Make It Better magazine, July 1, 2014 — The mythical village Brigadoon appears in Scotland’s Highlands once every hundred years. After a day, it vanishes back into the mists, its people frozen in time for another century. “Brigadoon,” the 1947 Broadway musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, isn’t quite as difficult to see… Continue reading Play review: ‘Brigadoon’
Author: Robert Loerzel
Environmental threats shrink the numbers of Illinois’ beloved state insect, the monarch butterfly
Illinois Issues magazine, July-August 2014 — Urbana resident Alex Wild kept an eye out for monarch butterflies last year. He was alarmed by what he saw. Or rather, what he didn’t see. “I saw two the entire season,” says Wild, a biologist and photographer who specializes in taking close-up pictures of insects. “That was it… Continue reading Environmental threats shrink the numbers of Illinois’ beloved state insect, the monarch butterfly
The Chicago developer who sued Cyrano’s author for plagiarism
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in 2014. In 1902, Parisians laughed whenever they heard the name “Chicago.” In cafes, they joked about that city in America where some judge had just ruled that the popular French play Cyrano de Bergerac was a work of plagiarism. Incroyable! And even more unbelievable,… Continue reading The Chicago developer who sued Cyrano’s author for plagiarism
In 1890s Chicago, bicycles were all the rage
Play review: ‘Henry V’
Make It Better magazine, May 1, 2014 — Shakespeare had a keen eye for spotting the foolishness of humanity, including the frequently bad behavior of Europe’s kings and noblemen. But “Henry V,” the drama now at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is a different sort of royal history… Read my review in Make It Better. Photo by… Continue reading Play review: ‘Henry V’
Play review: ‘The White Snake’
Make It Better magazine, May 1, 2014 — From the very first moment of “The White Snake,” it’s clear that we’re in Mary Zimmerman Land—a magical and beguiling world that’s familiar from previous plays by this renowned Evanston director. “The White Snake” at Goodman Theatre is classic Zimmerman… Read my review at Make It Better.… Continue reading Play review: ‘The White Snake’
After Haymarket: Anarchism on trial and a city in search of its soul
WBEZ’s Curious City, April 29, 2014 — No one knows who threw the bomb near Haymarket Square on the night of May 4, 1886. It’s one of Chicago’s most vexing unsolved mysteries. But there’s little question that this violent act had huge repercussions — not only in Chicago but around the world… Read — and hear — my… Continue reading After Haymarket: Anarchism on trial and a city in search of its soul
How Bloodshot Records has lasted so long
Crain’s Chicago Business, April 12, 2014 — Here’s how the music business works in 2014: On April 3, BuzzFeed proclaimed, “This Country Cover of Kesha is Totally Beautiful,” drawing listeners to a free audio stream of Bloodshot Records artist Lydia Loveless’ twangy version of pop star Kesha’s “Blind.” Over the next four days, the post… Continue reading How Bloodshot Records has lasted so long
Play review: ‘In the Garden: A Darwinian Love Story’
Make It Better magazine, April 1, 2014 — Charles Darwin shocked the world with his theory of evolution 155 years ago, and people are still arguing about it. These impassioned discussions began right inside Darwin’s home, a story that playwright Sara Gmitter imagines in her new drama… Read my review in Make It Better.
