Bit of a (Chicago) Day
I took an extended break over the holidays; in all, I was off work from December 16 to January 3. With Christmas and the New Year in there, I had a few plans lined up, but generally the time was my own. I went to see a movie on a Tuesday afternoon. I finally washed the five loads of laundry I’d been putting off as long as possible. As the days wore on, though, even I had had enough time on my couch. So I set about deciding how I’d like to use the remaining days off, knowing all too well that if I just hibernated the whole time, soon…
2016 [On Stage]
When you’re in the thick of a thing, it’s sometimes impossible to know how it’ll all turn out when it ends. Throughout the year, I didn’t really feel like I was getting to many shows, but as I look back at the list for 2016, I’m surprised it’s as healthy as it is. There it is in writing: ten shows, from local Chicago productions to Broadway blockbusters. What it lacks in quantity it certainly makes up for in quality.
The King & I & Me
A year after moving to Chicago, there are still shows on Broadway I wish I’d seen while I had the chance. Though I resolved my major miss in never getting to Hamilton, I still regret not seeing Fun Home (though I did see Hugh Jackman in a play at that same theater just before it took over), and everything I’ve heard about Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of The King & I has me wishing I’d been able to make it to that, too. In fairness, I don’t think it opened until after I’d moved away, but still. One of my new goals with theater is to just go – I’d…
2015 [on stage]
Despite spending a lot of time at the movies this year, I managed to fit in a handful of live theater, too – shows that stretched from Broadway to London and back to Chicago. I saw nine shows in all, which puts my theater attendance at less than once per month…maybe I was busier with movies than I realized! Whether a Broadway revival or a local production of a classic, I enjoyed each show for different reasons. The coming year sees a touring production of Fun Home hitting Chicago and my NYC trip to see Hamilton on Broadway. Add in my ongoing effort to get to more local shows, I forecast…
12 hours, 8 acts, one unforgettable experience
Lest you worry all this list writing is keeping me from exploring Chicago, I thought I’d share that in fact, I spent all day Saturday at the theater. Yes, all day. I started building my lists by researching a lot of “best of…” terms – best museums, best neighborhoods, best theater. That last one got me to Time Out Chicago, and an intriguing review of a show called ALL OUR TRAGIC. Initially piqued by the five stars (who gets five stars from Time Out?), the review goes on to call the production the best play of the year, the experience “another day in paradise.” I dug deeper and learned that…
2014 [on stage]
One list I didn’t craft in 2013 was a list of shows I’d seen since moving to New York, most likely because I only had a half a year to draw from and didn’t make it to many at all (Broadway tickets are expensive!) So when I started to pull together a list of what I saw in 2014, I decided to add in 2013, too. Looking back, it makes for quite a variety of shows – straight plays and musicals, big hits with big stars and lesser-known, just as impressive productions. It still kills me I’m a train ride away from all this talent, and at just a week…
