Alone in a Paradise, Neil Young Captivates the Faithful -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Neil Young

Chicago Theatre

April 21, 2014
@@@@@

Rock is my religion.

I say this--as I have for years-- somewhat facetiously and mean no disassociation with Judaism (my genetic religion) nor disrespect to any other faiths and followers.

But beyond merely reflecting the fact that I have been to infinitely more concerts than services, the truth is that music has more so provided many of the things people derive from religion.

Community, camaraderie, comfort, contemplation, ethical insights, emotional sustenance, inspiration, motivation, joy, solace, hope, faith and a sense of transcendence have all been genuine aspects of what I've gotten from rock 'n roll (and also from other art forms).

And though over the years, Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles have been my foremost rock 'n roll deities, in seeing Neil Young on Monday night at the Chicago Theatre, it felt like I was in church.

Although I have only been in church for services a few times--in the name of tourism or curiosity--I say church and not temple because most synagogues aren't as lavishly ornate as the Chicago Theatre.

Designed by Rapp & Rapp, the 1921 movie palace is truly magnificent and its intricate carvings remind me of those in great cathedrals. It is one of Chicago's greatest treasures and I really should make a point of taking a tour.

Before Neil took the stage--himself, with more than a minion of guitars and pianos--the crowd was instructed that any videography would result in ejection and that flash photography was not allowed.

So other than a few idiots who needed to hear themselves be heard screaming down toward Neil, occasional obnoxious guttural shouts, a guy who felt compelled to let the whole theater know that the Blackhawks won and a drunk guy sitting behind my friend Ken--who was sitting separately from me and my friend Paolo--it really was the quietest, most respectful concert crowd I've ever experienced.

I took a few photos for this review, but very sporadically and no video, and it seemed most others in the house had their cameras and cell phones tucked away.

Dare I say, it felt reverent.

Young opened with "From Hank to Hendrix"--he would later tell us that one of the acoustic guitars he was playing had once belonged to Hank Williams--from 1992's Harvest Moon. He would subsequently play the title song from that album, but nothing any more current. This was an evening dedicated to his historic catalog going back to his Buffalo Springfield days ("On the Way Home," "Mr. Soul").

Highlights were many, including achingly beautiful renditions of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," "Harvest," "After the Gold Rush" and "Heart of Gold," among others.

A plaintive version of "Someday" from 1989's Freedom was also a great treat.

As a wonderful complement to his own classics, Young paid homage to heroes like Tim Hardin ("Reason to Believe"), Phil Ochs ("Changes") and Gordon Lightfoot ("If I Could Read Your Mind"), and these covers were all notably terrific.

Given how reverently Neil spoke about Ochs, it wasn't hard to imagine that the '60s folksinger's strident politicism had somehow influenced Young to write "Ohio" (with CSNY) and "Southern Man," which he delivered Monday night in staggering succession. (See the full setlist on Setlist.fm.)

After opening the second set by treating the crowd to a few verses of poetry, he played "Pocohontas"--whose lyrics cite Marlon Brando--and then spoke of how Brando had opted to have a Native American woman accept his Oscar for The Godfather. A great "Cortez the Killer" came next.

Young never conversationally sermonized, at least not overtly, instead speaking endearingly loopily about things like sleeping habits, how his daughter had painted his piano and that the show was "sponsored by water."

But with his incredible musicianship--he played all the instruments onstage--and especially the brilliance of his lyrics, there was true soulfulness and even spiritual moralism on both a micro and macro level, in keeping with how I introduced this review.

From being reminded that only love can break your heart, to having it expressed why a man needs a maid, to "give me things that don't get lost" to "thinking about what a friend had said and hoping it was a lie" to "don't forget what the good book said," I likely garnered more from Neil Young than I ever have from clergy.

Of course, given the vastness of his material and the acoustic nature of the evening, there were a whole lot of great Neil Young songs that didn't get played.

But as this show came just 18 months after I saw a barn burner at the United Center with Crazy Horse in tow--I also gave that performance @@@@@--this was a perfect complement in demonstrating how great Neil Young remains in his upper 60s. And yes, his voice still sounds terrific.

If you read this in time to get to Tuesday night's show at the Chicago Theatre, I highly recommend perusing StubHub.

I can't promise you a religious experience. Only a musically superlative one.

But quoting Neil Young quoting Tim Hardin, "Still I look to find a reason to believe."

And Neil, like many a legendary rocker who reminds of a time when artistry had an inherent earnestness and urgency, continues to provide one.

With a Pair of Great Performances in Fine Irish Play, 'Chapatti' Has Me Dublin My Pleasure -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Chapatti
a world premiere play by Christian O'Reilly
directed by BJ Jones
starring John Mahoney and Penny Slusher
Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL
Run Ended
@@@@1/2

This won't be a barrage of statistics like my last review, but I feel it worth noting that I have now seen John Mahoney on a theatrical stage 9 times--at Northlight, Steppenwolf and once at Ravinia.

Truth be told, this is probably more than the number of Frasier episodes I've seen--I never liked the show nearly as much as Cheers, from which it was spun off--despite Mahoney playing Martin Crane, terrifically, in 263 of those.

According to IMDB, he has appeared in a number of TV episodes since Frasier ended in 2004, but I believe it true to say that rather than seek continued fame & fortune in Hollywood, Mahoney has opted to focus primarily on stage acting in Chicago, where he joined Steppenwolf at the age of 37, soon after deciding to become an actor.

He is now 73--just 14 years older than his TV son, Kelsey Grammer--and it was great to note that in Chapatti he appeared a good bit heartier than he has in recent years.

It is always a joy to see him on stage, yet while he is delightful in Chapatti--a play he directly helped to facilitate a world premiere at Northlight--his only castmate, Penny Slusher, is just as terrific in a rather warmhearted piece.

I saw the show's last performance in Skokie, so won't spend much time on a detailed review, but do highly recommend it--with the same cast--to those lucky enough to be at the Galway Arts Festival in July.

Past Northlight productions with Mahoney have been staged at the Ireland theater fest, and Chapatti is actually a co-production of Northlight and the festival born from Irish author Christian O'Reilly getting his script to Mahoney, who got Northlight Artistic Director BJ Jones interested.

Jones directed the Skokie production and will do likewise in Galway.

There, the one troublesome aspect of Chapatti shouldn't be a problem. Mahoney and Slusher each adopted Irish accents, and while I don't think I missed much of the dialogue, the couple next to me audibly tried to discern what was said on several occasions.

Given Northlight's generally older audience base, I might suggest that the play should have been presented here devoid of any brogue, even if a fair amount of authenticity would have been lost. I have to assume other audience members might have had some trouble comprehending all that was said, although this may have been satiated a bit by the fact that much of it was monologue, not dialogue.

Even though the play revolves around two older Dubliners who come to intertwine, writer O'Reilly cleverly has both Dan (Mahoney) and Betty (Slusher) talking to the audience--though not all that overtly--rather than to each other, much of the time.

This enables a deeper familiarity with each character, which makes their eventual interaction richer.

The title of the play, Chapatti, is that of Dan's dog, while Betty has several cats. None of the animals are seen, but the unique structure makes them an integral part of the piece.

I imagine the work would best be classified as a drama given some weighty themes, but it has enough humor to possibly be considered a comedy.

And it is touching enough--without being maudlin--to resonate with audience members of all ages, although perhaps particularly the more mature folks who fill most of the seats in Skokie.

Yet anyone who has the chance in Galway should cherish seeing a true Chicago treasure in Mahoney, and the wonderful work of Slusher, who is every bit his equal in Chapatti.

The play itself is good enough to work well with other fine actors, so it'll be worth your time, one day, if you missed it here and won't be getting to Galway.

But though a one-line synopsis may say that Chapatti is a Dublin-based play about a late-in-life dog lover and cat person who come to find commonality, at its core it is simply a piece about humanity.

Which John Mahoney and Penny Slusher embody just about perfectly.

Crunching Numbers for the Boss (and Reasons to Believe Bruce Springsteen is the Greatest Entertainer of Our Time)

Concert Review, Recap and Reverence

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
April 15, 2014
@@@@@

"You may be backstage, you may be tired, you maybe want to go to sleep, but that walk, whatever it is, 25 yards from the dressing room to the stage, it's never failed me. Something turns on between those two points."
-- Bruce Springsteen, March 2014
From RollingStone.com

Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio, I saw Bruce Springsteen live in concert.

For the 44th time.

It was my first Springsteen show in 2014, and my first in Columbus. I live in the Chicago area, where I first saw Bruce 30 years ago, at the Rosemont Horizon on July 17, 1984.

38 of the 44 shows have been with the E Street Band, including 36 since Bruce reunited with his longtime mates in 1999. Overall, I have seen him 40 times since 1999, including in 13 of 16 calendar years.

I have seen Springsteen 15 times in Chicago (or Rosemont), and 8 times in Milwaukee (just 90 minutes away). I saw him twice in Los Angeles when I lived there in the early 1990s.

Which makes 19 Springsteen shows in 10 different cities away from home, counting New York City (Madison Square Garden) separately from nearby East Rutherford, NJ, where I saw him at the now-demolished Giants Stadium 7 times.

Besides Columbus, I've also traveled to St. Louis, Indianapolis, Atlantic City, Detroit, Cleveland, Louisville and London.

With help from Setlist.fm, I know that I have seen Bruce play 1,122 songs, including 218 different ones.

And with an average of 3 hours per show being a safe estimate, I've seen Bruce Springsteen onstage for about 132 hours, or 5-1/2 days.

Now, all of this simply suggests that I am a Springsteen fanatic, which was established long ago.

And certainly, everything about entertainment enjoyment is a matter of opinion, and what I am soon to opine is merely mine.

Some may wholeheartedly agree, some may see merit but have debate, others will vehemently disagree and many will frankly not give a damn.

But as this is an indulgent exercise that I'm enjoying, I feel it worth mentioning that Bruce Springsteen is far from the only performer I greatly relish seeing live and in person.

Give or take a few, I have attended 591 rock concerts in my life (on Tuesday I turned 45.5 years of age), by more than 200 different headline artists. 

This includes seeing Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks (or a Davies brother)--all "past their prime" but IMHO still great every time--a total of 37 times.

U2, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins a combined 56 times.

Wilco, Radiohead, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden: 33 

Bowie, Clapton, Dylan, Elton and Neil Young (including this coming Monday): 26

Alejandro Escovedo, Willie Nile, Dinosaur Jr. and Bob Mould: 26

Seger, Mellencamp, Petty and Billy Joel: 21

AC/DC, Metallica, Rush, Van Halen and Cheap Trick: 28

Foo Fighters 12 times.

And Nirvana just once, but it was glorious (though notoriously one of their "worst shows.")

I've also seen Prince and Madonna a combined 7 times, but never Michael Jackson. (He never played Chicago when I lived in the area, excepting the Jacksons' Victory Tour of 1984.)

I never saw Led Zeppelin, and it doesn't look like I will, but I've seen Robert Plant 6 times, including 2 in tandem with Jimmy Page.

I've seen over 50 rock artists at least 4 times each.

Aside from the Springsteen shows, I have attended 119 concerts outside Chicago, in more than 25 different cities. (It's incomplete, but you can see my concert stats at Setlist.fm)

So it's not like the Boss is the only rocker I love.

And it's also quite true that rock 'n roll also isn't the only form of live entertainment I love.

Primarily including musicals and plays, but also classical and jazz concerts, comedians, improv, opera, ballet and more, the number of live performances beyond the rock (and blues) realm that I have seen totals:

850.

This includes seeing The Producers--my favorite Broadway musical--12 times, including 3 times with the great Nathan Lane, who I saw on stage 4 other times.

I've seen Les Miserables live 9 times, including on Broadway and in London.

I've seen over 200 different musicals and more than 200 plays. Of 112 new musicals and plays nominated for Tony Awards since 2000, I've seen 81 (including 11 on Broadway). I've attended 53 total works on Broadway and in London's West End.

I've seen the great Broadway star Patti Lupone 6 times, highly decorated Broadway favorites Sutton Foster and Audra MacDonald a combined 10 and the legendary Chita Rivera 4.

In addition to theater stars like Joel Grey, George Hearn, Michael Crawford, Bernadette Peters, Harvey Fierstein, Topol, Theodore Bikel, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Norbert Leo Butz and Elaine Stritch, onstage I've seen several Hollywood stars including Denzel Washington, Hugh Jackman, Antonio Banderas, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, John Lithgow, Daniel Craig, Diane Lane, Jason Alexander, Teri Hatcher, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez and Matthew Broderick, among many others. (This Pinterest board compiles many of the theatrical luminaries and famous stars I've seen on-stage.)

Locally, I've seen John Mahoney (of Frasier fame) 9 times, Brian Dennehy 7 times and--being a bit young for his Steppenwolf heyday--John Malkovich once.

I've had the pleasure of seeing the mind-blowing tap dancer Savion Glover--recent review here--on 5 occasions, and have seen such legendary musicians as Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Evgeny Kissin, Tony Bennett, Buddy Guy (7 times), B.B. King and numerous notable opera singers, in nearly 50 different operas. (I never saw Sinatra.) 

I've also seen many of the most esteemed comedians, including George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Steven Wright, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Gilbert Gottfried, Colin Quinn, Jackie Mason and Joel McHale.

And in Chicago and Las Vegas, I've seen 6 official Cirque du Soleil productions, and at least that many other shows of a similar ilk, as well as Riverdance and other showcases of spectacular talent.

As with rock and roll, I've seen theater and other types of shows in many different cities and venues, including 25 locales beyond Chicago, from a Spanish guitar showcase in Barcelona, to summer stock theater in Sullivan, IL, to jazz in New Orleans, to tango dancing in Buenos Aires.

This doesn't include sporting events I've attended, but with a small margin for error, I've had the pleasure of witnessing 1,441 live entertainment performances in my lifetime, with 90% of these coming since 1999, after the age of 30.

So while many--excepting those who have been following Phish around for years, and even more voluminous Springsteen attendees (and there are several)--may think my seeing Bruce 44 times, and continuing to go on Thunder Road trips, may be fanatical and then some, the Boss has really only accounted for 3% of my live entertainment intake.

And while I fully cop to being a Springsteen sycophant, disciple, acolyte, etc., all of the above is meant to substantiate that it is not simply as a devout E Street fan--or without plenty of points of comparison--that I state this:

Bruce Springsteen is the greatest live entertainer of my lifetime. 

Still, now, today. At the age of 64.

And as was wondrously reiterated on Tuesday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, any time, money and effort I've expended in seeing Springsteen so many times has not only been worth it, but has been paid back several times over.

Sure, except sometimes for the driving itself, the road trips have been tremendously rewarding, as I love to explore and on this trip discovered much to enjoy in Columbus and nearby Dayton; I will be writing a separate travel recap in the days ahead.

And I've had many fun conversations with other Springsteen fans and diehards.

But I'm not really referencing either of these aspects. I'm talking about the man himself. The Boss. And his great band.

Besides the shows I've seen, I've heard hundreds more dating back to the early 70s, and while I love all the Springsteen eras--including the hallowed '78 and '80/'81 tours which were phenomenal if a bit before my time--I honestly think Bruce still sounds as good as he ever has.

For his 2014 shows--in South Africa, Australia and the U.S.--he has begun selling online downloads. I own six (and will buy the Columbus show when available) and like them as much as any shows I've heard from years past.

In Australia, Bruce had fun opening shows with songs of local relevance, including AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind," and also covered Lorde's "Royals" in the singer's home country of New Zealand.

In Dallas for a show tied to the NCAA Tournament, he opened with Van Halen's "Jump," and in Virginia Beach on Saturday night he paid tribute to a local musician by covering Bill Deal & the Rhondels' 1969 single "May I."

So there was fan speculation that Bruce would open in Columbus with "Hang on Sloopy," not because the McCoys were from there, but because the song has long been a fixture at Ohio State football games and thus highly connected to the city.

But he opted for "High Hopes," the title track from his latest album. Not quite as fun as a surprising cover, but fine with me as Bruce tends to avoid what everyone expects.

With the mighty E Street Band--which has expanded to include a horn section, percussionist and backup singers, as well as Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, but is currently without Steve Van Zandt, who is filming Lilyhammer in Norway--he went on to play "Adam Raised a Cain," "Hungry Heart," "Blinded by the Light," "Trapped," "The River" and "Prove It All Night" with the extended '78 introduction.

And that was just within the first hour.

We also got great versions of newer songs, a rare "Light of Day," a typically great "The Ghost of Tom Joad," with a monster solo from Morello, "Badlands," "Born to Run" and much more. There was nothing that wasn't good, and that would have been true if 26 completely different songs were played.

With the setlist already terrific, even for someone who has seen Bruce so often, to open the encores Bruce delighted me with my favorite song of all-time--not just by him--"Backstreets." It was an awesome version.

Although Springsteen's closing the show with his solo cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" clearly confused some of the Columbus contingent, I enjoyed hearing it in lieu of "Thunder Road" yet again.

All told, Bruce Springsteen was onstage for 3 hours with no break, played 26 songs, crowd surfed through the audience, danced in the dark with both young and old fans, sweated through his shirt entirely and made me completely forget that it had taken me basically all day to drive to Columbus to see him.

And though he didn't do much overt talking in Columbus--a city in which he had campaigned for Obama, twice, as well as John Kerry--he's one of the few artists who dares to comment on the state of the world.

Sure, he's 64, but IMHO he's still as great as ever (or close enough) and yes, I still need him. Hopefully he'll come to Chicago this fall, but right now there are no tour dates beyond May 18 in Connecticut.

No, I won't be there.

But for now I've gotten my fix. Who needs drugs, alcohol or even religion when you've got the Boss?

And if I haven't convinced you that Bruce Springsteen is the best performer of any artistic type over the past 40 years--at least--I just hope that your hero satisfies you just as much. 

---
From YouTube, here are videos of "The River" and the beginning of "Backstreets" in Columbus.

Arun's Delivers an Exquisite If Not Quite Extraordinary Thai Dining Experience -- Chicago Restaurant Review

Restaurant Review

Arun's

Thai, Prix Fixe

4156 N. Kedzie, Chicago

@@@@

I don't recall anyone I know ever speaking about Arun's, I can't remember reading a specific review of it and I know I had never driven by it.

Yet I have been aware of the upscale Thai restaurant for many years, and due to it being consistently exalted as one of the best restaurants in Chicago--it is one of just seven awarded five diamonds by AAA--as well as perhaps the very best Thai restaurant in America, I have long been intrigued.

So in the wake of having loved my prix fixe--set price, preset menu--meal at Picasso in Las Vegas in January, I decided to devote a weekend's dining and entertainment budget to an $85 (+ drink, tax & tip) dinner at Arun's, and ate there on a Saturday night in March.

I wouldn't say that I was disappointed as everything about the meal and experience was first-class, but I also can't say that I was blown away. 

Not only did Arun's not thrill like pricey prix fixe indulgences like Picasso, Alinea and Charlie Trotter's, but just in terms of Thai food--while wanting to be deferential to the obvious imagination of chef and owner Arun Sampanthavivat, who has concocted excellence nightly for nearly 30 years--I've probably been more overtly pleased by a great rendition of Pad Thai for around $7.95.

In writing this up a few weeks removed from my visit, I have to refer to my notes and photos to recall what I had and liked. And I know that even the night of my meal, nothing truly set me ablaze with delight.

As one would expect, the service being excellent--despite being given the wrong check at the end--with a rotation of servers patiently describing each course as I took notes on my phone.

And though I was seated in an area with more low-key art, there were walls gorgeously covered with the elaborate paintings by the owner/chef's brother, Anawat.

I was allowed to freely peruse and photograph them all, which was thrilling in itself.

And no doubt about it, I definitely enjoyed a unique, savory and substantive meal. Just not one as historic or euphoric as I was hoping.

Twelve courses were served: 6 appetizers, 4 entrees and 2 desserts. 

Soon after making my reservation through Open Table in mid-January, I received a confirmation phone call from the restaurant in which I was asked about any food restrictions. I informed them about my poultry allergy, so no chicken, duck or turkey.

But there was no menu on the table, or current one online, and no indication of what I would be served. Although I'd had prix fixe meals before, this was the first one that was truly blind.

I did not order any wine and there was no salt or pepper on the table.

Here's a rundown of the 12 courses I enjoyed at Arun's:

1. Winter Rice Porridge with seasoned pork & fried dough - Excellent

2. Oyster Pancake with garlic chives, bean sprouts, spicy mayo - Terrific 

3. Steamed Rice Dumpling filled with shrimp & jicama and sweet chili vinaigrette sauce - Good, sauce really good

4. Meekati - thin noodles (vermicelli), with mint prawn, black bean coconut sauce, tofu, garlic chive and a flat omelette - Very good

5. Tom Yum Soup - pork hock, herbs - OK







After this course, my main waiter indicated that I had had 6 courses, but luckily I had notes as I was only done with 5.

6. Yum Makrua - Fried eggplant, carved cucumber cup with Thai salad; would have been chicken instead of eggplant - Good, spicy

7. Lobster Tail with garlic sauce - Good

8. Basil Tilapia with corn and zucchini (usually chicken instead of tilapia) - Fair, nothing special

9. Three-flavored Fish - sweet/spicy/sour sauce and Nemo made from a carrot - Good

10. Beef Mussaman with string potato - Good but not sensational

11. Kibosha Squash, sweet black rice and beans, tapioca bubbles, coconut milk - Traditional Thai dessert - Good

12. Mixed Sorbet - Lichi and orchid blossom with poached pear & raspberry sauce - Excellent 

Being Largely Among the Lost Boys Prompts Me to Pan 'Peter and the Starcatcher' -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Peter and the Starcatcher

a play by Rick Elice

directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago

Thru April 13

@@@

Although I have never read the J.M. Barrie novel, can't much recall the animated Disney movie and have been repeatedly left cold by the musical starring Cathy Rigby, I appreciate Peter Pan as an ode to the power of imagination.

And it is clear that plenty of such imagination went into creating a prequel of a play, Peter and the Starcatcher.

As written by Rick Elice, based on a novel by famed humorist Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the prior-to-Neverland prologue has a clever premise.

It has plenty of clever lines, with many funny modern-day references at odds with the play's time period. And adding to its Monty Pythonesque sensibility, Peter and the Starcatcher is quite cleverly staged by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers.

With many fine notices, both from its current (but soon to end) Chicago run, and its time on Broadway, I will defer to the likelihood that it is a piece of theater of higher quality than my own particular enjoyment suggests.

For despite all the cleverness, I didn't much care for it.

Or about it.

And to be honest, for much of the show, I was thoroughly confused as to what was going on.

I knew going in that it was a Peter Pan prequel and detected the dichotomy being set up between Peter and the Lost Boys and their future nemesis, Captain Hook.

But between the British accents, hard-to-follow narrative and my general lack of interest in the whole Peter Pan mythology, boy was I lost.

Even after trying to decipher the plot summary via Wikipedia at intermission--it didn't help that it was the longest summary I've ever seen--and thinking I had the general idea going into Act II, I remained largely lost at sea.

There was nothing wrong with the performers, who all seemed quite good (including Joey deBettencourt as Peter, Megan Stern as Molly and John Sanders as the Black Stache; I won't bother explaining how they all fit in, nor should I for anyone who may see this tour or future stagings).

And if someone was to say they absolutely loved Peter and the Starcatcher, I wouldn't question or debate their opinion. As I've tried to intimate, the show is clearly well-done for what it is; but I just didn't get it.

For one reason or another, rightly or wrongly, some shows just don't catch me.

Even if they have a clever Hook. 

Strong Production Should Satisfy Sondheim-o-philes, but 'Road Show' Feels a Bit Too Specific in Its Destination -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Road Show

a musical by Stephen Sondheim

book by John Weidman
directed by Gary Griffin

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Thru May 4

@@@@

Beyond a great desire to see Road Show at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, I felt a need, even an obligation.

I am a huge fan of Stephen Sondheim and the musicals he has created, and have seen nearly all of them, including productions of six works--one twice--director Gary Griffin has helmed at the CST.

All of these have been outstanding, including in recent years Follies, Sunday in the Park with George and just last month, Gypsy, in whose rave review I said I couldn't wait to see Road Show.

Also, in 2003 at the Goodman Theatre, I saw the world premiere production of Bounce. This was a musical about brothers Addison and Wilson Mizner that Sondheim had on his mind for years, developed with book writer John Weidman and workshopped as Wise Guys in 1999, eventually retitled Gold and won legal battles to have staged at the Goodman as Bounce. 

The cast included Broadway notables and the production--which would also be produced at the Kennedy Center in Washington--was directed by the legendary Harold Prince, long a Sondheim collaborator.

Although I didn't find Bounce to be sensational, I liked it enough to see it twice, and eagerly bought the cast recording (of the Goodman/Washington version; the show never made it to Broadway).

Well, the musical further gestated into Road Show, which played at the Public Theater in 2008, and from which another cast recording was released and finalized script & score subsequently licensed.

Hence, it wasn't just an affinity for CST's Sondheim renditions--which I've attended far more frequently than anything by the theater's namesake Bard--but a true curiosity to see what had become of Bounce that not only enticed me to attend, but pretty much demanded it.

Photo credit for all: Liz Lauren

That the CST was staging Road Show as a complement to the much more famous Gypsy was also compelling, as was the fact that the now 84-year-old Sondheim hasn't since written anything that has been publicly presented.

Though admittedly as a bit of a crash course, I did my homework before attending Wednesday's matinee of Road Show. I listened to the recording several times, including reading along with the lyrics and Mr. Sondheim's detailed notes in his Look I Made a Hat compendium.

And I should note that many has been a Sondheim show--typically earmarked by considerable depth and sophistication--that I have come to better appreciate over time.

But while I genuinely liked this Road Show and heartily applaud another superlative staging by Griffin and Chicago Shakespeare--with trademark terrific performances and production values--I can only strongly recommended it to Sondheim acolytes interested in seeing it for reasons approximating mine.

This may be a relatively small group of people, but far from infinitessimal, as with my performance--in CST's 200-seat upstairs theater--being essentially full and no discount tickets that I've yet seen on HotTix or Goldstar, I imagine there are many Sondheim devotees coming to rare staging of Road Show, including from out of town.

I assume most will value seeing it and appreciate much to like, but doubt many will find the show itself on par with Sondheim's numerous masterpieces.

Local actor Michael Aaron Lindner, whom I have seen do fine work on many areas stages, may well be at his very best as Addison Mizner, the less flamboyant and more historically accomplished of the two brothers. (His architecture shapes much of Boca Raton, Florida.)

Though he has far from a brotherly resemblance to Lindner, Andrew Rothenberg is well-sung and appropriately conniving as the more dashing-and-devious Wilson Mizner.

As I expected, the cast was fully-populated by talented performers, including Larry Adams, McKinley Carter, Anne Gunn, Robert Lenzi and ensemble members who also played instruments on-stage. Matt Deitchman was a constant on piano, and notably good under the musical direction of Michael Mahler.

But even with the cast delivering the material in a delectable manner, the near 2-hour intermission-less staging too rare imbued me with the giddy buoyancy that Gypsy and other Sondheim shows have, particularly at this venue.

Being a Sondheim work, Road Show is rather tuneful and has some great wit & wisdom in its lyrics. As my @@@@ should honestly convey, I enjoyed it much more than I didn't.

Yet whether due to the constraints of the story line itself, the years of tinkering or just a little less than supreme inspiration from its masterful composer, in full Road Show just didn't feel that spectacular--and at times even seemed leaden.

I can't say I much cared about either or both Mizner brothers, and much more troubling was that too few of the songs seemed superlative.

Or felt universal.

What I usually love about Sondheim shows is that each musical, and most every one of the songs within, has a universality that transcends what the story or tune is acutely about.

Though Road Show can be seen as a metaphor for chasing the American Dream, or as Chris Jones suggests in his 4-star (out of 4) review, autobiographical of Sondheim and Weidman, it--and particularly a set of songs that recitatively moves the Mizners' biography along--didn't impart (to me) many insights far beyond the subject matter at hand.

As I've been writing this, I've been listening to the cast recording of Bounce, which is reiterating my thought that Sondheim should have left more of the songs alone.

For example, the opening song "Bounce" is now reworked--with the same melody but entirely different lyrics--as "Waste."

Perhaps it better sets up the narrative, but the new song just isn't as much fun.

And that may be the overriding problem. Road Show is fine, very fine in parts, and excellently enacted at a venue that has done Sondheim better than anyone I've seen.

But it's lost some of its bounce and, relatively speaking, just isn't all that much fun.

Neo-Bohemian Rhapsody: On Great Cheap Jazz and Perhaps Even the Sound of Salvation

Article references and recommends:

Tuesday Night Jazz Sessions

Multikulti Community Center

1000 N. Milwaukee, 4th Floor

Every Tuesday, 10pm-1am
mkchi.org

Art has long been the antidote to societal toxicity.

And while I can't deny that I also enjoy considerably pricier cultural offerings, this year I have been especially enriched by numerous live entertainment outings that have demanded an outlay of $12 or less.

So, perhaps as a counterbalance to an abiding nihilism borne from economic injustice, employment insecurity, existential inequity and environmental instability, I--along with my friend Ken and at times others--have detected a Bohemian undercurrent running through a variety of local venues and activities.

Whether referencing visits to venerable Chicago music clubs like the Green Mill and Kingston Mines, enjoying meals at unvarnished old-school eateries like Manny's Deli, uncovering free or cheap collegiate performances of considerable merit (1, 2, 3), celebrating a legendary blue collar bard like Nelson Algren, reveling in the timeless bliss of 60s rock with a Human Jukebox or merely my periodic hosting of Movie Nights for family and friends, I have found that appreciating redemptive artistry with a smattering of like-minded souls--especially for a minimum of cold hard cash--somehow makes all the bullshit seem not so bad.

Not that emotional sustenance via cultural exploration is anything new. 

To varying degrees of acuity, virtually everything I've written or posted on this blog says or connotes much the same thing.

But beyond being perpetually and unequivocably impressed by the talent (and not simply the gumption and effort) of many who perform for little or no pay or prestige--whether community theater actors and musicians, college jazz students, poetry slam participants, part-time tribute bands, cabaret acts booked into local libraries, construction workers moonlighting as improv comedians, etc., etc.--I have been profoundly galvanized by discovering people and places that have provided intrinsic nourishment for mere pennies.

And, at risk of redundancy or preachiness, I feel compelled to share each time I stumble across such an experience.

For perhaps I'm not the only one who believes in Bohemia, whether as a bastion in which to non-chemically numb one's worldview or a pasture from which to fertilize it.

Which is a rather roundabout way to reference that on Tuesday night, Ken--at his unearthing--and I attended a terrifically enjoyable jazz performance in a rather unique place for next to nothing.

I won't pretend to know much about the overall mission and purview of Multikulti, but it seems to be a finely funky community center and performance space, located on the 4th floor of an old building mostly occupied by office space, at 1000 N. Milwaukee in Chicago.

For about a year now, according to keyboardist and organizer Andrew Lawrence, Multikulti has hosted a Tuesday night jazz session designed to be warm, welcoming, inexpensive and for those--unlike me--with musical talent, participatory.

Each week, the music starts around 10pm, so as to accommodate easy street parking after the meter boxes have stopped collecting campaign contributions.

According to the website, there is a $5 suggested donation, which I was happy to give once I came across the rather non-imperious collection jar.

The vibe at Multikulti is of an oversized living room, with a motley collection of couches and a couple rows of chairs, but no bar, foodservice, flatscreens, etc. As the website notes, it's BYO, but upon taking our seats, Ken and I were offered a couple of PBRs by Lawrence; we graciously declined.

But despite the rather low-key surroundings, a bit of ad hoc setlist decision-making by the musicians, the specter of an open jam session later in the night and the odd reality that as the first note was played there were more people onstage than in the audience, any suggestions of "amateur hour" were immediately put to rest.

Opening with a Charlie Parker composition whose name I can't cite, it was clear that this was a group of first-rate musicians.

As I would learn from Lawrence at the set break, he is a piano teacher by day and many of the others in the core house band are teachers and/or students.

Both sax players--Brent Griffin, Jr. on alto; Ben Schmidt-Swartz on tenor--were particularly impressive, with Lawrence and guitarist Sam Moshing taking several stellar solo turns, and stand-up bassist Mike Harmon and drunmer Pete Mannheim solidly maintaining the rhythm.

The ensemble sounded great on Cole Porter's "I Love You" and an original Lawrence ballad called "Falling" was truly mesmerizing.

Though the open jam session undoubtedly would have been fun to watch, with at least one audience member obviously equipped to join those onstage, the 11:30pm set break provided the perfect opportunity for old fogies like Ken and me to bow out, even at the risk of undermining a true Bohemian lifestyle.

But taking into account the surroundings--both within the venue and in terms of easy street parking right outside--as well as the low-cost and relaxed vibe, I have rarely if ever seen high-quality jazz (or almost any live entertainment for that matter) in an environment any more comfortable.

I realize the more of these cool places I--or Ken, or other friends--find, the less likely it is that I will revisit any, let alone all, of them. 

But if I don't get back to Multikulti for more Tuesday night jazz sessions, it will be to my detriment in more ways than one.

Still, if you know of other great Chicago-centric examples of the neo-Bohemian ethos I should check out, by all means, please share. 

The future of the world--or at least mine--may depend on it.

Guest Post: In His Old Neighborhood, Nelson Algren's 105th Birthday Party Celebrates a Chicago Gone By

(This piece was written and submitted by my friend Ken)

"Mr. Algren, boy, you are good."
-- Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway praised only two of his contemporary writers. The first was William Faulkner. The second was Nelson Algren. 

Now, all but forgotten, Algren is arguably Chicago's most quintessential author, with all due respects to Carl Sandburg, Saul Bellow and Ben Hecht.

He won the 1950 National Book Award for The Man with the Golden Arm, a story about the sad life of Frankie Machine, a morphine addicted, decorated veteran of World War II who eked out a bleak and meager existence dealing cards. The novel is widely recognized as a timeless 20th century classic of American literature.

What Hemingway was to war, Algren was to Chicago's urban losers.

Walt Whitman may have sung of himself, but Algren, with his dark naturalism, told the story of the whores, pimps, drug addicts, con men, gamblers, punks, drunks, cripples and ne'er-do-wells from Milwaukee and Division.

In a lifetime spent producing 11 books, he told the story of those whom the American Dream left behind--through no fault of their own--because no one else would.

A chronicler of Capitalism's casualties, he was a true bard of the down-and-outer and a social conscience at a time when most Americans were busy moving out to the suburbs during the post-World War II boom.

"The hard necessity of bringing the judge on the bench down into the dock has been the peculiar responsibility of the writer in all ages of man."
-- Nelson Algren, "Chicago: City on the Make"

Algren died in 1981, but a small-yet-dedicated group of Chicago writers, artists, intellectuals and progressives still remember him.

Every year, for the last 25, the Nelson Algren Committee has thrown a birthday party for their namesake scribe. This year, Algren would have been 105 on March 28.

So I found myself making a pilgrimage back to Wicker Park/Bucktown in Chicago to visit a time that is long gone, a Chicago that no longer exists, yet a place that will be with me always because Algren's Chicago was where I grew up, about a mile from where he lived.

"Yet once you've come to be part of this particular patch, you'll never love another. Like loving a woman with broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real."
-- Nelson Algren, "Chicago: City on the Make"

The party took place in the meeting room of a condominium complex/artist colony off Western Avenue at Bloomingdale at 8:00pm on Saturday, March 29th.

Warren Leming, a writer/musician/director and founder of the counter-culture band Wilderness Road, is also one of the founding members (along with the late Studs Terkel) of the Nelson Algren Committee.

Leming kicked off the festivities by telling the crowd of about 50 fellow Bohemians that the party was being co-dedicated to the memory of Pete Seeger, "truly a conscience in touch with humanity, whose courage and conviction will be much missed."

Mark Dvorak, Chicago folksinger and teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music, then honored Seeger by leading us in a group sing-along of "This Land is Your Land"--which did a great job of creating a feeling of solidarity--and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" which I found poignant, moving and somewhat sad.

Mark's stories of singing at an Oak Park food pantry on a regular basis reminded me that some things
never change.

Algren wouldn't have been surprised. Nor Seeger for that matter.

"Money can't buy everything. For example: poverty."
-- Nelson Algren, A Walk on the Wild Side

Next, Chicago actor, opera singer and voice-over artist, Bob Swan, did readings from a couple of Algren's lesser-known writing efforts.

One was a biting satirical reply to Maggie Daly, at the time a well-known Chicago gossip columnist (not the mayor's wife) who had disclosed in her column that Algren had been arrested in a car, with two other passengers, which contained the remnants of a joint.

Algren's mug shot is still infamous and now immortalized on a coffee mug, but the charges were dropped. His reference to the time he saw Daly "lapping up" a spilled drink from a saucer--as recited by Swan--was hilarious.

Swan's second reading was a more humorous description of the time Nelson first met Mike Royko, a famous muckraking columnist for the now-defunct Chicago Daily News, at a bar. Algren thought his real first name was Roy and he had a short last name: Ko.

Chris Corbett, a writer from Baltimore and author of The Poker Bride, recounted that while attending Northwestern University in the 60s he tried to get Algren to speak there, but Nelson declined.

But when the famed author accepted a speaking engagement at Loyola University down the road, Corbett took the El train to the event. Corbett recalled how all the famous authors who spoke at Northwestern inevitably showed up drunk, while Algren--who, like Hemingway, had a hard-drinking reputation--showed up at Loyola nattily dressed in a suit & tie and quite sober.

Touchingly, Corbett said that of all of his memories from 40+ years ago of Chicago in the 1960s--the protests in the streets, the anti-war movement, the counter-cultural movement, the society tearing itself apart, etc.--his most vivid memory is of Nelson Algren reading aloud. In his own lifetime, Corbett has never encountered "a more spellbinding reader."

Each year, the Nelson Algren Committee Award is given to "community members who are under the radar and on the side of the angels." This year's honorees are the men and women of free-form radio station "The Wizard," WZRD (88.3 FM) who are celebrating 35 years of providing progressive radio from Northeastern Illinois University.

The WZRD representatives reminded us of present environmental issues by drawing attention to the recent BP oil spill in Whiting, Indiana and suggested we check out the Arctic News blog, commenting that "it must be pretty serious if the scientists themselves are trying to attract attention."

(As an aside, I have to say that the blog article regarding the possibility of near term human extinction due to recently discovered methane fountains under the melted Arctic icecap was disconcerting to say the least. My own research indicates that the facts of the conjecture are not in dispute.)

Photo by Art Shay

Algren also had a personal life. The love of his life was Simone de Beauvoir, a renowned French feminist and author of The Second Sex. Although a lifetime companion of Jean Paul Sartre--the famed French philosopher and proponent of existentialism--de Beauvoir carried on a simultaneous 20-year love affair with Algren. (When she died 6 years after Algren, de Beauvoir was buried next to Sartre but wearing Algren's ring.)

Gail Schecter, a North Shore community housing advocate, filled us in on some of the details by reading from the Letters from Simone de Beauvoir:

"Nelson My love, ...I was deeply moved when I read in your letter that you loved, as well as my eyes, my ways in love. And I thought I had to tell you these ways were just my loving you. I had always the same eyes, but I never loved anybody in these ways, you have to know, with such pleasure in love and so much love in pleasure, so much fever and peace,.... I really and wholly felt that I was a woman in a man's arms and it meant much so much for me. Nothing better could have been given to me. ... Just come to me darling and take me with your strong , soft, greedy hands. I wait for them, I wait for you."

Tragically, although one can see that they really did love each other, neither was willing to leave their respective locales--he Chicago, she Paris--and theirs was a largely a trans-Atlantic commuter affair until Algren was denied a passport. But Simone loved Chicago and referred to Nelson as the "Dostoyevsky of Division Street."

Photographer Art Shay, a friend of Algren's, took a scandalous photo of Simone in 1951 or 52 on one of her visits to see Nelson.

Dennis Mueller and Mark Blottner showed a clip from their almost-completed documentary about Algren, The End is Nothing, the Road is All, the trailer for which can be seen here. The film is in post-production and needs a few hundred dollard in contributions before it can be finished and released later this year. The film's title is taken from Algren's epitaph on his gravestone.

Photo by Art Shay

It is a time honored tradition that Nelson Algren birthday parties end with the distribution of candle-lit cupcakes and the singing of "Sto Lat," which is the Polish version of the birthday song.

This year, as the cupcakes were about to be passed around, the young lady holding the platter of shimmering cupcakes slipped and fell with the cupcakes. Fortunately, she was not hurt, but when she stood up, I could see that the vast majority of the icing had wound up on her legs. She must have been a good sport as she couldn't stop laughing.

Somehow I had the feeling that Nelson would've laughed too.

We sang "Sto Lat" anyway.

"Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own."
-- Nelson Algren, A Walk on the Wild Side

---
Here's a link to some of Nelson Algren's best essays.

Here's one of Algren's proteges, Russell Baker of Princeton, explaining the true literary impact of Algren's work.

If  you'd like even more of a feel for what a Nelson Algren birthday party is like, here's a link to video from his 103rd birthday party. 

The Chicago Dining World Tour: A Filling Trip to Sarajevo

Restaurant Sarajevo

Bosnian/Serbian

2701 W. Lawrence, Chicago

773.275.5310

Website

What I ate: Bosnian Chorba, Large Pljeskavica

Though my visit to Restaurant Sarajevo came late in year one of my Chicago Dining World Tour--principally a single year acute undertaking, although there has been spillover into a second year for several recaps and a few meals--I found it to be a prime example of what I was looking to discover.

Namely, to locate and enjoy ethnic dining restaurants in Chicago, especially rather unique ones that I was otherwise unlikely to find--or even look for.

I know I have traversed Lawrence Avenue several times over the years, but never noticed Restaurant Sarajevo, which has been there for about 15 years according to its owner and host.

This wouldn't seem so strange except that even after I visited the restaurant--which is at the corner of
Lawrence and Washtenaw--when I happened to riding with a friend along Lawrence, I still didn't spot it.

But yet I somehow got there when I wanted to, on what I'd say I recall as a rather brisk winter's night, but of course here in Chicago, that's essentially been all of them.

I didn't ask the name of the man I presumed to be the owner, but learned that although he hails from Bosnia, the restaurant's cuisine also covers stylings from Serbia, Croatia and the former Yugoslavia.

He was a friendly host, and server, who seemed to take pride in his establishment and was open to answering my various questions.

Such as about the spread that accompanied the basket of delicious homemade bread I was provided. It clearly wasn't traditional butter or cream cheese, and I'm not referring to the olive oil that was also provided.

I may have the spelling wrong but I believe I was told the spread was called "Chimak."

And I remember it being tasty.

As was the Bosnian Chorba = soup. Though I asked the owner and noted it down as beef vegetable, the online menu describes it as Homemade Veal and Vegetable Soup. Of course it's possible that there are two different types of chorba at Sarajevo, but either way what I had was good.

For my entrée I ordered something called Large Pljeskavica = Traditional Bosnian Beef Patty Made from a Mixture of Ground Beef and Lamb Filled with Mozzarella Cheese, Served with Your Choice of Side Order.

I got it with potatoes that were rather good, but only a few bites into the aptly named Large Pljeskavica, I was quite full.

There was nothing about it I didn't like, given the mozzarella enveloped within the long strip of beef and lamb, but with even more cheese on top it was one of the heaviest things I remember eating. And I tend to think I'm a pretty hearty eater.

So although the leftovers made for another rather substantial meal, and confirmed that the taste itself was quite savory, I can't say that Pljeskavica is something I would readily order again. (No, there wasn't a "Small" version listed.)

Which isn't to suggest that I wouldn't visit Restaurant Sarajevo again--nor that you shouldn't--on a day that I arrive rather ravenous.

Of course, that's assuming that I can--once again--find it.