The Other Theatre Company presents BENT. It’s 1930s Germany. Nik Kourtis (Max) wakes up hungover. He can’t remember what happened the night before. An animated Will Von Vogt (Rudy) arrives with coffee. As Kourtis tries to interrogate him, Von Vogt rattles on about his plants and his ankles from dancing on concrete floors. Kourtis eventually pries ...
Review “Moby Dick” (Lookingglass Theatre): A Bookish Progression
Lookingglass Theatre, in association with The Actors Gymnasium, presents MOBY DICK. I’ve had the privilege to see several unique and memorable “Moby Dick” productions in Chicago over the last few years. The now dark The Building Stage told the classic with an Ishmael chorus. The Chicago Mammals used an all-female cast to cleverly go after the ...
Review “VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE” (Goodman Theatre): Chekhov a la mode
Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE. It’s easy for me to see why this Tony Award-winning play was a Broadway smash hit. The story has high entertainment value for the target audience, the increasingly large pool of aging baby boomers. It is about three siblings grappling with growing ...
Oregon Day 12: Seattle!
Sunday was my last day of my Oregon vacation and I spent it in Seattle, Washington. Two days in the car from Grant’s Pass, Oregon to Renton, Washington gave Jenny and I plenty of time to come up with a Father’s Day plan that would make our dad and the rest of the crew happy. Because of ...
Oregon Day 11 & 12: Walsh Reunion Ends, Travels Begin
Friday was the official end of the Walsh Reunion. We packed it in, cleaned it up, hauled it out. Many thanks to the host committee, Aunt Sue, Uncle Rog, Michelle and Eric plus the minions, Uncle Tom, Aunt Linda, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Ann and the remaining Chicago/Indiana Walshes, that swept up the remains of the ...
Oregon Day 10: Picture This!
Did I mention my cousin Kevin was here from Korea? He is a marine stationed there. He, his wife and four kids used their time state-side to come to the family reunion. They were only here from Tuesday-Thursday but interestingly Kevin bonded with many non-family members at the Cascade Ranch. He is hilarious and outgoing. ...
Oregon Day 9: We are family
Life at the lodge starts early. I’m not always the first one up and I’m getting up anywhere between 4-6am. As soon as I wake, I start the coffee station. This family drinks a lot of coffee. The mornings are some of my favorite times as people get up and reminisce about the past and ...
Oregon Day 8: Grants Pass! Who knew? “It’s the climate”
Tuesday was a fairly lazy day for me. A large portion of the family went to Crater Lake for the day. Christy and her clan went to do laundry and visit a gold mine. The parents, Jenny and me hung around the lodge and then we hung around in town. Downtown Grants Pass has a ...
Oregon Day 7: #WalshReunion
Monday, I woke up early in Medford. My Walsh reunion pick-up was 2pm. I had time to do laundry, return my rental car and see some of the town. Inn at the Commons turned out to be such a great discovery. Free breakfast and coffee. And after checking out, they allowed me to ride the ...
Oregon Day 6: Goodbye Retreat, Hello Medford!
On Sunday, I started my day with my last yoga session of the retreat. The retreat officially ended with the morning class but half of the crew had already departed for home. Jenny led a group of seven through stretching poses that would prepare us for traveling. I was a great last class. I’ve thoroughly ...