Wauconda Wild Side: Lake County Museum Proves to be a Delightful Discovery

Museum Recap

Lake County Discovery Museum
27277 N. Forest Preserve Rd., Wauconda, IL
Visited May 19, 2013
Special Exhibits seen: Mucha: Expanding Art Nouveau; Modern Masters
Website

As much of what I write about and champion on this blog hopefully portrays, I am a great believer in the importance of culture in myriad forms.

Given the ravages of the economy and the changes brought on by the digital age, I am consequentially quite empathetic to the challenges faced by cultural institutions of all sizes.

This prefaces why I was tremendously impressed by the Lake County Discovery Museum on my first visit there this past Sunday.

Was this interdisciplinary outpost located within the Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda--a far northwest suburb of Chicago--one of the best museums I've ever been to?

Of course not, speaking as someone who has been to most of Chicago's great museums and well over 100 worldwide, including such famed art galleries as the Louvre, Prado, Uffizi and Hermitage.

But as someone with such wherewithal, I can honestly say that the LCDM was well worth 2 hours of my time and $6 of my money. In fact, I found my visit more fulfilling than some to more prestigious museums, including the Chicago History Museum, which charges $14 for entry (though a recent free visit there was enjoyable).

So as I illustrate this pleasant 'Discovery'--including two temporary art exhibits: Mucha: Expanding Art Nouveau and Modern Masters--through the photos below, take this as not just a recommendation that you visit the Lake County Discovery Museum if you have a free day, but as an appreciation of a cultural resource that seems to be utilizing its presumably limited budget in rather remarkable fashion.

In front of the museum is a replicated Mastodon, which correlates to
exhibits inside about the natural history of Lake County.

My primary impetus for visiting the museum were two special exhibits, the first being Mucha: Expanding Art Nouveau,
about the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Though limited in scope, the exhibit is well-curated, with this reproduction
of a French storefront designed by Mucha being a highlight.

Many of the Mucha pieces shown are gleaned from the museum's Curt Teich Postcard Archives,
which includes a number of posters and other objects as well, such as this plate.

Czech out these stamps featuring designs by Mucha.

The special exhibit Modern Masters features artworks--primarily lithographs, not paintings--by artists within the
schools of Cubism, Dadaism, Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism, such as these works by Dali.

A drawing by Modigliani.

A crayon drawing by Chagall in a book autographed by him.

In addition to works by many artists with whom I was familiar, such as Miro, Magritte, Calder,
Chagall, Arp, Ernst, Giocometti, Leger, Man Ray and others, there is a nice representation of
lesser known artists, such as this piece by Marino Marini.

The museum's Curt Teich Postcard Archives, from an old Chicago postcard manufacturer, is the world's largest public
collection of postcards. Many different types of postcards were on display--including several Mucha ones--as well as insights such as the Curt Teich Co. having printed all of the U.S. Military invasion maps during World War II. And that before telephone or email existed in everyday life, people sent postcards to convey messages within a given day.

A particularly rare type of postcard on display are those woven in pure silk, such as this one.

Given my fascination with the Columbian Exposition of 1893, I was particularly interested in this display and
the factoid that the first commercially produced picture postcards in the U.S. were souvenirs of the Fair.

This display piece represents the Eiffel Tower, which factored into the birth of postcards, and the statues
of Paul Bunyon and Babe the Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota, once one of the most photographed sites in the U.S.

Within the permanent collection reflecting various aspects of Lake County history and life is a reel of movies
shot in the county, including The Blues Brothers, Risky Business and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Stars hailing from Lake County include Marlon Brando, Ann Margaret and Jerry Orbach.

Another former resident of Lake County.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seth Saith:

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