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“Date night” took a backseat this summer, as my guy’s busy gig/triathlon schedule and my cheerleader/work schedule filled almost every evening. On the evenings we were both free, we just wanted to relax and veg on the couch – a date, yes, but not the most exciting one, and certainly not taking advantage of all that this amazing city has to offer!
Totally ready for a Date Night Marathon!
Now that it’s autumn and our schedules are back to normal, we decided to make up for our date drought by going on a Date-a-Palooza: A three night date bender that would give us the bonding time we missed out on over the summer.
After much thought, we chose the following schedule:
Friday: Dinner at home, a night at iO Improv to see the Improvisational Shakespeare troupe
I’ve only been to iO Improv a couple of times, and have never been disappointed by the comedic talent there. What better way to end the week than laughing out loud to the musings of the Improvised Shakespeare troupe? I had no idea what to expect, and my guy was a little afraid that comedy in iambic pentameter would not only be confusing, but just wouldn’t work. After much debate, we bought tickets, took a shot of whiskey (Okay, maybe two…cheers!) and made our way to Wrigleyville.
At the theatre, the IS troupe asked the crowd to shout a title for a play that they would make up on the spot. “Julius Pizza” was the title most shouted and then we witnessed the world premier of a brilliant Shakespeare play, complete with the best prologue with pizza references that was funnier than anything Shakespeare has written. Watching the all-male troupe play female parts and giggle at their own jokes as they materialised made the whole night thoroughly enjoyable. I was amazed how in sync the men were, never cutting each other off and always having the perfectly timed aside that both jived with the current event, and set up the next scene brilliantly. There ended up being, as I expected, a lot of jokes about the male member, but nothing too eye-rolling. We left in good spirits, wishing that we remembered all of the lines we laughed at, and agreed that it was one of the best improv shows we’d ever been to!
Saturday: Green City Market and an extended dinner/drinks at Hopleaf
A visit to Green City Market makes a great day date (just don’t ask your guy/gal to meet you at 7am) because there’s endless amounts of people/dog watching, ready-made delicious food (Sunday Dinner’s burgers….yum!), live music, chef demos/tastings, and it gives you a great excuse to invite someone to come back to your place…for a local, seasonal home-cooked meal, of course! We hung out and picked up some local fare to make homemade peach jam and a delish lunch.
Dinner at the Hopleaf is a great date for anyone who likes great craft beer and the bar’s specialty…mussels and fries! The side of stilton mac-n-cheese is the best, ever(!) and the venison meatballs…well, they were tender and earthy without being even a bit gamey. We agreed that the vibe of Hopleaf (there’s no blaring music, the lighting is soft, and if you score a table on the upstairs Mezzanine, you can look over the restaurant and people watch while feeling like it’s just the two of you. Romantic? Not quite…but it is intimate and the food is to-die-for!!!!
Sunday: A 6 1/2 hour movie marathon: Brew and View at The Vic.
A TOTAL GEM! How I walked by The Vic every day and DIDN’T partake in Brew and View is ridiculous!!! You MUST go here! The catch? You pay $5 or $6 (depending if they’re offering two or three movies, respectively, that week) per person to watch two or three movies back-to-back(-to-back). The movies are either cult classics (think Grease or Rocky Horror Picture Show), or second- and third- run movies, but if you’re like me, you probably didn’t get around to seeing them the first time they were out.
I took a survey on their website and got a 2-for-1 admission, which made TWO tickets…$6. To top it off, there were drink specials, a concession stand and you can order in food from their list of delivery spots. There’s no shortage of good delivery in Lakeview, so it’s totally worth it to order something. Talk about a cheap date! Brew and View is totally casual, you can talk during the movies, make fun of them (not in a hushed voice!), eat and drink a beer while enjoying someone’s company. We watched all three movies (a 6 1/2 hour affair!), but it was perfect for the dreary weather we had on Sunday.
We left the theatre with sore butts and limbs that had only recently “woke up”, but we also left laughing as we recapped silly movie moments and patting ourselves on the backs that we had found such an awesome date place. We’ll definitely be back before too long – hopefully bringing a crew along to brew and view with us!
If you have other great date ideas, let me know! In the mean time, Trev and I are booked for a tandem kayaking experience down the river….I’ll let ya know how it goes!!!
Yay for Chicago! Until next time…
Dev :o) xx
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but if you want to avoid looking like you only care about your sweetheart on one day of the year, might I suggest taking him/her out for a romantic evening of music BEFORE the big day!? How (pleasantly) surprised your honey will be when you whisk her/him off to see the awe-inspiring Avalon String Quartet present Viennese Song aided by the vocal talents of Julia Bentley!
The show is next Thursday, February 10 at 7.30 pm at the Gottlieb Hall of the Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria Street, and there are still tickets available!
The Avalon String Quartet
I will openly admit that the first time I saw the Avalon String Quartet, I was skeptical. I had never seen them play and had also never been to the tiny Gottlieb Hall of the Merit School of Music to see any performances, by anyone. The venue was rather small and I thought for sure that the quartet would produce a tiny sound to go along with the tiny venue.
I was very, very wrong.
Instead, this dynamic quartet knocked the socks off of everyone and produced one of the most moving musical performances I have ever seen. Their passion and excitement for the music they handpick is evident in every bow stroke.
According to the programme I received, the performance will open with Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz, “a late Romantic work with soaring melodies and rich harmonies”, and will continue with Alban Berg’s “Lyric Suite”, and Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, where Bentley will join the quartet singing the part of the Maiden, “pleading with Death to pass her by, while Death in response sings his own song of imploring for the Maiden to not fear his embrace”.
Certainly, nothing will get your lovebug to hold onto you tighter as they contemplate your ultimate demise. Not even Saw IV will get someone to nuzzle closer!!
The Viennese Song programme will close with Schubert’s String Quartet in D Minor, “a work that ranges from light and lyrical to dark and compelling, ending with a dramatic tarantella”.
When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of love, which makes me think of music. Surprise your darling with great music, and well, you might have this holiday in the bag!
Dev xx
Yesterday morning I heard a woman at a crosswalk say to her friend, “Why is it that in winter, in Chicago, every day feels like a Monday?”
I could not help but cringe. It was at that moment I realised that Making Chicago Home needed to kick back into high gear. With all of the fun, amazing and unique things happening around our fair city, we have no one (and nothing!) to blame but ourselves if we are not having a great time!
When I want to kick the blues, I turn to something that always makes me feel better: music.
Yesterday I had the pleasure to shake off the chilly, rainy weather and park my tush in Symphony Center to hear the Chicago Sinfonietta present A Dream Unfolds, their annual tribute concert to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The concert opened with pieces by Ulysses Kay (Theater Set) and George Walker (Lyric for Strings), both conducted by Music Director Paul Freeman.
Maestro Paul Freeman, photo by Ken Carl
Are you still waiting for your Time Out Chicago mag to arrive in the mail this afternoon before you plan your weekend? Get a jump start and see what I have planned…
THURSDAY:
The beautiful, talented ladies of Vaudezilla present a free Bartop Burleque Show at Blue Bayou Bar & Grill. Located at 3734 N. Southport Ave., the Blue Bayou will charge no cover and have $4 drink specials available to you as you are entertained by bartop singers, dancers and performers.
Vaudezilla gals will start entertaining promptly at 10pm, giving you plenty of time to feast on authentic New Orleans cuisine (mmm, gumbo). Look out for local performers who will join the ladies for the festivities!
Last night I had the pleasure of celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the presence of great musicians, dancers, singers and fellow Chicagoans. Rarely does a symphony performance make me feel connected with everyone in the room, and leave me feeling joyous, inspired and genuinely grateful to be living in the world I do today, but leave it to the Chicago Sinfonietta to make me feel that way!
Music Director and Conductor Paul Freeman took to the stage welcomed by a roaring audience, and took a moment to speak about Dr. King and the current situation in Haiti. He asked everyone for a moment of silence for those lost and those surviving, and the audience happily obliged.
The symphony then opened the programme with Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane Opus 50, which sounds graceful and oddly familiar. The neatest part about this piece is how it starts: violinists use their fingers to pluck their strings as clarinetists provide a haunting melody. I have never actually seen anyone pluck a violin before, so I thought that was pretty cool!
For the Four Negro Spirituals for Orchestra and Soprano, arranged by Hale Smith, Ms. Jonita Lattimore (soprano), Ms. Gwendolyn Brown (contralto) and the Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre joined the symphony on stage.
At first, I was a little confused about the choreography and how it meshed with the music. Let Us Break Bread Together is a hopeful spiritual about community togetherness and worship, and yet the eight CRDT dancers looked tortured with jerky movements and heavy breathing. It was unsettling to watch, like I was watching Lady Gaga dance to My God is an Awesome God or something. Weird.
Lattimore’s performance, however, was both technically flawless and strikingly expressive. In both of her solos in Let Us Break Bread Together and This Little Light of Mine, she sang with palpable joy in her voice while managing to avoid the distortion of any particular note.
It was Brown that blew me away during her solos in Jesus Lay Your Head in the Window and Witness. Brown has a voice that makes you get goose bumps. It is buttery, smooth and strong, and she might be the best singer/storyteller I have ever heard. In Witness she had the crowd laughing as she changed her voice to imitate characters in the song and had a few people muttering “Amen!” under their breath as she infused some spunky attitude into soulful verses. I was smitten!
The dancing eventually got better, too. With each song the dancers seemed to become less nervous and the choreography meshed better with the lyrics and music. In Jesus Lay Your Head in the Window, the dancing was like that daring, asymmetrical dress at the Golden Globes: slightly out of place but eye-catching and memorable. The dancers’ moves displayed their strength, flexibility and personality.
These are no ballerinas. Instead they danced more like warriors. Their movements were purposeful and athletic. It was refreshing.
For the finale guest conductor Kazem Abdullah (who is only 30 years old!) nervously took the stage. He informed the audience that Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125 (Choral) was the first symphony to have a chorus and soloists involved. Beethoven was inspired to include a chorus in the fourth movement because of the German poet Friedrich Schiller and his poem An die Freude (Ode to Joy).
Kazem Abdullah (look how young!)
Abdullah concluded that the piece was perfect for MLK, Jr. Day because one of the lines in Schiller’s Ode to Joy summed up the aura of Dr. King, “all men become brothers”.
The Sinfonietta’s rendition of Beethoven’s 9th was just jaw-dropping. The first movement (Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso) was played the way you feel after you accomplish something great, with a cocky-I-am-on-top-of-the-world feel, paired with barely contained bubbling joy.
Of course, the most recognisable second movement (molto vivace) ebbed and flowed from a series of melodic and harmonic climaxes, creating an urgent and triumphant piece. The best decision that both Abdullah and the Sinfonietta made was to let the piece breathe by providing longer silences between the climaxes (they are usually very short). It felt a bit like watching a juggler throw five bowling pins in into the air and waiting to see if s/he can catch them. Amazing!
The third movement was beautiful but I was focused more on Abdullah, marveling at his energy and excitement for conducting. Since I could not see his face, I kept staring at the coattails of his morning coat and how they would flap together violently as he waved his baton. His hand movements reminded me of the traders on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade: one flip of a palm would cue the drummer, another would make the violinists come to life.
The fourth and final movement, the presto allegro assai, the Ode to Joy, brought back to the stage Lattimore and Brown and also included the Northwestern University Symphonic Choir, Richard Drews (tenor) and Bruce Hall (baritone). It was fantastically epic and echoed throughout the music hall.
Hall definitely had a pair of lungs in him because he carried out notes for so long his face started to turn red. Drews had great stage presence and a voice so loud that he drowned both Hall and Brown out, as well as some of the instruments! I could barely hear Brown, but Lattimore was sensational and stole the attention away from everyone else whenever she opened her mouth. As to be expected the NUSC was pitch perfect and added a lovely volume and importance to the piece. Everything was perfect for the fourth movement!
If you have not experienced the Chicago Sinfonietta, then you are missing out. There are two more concerts from the CS left in their 2009-2010 season, so you should make sure to buy tickets before it is too late!
Dev xx
If you are still wondering how to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, may I suggest buying tickets for tonight’s A Dream Unfolds, hosted by the Chicago Sinfonietta?
This popular annual tribute to Dr. MLK, Jr. is a joyous celebration and a Chicago tradition, as it honours the vision and legacy of one of the greatest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century. A Dream Unfolds will be performed at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Maestro Paul Freeman will open the programme with Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane Opus 50. Composed in 1887 for his patron, Countess Elisabeth Greffulhe, Fauré’s serene and elegant masterpiece evokes the same grace, passion and idealism for which Dr. King was best known.
The Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, photo by Renee Gooch
There are few things better than popping in a movie and realizing it takes place in Chicago. Seriously, with the beautiful lakefront backdrop, an amazing skyline and the iconic — albeit romanticized — “L,” it’s a wonder (and a damn shame) more movies aren’t set in Chicago.
Here’s my shortlist (and a few runners up) of films sure to fire up your Chicago pride. Weigh in and let MCH know your favorites!
The Blues Brothers (1980)
“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses.” – Elwood Blues
An all-time classic that comes to mind every time I take the Lower Wacker exit off of 290, born n’ raised Chicagoans and transplants alike can relate to the city culture references in The Blues Brothers. Fresh out of the Joliet slammer, Jake Blues (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) visit St. Helen’s orphanage where they grew up only to learn that the orphanage will be closed unless they can pay the $5,000 tax bill.
Now they’re on a mission from God.
The Blues Brothers spend the rest of the movie trying to get their old band back together and lining up gigs to raise money for the orphanage. Along the way they’re attacked repeatedly by a “mystery woman” (Carrie Fisher), they break up a Nazi march and end up being tailed by every cop in the tri-state area in a high-speed car chase. Other cameo appearances by Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and James Brown round out the star-studded cast and add unforgettable music numbers.
Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to live directly next to the “L” tracks, a hilarious scene in Elwood’s apartment will give you a pretty good idea.
Favorite Chicago Shots: Lower Wacker Drive, Daley Center
