Chicago theater lingo

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in September 2009. Theater people have a language all their own. But the lingo doesn’t always translate from house to house. Take the term “Strawberry Shortcake,” for example. It was coined at Lookingglass Theatre in 2001, when the actress Lauren Hirte needed a costume to… Continue reading Chicago theater lingo

Classical music in Chicago

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Listen magazine’s September-October 2009 issue. When poet Carl Sandburg called Chicago “Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,” he easily could have added “Music Maker” to that list. The City of the Big Shoulders forged so many of the sounds that became popular American… Continue reading Classical music in Chicago

Record review: Wildbirds & Peacedrums, ‘The Snake’

This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s fall 2009 issue. Wildbirds & Peacedrums The Snake Vocals and percussion are the two sounds at the core of this duo from Gothenburg, Sweden. Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ songs often consist of nothing more than Mariam Wallentin singing while her husband, Andreas Werliin, pounds… Continue reading Record review: Wildbirds & Peacedrums, ‘The Snake’

Randolph Street, Chicago’s theater row

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in June 2009. If you took a stroll down Randolph Street in Chicago’s Loop in the early 1900s, chances were pretty good that you’d rub elbows with an actor. The sidewalks were crammed with thespians almost every afternoon on Randolph, a street with so many… Continue reading Randolph Street, Chicago’s theater row

Rocking to Warhol films at the MCA

The Huffington Post, April 13, 2009 — Andy Warhol’s films raise the question of what exactly you’re supposed to do with them. Are they regular “films” meant to be seen in a movie theater? Or some other sort of art? Read my blog post at the Huffington Post or Underground Bee. Photo by Robert Loerzel

Exploring O’Neill at the Goodman

Pictured in Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude, directed by Greg Allen at Goodman Theatre, produced in association with The Neo-Futurists, are (l to r) Jeremy Sher (Darrell), Merrie Greenfield (Nina) and Joe Dempsey (Marsden). Strange Interlude runs March 6-8. For ticket information, visit GoodmanTheatre.org or call 312.443.3800. Photo by Eric Y. Exit

The Huffington Post, April 10, 2009 — The Eugene O’Neill festival now in its final days at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre wasn’t exactly designed as an introduction to this great American playwright. Nor was it a celebration of his best and most famous works… Read my blog post at the Huffington Post or Underground Bee. Photo by… Continue reading Exploring O’Neill at the Goodman

Art Shay Q&A

This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on March 28-29, 2007. Over the last six decades, Art Shay has photographed everything from heroin addicts on Chicago streets to movie stars like Marlon Brando. Shay, a native of the Bronx who has lived in Deerfield for 53 years, captured life’s humorous little moments as… Continue reading Art Shay Q&A

When another Senate seat was up for sale

The Huffington Post, February 6, 2009 — A hundred years ago, political tensions were running high in Illinois. Everyone wanted to know the answer to one suspenseful question: Who would be the new U.S. Senator from Illinois? The struggle to answer that question would stretch on for four years, as charges of bribery and corruption rocked… Continue reading When another Senate seat was up for sale

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