“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley The Wellness Committee at work emailed that quote out yesterday. I loved it. It parallels my desire to live in the moment. No matter what is going on in ...
Review “Salome” (Right Brain Project): Lusty Erotica
The Right Brain Project presents Oscar Wilde’s SALOME. Director Nathan Robbel used a phrase in his press packet Q&A that perfectly states my experiences of Right Brain Project. Robbel describes their brand of theatre as ‘epic minimalism’. Exactly! I’ve seen several RBP productions over the years. I’m always impressed by their commitment to artistic expression. In their ...
Slainte!
When I was a fourth grader, my class was learning about cultures. We were each to dress up in ancestral attire and talk about our family’s coming to America story. I was delighted. I imagined I would wear a crisp, white frock covered in green shamrocks. I saw a wreath of shamrocks and white flowers on ...
Review “Rock of Ages” Broadway in Chicago): High-octane Cast Rocks it Out
Reviewed by Tom Lawler The long-running Broadway musical Rock of Ages, now touching down in Chicago for just a week in a new touring production featuring a cast of mainly fresh faces, gets off to a scintillating start as we meet ROA’s narrator for the evening, Lonny. As embodied by the lewd, ultra-confident Andrew Sklar (he ...
Where in the world is Katy?
Seventies Saturday flashback! We certainly all look like dour Catholics in the making... yikes! This picture has haunted me for years. I pick myself out quickly because I'm throwing off the uniformity of the situation. Foreshadowing to my life's true essences, indeed!
The unrequited life of a pretend musician
A few weeks back, Tommy J suggested I’d like the musical group A Great Big World. He was right. I changed my Pandora station to select their music and bands with similar sounds. Music influences my mood. And my mood influences my music. A Great Big World radio station is both uplifting and centering. The ...
Review “American Myth” (American Blues Theater): Riveting Factual Puzzler
American Blues Theater presents he World Premiere of AMERICAN MYTH. Mick Weber (Doug) opens and closes this play with soliloquies about John Adams. Initially, the effervescent Weber describes Adams at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Weber vividly recounts the sights, the sounds, the smells on July 4th, 1776. He places the audience in the actual ...
Review “Ithaka” (Infusion Theatre): Redemption Play meets War Movie
Infusion Theatre presents the Midwest Premiere of ITHAKA. Playwright Andrea Stolowitz pens a tale of Marine Captain Elaine Edwards (played by Meredith Rae Lyons). Edwards returns home from a tour in Afghanistan. Her reentry to civilization isn’t going smooth. She can’t sleep. Her cat has run away. And her helpless husband offers no solace. The sudden appearance ...
Review “Cock” (Profiles Theatre): Lasting Impact
By Sara Eisenbaum It wasn’t surprising to learn that there was controversy surrounding this play, especially when I realized that I was on the phone with my mother spelling the title c-o-c-k. After leafing through the director’s note there was a statement that confirmed I wasn’t alone as American audiences blushed their way through the title ...
This week’s challenge is complimentary to my nature
I finished my second week of mindful eating (drinking). I approached meals with a thoughfulness. I ‘set the table’ and arranged my food. And I cut down on my wine consumption. In my mind, I was achieving this goal. I was approaching eating and drinking with a thoughtfulness. I was targeting healthier choices and slowing down. I ...