In almost a year of From the Ledge, I’ve tried hard to post blog entries 2-3 times a week. It’s been a way of disciplining myself to make sure that there’s always new, fresh blog content available; it’s also allowed me to keep up with the numerous arts events that I go to. I’ve found out over the past several months, too, that some very avid From the Ledge readers salivate like Pavlov’s dog whenever there’s a new blog entry, so I want to make sure I don’t disappoint anyone. For the first time in eleven months or so, I’ve let seven days (a full week!) pass between blog entries, for two straight weeks! Yikes! I’ve been travelling continuously for business over the past two weeks, crisscrossing the country, jumping through multiple time zones, pulling atrocious hours, and frankly, it bites! I’m exhausted (whenever someone tells me they think travelling for business is uber-glamorous, I give them the cold shock of reality: delayed flights. middle seats. bad coffee. really hard hotel mattresses. airless conference rooms. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s Manhattan or Boise). And not being physically in Chicago, I’m not able to go to ANYTHING! Well, I snuck in Porchlight’s marvelous Candide last weekend, but that’s it (more on that forthcoming). I’ll be in town for the next two weeks and have already lined up my viewing schedule: Edward II, Taylor Mac, Caroline or Change at the Court, Streamers, and some nudiefest at Bailiwick’s Pride series. So I’ll be writing more regularly in the next couple of weeks. Don’t forget me! Come back again! The picture by the way is of the late great Ann Miller (love the slit!) who played Carlotta in a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies sometime in the 1990s and was the lucky gal who got to belt the brutally-honest anthem of all of us world-weary (and bone-weary) survivors, “I’m Still Here”.
As an audience member, I have always thought that giving a standing ovation at the theater is a rare gift reserved for those sock-in-the gut productions that are truly transformative and utterly unforgettable, which come once in a blue moon. It’s not to say I don’t show enthusiastic appreciation for the work and the artists – as my blog readers who’ve gone with me to the theater know, I heartily applaud a good part of the time and have been known to emit that occasional cheer and guttural whoa. Theater artists work hard and they deserve all the recognition and positive feedback they can get. But a standing ovation at the end of a show shouldn’t, in my view, be taken lightly, it should be dispensed only when the production is a true masterpiece. You wouldn’t serve a 1978 Montrachet at a girl’s wine and mani-pedi night out; you’d reserve it for the truly special occasions, like your husband or life partner getting promoted to CEO (amidst visions of that future villa in Lake Como so within your reach). So I am a little perturbed by this noticeably increasing trend (not as bad here in Chicago as it is on Broadway, discussed ad nauseam in theater geek chat rooms such as Talkin’Broadway.com’s All that Chat) of people getting up on their feet wildly, as if they’re in a mosh pit, for even the slightest, though enjoyable, stage trifle.
It’s a wonderful 80 degree day in Chicago today, so welcome after the ridiculous non-spring of the past couple of weeks when rain and a cold front kept me and many other Chicagoans wondering whether the proverbial light of summer at the end of a lingering winter will ever come. It’s great to be out and about in the city today, but other than a couple of hours running around this afternoon, I’ve been at home, recovering, yes recovering, from the festivities last night at the Steppenwolf Theatre Auxiliary Council’s Red or White Ball (I guess my philosophy of age being just another number is demolished by the reality of a major hangover, achy feet and joints, and a hoarse voice brought about by a night of late-night carousing). The Ball is the major annual fund-raising event for the Auxiliary Council (of which I’m a Governor), and all proceeds go to Steppenwolf’s exemplary Steppenwolf for Young Adults program which brings high school students from the Chicago public school system to the theater to see adaptations of literary works on stage. The program also helps enrich the teaching toolkits of the drama and arts teachers of these students by providing immersion workshops for them to attend. It’s a really great program, which I am very proud to be supporting and to be associated with. The Steppenwolf for Young Adults 2008-2009 season consists of an all African-American production of Tennesee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie featuring ensemble member Alana Arenas, directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, directed by the actor Michael Patrick Thornton, who was terrific in last year’s Young Adults production of The Elephant Man. Some people I know are reluctant to come to the Young Adults productions because they think these plays are staged and performed with teenagers in mind (meaning adults might just be fidgeting and checking their watches every five minutes througout the performance), but I have to say both The Elephant Man and Harriet Jacobs which comprised the 2007-2008 season were as mature, involving, and impactful as the Main Stage productions. Come on- it’s Steppenwolf. And kids in this century are savvy enough to know when they’re in the midst of enthralling theater. On a personal note, I’d like to thank all my friends who came out last night to the Ball – I hope everyone had a great time, and a lot to drink (and needed less recovery time today than I did!)
Tags: Steppenwolf Theatre
Here’s the ad for A Steady Rain I mentioned below, courtesy of BFF Sydney and her scanner:
Tags: A Steady Rain
Bluebirds are singing, rainbows are dancing, the sun is dazzling, I’m traipsing down a yellow brick road strewn with hydrangeas, cashmere sweaters, Veuve Cliquot bottles, first class plane tickets to Bali and Buenos Aires, and Eric Bana’s and Ryan Gosling’s unlisted phone numbers….life is great! Today, I got my first ever quote on a play’s ad! Yep, it’s right there, in the ad for the critically acclaimed drama A Steady Rain, currently playing at the Royal George Theater, on page 11 of the On The Town section of the Chicago Tribune, April 4, 2008. Right in the middle of the page. Right after quotes from Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune (“A Must-See Smash Hit….A Sizzler!”) and Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times (“Some of the Most Dazzling Acting You Will Ever See Anywhere.”) is a quote from http://www.fromtheledge.com/(“Mind-blowingly Great!”), taken from my enthusiastic blog post. I am both exhilarated and humbled. When I started From the Ledge in October of last year, I never imagined that anyone outside of my close circle of friends would come to the blog and read it, or care about it, or consider it when making decisions as to which arts and culture activities they go to in Chicago. As I said in my first post, “Curtain Up”: Do I have something to say? Do I have a unique voice to say it in? Would people want to read the soak time thoughts of a thirtysomething single urban professional Filipino immigrant organization change consultant living in Chicago? (yes, maybe, we’ll find out soon enough). Over the past several months, I’ve been excited to see the number and diversity of folks who find the blog (yes, I have readers from the Ukraine to Brazil); I’m still not really sure how people find me, or why they stay, or more importantly, why they keep on coming back. But I’m thrilled. And inspired. And committed. And eternally, deeply grateful. And I’ll continue to write with passion for the things, groups, people, that I care about. That continue to shape my artistic life. Speaking of gratitude- I think this is the right time to thank all the folks throughout the years who’ve cajoled, begged, encouraged, threatened, beat me over the head, pushing me to get my act together and start writing, and who’ve continued to provide feedback and support: Debra, Sydney, Camela, Andrew, Rene, divine Ms. Jennifer M, Julie, Linda B. And of course, the biggest Thank You of all, to invaluable blog mentor and collaborator, Tom, without whom, this blog would continue to have been a figment and an aspiration. Now, get yourselves to a play or a concert or a dance performance or an art gallery, people!
Tags: A Steady Rain, Chicago theater
Last year, when I was seriously contemplating going on the frightening adventure of having a personal blog, I was looking around at other people’s blogs to get a sense of what folks were writing about and came across Deceptively Simple, an arts and culture blog with a focus on classical music, by Time Out Chicago classical music editor, Marc Geelhoed. I was thrilled to discover it – finally a personal blog that didn’t contain annoying rants about potholes and long lines at Dominick’s, or gushy breathlessness about the latest handbag purchase; finally an arts and culture blog that didn’t sound like an extended MFA lecture or a pretentious cocktail party conversation. Deceptively Simple was smart, informed, appealingly and elegantly written, passionate- qualities that I wanted my own blog to possess. Marc and his blog were an inspiration and guide for my own online aspirations (and I was very excited to get this shoutout during the launch week of From the Ledge). Marc wrote last Friday that he was leaving Time Out Chicago and moving to a job with the Chicago Symphony’s Resound record label, and noted that Deceptively Simple would need to take a different tone and focus, given his new role. My initial perturbation with the impending change at one of my online must-reads of the day vanished with his latest blog entry (on a topic I actually feel very passionate about, arts education). Change is good and Deceptively Simple will continue to be a terrific model for us bloggers who want to write about arts and culture with clear points of view and insights and a goal to win others over to the possibilities and power of the arts. Thanks Marc!
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