Author: Robert Loerzel

Creatures of habit: Actors’ routines

DEFAULT CAPTION HERE

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in May 2012. Metallica helped Nick Sandys get into the right frame of mind when he was playing the title character of Macbeth. The Chicago actor blasted the heavy-metal band on his car stereo as he drove to the theater. When he’s in the car… Continue reading Creatures of habit: Actors’ routines

Playbill feature: ‘The Pirates of Penzance’

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in April 2012. When it comes to pirates in pop culture, Jack Sparrow is a Johnny-come-lately. He’s been swashbuckling his way across movie screens for a mere nine years — since 2003, when Johnny Depp starred in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. Sparrow… Continue reading Playbill feature: ‘The Pirates of Penzance’

What Will Wrote: Chicago’s role in the debate over Shakespeare

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in April 2012. For hundreds of years, people have questioned whether William Shakespeare really wrote the plays we attribute to him. Strangely enough, a Chicago judge ruled on the question in 1916. For a brief time, an official legal decision was on the books in Cook County… Continue reading What Will Wrote: Chicago’s role in the debate over Shakespeare

Playbill feature: ‘The Hunchback Variations Opera’

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in March 2012. What are Ludwig van Beethoven and Quasimodo doing together on the same stage? Why are they sitting at a table with microphones? And why are they singing operatically about a stage direction written by Anton Chekhov? Audiences may well wonder about these… Continue reading Playbill feature: ‘The Hunchback Variations Opera’

Emanuel’s gun proposal harks back to Richard J. Daley

The Huffington Post, February 13, 2012 — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says Illinois should have a statewide gun registry. As the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times reported, his plan is likely to run into much resistance. Emanuel’s idea isn’t new… Read my blog post for the Huffington Post.  Photo by Augustas Didžgalvis/Wikipedia

Record review: Nina Nastasia, ‘Outlaster’

This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s winter 2011 issue. Nina Nastasia Outlaster After recording four solo albums, Nina Nastasia gave equal billing to drummer Jim White on her 2007 record You Follow Me — an unusual juxtaposition of strong percussion with acoustic guitar and vocals. Three years later, Nastasia is… Continue reading Record review: Nina Nastasia, ‘Outlaster’

Christmas theater, past and present

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in December 2011. It’s December. Everywhere you turn, the lights twinkle. Christmas carols jingle. And Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey or maybe a department-store elf called Crumpet are center stage once again. For Chicago’s theaters, the holidays have always been an important time of year. However,… Continue reading Christmas theater, past and present

In search of Mrs. Luetgert’s ghost

The Huffington Post, October 31, 2011 — It isn’t easy pinning down the details of a ghost story. Rumors and urban legends circulate, but how often do you read a firsthand account from someone who says they actually saw one of those supposedly famous ghosts? Read my blog post at the Huffington Post.

Chicago’s theater season off to a strong start

The Huffington Post, October 11, 2011 — Chicago’s fall theater season opened over the past few weeks with a flurry of major opening nights that might make you feel the way Tribune critic Charles Collins did back in 1936. I happened the other day across this quote from Collins, who had just seen several plays on Chicago stages:… Continue reading Chicago’s theater season off to a strong start