2008: By The Numbers

12 Shows Down, 88 to Go ("American Dream Songbook")

Note: My Centerstage review is here.

The American Dream Songbook is Bernstein's operetta "Trouble in Tahiti" and five new musical compositions. It's an attempt by Next Theatre's artistic director to wrap arms around the American musical theater canon.  No two-hour show can adequately do that, of course, and selecting contemporary composers has its pitfalls. One of the chosen ones is Kevin O'Donnell, a talented local guy who definitely benefitted from proximity.  He's written great stuff for two companies I respect: The House Theatre and The Hypocrites. His new piece "Fear of Failure" doesn't rise to that high bar.  It's muddled, overly mannered, light as air while demanding to be taken seriously. The four other selections are an entertaining new-agey anthem, a funny and frivolous cabaret number, a comitragic pop ballad charting Britney Spears' rise and fall, and a lyrical meditation on growing up. I can only see the last of these still being performed a generation or two from now.

Still, this is a sharp night of musical entertainment, well sung and choreographed.  Bernstein deserves his place at the table. Even "Tahiti," one of his minor works, is more affecting and accomplished than most of what's being churned out by Broadway, Broadway in Chicago, Vegas, and wherever else folks are shelling out ungodly sums for shiny happy crap.

Week 8 in Review

Week 8: February 19-25

Books Read: 1/2
Shows Seen: 3
Miles Run: 20.5

News of the World:

John McCain has all but clinched the Republican nomination after victories in the Hawaii, Washington and Wisconsin primaries.  A New York Times article alleging his improper relationship with a lobbyist unites the conservative establishment against the "liberal paper."  Sen. Obama wins all three primaries decisively over Sen. Clinton, prompting talk of a campaign on the ropes.

After 54 years in power, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro hands the reins of power to his brother Raul. The mood 90 miles away is complicated and cautiously optimistic.

The 80th Academy Awards may have been the least watched ever, but it was mighty inclusive. The four major acting awards go to foreigners: Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Actress Marion Cotillard, Supporting Actor Javier Bardem, and Supporting Actress Tilda Swinton. No Country For Old Men is the big winner, nabbing Best Picture and three other statues.

Link of the week:

Jimmy Kimmel takes a joke too far... hilariously too far. (Note: NSFW)

 

 

Week 8: February 19-25

Books Read: 1/2
Shows Seen: 3
Miles Run: 20.5

News of the World:

John McCain has all but clinched the Republican nomination after victories in the Hawaii, Washington and Wisconsin primaries.  A New York Times article alleging his improper relationship with a lobbyist unites the conservative establishment against the "liberal paper."  Sen. Obama wins all three primaries decisively over Sen. Clinton, prompting talk of a campaign on the ropes.

After 54 years in power, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro hands the reins of power to his brother Raul. The mood 90 miles away is complicated and cautiously optimistic.

The 80th Academy Awards may have been the least watched ever, but it was mighty inclusive. The four major acting awards go to foreigners: Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Actress Marion Cotillard, Supporting Actor Javier Bardem, and Supporting Actress Tilda Swinton. No Country For Old Men is the big winner, nabbing Best Picture and three other statues.

Link of the week:

Jimmy Kimmel takes a joke too far... hilariously too far. (Note: NSFW)

 

 

Week 8: February 19-25

Books Read: 1/2
Shows Seen: 3
Miles Run: 20.5

News of the World:

John McCain has all but clinched the Republican nomination after victories in the Hawaii, Washington and Wisconsin primaries.  A New York Times article alleging his improper relationship with a lobbyist unites the conservative establishment against the "liberal paper."  Sen. Obama wins all three primaries decisively over Sen. Clinton, prompting talk of a campaign on the ropes.

After 54 years in power, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro hands the reins of power to his brother Raul. The mood 90 miles away is complicated and cautiously optimistic.

The 80th Academy Awards may have been the least watched ever, but it was mighty inclusive. The four major acting awards go to foreigners: Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Actress Marion Cotillard, Supporting Actor Javier Bardem, and Supporting Actress Tilda Swinton. No Country For Old Men is the big winner, nabbing Best Picture and three other statues.

Link of the week:

Jimmy Kimmel takes a joke too far... hilariously too far. (Note: NSFW)

 

 

6 Down, 46 to Go ("Me Talk Pretty One Day")

David Sedaris lives in Paris but struggles to speaks French.  His French teacher belittles him, his father barely understands him, Mensa rejects him, the New York Times crossword conquers him, and tourists insult him to his face... sorta.  Sounds like great comedy to me.

I still prefer listening to Sedaris reading his work for me (listened to Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim on audiotape), but I still hear his singsongy cadence in the most sarcastic moments.

If you haven't hopped on the Sedaris bandwagon by now, not much I can say to get you to the bus stop.

Week 8: 151.5 Miles Down

Behold The Enormous Band Aid. That's actual size over there, if you happen to be reading this on a projection screen. It engulfs my blistered heel, helps me forget it's even there (the blister, not the heel). Nothing else even comes close.

Trial and error meant heel pain. Final trial = no pain! Here's how it happened:

Wednesday - 4 miles, classic bandage slips but I'm on the treadmill, so who cares?
Thursday - 4.5 miles, classic bandage wilts halfway, unneccessary pain down the homestretch
Saturday - 7.5 miles with my new friend hugging my heel; sunshine, happy couples, dog walkers... could this be spring?  No, just a slightly milder than usual Feb weekend.
Monday - 4 miles, spring preview's over

Week 8 : 20.5 miles

YTD: 151.5 miles
On pace for: 987 miles

11 Shows Down, 89 to Go ("Jokes of Experience, Jokes of Innocence")

One awesome thing about Last Comic Standing, they gave us Matt Kirshen, the sly, elfish comedian headlining Lakeshore Theater's slick hootenanny. Kirshen was a top 10 finalist, occupying the slot reserved for the twentysomething Brit who looks about 13 and sounds like an evil chimney sweep.  His methods are close to textbook: make fun of yourself (the ears, the voice), work in some cultural difference humor (you can't walk thru the drive thru in California?), and pepper your routine with well-placed diversions. He also happens to have his finger on the pulse of our fucked-up world, riffing on airline passengers in cell phone withdrawal and our submission to the cult of the Wiki ("No, really, I researched this. I spent more than a minute looking it up on Wikipedia!")

Mike MacDonald has been on the North American circuit since I was in Underoos.  Funny guy, fairly good material about technophobia and everyday hassles, but he seems tired.  Like he's going through the motions. Those motions include the "quick wank" reserved for anyone who happened to piss him off.  I don't subscribe to the notion that one can ever know all there is to know about comedy, that stand-up is done evolving.  And age shouldn't be an excuse, Steve Martin's still got it.

Also on the bill, Hannibal Burress, my new favorite Chicago comedian, and Robert Hines, a good time guy with fat jokes and stoner jokes galore.  Hines stars in Chasing Robert, which was screened at the end of the night and which should be avoided by everyone not related to a cast member. Really, I wanted to leave but was curious to see how this whole mess would end. What a waste of Richard Jeni's last performance.

Week 7 in Review

Week 7: February 12-18

Books Read: 1
Shows Seen: 3
Miles Run: 20

News of the World:

Obama and McCain sweep the “Potomac Primaries” (MD, VA, DC). Mitt Romney and George H.W. Bush endorse McCain, making his nomination all but official. Obama overtakes Clinton in the delegate count for the first time.

The economic stimulus bill becomes law, so file your taxes and get ready for those checks!

Two days of violence in Afghanistan, an insurgent attack and pair of suicide bombings at a dogfight and a crowded market, leave around 140 dead, renewing fears that the country is turning more lawless and violent.

Hall of Fame-worthy pitcher Roger Clemens and trainer Roger McNamee’s testimonies before Congress concerning steroid allegations contradict. And we’re left wondering why Mrs. Clemens needed growth hormones.

Link of the week:

Are you kidding me??? Dwight Howard (a.k.a. Superman) wins the NBA All-Star Weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest.

 

 

Week 7: February 12-18

Books Read: 1
Shows Seen: 3
Miles Run: 20

News of the World:

Obama and McCain sweep the “Potomac Primaries” (MD, VA, DC). Mitt Romney and George H.W. Bush endorse McCain, making his nomination all but official. Obama overtakes Clinton in the delegate count for the first time.

The economic stimulus bill becomes law, so file your taxes and get ready for those checks!

Two days of violence in Afghanistan, an insurgent attack and pair of suicide bombings at a dogfight and a crowded market, leave around 140 dead, renewing fears that the country is turning more lawless and violent.

Hall of Fame-worthy pitcher Roger Clemens and trainer Roger McNamee’s testimonies before Congress concerning steroid allegations contradict. And we’re left wondering why Mrs. Clemens needed growth hormones.

Link of the week:

Are you kidding me??? Dwight Howard (a.k.a. Superman) wins the NBA All-Star Weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest.

 

 

Week 7: February 12-18

Books Read: 1
Shows Seen: 3
Miles Run: 20

News of the World:

Obama and McCain sweep the “Potomac Primaries” (MD, VA, DC). Mitt Romney and George H.W. Bush endorse McCain, making his nomination all but official. Obama overtakes Clinton in the delegate count for the first time.

The economic stimulus bill becomes law, so file your taxes and get ready for those checks!

Two days of violence in Afghanistan, an insurgent attack and pair of suicide bombings at a dogfight and a crowded market, leave around 140 dead, renewing fears that the country is turning more lawless and violent.

Hall of Fame-worthy pitcher Roger Clemens and trainer Roger McNamee’s testimonies before Congress concerning steroid allegations contradict. And we’re left wondering why Mrs. Clemens needed growth hormones.

Link of the week:

Are you kidding me??? Dwight Howard (a.k.a. Superman) wins the NBA All-Star Weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest.

 

 

Week 7: 131 Miles Down

Even when we get nice weather, we pay for it.

Decent conditions brought me back outside Thursday and Saturday. Sunday was gloriously warm (around 50!) and rainy, followed by a Siberian invasion overnight. Sudden deep freeze = ice mounds, pretty but deadly... or at least liable to cause injury.

20 Miles, 4 days, 1 Ohio-sized blister on my heel:

Wednesday - 5 miles on a rocking treadmill (not in the good way... think 90s Rolling Stones, not 60s Rolling Stones)
Thursday - 4 miles on surprisingly pleasant sidewalks
Saturday - 7 miles through boulevards and parks, blister pays a visit
Monday - 4 miles, trying to outrun arctic winds

Week 7: 20 miles

YTD: 131 miles
On pace for: 976 miles

10 Shows Down, 90 to Go ("Boozelegger's Ball")

The title suggests a riproaring good time but, really, it's just a fun sketch show.  My friend Meg and I saw this sober and enjoyed it. I can only imagine how hilarious the material is after you've finished off a 6-pack (on sale at the concession stand) or stumbled up from Wicker Park.

I measured my words in my Chicagoist review but I'll say it right now: the audience sucked. The performers were funny, the material was more hit than miss, the band was fine, and the experience was otherwise pleasant. But our neighbors were mostly rude and drunk, apathetic and drunk, or both.

I know, I know, what was I to expect from a show with "Booze" in the title?  Is it too much to ask for even shitfaced, plastered, falling down drunk folk to show some respect?

But at least they're coming to the theater. And the folks at Big Dog Eat Child have a brilliant marketing plan on their hands: come for the sauce, stay for the hilarious toppings.

5 Down, 47 to Go ("Thirteen Steps Down")

The mystery in Thirteen Steps Down is not who did it but whether the killer will be caught. Ruth Rendell connects some well-sketched neighbors, relatives and hangers-on through proximity, unfortunate circumstances and the randomness of urban life. The murder’s committed about 100 pages in and we care less about who comes out on top than how Rendell will bind everything together.

There’s a love triangle, more intellectualized than realized, involving a down-on-his-luck repairman obsessed with the serial killer who used to live on the block, a model-actress living the not so glamorous life, and her protective but distant friend. The nebbishy old lady living downstairs throws things off balance and a faint chorus of neighbors gets drawn into the action, any of which would be a meaty character role if this story’s adapted for Hollywood.

 In a nod to fiction’s occasional randomness, a soothsayer (read: quack fortune teller) periodically practices her wares. But Rendell makes her as important as anyone else in the story, which is to say she’s a sole practitioner trying to make some scratch rather than a convenient target. Nuance and depth at the expense of easy laughs makes this a fun, chewy read.

 

Week 6 In Review

Week 6: February 5-11

Books Read: 1
Shows Seen: 0
Miles Run: 19.5

News of the World:

Sen. McCain takes a commanding lead in the GOP nomination race following Super Tuesday; Mitt Romney quits the race while Mike Huckabee vows to remain. Clinton and Obama's Feb 5 ends in a virtual tie, a razor thin difference in the popular vote translates to a nail-biting difference in delegates.

The Pentagon charges six Guantanamo detainees as conspirators in the 9/11 attacks. Trial will be seen as a test of Guantanamo's relevance and a key measure of the efficacy of the Bush administration's War on Terror.

Wednesday saw the NBA's blockbuster trade of the year: Miami trades future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix for All Star Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Heat and Suns each lose their first post-trade game.

 

Link of the Week:

What if McCain's supporters were as frenzied as "Obama-niacs"? Second City comics' spoof ad lays it all out.

Week 6: February 5-11

Books Read: 1
Shows Seen: 0
Miles Run: 19.5

News of the World:

Sen. McCain takes a commanding lead in the GOP nomination race following Super Tuesday; Mitt Romney quits the race while Mike Huckabee vows to remain. Clinton and Obama's Feb 5 ends in a virtual tie, a razor thin difference in the popular vote translates to a nail-biting difference in delegates.

The Pentagon charges six Guantanamo detainees as conspirators in the 9/11 attacks. Trial will be seen as a test of Guantanamo's relevance and a key measure of the efficacy of the Bush administration's War on Terror.

Wednesday saw the NBA's blockbuster trade of the year: Miami trades future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix for All Star Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Heat and Suns each lose their first post-trade game.

 

Link of the Week:

What if McCain's supporters were as frenzied as "Obama-niacs"? Second City comics' spoof ad lays it all out.