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A Bigger Table: 50 Years of the Chicago Poetry Center – Poetry Foundation – July 25, 2024

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I’ve walked past the Poetry Foundation approximately three million times since it opened its current location in 2011, and, until now, never stopped in. Part of the reason was that, on the first nine hundred fifty three thousand two hundred twelve or so occasions, I couldn’t figure out where the door was.

It wasn’t just me. A review of the building on the Chicago Detours tour company website said: “Upon initial entry I became briefly confused as an eddy of space was revealed. I found an court that was easily interpreted as the main entry, though it is a dead end.”

But, today, I approached from a different side and voila, an epiphany, as if I were Newton under the apple tree. I believe I had some help, as physical changes have been made, again, not just according to me, but also confirmed by someone I ran into on the street, later, on my way out.

The current exhibit is A Bigger Table: 50 Years of the Chicago Poetry Center. I have no idea where the organization was housed prior to 2011, perhaps in some bohemian cafe that was big enough to warehouse over 30,000 volumes.

Of the 30 or so short poems covering one of the walls, I could find only one, Wish You Were Here, by Denise Duhamel, that drew me in. It started, “I’m writing to you from inside a red m&m.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t like a wine tasting, where they pair cheeses. No bites were available.

Grant Park Music Festival – Millennium Park – July 17 & 19, 2024

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Two beautiful evenings, two large crowds, two wonderful concerts.

On July 17th, I had a feeling of deja vu while listening to pianist 
Clayton Stephenson play Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. And then it occurred to me that I had heard it played by Bill Murray’s character (though really played by session musician Terry Fryer) in Groundhog Day at the party near the end of the movie.

So, it wasn’t an illusion of memory, or one triggered by reliving the same day 12,395 times, as computed and suggested by the yahoo!movies website, but rather an actual memory of a movie I saw three days in a row when it first opened.

On the 19th, for Star Wars and More: The Music of John Williams, I thought I might see a lot of attendees, particularly younger ones, in costume, but there was a dearth of Darth Vaders.

The Grant Park Orchestra, in top form both days, was led that day by Anthony Parnther, who, in addition to demonstrating his conducting skills and James Earl Jones impersonation, albeit from The Lion King, not Star Wars, proved to be an engaging raconteur, entertaining us with, among others, a story about a sound editing room physical altercation about a E.T. score volume alteration.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Part 2) – John Berendt and Taylor Mac – American Writers Museum – July 8, 2024

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I had trouble determining the identity of the musical. Taylor Mac, who wrote the book of the show, helped by saying he meant to present two interwoven stories, those of Jim Williams and The Lady Chablis, aided by an antagonist for each, Emma Dawes and Lavella Cole, respectively.

The book’s author, John Berendt, stressed how important humor was, stating that his background at Esquire magazine had taught him to write with knowledgeable irreverence.

Mac specifically pointed to the Dawes character, played by Sierra Boggess (what a voice!), who had my favorite line of the show when, in representing the interests of historical and hysterical Savannah, she promised she wouldn’t sell Mercer House to anyone who would knock down a wall to make an open kitchen.

As I stated last time, J. Harrison Ghee, as The Lady Chablis, was great. Their antagonist, Cole, as played by Shane Bailey, had, for me, the best song, among many good ones, in the show when she delivered Clap on One and Three.

I was going to complain about the opening of the show, but Mac’s comments about slowing the audience down to Savannah time, seemed reasonable, though I might still tweak it a little, as I would in a few other places. (I don’t think the audience as the author was explained clearly enough for all.)

Mac commented that no one should expect to “get” everything upon first viewing, that just like a book or movie, a second viewing lends itself to greater appreciation. Moreover, he said they changed the ending after the first five previews, so, oops, you also might have to go again for that reason. Nice marketing.

I also wondered whether the show would be attractive to post Broadway licensees. I asked Mac about whether he took possible future productions into account in his writing. He said he, unlike many others, does, and that the Choreographer, Tanya Birl-Torres, who also was the Cultural Consultant, played a big part in those considerations.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Goodman Theatre – July 3, 2024

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This will be a two-part blog, the second half of which will come after I attend the discussion next week at the American Writers Museum by the author of the book, John Berendt, and the author of the stage adaptation, Taylor Mac.

Part of my reason to delay is that, although I’ve seen the movie, I’ve never read the book, and I think that the musical needs some adjustments to better serve those who have done neither. I’ll be interested in hearing what they have to say about that and whether they will discuss any possible changes before looking towards Broadway.

On a general note, let me say that I’ve been to Savannah, and, though I walked around town quite a bit, I didn’t meet anyone interesting there, only lawyers.

Also, I’m a fan of Jason Robert Brown, who wrote the music and lyrics for this show, and also for Parade and Honeymoon in Vegas (which I liked very much despite its lack of success). I haven’t seen any of his other work, including The Bridges of Madison County, which is, dare I say, a bridge too far for me.

For now, I will leave on a positive note. J. Harrison Ghee, Tony award-winner for Some Like It Hot, is a force, worth the price of admission. And the audience was ready, giving them a raucous welcome the second they walked onto the stage, reminding me of the greeting Michelle Williams received at first sight in Death Becomes Her. In a moment predictive of the rest of the evening, Ghee looked out into the audience and said “wait until I earn it.”

Charlie Musselwhite and Ivan Singh- Millennium Park Summer Music Series – July 1, 2024

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Argentinian guitarist Ivan Singh (before you ask – his great grandfather was from India), who came to Chicago only a couple years ago, was a very loud opening act. I should have brought my ear plugs. Once I found a place to hang out suitably far away from the stage, I was able to enjoy his music.

But I wasn’t there for him, so I was happy to hear him fire up Sweet Home Chicago, which, predictably, meant he was closing his act.

After a break, blues legend Charlie Musselwhite entered the stage, harmonica in hand. I don’t think I was the only one there for him.

A fair number of people in the park rose to their feet to start dancing as soon as he raised his instrument. And I’m talking young people, though the older generation, folks who knew of him from way back when, some of whom didn’t see to have changed their wardrobe since, were plentiful throughout the crowded lawn.

Musselwhite, who did not disappoint, came to Chicago in 1962, and has played with all the local greats. He told a Sonny Boy Williamson story that must have been funny – the people in the first few rows laughed – but I couldn’t hear the details, even though I had by then moved closer, relieved by the fact that he and his excellent backup band maintained an acceptable decibel level.

Richès Dayiti: Rediscovered Haitian Piano Treasures with Marianne Parker – Harold Washington Library – June 29, 2024

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This was Marianne Parker’s final performance on behalf of Crossing Borders Music, so I won’t have to renew my passport after all. It’s the third time I’ve seen her give a concert of beautiful Haitian compositions, in three different venues, not to mention, though I will, that I also have her CD of the same genre, Pages intimes,

What can I say. She was flawless, and entertaining, as always. So let’s move on to the venue. I go to a lot of concerts at (Jay) Pritzker Pavillon in Millennium Park, but this may have been my first time hearing music at (Cindy) Pritzker Hall at the Harold Washington Library. Wonderful place. Comfortable seats, lots of leg room, good sight lines, excellent acoustics, nicely temperature controlled (i.e. not over air conditioned) on a hot day, working drinking fountains, clean bathrooms and an escalator in lieu of stairs. I may move in.

Chicago Style: Mike Royko and Windy City Journalism – The Newberry – June 25, 2024

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I was an avid reader of Mike Royko, whose influence on me may be somewhat evident in my own irreverent style.

Though I don’t think we exchanged any pleasantries, I was present at his August 15, 1971 penny-pitching contest in the Chicago Daily News parking lot, the famous large photo of which adorns the exhibit. Unfortunately I’m not captured in the shot.

Royko won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. If I hope to follow in his footsteps, I may need to make some adjustments.

The exhibit includes four typed pages, with handwritten edits, from Royko’s book Boss. Perhaps I should start showing all my tracked changes in my blog, though doing so would break the illusion I hoped to create that my prose just comes gushing out of me fully-formed,

Then there was the matter of Royko’s “fictional neighborhood-guy everyman” Slats Grobnik. Do I need my own alter ego? (Then I wouldn’t have to write “I” so much.) What would he be like?

Finally, there’s all the good contacts he had (and I don’t). His rolodex (what’s that?) was on display, open to the card for Studs Terkel. I sat next to Terkel at a restaurant once, but no contact information was exchanged. I need to find my own names to drop, which means I might have to interact with people.

To that end, and further inspired by the display of some of Royko’s press passes, I have located the page on the United States Press Agency website with information regarding press passes for bloggers. Also, now that the Democratic National Convention Committee has announced that it will allow social media content creators to apply for credentials to cover the 2024 convention in Chicago (that’s going to be interesting), that could be my ticket to fame and fortune, and my own exhibit at The Newberry.

Georgia O’Keeffe: “My New Yorks” Member Reception – Chicago Art Institute – June 24, 2024

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Note to self – next time you go to an event at the Art Institute that features “light bites,” skip everything but the chocolate banana bread.

It stands to reason that trained experts know a lot more than I do about their chosen fields, but that doesn’t mean that all the opinions they serve are easily digested. So, when curator Annie Morse told us that she viewed Georgia O’Keeffe’s Black Cross as, in a way, a self portrait, I had to take it with more than a grain of salt to make it appealing to my uneducated palate. (No amount of salt could have helped the quiche.)

That said, Morse gave an interesting, educational presentation in a nice half-hour package that included, not only photographs of New York from her husband Alfred Stieglitz, but also some mention of and visuals from other artists who Morse saw as influenced by O’Keeffe, including Roger Brown and his famous Leaning Tower of Touhy, housed at the Art Institute.

As for the exhibit itself, it was crowded, so I’ll have to go back to spend more time with it. It’s probably good, so I’ll give it a provisional four brushes for now and salt it away for future reference.

The Enigmatist – Chicago Shakespeare Theater – June 23, 2024

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I have seen, in person, an actual enigma machine, at the terrific Spy Museum, in Washington D.C. This has absolutely nothing to do with The Enigmatist, though I suspect that Alan Turing and all the other codebreakers at Bletchley Park would have been fun people to have in the audience at this show.

Even without them, this was a nerd-filled group, which I say with great admiration and respect. I was in my element, but humbled, though I managed to have my two seconds in the limelight when I shouted out the correct answer to the first clue in a giant crossword puzzle.

David Kwong, the Enigmatist, is a Harvard graduate and veteran cruciverbalist, and a talented, charming entertainer, who bills his show as an immersive evening of puzzles, cryptology and illusions, during which he employs playing cards, dollar bills, a locked box, a cell phone, and a kiwi in a series of tricks that come together in unexpected ways.

Kwong demonstrated rapid processing skills, fueled by an impressive memory and an encyclopedic knowledge of words. But, even as he was throwing out definitions of words he was using in a Scrabble trick, it seemed like he was making them up. Not exactly everyday vocabulary.

I had a similar reaction to his crossword puzzle construction, which incorporated some rather esoteric answers. I prefer clever, but I’m just nitpicking about a fun show.

Make Music Chicago – Washington Square Park – June 21, 2024

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Less than 24 hours after the summer solstice and I’m already depressed, as the day seems so much shorter than yesterday. But I press ahead and make my annual footslog to the Make Music Chicago celebration.

This year, in conjunction with The Newberry’s A Night at Mr. Kelly’s exhibit, Washington Square Park presented, I think, the jazz group, the Marshall Vente Trio (Vente is a keyboard player, but Jeremy Kahn was tickling the plastics on the digital piano, and I wasn’t paying attention to all the introductions, so I don’t know), with Greta Pope, and the blues group Mississippi Heat, whom I saw at the same event two years ago and was prepared for this time, remembering to bring my ear plugs, which was not a reflection on their quality, but rather their volume.

As entertaining as the bands were, and as beautiful as the 80-degree day was, I couldn’t help but imagine the chill in the air from the autumn breeze that will be here in a day less than three months. Nevertheless, I was heartened by the fact that, despite the complaining I hear from my suburban friends, there wasn’t a cicada to be seen or heard.