernatural witches, ghosts, and "strange imaginings," Shakespeare's MACBETH remains a visceral and hair-raising classic. More Info >
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Maria Tallchief
The Gene Siskel Film Center will welcome living legend Maria Tallchief to Sandra Osawa’s premiere screening of a documentary that traces Ms. Tallchief's illustrious career, from her Osage Nation heritage to her training under Mme. Nijinska, her early triumphs at the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, her personal and professional partnership with George Balanchine as prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet, her part in founding the Chicago City Ballet, and much more. The heart of the film is rare footage of legendary Tallchief performances such as Swan Lake, Pas de Dix, Le Baiser de la Fée, The Nutcracker, The Firebird, and The Black Swan. Maria Tallchief will be present for audience discussion at the 3:00 screening. Also present will be director Sandra Osawa and Ms. Tallchief's daughter, the noted poet Elise Paschen. More Info >
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American Moderns
This May catch four explosive modern works that show off the non-stop athleticism of The Joffrey dancers: Paul Taylor’s hip and elegant Cloven Kingdom, a wry social commentary on man as a social animal; Mehmet Sander’s intense Inner Space, a fascinating, funny, harrowing work for three dancers in a Plexiglas box; Chicago choreographer, Lar Lubovitch’s “…smile with my heart” ; and The Joffrey premiere of Twyla Tharp’s sleek, sexy, and zany Waterbaby Bagatelles featuring especially powerful dancing from the Company’s men lit by ever-shifting arrangements of fluorescent bulbs.
More Info >
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Sound
Chicago may be the Windy City and the Home of the Blues but it is also a virtual “sound playground” where everything from Rhythm and Blues to Musical Theatre come together to create a natural rhythm that makes Chicago unique. So, in a city the size of Chicago, when you want to hear good sounds that are different from what you are used to enjoying on WXRT, take a listen around, the sounds and experiences are endless.
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The Mahler Project
On May 4, 2008, the Rembrandt Chamber Players will present the first phase of The Mahler Project, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, in Gottlieb Hall at the Merit School of Music in Chicago at 5:30 pm. This not-to-be-missed musical event features the transcription for chamber ensemble by Arnold Schoenberg and his student Erwin Stein of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, a piece that has never been performed in Chicago. This innovative arrangement reveals nuanced shadings and depths in Mahler’s music that may not be fully grasped when listening to the powerful and splendid arrangements for full orchestra that are most associated with his music.
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Film
As Chicago’s Finest Rock, we’d be extremely remiss to not mention film in Chicago. As a city that embraces artistic expressions of all sorts, there is always the opportunity to get out there and see something! Whether you’re looking to spend an evening under the stars in Grant Park with a classic or catch up on the most recent Oscar winners, Chicago’s got it.
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The Gene Siskel Film Center honors Alan Arkin
The Gene Siskel Film Center honors Alan Arkin – On Thursday, June 5th Alan Arkin is presented with the Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award and you can be part of this special celebration at The Four Seasons. The evening includes cocktails, dinner, and the reception and the 2007 Best Supporting Actor for Little Miss Sunshine will be on hand to accept the award.
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The Life Before Her Eyes
Two new films are currently out at the Landmark Century Cinema Theatre that are must sees. Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood star in this intense dram about how one single moment in time can define one’s entire life in the film, The Life Before Her Eyes. Also out, and starring a hardly recognizable Jared Leto as Mark David Chapman, this look back in time at one of the most historic and tragic moments in rock and roll takes a glimpse into the sad life of the man who shot John Lennon in 1980.
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Architecture
Chicago, Illinois is known for its architecture and has long been connected with some of architecture's most important names: Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, and Holabird & Root. It is with such incredible influences that Chicago has created spaces, places, and structures that, together, define Chicago.
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Tulip Days on the Magnificent Mile
Tulip Days on the Magnificent Mile - How did Pine Street, the home of factories, saloons, and auto dealerships become the "Boul Mich," a shopping mecca for all of North America and beyond? You'll learn how the Plan of Chicago and the Columbian Exposition inspired Chicago to design a "Paris on the Prairie" and see an eclectic mix of architecture design from Art Deco to the construction of Chicago's tallest building. Additional tours will be offered in May to celebrate Tulip Days on the Magnificent Mile. More Info >
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Architectural Cruise
Now that the weather is better, it’s time to get on the water for a cruise. Born of the Great Fire, structural steel and an indomitable spirit, skyscrapers were invented here … and we have the best way to see them. Take a 90 minute tour of genuinely tall tales and head-turning sights from the breathtaking vantage point of our cruise deck. More Info >
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Theatre
Chicagoans and tourists alike visit theaters featuring Broadway musicals and boutique performances on a regular basis. From the loop to the north side, there is always an array of theatres, performances, and locations to choose from.
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Don Giovanni
Chicago Opera Theater presents a sizzling rendition of Don Giovanni set in the world of an exclusive and decadent nightclub where danger lurks in every VIP room. Only 5 performances—April 30 through May 11 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.
More Info >
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A Flowering Tree
John Adams, the acclaimed composer of dramatic political statements including NIXON IN CHINA and DOCTOR ATOMIC now seduces audiences with a more intimate and lyrical sound in his latest work performed by Chicago Opera Theater. Only 5 performances—May 14- May 25 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. More Info >
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Orlando
Chicago Opera Theater presents a unique take on Handel’s ORLANDO. This unique take will place the action in a 1940'S "FILM NOIR" SETTING that includes the usual femme fatales, mysterious investigators and morally questionable heroes. Only 5 performances—May 28 – June 8 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. More Info >
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