- Jimmy Smits has been cast in Steppenwolf's The Motherf**ker with the Hat as "addiction recovery sponsor Ralph D." You best know Smits from NYPD Blue, Star Wars and the West Wing.
Jimmy Smits takes role in 'Motherf**ker with the Hat '
Sep. 21, 2012From the seven deadlies to sentient lizards
Sep. 21, 2012
The Seven, The Neapolitans at The Viaduct, 3111 N. Western, 1-773-296-6024; $20 for one, $75 to see all; through Oct. 2
Let’s see, there’s Sleepy, Sneezy, Greasy, Grumpy, Gropey . . . oops, wrong seven. What the four-year-old troupe, The Neapolitans, have in mind are the Seven Deadly Sins. To — uh — celebrate them they’re staging a repertory of seven plays each of which runs about an hour and serves to illuminate or examine one of The Deadlies. To that end, they’ve assembled a wizard collection of playwrights — among them Javon Johnson (Greed), Anne McGravie (Lust) and Michael Hardstock (Sloth) — and equally talented directors such as Andrea J. Dymond, Susan Padveen and Patricia Roeder. The Neapolitans is a group of collaborative theater artists who welcome “unattached” individuals and groups to work with them.
Seascape, Remy Bumppo at The Greenhouse, 2357 N. Lincoln Avenue; 1-773-404-7336; $42.50-$57.50; through Oct. 14
Sentient lizards, oh my!
'Sweet Bird of Youth' extended
Sep. 20, 2012
- Dave Thomas,who you know best from SCTV, is doing a two day-long workshop at Second City's Training Center October 24-25 called How to Sell Your Comedy and Make Money. The cost is $175 for one day and $300 for two. On the 26th Thomas will host a Writer's Salon that will be $20 and sounds like an abridged version of the training.
- Tony Award winner and director Mary Zimmerman came to Afternoon Shift and talked about her work on Metamorphoses.
- Sweet Bird of Youth hasn't even officially opened yet and it has been extended through October 28, adding five performances.
Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.
Meet Chris Brown's tattoo artists
Sep. 20, 2012
Described as a "Grammy-winner, girlfriend beater and real-life trainwreck" by The Paper Machete producer Kim Bellware, Chris Brown made headlines last week by debuting a new tattoo that some said looked like the face of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna after she had been abused by him.
Though Brown denied it, explaining that the tattoo was actually inspired by a Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skull, the world was left wondering about the how and why in choice in body art.
We went straight to the source: Comedians Brendan Dowling and Tim Sniffen, who -- luckily enough -- know exactly how that tattoo came to be.
Carrie Kaufman joins Porchlight
Sep. 18, 2012
- Carrie Kaufman has taken a position as general manager of Porchlight Music Theatre. Kaufmann had previously worked as published and editor of industry website PerformInk.“I have always had a high opinion of Porchlight since the theatre's inception and I look forward to jumping on board in this pivotal time in its existence" said Kaufman in a statement.
- It's barely even fall, but get excited about spring theater! "In the ten years that I've lived in Chicago, this BIC season is among the most exciting, if not somewhat overrun by musicals based on movies" writes Bob Bullen.
Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.
Daily Rehearsal: 'SNL' features 'chubby', 'brunette' and 'dopey-looking' Chicagoans in season premiere
Sep. 17, 2012
- Tom Shales has joined Roger Ebert to blog for the Sun-Times.
Remembering Griselda Blanco, the Queen of Cocaine
Sep. 15, 2012
Most little girls look up to women who are widely lauded for what they have accomplished. But Comedian Andel Sudik says that though most of these women are impressive, the princesses little girls also model themselves after are less so. Furthermore, there's one type of woman they're totally missing out on: The drug lord(ess). Read an excerpt of her thoughts below or listen above:
Elizabeth. Catherine the Great. Marie Antoinette. Cleopatra. What all these women obviously have in common is that they were queens. Their legacies aren't always rosy -- no person of great power's ever is -- Catherine the Great had an insatiable sexual appetite, Elizabeth's was cold, Antoinette's head rolled and Cleo was done in by a snake. But all of them were powerful. And you may not agree with their methods but its hard not to be in awe of their successes. In whatever else they were, they were queens.
We lost one such queen [last week]. Griselda Blanco, the Queen of Cocaine, who died on Monday. Love her or hate her, she earned the title of queen the old fashioned way, by playing dirty, fighting hard and doing things her way. Hers is a story of perseverance, strength and unimaginable terror.
Daily Rehearsal: See what came before 'New Girl'
Sep. 14, 2012- Comedian Tommy Davidson visited The Morning AMp (and Afternoon Shift) today and took a cool photo with a pair of Rockettes.
- People love talking about Diane Lane.