June 10, 2007

Madeleine Peyroux at Ravinia

Madeleine Peyroux's sole Chicago stop on her current tour was at Ravinia where I was able to catch her while enjoying a wonderful picnic under blue skies on the Pavilion Lawn. Ravinia is an extraordinary place - easily accessible from Chicago via the Metra and highly conducive to a very laid back and romantic concert experience.

Madeleine Peyroux was more impressive in live performance than on any of her studio work. She is petite, young and pretty, but belts out gutsy jazz vocals as if she were Ella Fitzgerald reincarnated. The spunk and polish of both herself and her skilled band made the performance nothing but spectacular. Her songs ranged from haunting contemplations to fun up-tempo Jazz/Blues fare. Definitely the right type of music for a barefooted picnic in the Summer.

Long-time New Orleans' Jazz standard Dr. John opened for her with more mainstream southern Jazz numbers. His seemed a very folksy presentation, but a good opening for Peyroux nonetheless. But from the first song Peyroux opened with, the entire atmosphere of the place changed and all ears seemed fixed on the music (though there were still plenty of wine glasses being raised).

The concert was thoroughly impressive and I will definitely catch her the next time she comes around.

Posted by sdf on June 10, 2007 at 01:44 PM

May 04, 2007

Oedipus Complex - Goodman Theater Chicago

"Oedipus Complex" is the work of director Frank Galati and places 20th century Sigmund Freud alongside Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex. In it the narrative swings back and forth between Freud's Viennese lecture hall crammed with sober students before whom he contemplates his own childhood experiences and a full-blown recreation of the Oedipus tragedy. The parallels and implications which emerge through the interplay of the two are significant and insightful, though I confess I had to apply myself rather vigorously through what seemed to me to be a rather dry and uneventful drama to arrive at them.

The play was presented at the Goodman Theater where I have seen top-notch adaptations of classic plays after which I walked away quite moved and impressed, and so I expected the same from Oedipus Complex. But the effect of this play was quite the reverse, leaving me with a feeling that I had experienced too many weaknesses in the production to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The primary thorn in my side throughout was the far less than impressive performance of Ben Viccellio playing Oedipus who displayed neither the dramatic presence nor emotional depth to bring his central character to life. I've recently seen several similar plays , whether purely classical adaptations or contemporary-classical hybrids in which the actors playing the lead roles nearly exploded on stage with vibrancy and tragic convictions. But Viccellio's Oedipus was wholly disappointing to the point of his shortcomings being so pronounced that they overshadowed my entire experience. Instead of a fiery self-driven man of power shaking his fists at the Gods of Fate, we got a limp-wristed stoic whose every line seemed to end with a whimper as if to say "Believe me, please!".

One thing of value I did derive from this was a keener insight into Freud's use of the Oedipus figure and how Sophocles’ original tale does in fact speak to contemporary situations. As to whether or not Freud's sexuality-centric application of the tale represents this relevancy is wholly up for grabs.

Posted by sdf on May 04, 2007 at 01:12 PM

April 15, 2007

Iggy Pop at Congress Theater - Chicago

When I was in high school, I had the chance to see Iggy Pop when he opened for the Rolling Stones in Detroit. That evening was such a wild experience that I wanted to see him once more while he still has some of his high-octane antics left in him.

He recently played at Chicago's Congress Theater where he literally and irrevocably rocked the house and all its inhabitants. Iggy seems to be made for these smaller venues. He immediately obliterated the traditional "fourth wall" between performer and audience by inviting fans by the droves up onto the stage to help him sing and gyrate until he simply disappeared into the writhing mass of people on the stage. Then, when things eventually cooled down a bit after a few numbers and he felt the wall creeping up again, he simply took several running leaps through it from the stage and into the crowds below who were more than prepared and eager to catch and pass him around the concert hall atop a sea of tattooed arms.

Major props and respect to Iggy Pop for delivering another excellent show. If you missed him, you'll have another chance when he returns to Chicago this Summer for Lollapalooza, August 3-5 in Grant Park. Iggy bids you welcome! That'll be a very crazy party at the Park.

Posted by sdf on April 15, 2007 at 09:01 AM

March 29, 2007

The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow - Chicago Dramatists

"The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow" is a tale about Jennifer Marcus, a brilliant adopted Chinese girl living in suburban America who seeks out her birth mother in China using a robot she names "Jenny Chow". The narrative is a highly creative mish-mash of music, technological references, tear-jerking emotionalism, and razor-sharp inside jokes involving the perspectives and plight of internationally adopted/reared children.

Jenny Shin, who makes her debut performance with Chicago Dramatists here, plays Jennifer Marcus and does a wonderful job acting and narrating this rather face-paced up-tempo tale. But in addition to raw energy, Shin also effectively delivered on the highly emotional pivotal points of the character's self-discovery and self-resignation. She was literally in control of the audience emotional reactions throughout.

Definitely worth seeing and experiencing.

Posted by sdf on March 29, 2007 at 08:37 AM

March 23, 2007

The Sparrow at Steppenwolf Theater

"The Sparrow" had a very successful run at the House Theater of Chicago resulting in a second sold-out run at The Steppenwolf Garage Theater from March 15 through April 21, 2007.

This plan was phenomenal on several levels, not least of which was the cast headed by Carolyn Defrin who plays Emily, an ostracized girl who begins to display strange powers after returning to her home town after an exile of sorts. Defrin acts, sings and dances vigorously throughout and really brings the interesting storyline to life.

Also of note here are the very creative theatrical devices which are used in lieu of elaborate stage props and sets. The Garage Theater at Steppenwolf is a rather intimate venue and does not allow for much in the way of changes in set, so the cast must improvise in order to depict and convey these elements. Small handheld houses announce the setting of particular scenes, large video screens and aggressive soundtracks pull audiences into youthful merriment, and terrified writhing of the floor amazingly depicts a fearful reach into the skies.

This was a thoroughly impressive play which I am glad I had a chance to see during its second run.

Posted by sdf on March 23, 2007 at 08:15 AM

March 21, 2007

Feng Shui Lava Love Lounge

Little by little, my condo re-decor is spreading to other rooms, and now it is my bedroom's turn. Although I have always used the back bedroom, I was told in no uncertain terms by an intuitive friend that I should definitely move to the front bedroom which "screams to be my bedroom" and where "the energy flow is much more positive". There was even the suggestion that my love life might flourish to new heights due to the superior feng shui energy. (!!!)

So of course I immediately moved to the front bedroom, and I have to admit the flow of the rooms and the impact on my comfort and impression of the interior has in fact been very positive. I believe I received very good advice regarding the optimal use of this front bedroom. Below are a few pictures of the new layout. Still needs some work, no doubt, but definitely headed in the right direction.

See More of "Feng Shui Lava Love Lounge"

Posted by sdf on March 21, 2007 at 04:02 PM