STEVE: Those aren’t bad. ME: We don’t have time for ‘aren’t bad.’ It’s yes or no. STEVE: NO! I brought my spec pickers back together. Two years ago, I had Steve, Bill and Roger meet me to pick a finalist from the three pairs of glasses I had preselected. They disliked them all. I ended up trying on ...
Media fast isn’t about speed
After a brief interlude, I’m returning to “How to train a wild elephant.” A few weeks back, the activity of the week was a media fast. For one week, I was not to take in any media. This included news media, social media and entertainment. I was not to listen to the radio, an ...
Head, shoulders, knees and toes…
I had an epiphany recently related to this childhood song, "Head, shoulders, knees and toes." The song set me up. I do think mostly about my head, shoulders, knees and toes. I habitually skip the abdomen area. For a long time, I have neglected my core. I like to concentrate my attention on other areas. ...
Review “Monstrous Regiment” (Lifeline Theatre): Comical Fantasy
Lifeline Theatre presents a World Premiere adaptation of Terry Prachett’s MONSTROUS REGIMENT. A vampire, a troll and an Igor walk into a war... The set-up of Lifeline’s newest production is a comical fantasy. It sets the tone for an adventure riddled with humor. Borogravia is at war. When her soldier brother goes missing, the feisty Sara Price ...
Life chattering
I’m certain one of the main reasons I blog is I live alone. I wake up with all kinds of stuff percolating in my head. When I sleep, my subconscious replays my life happenings. Work issues, relational struggles, theatrical reviews are all jumbled together in my head. In my vegetative state, my mind connects the ...
Vision Quest: A Cocktail of Hallucinations in the Amazon Rainforest (Ray BradGary): Take the Drink…and the Trip!
Reviewed by Tom Lawler There is a moment, early on in Vision Quest: A Cocktail of Hallucinations in the Amazon Rainforest that would be very hard for most productions to top. No spoilers here, but let’s just say it involves two men and a bucket. These two men are soon revealed to be the stars ...
Review “Carrie The Musical” (Bailiwick Chicago): Horror Flick Carries a Tune
Bailiwick Chicago presents the Chicago premiere of CARRIE: THE MUSICAL. I have to be honest. “Carrie: The Musical”?? I thought it was going to be a spoof on the Sissy Spacek film. It’s not. It’s the staged horror flick. And it’s set to music. Right? The horror genre doesn’t quite translate into a musical. *SPOILER ...
Annacakes: The Tasty Carb Alternative!
It’s been my experience throughout life that to learn, I must listen. I never know where or when a great idea will reveal itself. I practice not always monopolizing the conversation with my recent laments. Instead, I ask questions. When I’m quiet, I hear other people’s great ideas. At my last haircut, my stylist Anna told ...
Nip it in the bud
When getting fit, everybody looks for signs it’s happening. We want to see indicators that we are moving from sloth to athlete. I got mine at 4am the other day. I woke up to an itchy foot. The bottom of my right foot was a tingly sensation. Upon examination, I found the culprit. In ...
Review “Caged Dames” (Hell in a Handbag Productions): Handbag Kicks it Up!
Hell in a Handbag presents CAGED DAMES, A Shocking Musical. Handbag kicks it up and spreads it out with this remount of their 2006 production. For the last few years, Handbag has performed at Mary’s Attic. Those tight quarters only allowed for minimal scenery and choreography. Their current move to Theater Wit allows them to dress ...