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SUKIE DE Activists protest anti-LGBT LA CROIX Out raconteur on his latest work. minister on South Side Photo courtesy of de la Croix

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Sam Massey, Nicole Frydman and Michael Idalski in The Book of Merman. Photo by Christopher Semel COVERAGE EVERY STATUS WEEK Photo exhibit on

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NEWS Advocates protest anti-LGBT pastor on South Side 4 Obituary: Lillethun 4 Bisexual task force holds community forum 6 Couple sue after North Side attack 6 Trans Israeli activist speaks at event 7 Exhibit looks at diverse history of drag 8 When A Great Deal Matters, Shop Rob Paddor’s... Film examines meth use of LGBT POCs 9 ‘Activists & Icons’ exhibit 10 Evanston Subaru in Skokie Forum on LGBT seniors 11 YEPP launches ‘Rise Up’ 12 PROJECT Viewpoints: Monroe; van Pelt 14 CELEBRATE BLACK FRIDAY HERO st CHICAGO INDEX : 9am-9pm C.A.R.E. ENTERTAINMENT/EVENTS Wed,, Nov. 21 Theater reviews 16 Closed - Thanksgiving DOWNLOAD Theater features: Thanksgiving diversions 18 rd Books: Sukie de la Croix on newest work 20 Fri., Nov. 23 : 9am-9pm THIS ISSUE Rose McGowan answers some questions 22 th Witherspoon, Esposito at Chicago event 23 subaru of America will donate $250 to one AND BROWSE THE ARCHIVES AT ., Nov. 24 : 9am-6pm Boooks: Mark Zubro excerpts continue 24 Sat of ix charitie with any new subaru WindyCityTimes th purchae now through January 2nd www. .com Alyson Stoner on Janet Jackson, coming out 26 Mon,, Nov. 26 : 9am-9pm NIGHTSPOTS 27 th Classifieds 29 Tue., Nov. 27 : 9am-9pm Calendar 30 A-N 7  8 DsN PAssNs

VOL 34, NO. 09 NOV. 21, 2018 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com PAGE 4 ANYTHING, Photos by Brooke Nagler ROSE Rose McGowan answers some questions. Photo courtesy of McGowan LOSING MY RELIGION 22

SUKIE DE Activists protest anti-LGBT LA CROIX Out raconteur on his latest work. minister on South Side Photo courtesy of de la Croix

Photos of James Baldwin and David 20 Bowie by Steve Schapiro, courtesy ICONIC of Fahey Klein Gallery ENTERTAINING THE GUESTS EXPANDED WITH OUR SUGGESTED THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES ARTS

Sam Massey, Nicole Frydman and Michael Idalski in The Book of Merman. Photo by Christopher Semel COVERAGE EVERY STATUS WEEK Photo exhibit on

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See your local Subaru re- DAILY BREAKING NEWS tailer for details or visit subaru.com/share. All donations are made by Subaru of America, Inc. Pre-approved Hometown Charities may be selected for donation depending on retailer participation. Certain participating retailers may make an additional donation to the Hometo wn Charities selected. 4 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Activists protest pastor’s removal of gay teen over his clothing choices BY CARRIE MAXWELL by one of the police officers, who told him he was getting too loud with his protest chants. About 20 activists gathered Nov. 18 at Power “I thank God for all my supporters here and on House International Ministries, 7040 S. West- social media,” said Haywood. “No church can put ern Ave., during the Sunday evening service to me in heaven or hell. Only God can do that and protest Rev. Antonio Rocquemore’s removal of a for [the pastor] to put me out of the church was 16-year-old gay teenager, Antwan Haywood, from wrong. Also, all of these police [officers] being the congregation last Sunday, Nov. 11. here is not right either because I told everyone As the activists began to arrive at the storefront this was going to be a peaceful protest and I church with their protest signs and a rainbow flag would not stand for any violence.” with the 50 stars, four Chicago police vehicles “What they did to my son was wrong,” said Hay- drove up with flashing lights. The 10 police of- wood’s mom, Tonia Haywood. ficers formed a U-shape at the door to the edge of “Having this many police officers here is ridicu- the sidewalk that prevented the protesters from lous,” said lesbian activist and protest organizer getting close to the church. Courtney Haskins. “God loves everybody. I asked Some of the parishioners who arrived for the the pastor’s wife if Antwan was allowed in the Photos by Brooke Nagler service scowled at the protestors as they entered church tonight and she said no. I asked if God the building, with one getting into a heated dis- would let him into heaven based on how he was cussion with a protestor about how homosexual- dressed and she had no reply except to say she trying to wrong us for the wrong reasons,” said Haywood from the church service the previous ity is interpreted in the Bible. was not God.” protestor Mia Forman. “We are representing the weekend, Lela Rocquemore confirmed that it was During the protest, Haywood explained that “God loves you no matter what so you should LGBT community and nothing else. We love God due to how he was dressed. Rocquemore ejected him because of the way he come as you are, not how others want you to be,” and Jesus just as much as [the pastor] does or so See http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/ was dressed the previous weekend—checkered said protestor Ardelia Perry. he says, but all I can see here [with this church] lgbt/Local-minister-ejects-gay-parishioner- button down shirt, black jeans and black boots “We should not have to stand out here and fight is a cult.” for-wearing-womens-clothes/64750.html for with wedge heels. Haywood was also pulled aside for who we are when someone [like the pastor] is When asked why her pastor husband ejected more on this story.

lumbia College (again, cum laude), Todd found Brommel—a retired Northeastern Illinois His legacy will not only be the landmark policies great satisfaction in a 13-year career as a social University professor, therapist and philanthro- and the new generation of legislators he has worker, ultimately serving as program director at pist—passed away Sept. 22 in Kalamazoo. His fought for, but the countless advocates he has Renaissance Social Services. Todd then served as obituary is at http://www.windycitymedia- inspired along the way.” program director for Chicago Filmmakers for four group.com/lgbt/Bernard-Brommel-passes-away- The HRC board will work to establish an execu- years and as a career counselor for film students at-88/64226.html. tive search process for Griffin’s successor over at Northwestern University for three years. the coming weeks. A successful independent filmmaker, Todd wrote, directed and edited short films and docu- Griffin to step down mentaries that played at film festivals around ‘Stonewall 50 March’ the world. as HRC president The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced He was the beloved husband and partner of planned for NYC that President Chad Griffin has informed the The Reclaim Pride Coalition (RPC)—formed by 12 years to D. Brandon Fogel; cherished son of board of directors that he will depart the orga- LGBTQ+ activists in early 2018 to protest what John Louis Lillethun and Donna Maria Lillethun nization in 2019, after seven years at the helm, it “called the corporatization and gross mis- (nee Buckley); loving brother of Chad (Angela according to the organization. management of NYC Pride by Heritage of Pride Frizzo) Lillethun; uncle of Nadia Josephine Lille- In a press release, HRC touted accomplish- (HOP)”—is planning a “Stonewall 50 March for thun; and son-in-law of Linda (the late Ronald) ments under Griffin, including doubling its Human Rights and Social Justice” on the 50th Kane and Donald (Cathy) Fogel. membership, staff and budget to meet its ex- anniversary of the historic Stonewall Riots. There will be a memorial event Saturday, Dec. panded goals and opportunities. During Griffin’s The release also stated, “The call-to-action Todd Lillethun. 1, at 2 p.m., at Episcopal Church of the Atone- tenure, HRC has also led efforts to win marriage comes on the heels of HOP’s announcement at Photo from Cremation Society of Illinois ment, 5749 N. Kenmore Ave.. equality, introduce the Equality Act, and estab- internal planning meetings that it is strongly In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in lish new programs to expand protections across considering the Barclays Center as the site for his name to RSSIChicago.org, Arthritis.org or PASSAGES the Deep South and around the globe, among the 2019 WorldPride Opening Ceremony. The ChurchOfTheAtonement.org. other things. Brooklyn-based arena is managed by AEG, the Arrangements by Cremation Society of Illinois, Todd Lillethun Griffin said, in part, “For decades, this organi- company owned by homophobic billionaire Phil- Todd Anthony Lillethun—a filmmaker and 773-281-5058 or Cremation-society.com social worker who was a native of Janesville, zation has shown the world that love conquers ip Anschutz who has donated millions of dollars Wisconsin, and a resident of Chicago’s Edgewa- hate. But this year, in this election, with the to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations and politicians ter neighborhood—passed away peacefully at Memorial event for future of our democracy on the ballot and the since 1992.” home, surrounded by the love of family, on Nov. equality of future generations on the line, we RPC is calling for groups and individuals ev- 14. He was 46. Brommel on Dec. 1 proved that votes conquer hate, too.” erywhere to sign up and endorse their vision for After graduating cum laude with a B.S. in There will be a memorial events for Dr. Bernard In a separate statement, Planned Parenthood a 2019 Stonewall 50 Human Rights and Social social work from the University of Wisconsin- J. Brommel on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. in the Federation of America President Dr. Leana Wen Justice March. Visit https://reclaimpridenyc. Milwaukee and earning a B.A. in film from Co- Alumni Hall of the Student Union, Northeastern said, “We all live in a more equal and just soci- org/get-involved/. Illinois University, 5500 N. Saint Louis Ave. ety because of Chad and his leadership at HRC. WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 5

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City of Chicago for a police officer who had Chicago Bisexual Health killed two boys drinking and driving,” noted Cavanagh. “It’s not beyond me to understand that the police have some bad apples, and that Task Force holds first the ‘code of silence’ allows police officers to get breaks that seem to fester. That was what happened here—this guy had a criminal his- community forum tory, the police department knew about it and he should have been fired. … He was arrested BY CARRIE MAXWELL improve the lives of bisexual+ individuals in the two times and the only [CPD] punishment we Chicagoland area by mobilizing communities, en- know about was that he was put on desk duty.” The newly formed Chicago Bisexual Health Task gaging in research, advocacy, and education, and Sherwood and Stacha “want to make sure Force (CBHTF) held a World Café style community supporting the development and implementation that this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” he forum sponsored by the AIDS Foundation of Chi- of policies and programs and the vision of the added. “They were very dismayed and troubled cago Nov. 12 at University Center on State Street. CBHTF is a thriving diverse bisexual+ community to find out that a Chicago police sergeant and The task force is made up of community mem- in the Chicagoland area that is visible, vibrant an Oak Park police officer were involved in bers, healthcare professionals and researchers and healthy.” this.” AMA adopts new policies at meeting The American Medical Association (AMA) vot- John Sherwood. From left: Lauren ed to adopt new policies on emerging health- Photo courtesy of Tim Cavanagh Beach,Mike Oboza, care topics during the voting session of its re- Jim Pickett, cent interim meeting. Adrienne McCue. Couple sue police The House of Delegates adopted policies Brian Feinstein such as: and Ashley Walker. —Affirming the medical spectrum of gender: officer, others after The AMA will oppose efforts to deny an individ- Photo by Carrie Maxwell nightclub attack ual’s right to determine their stated sex marker BY MATT SIMONETTE or gender identity. The new policy comes just weeks after a memo circulated within the A gay Chicago couple is continuing their civil Trump Administration proposed narrowly defin- lawsuit against a Chicago Police Department ing sex as “a person’s status as male or female (CPD) officer, an Oak Park police officer and two based on immutable biological traits identifi- others after they allegedly assaulted the couple able by or before birth,” according to the New in front of the @mosphere bar in Andersonville York Times; on Sept. 29. @mosphere is also named in the —Protecting the integrity of public health focused on improving the lives and health of The World Café discussion, led by Walker, fea- suit. data collection: In recognition of a need to bisexual people in Chicago. CBHTF has already tured questions surrounding crucial opportunities According to an amended complaint filed better understand the health of sexual and received a proclamation by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenges bisexual people face, where bi/ Nov. 8, John Sherwood and Tomasz Stacha were gender minorities, the AMA will advocate for recognizing this past Sept. 23 as “International pan/queer/fluid people feel supported, and what attacked by CPD officer Eric Elkins, and Oak collection of demographic data in federal and Day of Bisexual Visibility” in Chicago. professional organizations are already doing to Park Police Department officer Dwayne Jones as state surveys that is inclusive of sexual and Speakers included Northwestern University support bisexual people, among many other top- well as Jeffrey Rodriguez and Giovanni Rodri- gender identity; Evaluation, Data Integration and Technical Assis- ics. guez at the nightclub. —Opposing the detention of migrant chil- tance Program Associate Director Lauren Beach; Pickett ended the session with a call for at- “They’re recovering,” said the couple’s law- dren: The AMA will continue to oppose and Step Up For Mental Health President and Execu- tendees to make a least one new connection with yer, Tim Cavanagh. “John sustained a very se- object to policies separating migrant children tive Director Adrienne McCue; Bisexual Queer another attendee during the post-event recep- rious fracture of bone in his leg—the bones from their families, as well as any effort to end Alliance Chicago Founder Brother Mike Oboza; tion. were sticking out of the skin. He had to have or weaken a 1997 legal settlement that limits Northwestern University Institute for Sexual and Speaking about her experience after the event, surgery and was in a surgery for a very lengthy the length of time and conditions under which Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing Research Center on Halsted State of Illinois HIV and STD period of time.” the U.S. government can detain immigrant Assistant Professor Brian Feinstein; Northwest- Hotline Manager and AFC Associate Board Member After the event, news trickled out that El- children; ern University School of Communications Media, Nicole Holmes, who identifies as bisexual, said, kins had a history of legal problems; a Chicago —Increased access to identification cards for Technology and Society Ph.D. candidate Ashley “The conversation was incredibly fruitful and I Sun-Times article detailed incidents where he those experiencing homelessness: Delegates Walker; and AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) am glad networking time was worked into it, so was first accused in 2003 of having sex with approved a resolution supporting legislative Prevention Advocacy Senior Director Jim Pickett, people could connect on a social level. Being so- a minor—a charge he was cleared of—and, in and policy changes that streamline, simplify all of whom are founding members of the CBHTF. cial was the recurring theme throughout, even 2015, when he was accused of touching the and reduce/eliminate the cost of obtaining Beach explained that this was CBHTF’s inau- though we were focusing on health issues. When penis of a teenager in Michigan. He pled guilty identification cards for the homeless popula- gural forum and McCue spoke about the blog she we think of health, it often concerns housing to a lesser charge and has been on CPD desk tion; and created 10 years ago, Bi Social Network, and how insecurity, HIV and smoking cessation, but so- duty since, while the department investigates. —Increasing patient access to sexual-assault that led to her involvement with CHBTF while cial health is a very important piece as one gets “I’ve handled cases like this in the past, and medical forensic examinations and post-expo- Oboza gave highlights of the bisexual movement further into the intersectionalities of the LGBTQ obtained a $20-million settlement against the sure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV in emergency since the ‘70s. community.” departments. Feinstein spoke about the origins of CBHTF, See https://www.facebook.com/groups/ which trace back to the bisexual health “We ChiBiHealthTF. See You” symposium that AFC and Northwestern For more information about the “We See @windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup sponsored in November 2017. He said that since You” symposium, visit http://www.windycity- April 2018 the task force has held bi-monthly mediagroup.com/lgbt/AFC-conference-focus- meetings. es-on-bisexual-health/60995.html. @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com The mission of CBHTF, Feinstein said, “is to WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 7 Trans Israeli activist speaks at Temple Sholom BY CARRIE MAXWELL visibility or awareness in his community. According to Erez, he was terrified to be an out Ofer Erez—Jerusalem Open House (JOH) CEO and trans man when he got his mandatory recruitment the first trans officer to serve openly in the Israel letter, so he entered the IDF as a woman. He said Defense Forces (IDF)—was the featured speaker the process of coming out publicly to his entire recently at Temple Sholom. unit did not happen until he finished officer Erez is currently on A Wider Bridge’s (AWB) Im- training school everyone was very supportive. An pact Tour, in which the organization brings Is- article about Erez—one in which he had issues raeli grantees to the United States to share their with how the author portrayed him—neverthe- stories. AWB, the Jewish United Fund/Federation less led to other trans people coming to him for of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) and Temple Sho- advice. lom co-sponsored this particular event. After coming out, Erez co-led the creation and Temple Sholom Associate Rabbi Shoshanah implementation of a trans-inclusive policy for Conover spoke about how important it is for their the IDf. It discussed medical services; addressing synagogue to show solidarity with the LGBTQ trans people by their preferred pronoun and cho- Ofer Erez and Jeroen Vahrmeijer. community, and recited a portion of the Torah sen name; and uniforms and living quarters that Photo by Carrie Maxwell that talks about who is seen and not seen, and matches one’s gender identity. Erez noted that how people are perceived by the wider world. the IDF publicly announced that gender dyspho- JOH organizes, is made possible by the commu- lence, especially in this current political climate, AWB Western and Midwest States Director Je- ria is not a mental health disability. nity and outside donations like AWB’s impact said Erez. roen Vahrmeijer led the discussion. In addition, Erez is the first trans person to head JOH, one grant. He added that the march has grown ev- Other speakers included Jewish Federations of Vahrmeijer said Erez recently received AWB’s first- of the oldest LGBTQ organizations in Israel. He ery year, but there has been opposition. A man North America LGBTQ Mission to Israel Co-Chair ever LGBTQ Trailblazer Award. said many LGBTQ Jerusalem residents rely on JOH who stabbed marchers in 2005 was sent to prison Michael Bauer, AWB Board Chair Bruce Maxwell Erez spoke about his upbringing on a kibbutz, to provide them with services and support; that and released 10 years later, even though he said and JUF Next Gen Initiatives Assistant Vice Presi- saying he felt different than the other kids, and includes an HIV clinic that provides confidential he would stab marchers again. He did just that dent Sally Preminger. wanting to have a shaved head and wear boys’ and anonymous testing, the only one of its kind in 2015, where he injured five people and killed To read more about Erez, visit http://www. clothes. His parents were supportive and granted in the city. Shira Banki. windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Trans-Israeli- his wishes. He did not know there was a word for Erez said that unlike Tel Aviv, which has its It is important to be engaged and take action activist-Ofer-Erez-on-making-IDF-history-Open- how he was feeling until he met another trans Pride parade financed by the city government, on behalf of minority communities across the House-role/64455.html. young man when he was 16; there was no trans Jerusalem’s March for Pride and Tolerance, which globe who are being targeted for hate and vio- See http://www.jerusalemopenhouse.com/.

DISCOVER THE WORLD’S MOST TOWERING ARCHITECTURE.

BREATHTAKING EXHIBITS. AWE-INSPIRING TOURS. ENDLESS WAYS TO EXPERIENCE THE BRILLIANCE BEHIND CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE. NOW OPEN 8 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Exhibit opening marks Chicago’s history of diversity in drag BY KELSEY HOFF “Gay is Good: Homophile Activism before Stone- wall,” which included a lot of text. Costumes from The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives collabo- Toots Lorraine and contemporary queen Jojo Baby rated with The Jackhammer Complex on a drag will be on display along with artwork by Chicago performance to accompany the opening of a artist Chad Sell, popular with RuPaul’s Drag Race new exhibit, “The City that Werqs: A History of queens, and vinyl records used by Chicago per- Chicago’s Drag Revolutionaries” on Nov. 10. Ger- formers. Some of the oldest pieces come from the ber/Hart has been promoting the exhibit on In- turn of the 20th century, including Thomas Edi- stagram with #TillieTuesday, sharing pictures of son’s 1901 film The Old Maid Having her Picture Tillie “The Dirty Old Lady” and sneak peeks at Taken, an example of female impersonation, and magazines, newspapers and ephemera from their articles on the annual First Ward Ball with images collections. from the 1907 and 1908 years. Conley notes that while these older visual pieces are rare glimpses of early drag performance, we don’t know how the performers would have considered their gender Above: Curators Chase Ollis, James Conley, C’est Kevvie, Jen Dentel and Kurt Heinrich. Below: Coco performance or identity because the terminology Sho-Nell performs. for how we understand drag had not yet been Photos by Kelsey Hoff developed. Throughout Chicago’s history, drag has re- mained a site of integration and diversity. Ar- ticles from the 1920s cover parties that brought queens together with bootleggers, anarchists, communists, mobsters and other outcasts. Dur- ing this time, drag was not so much its own separate entity, but part of the city’s prohibition underground. Chicago drag shows saw attendees of different races mingling through the ‘50s and ‘60s while they remained segregated almost ev- erywhere else. While these artifacts form a chronology of events, the team had to dig a bit deeper to craft a narrative authentic to today’s drag culture. The interviewees were able to put Chicago drag into a national context based on their experiences per- The tongue that was on display at Carol’s forming in group shows and traveling to perform Speakeasy. in other cities. Photo by Kelsey Hoff Conley and his team found that many Chicago performers repeated some variation of the senti- James Conley, project manager and lead cu- ment that “In Chicago, you can find any kind of rator for The City that Werqs—along with Kurt drag you can imagine almost any night of the Heinrich, Jennifer Dentel, Chase Ollis and Kev- week.” Without a predominant “scene,” Chicago vie Vida—interviewed Chicago drag performers offers more than a traditional understanding of to create a “Drag Diary” and conducted historical diversity in its drag culture, expanding to diver- research to find images and articles from various sity in style and innovation. Conley points out publications. that three different performers doing lip synch tory, quoted revolutionary queens and described comedy (Saltine), political satire (Coco Sho- Some of the most radical “Revolutionaries” in could present it in completely different ways, some of their most famous outfits. He stressed Nell), and performance art (Rosemary Maybe). the exhibit performed in the 1960s and ‘70s, such from extravagant, non-traditional outfits to high that Gerber/Hart’s collections were instrumental Drag King Dago T paired up with Rosemary Maybe as Wanda Lust, who traveled with a VD testing glamour, comedy, avant-garde and everything in to his works. The team of curators shared their to perform “I’ve Got You Babe” by Sonny and van promoting sexual health conversations and between. The longstanding community in the roles in creating the exhibit and personal stories Cher as Gomez and Morticia Addams. The entire giving out free condoms. Toots Lorraine and Miss Boystown and Lakeview neighborhoods has ex- about how drag and studying drag history has in- audience sang along to the final number led by Tillie, both active in the ‘60s and ‘70s, have two panded to venues in Andersonville and Rogers fluenced them. C’est Kevvie, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna, and the of the richest collections centered around a spe- Park, and parties on the West and South sides Drag-show performers included Coco Sho-Nell, other performers joined her in an encore. cific performer. The Miss Continental pageant, bring together a more geographically diverse mix Saltine, Rosemary Maybe, Dago T and host C’est The exhibit is on display at the Gerber/Hart founded in the ‘80s and still running at the Ba- of performers with different tastes. Kevvie, who was part of the exhibit research Library and Archives, 6500 N. Clark St. See ton Show Lounge, is perhaps Chicago’s most sig- The exhibit opening began with a welcome team. They performed a variety of drag styles, GerberHart.org. nificant contribution to American drag. The Vixen from Gerber/Hart Board President John D’Emilio. branching out from traditional lip synching to represents one of today’s drag revolutionaries; Historian Owen Keehnen spoke about four drag she incorporated activism for Black queens into performers whom he studied for two forthcom- @windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup her routine in response to retaliation after one of ing books: Roby Landers, Miss Tillie, Wanda Lust her performances in Boystown. and the Bearded Lady, all included in the ex- Conley pointed out that this exhibit features a hibit. Keehnen shared stories about significant @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com wealth of images compared to the previous one, and shocking moments in Chicago’s drag his- WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 9

YOUR PERFECT DAY

Kareem Strong, D’Ontace Keyes, Michael Rice and Erik Glenn discuss parTy boi. Photo by Matt Simonette

or shame in parTyboi. Doc explores meth “I’m always worried that there’s not enough humanity in the stories that are told about us,” use by LGBT said Erik Glenn, executive director of Chicago persons of color Black Gay Men’s Caucus. BY MATT SIMONETTE D’Ontace Keyes of AIDS Foundation of Chica- go and Kareem Strong of Chicago Center of HIV Brooklyn-based filmmaker Michael Rice was Elimination joined Rice and Glenn for the discus- among those those on hand to discuss the preva- sion, which was moderated by Maya Green, MD, of lence and circumstances of crystal methamphet- Howard Brown Health. amine use among LGBT persons of color on Nov. Among those films BAFF also presented Nov. 16 16. were the short Congo Cabaret; Saturday Church, The discussion came about following a discus- a full-length musical drama; and the web series sion of Rice’s documentary parTy boi: Black Dia- pilot After Party. monds in Ice Castles as part of the Black Alpha- bet Film Festival (BAFF), which kicked off that evening with screenings at Malcom X College. The Report: 17-percent filmmaker was joined onstage by Chicago-area increase in advocates. Rice interviewed meth users, their family mem- hate crimes IT STARTS HERE bers and advocates in both New York City and Reflecting a trend from recent years, the FBI Los Angeles to trace both how the drug came to reported more than a 17-percent rise in hate Where Magnificent Mile elegance meets the be regularly used by LGBT people of color and crimes in the United States. how and why various individuals used it. The film The latest annual report showed 7,175 bias grandeur of Chicago’s architectural glory, explores in detail how stressors from systems of crimes in 2017 that targeted 8,493 victims based LondonHouse Chicago offers couples one of the on race, gender, gender identity, religion, disabil- racism and classism, among others, often had a city’s most unforgettable wedding venues. hand in decisions about meth use. Rice filmed ity, sexual orientation and ethnicity—up from several of his subjects smoking the drug as they 6,121 in 2016. FBI.gov also noted that the num- explain their processes for taking it. ber of law enforcement agencies reporting hate From our iconic rooftop and Cupola, to the In the Nov. 16 discussion, Rice said he was in- crime data increased as well, with approximately stunning Juliet Grand Ballroom with its incredible spired to make the documentary after a friend 1,000 additional agencies contributing informa- views of the Chicago River and city skyline, died from an overdose at a party. That person’s tion. ® family was so distraught that they had no fu- In Illinois, 32 agencies reported 82 hate LondonHouse Chicago offers you an array of neral. crimes. California led the nation, with 232 ag- show-stopping settings for your special day. “Just like that, all my memories I had of my enies reporting 1,094 incidents. friend were gone,” he added. In addition, there were 1,130 incidents na- Further inspired by a quote by Nina Simone— tionwide involving sexual orientation, and 119 “It is an artist’s duty to speak of the times”— connected to gender identity. Sexual orientation Rice decided to look at the issue closely on film. was the motivation for 15.8 percent of single- Rice said, “I knew something was changing in the bias incidents, with gender identity accounting 85 EAST WACKER DRIVE AT NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE Black and Latino communities.” for 1.6 percent. He noted that the film was intended as a safe- The full report is at https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate- 312 357 1200 | LONDONHOUSECHICAGO.COM space for dialogue around the issue as well. Par- crime/2017. ticipants praised him for not casting judgement 10 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES PHOTOGRAPHY Exhibit honors impactful activists, celebrities BY ARIEL PARRELLA-AURELI “[The pictures] recollect a period of time and I am glad I was able to do something that helped Steve Schapiro knows how to be in the right depict the important period of time for all of us,” place at the right time. Schapiro said. “Pictures that could possibly be He might not be a household name, but his iconic or do something that reverberates with photographs have been seen by thousands people and have some emotional feelings about a worldwide and his subjects are heroes of the lot of them make me happy.” civil-rights movement, the LGBTQ community and As a documentarian and storyteller, that is the social-justice causes. The photojournalist and ac- main goal: to share the scene and elicit a re- tivist started photographing at the age of nine action from the public. Schapiro’s photos show and has not stopped since. personal perspectives from historic icons in the The Chicago-based photographer’s latest ex- equality movement and linger on many unknown hibit, “Activists and Icons: The Photographs of young activists of the time. With signs that read Steve Schapiro,” can be seen at the Illinois Ho- “Stop police killings” and “We march for first- locaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie class citizenship” and a powerful image of a and features some of Schapiro’s most influential young Black man with the word “Vote” painted “March on Washington,” which is part of the exhibit. work from the 1960s. From Martin Luther King, on his forehead, these images feel omnipresent Photo by Steve Schapiro, courtesy of Fahey Klein Gallery Jr., Rosa Parks, Joan Baez, Robert and Jacqueline and are still relevant today. Having experienced Kennedy to James Baldwin, Schapiro was at the both historical times, Schapiro said the only dif- forefront of the civil rights movement and those ference between 1965 and now is the behavior of Chief curator Arielle Weininger said the theme tos show the dedication Schapiro had to the sub- standing up to injustices. He also photographed law enforcement. of the exhibit is equality, a value that resonates ject and why his work stood out from the other activists and celebrities who challenged cultural “The difference back then was all the police with the LGBTQ community. A pioneer icon in photographers capturing the events. norms such as David Bowie, Barbra Streisand, were against this nonviolent movement that was the LGBTQ community was Bowie, who is the last “He emphasized the day-to-day work of the or- Mohammed Ali, Andy Warhol and Rita Schwerner, going on to gain the vote and today it’s more picture in the gallery and representative of the ganizers that are the thousands behind the few widow of Michael Schwerner, one of the three ac- individual cops who have an inner sense of vio- LGBTQ scene. Weininger said he was included to in order to make the movement work,” she said. tivists killed by the Ku Klux Klan near Philadel- lence” and are less considerate toward minority show his impact on re-identifying gender and The order of the photos was pivotal in telling phia, Mississippi in 1964. groups, he said. his embrace of cross-dressing. “[He] pushed the the right story of Schapiro’s character, the cura- limits of what was ‘out’ in American society,” tors said, separating the gallery in half: one side Weininger said, adding that Baldwin, who was is the icons and the other is the activists—and gay, did as well, although more privately. some blend into both. Schapiro said the photoshoot with Bowie was “Schapiro documented the civil rights move- very unexpected and it showed an aspect of him ment with care and intimacy, unlike others who the public was not used to seeing: a spiritual arrived at a pivotal moment and left once they side. He said Bowie was not flamboyant but rath- got the shot,” said guest curator Erik Gellman, er calm and introspective; he drew white stripes Associate Professor of History at the University on everything and then proceeded to draw on the of North Carolina. floor the Tree of Life, or the Kabbalah in Jewish Schapiro’s photographs of the civil-rights tradition. movement appeared in Life magazine and, in the Schapiro published a whole book about his ‘70s, he did work for Rolling Stone, Look, Time, time with Bowie in 2016, and he said he was in- Newsweek, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, People fluential to the LGBTQ community and to our cul- and Paris Match. He also shot on set of “Taxi ture as a whole for the way he expressed himself. Driver,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “The Godfather,” “All of us have a particular point of view and “Rambo,” “Risky Business” and “Billy Madison.” we don’t always express [it] to its fullest but Da- He also published 11 books and his work has vid Bowie expressed all of his inner feelings in a been in worldwide renowned art galleries. very strong way,” Schapiro said. “I appreciate the One would never know that it is a challenge enormous growth he had as a person and also all for Schapiro to take good photos—or so he says. that he revealed as his inner self and his inner Looking back on all of the people he has pho- feelings.” tographed in the past—many who became his The exhibition’s 46 large-format photographs close friends—Schapiro considers his career a tell the story of pioneering moments in history humbling one and is happy these pictures are re- from the March on Washington in 1963 to Robert ceiving more exposure now, after all these years. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1968. When “Those people still have the same charisma gathering photos for it, Schapiro said he discov- that they used to have,” he said. “I have been ered many he had forgotten about, ones that had very lucky in terms of who I have been able to never been published but held the same weight photograph and the experience of doing it.” as those already seen by the world. He did not The exhibit runs until Oct. 27, 2019, and think they would still be of interest today and is free with museum admission. See https:// that was certainly not on his mind as he was in www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/activists-and- the moment 50 years ago. icons/. Weininger said seeing these unpublished pho- WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 11 Forum focuses on This Week’s Featured Properties LGBT seniors’ housing 5645 N. Ravenswood Ave. / Movie Studio $4,995,000 Amazing opportunity for production studio, and legal rights event space, or over-the-top single family house. 21,500 square foot building with BY MATT SIMONETTE tion centering around persons harassed, abused production facilities, expansive spaces with or refused public accommodations, among them soaring ceilings with 2 60’x5’ skylights, The renewed attacks on the LGBT community by married lesbian couple Mary Walsh and Beverly custom half-court gym, custom fully- right-wing elements in recent years, just as many Nance, who were refused by Friendship Village, a equipped theater, full-service commercial LGBT persons who are aging will rely ever more Missouri senior housing facility. kitchen, vacuum elevator to green roof. Too much to list. Must see to believe - perhaps on robust and equitable public-accommodations “Literally, if either Beverly or Mary had been a one of the coolest spaces in the city. policy, was the subject of discussion at a com- man, they would have been allowed to move in,” munity forum at Howard Brown Health’s Rogers said Whelan, noting that LGBT seniors quite com- Park facilities Nov. 14. monly had to re-enter the closet when moving 2432 N. Surrey Ct. A key component of discussions amongst advo- into such facilities. Serena Worthington, director $2,550,000 cates for Chicago LGBT seniors is housing. Activ- of national field initiatives for SAGE, noted that Ideally located on an oversized 30x140 lot on ist Don Bell, who lives in Town Hall Apartments about 90 percent of senior housing facilities are a one-way street in Lincoln Park, this custom in Lake View, said that his residence is a commu- affiliated with a religious institution. All panel- Metzler-Hull solid-masonry house, designed nity asset, but belongs to a housing model that ists agreed that cultural competency training was by noted architect Dan Wheeler, reflects a cannot be sustained as LGBT community members vital for housing facility employees. rare & impressive attention to detail in its age in greater numbers: “While I am blessed to It fell on Whelan to lead what she called the design, construction & finishes. Dreamy yard, benefit from what exists, that is not the answer “depressing part” of the forum, a detailed listing three car garage. for the future.” of efforts by the Trump administration to undo various LGBT rights and accommodations. She 1457 W. Addison St. noted that all such gains came during the Obama $1,995,000 administration, and that Trump and his officials Centered on an open steel stairwell with vowed to undo most if not all policy that Obama a shimmering three-story water feature put into place. But she was not entirely pessi- running against a subway slate backdrop, mistic about the future. the residence is reminiscent of a Parisian “There’s a certain amount of progress that can’t garden court with an abundance of natural be rolled back as long as everyone remains vigi- light reflecting off an array of stones, metals, lant and engaged,” said Whelan. woods, and glass. Paula Basta, director of Senior Services for Chi- cago Housing Authority, and Kim Hunt, executive 3750 N. Lake Shore Dr. #4D director of Pride Action Tank, also spoke in the $549,000 presentation, which SAGE and the National Center Experience sophistication and high design in for Lesbian Rights sponsored. stunning east-facing, renovated showplace. Full-service co-op building with indoor pool and extensive work-out facilities. Sisters in Cinema planning media hub The Chicago-based non-profit Sisters in Cinema 900 N. Lake Shore Dr., #1805 has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the $259,000 rehab and building of the Sisters in Cinema Media Super cool mid-century studio with fantastic Arts Center. lake views in move-in condition in a classic Founded by award-winning filmmaker Yvonne mid-century Mies building. Prime Streeterville Welbon, the center will be located on Chicago’s location - an easy walk to Michigan Avenue, South Shore, the neighborhood where she was Northwestern hospital, the lake and the raised. beach. Sisters in Cinema launched in 1997 as an on- line resource for and about African-American women filmmakers. Currently, it is a non-profit Brad Lippitz Group with a mission to entertain, educate, develop and celebrate African-American women filmmak- ers and their audiences. 773.404.1144 The Center will be open to the community and [email protected] Amy Whelan at the talk. offer workshops, courses, screenings, scholar bradlippitz.com Photo by Matt Simonette resources and opportunities to network with in- 3323 N. Broadway dustry professionals. Sisters in Cinema wants as Availability of housing resources is closely much of this as possible to be free. For over 20 years, Brad has been a proud member and linked to other challenges facing LGBT seniors, To donate to the Sisters in Cinema’s crowd- supporter of the community; no real estate broker in the especially discrimination in senior-facilities and funding page, visit https://goo.gl/rhwTVK. For Compass Real Estate is a licensed real estate broker with a principal office York,in New NY and abidesbut by isall subject applicable to errors, Equal omissions, Housing Opportunity changes in price, laws. condition, All material sale, orpresented withdrawal hereinherein without shallis intended notice. be construed for No statementinformational as legal, is made accounting aspurposes to the accuracy oronly. other ofInformation any description. professional is compiled advice All measurements outsidefrom sources the realm anddeemed square of real reliable estate footages brokerage. are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing city sells or gives back as much to the community. lack of socialization. more information about Sisters in Cinema visit Amy Whelan, senior staff attorney for the Na- SistersInCinema.com or email info@sistersincin- tional Center for Lesbian Rights, detailed litiga- ema.com. 12 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES YEPP launches ‘Rise Up’ at Chicago Theater Works BY VERNON HESTER

The Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP) presented its inaugural annual fundraiser, “Rise Up: A Celebration of Resilience” at Chicago Theater Works on Nov. 14. The event also ac- knowledged the Transgender Day of Remembrance as well as November being National Runaway and Homeless Month. YEPP ensemble members largely curated the fundraiser, which featured testimonials and spo- ken word and dance performances as well as a DJ, a buffet, a cash bar and a photo booth. Among the performances were dance segments featuring Antonio Gray and Malia with spoken pieces by Sticky Buns, Angelina Nordstrom, Gray, Cheyenne Butler and Levi Perez. The program also featured a special “Say Her Above: Sabrina Hampton (from left), La Tony Alvarado-Rivera, Bonsai Bermudez, Dulce Quintero, Name” segment that acknowledged transgender Cindy Ibarra . Left: Cheyenne Butler. individuals who were the victims of violence in Photos by Vern Hester the past year. YEPP board members Bonsai Ber- mudez, Pheonix Forbes and Avi Bowie also took the stage while LaTony Alvarado-Rivera emceed. introduced a resolution that calls for President YEPP is a yearly performance group designed City committee to Trump and the Department of Health and Hu- to provide a safe environment for LGBTQ youth man Services to cease attempts to define gen- experiencing homelessness. Through workshops, discuss pro-trans der that excludes transgender identity. panels and performances, YEPP investigates new The committee will vote after hearing testi- ways to address members’ struggles and celebrate resolution On Wed., Nov. 28, at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle mony and, at the next City Council meeting on their strengths through self, leadership and com- St., room 200, the Committee on Human Rela- Wed., Dec 12, it will make a recommendation to munity development. While ensemble members tions will hold a meeting. the full City Council. participate in the program, YEPP supports them Ald. Tom Tunney and the rest of the LGBT with resources such as housing, employment, Caucus (Alds. James Cappleman, Deb Mell, Car- education, legal aid, health, food, transportation los Ramirez-Rosa and Raymond Lopez) have and other basic needs.

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and lawful processes are good in themselves and ligence, called CNN anchor Don Lemon the dumbest protect the weak and lawful.” man on TV and said Auntie Maxine Waters has a low The scripture has been used as a text of terror by IQ. Rev. Irene miscreant thugs in power throughout history, in- Trump has also called NFL players “sons of MONROE cluding slave owners, Nazi sympathizers, apartheid b*tches” for taking knees at games, created birther enforcers, supporters of Japanese-American intern- fearmongering and came to national attention when ment, and loyalists opposed to the American Revolu- he took out full-page advertisements in four New Does the GOP have a tion. York newspapers calling for the return of the death VOL. 34, No. 09, Nov. 21, 2018 In 2017, Boston-born White House Chief of Staff penalty for the Central Park Five—and he continued The combined forces of Windy City Times, racist cutoff point? John Kelly came off as a diehard lost cause apolo- his call after they were exonerated. founded Sept. 1985, and Outlines newspaper, founded May 1987. gist on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show. His remarks Trump’s embrace of white supremacy showed itself President Donald Trump traffics in racial epithets. reopened a divide deep in this country about slavery in his statement about Black immigrants from what Since his first year in office, Trump’s displays of PUBLISHER Terri Klinsky when he told the conservative media television host he depicted as “sh*thole countries.” And Trump’s xenophobic, misogynistic, LGBTQ-phobic and racist that he viewed Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as removal of white-supremacist groups—the Ku Klux remarks (to name just a few from his laundry list of EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andrew Davis “an honorable man” and that “the lack of an ability Klan, Identitarians, Identity Christians, Neo-Nazis bigotry) appear to have no cutoff point. to compromise led to the Civil War.” and neo-Confederates, to name a few—from a list MANAGING EDITOR Matt Simonette The Republican Party under Trump doesn’t seem to But, if a tape of Trump using the N-word appears, a of violent extremist groups put out by the South- DIGITAL DIRECTOR Jean Albright have one, either. ART DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR tape that former White House staffer Omarosa Man- ern Poverty Law Center highlights the Jim Crow era In a recent YouGov poll, 70 percent of Republi- Kirk Williamson igault Newman said a while ago exists, will the GOP Trump wants the country to time travel back to when SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Scott Duff cans said they believe diversity unfairly advantages have a cutoff point? What stance will the Republican he says “Make America Great Again.” BUSINESS MANAGER Ripley Caine Blacks and hurt whites, 59 percent said Blacks don’t Party take? Impeachment or apology? Or will it be The GOP has already demonstrated an allegiance SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Terri Klinsky, have as much motivation as whites, and 59 percent Kirk Williamson, Scott Duff, Kathy Breit, Theresa too feckless to move forward? to its party over the country. White nationalists are said the judicial system treats Blacks fairly. Santos Volpe, Kevin Siarkowski The N-word is one of the most odious of words gradually winning state and county seats, and Dem- NATIONAL SALES Rivendell Media, And, two of Trump’s top staffers are just the tip deriving from this country’s original sin of slavery. ocratic incumbents are running scared in states with 212-242-6863 of the racist iceberg. For example, in June 2018, THEATER AND DANCE EDITOR Catey Sullivan And, it is firmly embedded in the lexicon of racist huge numbers of Trump supporters. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions used the biblical SENIOR WRITERS Jonathan Abarbanel, Mary language that was and still is used to disparage Af- Republicans have no cutoff point when it comes to Shen Barnidge, Liz Baudler, Charlsie Dewey, passage Romans 13 to defend Trump’s indefensible rican-Americans. If Trump used the N-word, then he Trump’s demands and his supporters. With no spine Ross Forman, Carrie Maxwell, Rev. Irene Monroe, “zero-tolerance” immigration policy. Jerry Nunn, Tony Peregrin, Angelique Smith, has breached his oath of office to respect and repre- or moral compass, the GOP will neither impeach “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear Sari Staver, Sarah Toce, Melissa Wasserman sent “all the people” as one who holds the highest Trump nor make him apologize. The Republican Par- and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws WRITERS Sarah Katherine Bowden, Ada Cheng, office in a democratic society. ty—whether willingly or unwillingly—is dragging its Sheri Flanders, Joe Franco, Veronica Harrison, of the government because God has ordained them Trump has a history of racist statements and ac- feet and has become the party of racism. Kelsey Hoff, Aaron Hunt, Eric Karas, Brian Kirst, for the purpose of the order,” said Sessions. “Orderly Paige Listerud, Billy Masters, Scott C. Morgan, tions toward Blacks. He mocked LeBron James’ intel- Amelia Orozco, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Kerry Reid, Dana Rudolph, Ana Serna, Karen Topham, Regina Victor, Sean Margaret Wagner, Lauren has shown great tolerance for sexual harassment to report incidents to law enforcement authorities Warnecke, Steve Warren, Lauren Emily Whalen and assault, it probably should not surprise us. and there is a long history of these types of com- SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Kat Fitzgerald, Hal From the start, DeVos embraced the recommenda- plaints being ignored. Baim, Tim Carroll, Ed Negron, Vernon Hester Toni CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jean Albright tions of groups representing formerly accused per- Other harmful changes include a restrictive defini- DISTRIBUTION Ashina, Allan, Dan, John, Sue VAN PELT sons wanting to overturn guidelines adopted under tion of sexual harassment that would require stu- and Victor the Obama Administration. DeVos virtually ignored dents to endure severe harassment before the school WEB HOSTING LoveYourWebsite.com (lead programmer: Martie Marro) survivors’ stories and it appears she did not take has to respond; allowing schools to adopt a criminal PRESIDENT Tracy Baim Proposed Title IX seriously input from college, university and school standard of evidence in deciding cases when Title IX (773) 871-7610 FAX (773) 871-7609 administrators about the success of their programs is a civil rights law and a lower standard of evidence Editorial: [email protected] changes would gut Sales: [email protected] to better protect students, keep them in school and is more appropriate; setting up a situation for unbal- Calendar: [email protected] critical protections make campuses safer. anced investigations where schools are required to Circulation: [email protected] Along with staff and interns from NOW, I spoke start with the presumption that the named perpetra- Art/ad copy: [email protected] Theater: [email protected] for students out against the proposed rule change recently, cit- tor is not responsible (thus the victims are not to be Copyright 2018 Lambda Publications Inc./Windy City Media ing how dangerous the changes would be for survi- believed); allowing alleged perpetrators to directly Group; All rights reserved. Reprint by permission only. Back everywhere vors. We told Department of Education officials that question their accusers causing more trauma; and, issues (if available) for $5 per issue (postage included). Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, the changes would tip the scales in favor of alleged permitting religious exemptions for schools to avoid and photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and Nov. 16, 2018 no responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials. perpetrators and lead to higher rates of sexual ha- compliance with Title IX protections placing at seri- All rights to letters, art and photographs sent to Windy rassment and violence. We know that sexual violence ous risk LGBTQIA students, pregnant and parenting City Times will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such, subject to editing WASHINGTON—Today, Secretary of Education Betsy affects one in five girls ages 14-18, one in five col- students (some are unmarried), and student who and comment. The opinions expressed by the columnists, DeVos announced sweeping changes to Title IX that cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are their own lege women, one in ten college men and one in four need access to birth control and abortion care. and do not necessarily reflect the position of Windy City would eliminate from schools at all levels nearly all transgender and gender non-conforming students. If these harmful changes are adopted—which we Times. Publication of the name, photograph, or likeness of a person or organization in articles or advertising in Windy responsibilities to protect students from sexual ha- The proposed changes, if adopted, will expand the expect may be the case even though thousands of City Times is not to be construed as any indication of the rassment and violence. The proposed changes would sexual orientation of such person or organization. While epidemic even further. students, parents and activists will protest—we will we encourage readers to support the advertisers who make take our education system back decades to a time The single most damaging provision is the limi- have to turn to lawmakers in the next Congress to this newspaper possible, Windy City Times cannot accept responsibility for advertising claims. when there was very little recourse for students to tation to responding only to complaints that hap- restore Title IX’s proven protections so critical to report harassment or assault and obtain needed sup- pen on campus. It is estimated that 87 percent of keep students safe and in school. WINDY CITY MEDIA GROUP, port. Very often victims—mostly young women— 5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL, 60640 U.S.A college students now live off campus; so that vast Toni Van Pelt is president of the National Orga- (MAILING ADDRESS ONLY) just dropped out of school. majority of victims of harassment and assault would nization for Women (NOW). Coming from a conservative administration which have little protection. Their only recourse would be Windy City Times Deadline every Wednesday OUT! Chicago’s LGBTQ Visitor’s Guide Online annual Windy City Times Wedding and Events Guide Annual Arts and Theater Weekly Online Send columns or letters to [email protected]. www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Letters may be edited for brevity or clarity. ENTERTAINING THE GUESTS WITH OUR SUGGESTED THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES

Sam Massey, Nicole Frydman and Michael Idalski in The Book of Merman. Photo by Christopher Semel

PAGE 18 16 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES THEATER REVIEW HBO series The Wire, who finds himself sucked in who more than anyone else we meet here has by the same forces he campaigned against. suffered from the callousness and injustice of the Rightlynd Rightlynd’s biggest enemy is the Applewood status quo. Playwright: Ike Holter Foundation (embodied by the oily rep played by The alderwoman wins trust easily, including At: Victory Gardens Theater, Jerome Beck), which has been landing “urban that of Benny (Anish Jethmalani), a reporter for 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. renewal” deals throughout Chicago and pushing the Daily News. (Jethmalani, at times, seems to Tickets: 773-871-3000; out small businesses. But as Monica Orozco’s Nina be channeling the mix of cynicism and hope em- VictoryGardens.org; $27-$55 quickly finds out, campaigning in poetry and bodied by the Daily News’ most famous columnist, Runs through: Dec. 23 then trying to govern in prose means disappoint- Mike Royko.) But Nina herself doesn’t always feel ing your constituents—even if you’re not making like someone deserving of that trust. She has BY KERRY REID side deals with drug dealers. passion, to be sure. But we don’t see enough of Director Lisa Portes nimbly handles all the nar- her own roots in the community, other than her Meet Nina Esposito. She’s just taken on a long- rative devices Holter uses to create this tough, loyalty to her late mother’s long-closed corner time alderman and won a seat in City Council by funny, scabrous and sorrowful world. These in- shop and her on-the-verge-of-being-closed old one vote. She’s eager to stop the forces of ra- clude dance sequences, comic asides (Robert Cor- high school. What exactly is her base? What is pacious gentrification and official social neglect nelius as Robinson, the plainspoken owner of a her coalition? I don’t think Holter is going for that have led to school closings and unchecked Rightlynd auto-repair shop, gets a lot of zingers), docu-realism here as much as allegory. Yet when crime in Chicago’s 51st Ward, a.k.a. Rightlynd. and even a terrific street-fight sequence (created Nina cries out late in the play about the commu- She’s fired up and ready to go. by violence director Jaq Seifert) that goes from nity not supporting her, it’s hard not to wonder Monica Orozco and Sasha Smith in Rightlynd. Good luck with that. exhilarating to horrifying. “Who do you think your community is, exactly?” Ike Holter’s latest play bears the name of his Photo by Liz Lauren That tension between comic absurdity and Then again, that might be the cogent point fictional neighborhood, and is designed to be the grim reality doesn’t always gel successfully here. Holter is making—and that political outsiders In Esposito, he’s created a character who feels first chronologically in his “Chicago cycle,” which In particular, the central relationship between learn over and over. Winning isn’t the hard part. like a cunning blend of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already included acclaimed titles such as Exit Nina and ex-con Pac (Eddie Martinez) feels like it Staying in power without losing sight of your and Tommy Carcetti, the “reform” mayor from the Strategy and The Wolf at the End of the Block. could use some more fire and pushback from Pac, goals is.

the basement, a garden by the kitchen door and uity, but don’t be lulled into complacency by a playwright Kristine Thatcher knows her audiences THEATER REVIEW a grandmother who grows vegetables that she premise nowadays undergoing a revival, spurred too well, however, to discount the value of a cooks into hearty stews (recipe in the playbill). by the aging of the boom-generation population. “well-made” play—especially when constructed The Safe House To be sure, grandma Hannah has been experi- So absorbing is the smartly articulated conflict around a showcase role for a female actor of, um, Playwright: Kristine Thatcher encing occasional lapses of memory, but refuses between the intractable Hannah and the overpro- advanced years. At: City Lit Theatre at Edgewater the advice of her son Mathius, who wants her tective Mathius that not until late in the story do Doing the honors in this world premiere pro- Presbyterian Church, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. to relocate to a “retirement center” so he can we consider the motive behind Bridget’s craving duction at City Lit is the always-captivating Tickets: CityLit.org; $32 sell the property to pay his brother and sister-in- for the sanctuary offered by childhood refuges marssie Mencotti as the formidable Hannah Runs through: Dec. 16 law’s medical bills. Complicating matters further and nurturing elders. (whose charms encompass a backstory of immi- is the recent return of Hannah’s granddaughter/ A play progressing in linear real-time, its expo- grant survival and an impromptu song-and-dance BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE Mathius’ niece Bridget, an aspiring artist and sition integrated deftly into dialogue uttered by just prior to intermission). She is flanked by Paul soon-to-be divorcee who champions Hannah’s characters of uniform Northern European-ances- Chakrin and Kat Evans as the kin whose selfless There’s this house, you see—a modest mid-20th- wish to remain independent, even it means tak- try who eventually arrive at a satisfactory resolu- resilience is the factor elevating Ray Toler’s cozy century family-sized dwelling in Lansing, Michi- ing a temporary hiatus from her career. tion to their problems, may seem quaint in an age Midwestern hearth above simple nostalgic scenic gan. The ambience is a study in Norman Rockwell The reluctance of the old to make way for the when fourth wall-breaking monologues and mo- design into the kind of home we wish had been warmth and tranquility, with a laundry room in young has been a theme in literature since antiq- saic narratives gobble up the big awards. Chicago ours. c poor conditions to catch shoplifters. They wear Shorts (personable Ben F. Locke) for his provoc- THEATER REVIEW street clothes to blend in with customers. Like ative dress. Most of Act I plays like sitcom with Plainclothes a fictional movie platoon, there’s one of ev- comic riffs about/between the characters, who CRITICS’PICKS erything: white guy, Asian woman, Latinx guy engage us as personalities or types rather than Women in Magic at Chicago Magic Lounge, Playwright: Spenser Davis (well, Hispanic Cuban) and a Black-identifying real people. Co-directors Kanome Jones and Da- At: Broken Nose Theatre @ Nov. 29-Dec. 1. Female magicians are rare, but mixed-race woman along with other store em- vis keep it energetic, fast and funny, with pop for one weekend, Ladies of Legerdemain Alba, The Den, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. ployees, uniformed guards and perps. White culture references whizzing by which I didn’t Tickets: BrokenNoseTheatre.com; Jade and Lucy Darling headline the shows in the supervisor Bobby (Adam Soule) bends over get but younger audience members did. Ale- swanky Andersonville speakeasy. MSB pay-what-you-can backwards to avoid racist behavior although jandro Tey (the Cubano) and Rob Frankel (store Runs through: Dec. 15 Women of Soul, Black Ensemble, through Jan. others manipulate race cards, but when Bobby exec Jim) are excellent supporting actors in a 27. Even if you can’t define “Soul,” you’ll know is promoted, Asian T (Stephanie Shum) is cer- capable ensemble. BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL how to recognize it by the time this musical re- tain it’s at the expense of mixed-race Karina Davis clearly has writing and directing vue finishes paying homage to a pantheon of star (Carmen Molina). Eventually T chooses to con- chops—he sets up situations well, understands Plainclothes is a comedy with a message, al- vocalists spanning half a century. MSB front unseen store bureaucracy which triggers a pacing and writes good dialogue—but Plain- Gypsy, Porchlight Music Theatre, through Dec. though the message is uncertain as audiences catastrophe for nearly everyone. But not right clothes would be stronger performed in one act may draw interpretations unintended, I sus- 29. E. Faye Butler is ferocious yet tender in this away. T—who is excitable verging on out-of- with more emphasis earlier on the cover-up, exceptional production of a legendary musical. pect, by author Spenser Davis. Baby Boomers control—is complicit in a significant cover-up which now comes arbitrarily out of left field. (me) may see Plainclothes as a statement about Butler was born to play Mama Rose. JA by the security team. Her sudden attack of eth- Also, characters must say each other’s names Neverland, Prop Thtr, through Dec. 2; Pe- irresponsible, immature millennials, since the ics months later seems motivated by her war early and often—Playwriting 101—since the play’s lead characters are perpetually squab- ter Pan, Bros Do Prose at the Mercury Theater, with store management, but clearly connects to program doesn’t list them in order of appear- through Dec. 23. You’ve got two Peter Pan op- bling, self-interested and distrustful. Closer to her views on workplace racism and Bobby. ance. Finally, a subplot between Booty Shorts the mark, yet perhaps not intended, this world tions this month, with Prop and Bros Do Prose For all that, Plainclothes turns serious only and Mary, an older store employee (astutely both telling the story of the boy who refused to premiere appears to concern crypto-fascism late in the game. The cover-up isn’t revealed performed by RjW Mays), is extremely effective by faceless corporate bureaucracy in Trumpian grow up. If you’re a J.M. Barrie aficionado, this is until Act II and the precipitating incident— but unconnected to the plot (although it has your season. CES America. occurring offstage early in Act I—receives no to do with racism). Can it be made intrinsic to The story, however, is about several mostly- more emphasis than anything else, such as in- plot? —By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Sullivan young department store employees working in troducing a serial shoplifter nicknamed Booty WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 17 young heart trusts her Uncle Drosselmeyer (Rom with prop snow in flurries all around. This, by the THEATER REVIEW Barkhordar) when he tells her that magic is real way, was a playground of sorts at intermission when the nutcracker doll he gifts her comes to enjoyed by all. The Nutcracker life as her beloved brother, Fritz. This Nutcracker is more than about toys that By: Jake Minton, Phillip Klapperich, These imaginings are to the dismay of her come to life to fight off grumpy rats—it’s about Kevin O’Donnell, and Tommy Rapley grieving folks, David (Nicholas Bailey) and mom, cherishing loved ones and celebrating their lives, At: The House Theatre of Chicago, Martha (Amanda de la Guardia) who reject any whether present or not. Clara and her family had 1543 W. Division St., mention of the life and loss of their son Fritz, lost a loved one and, yet, they still possessed all Tickets: TheHouseTheatre.com; $20-$50 who died while serving in the military. Amidst the elements to create a perfect Christmas but it Runs through: Dec. 30 this heavy dialogue, Bailey, de la Guardia and was difficult to imagine it through their tears. It Barkhordar also double as the seedy rat crew, took the innocence and valor of a little girl to go BY AMELIA OROZCO with English accents to boot. Each time, the ac- into the dark places of the heart to battle these Haley Bolithon and rats in The Nutcracker. tors return to their main roles and characters of fears and finally break the family free from their This holiday season, as usual, there are plenty of Photo by Michael Brosilow uncle, mom and dad completely unsullied. sorrow, allowing them to once again celebrate Nutcracker productions in town. Music, lighting and larger-than-life rat puppets with a renewed joy. The House Theatre. The players draw people in Thankfully, a Chicago tradition stands strong help in illustrating all of these points and it’s A wonderful gift that should also become a with eye contact and in-your-face interactions and stands out at The House Theatre of Chicago. done in a way that makes so much sense to the yearly tradition for families, The House The- that tug at the heart. Tommy Rapley’s direction and choreography adds imaginative mind of a child. Deep darkness and atre of Chicago’s Nutcracker will touch the most This adaptation—by Minton, Klapperich, a freshness to The Nutcracker and the Mouse, the low notes crescendo into emotional turmoil and crotchety to the most sensible member of your O’Donnell and Rapley—quickly enraptures with original story by E.T.A. Hoffman of hopes, dreams turn back into Christmas magic that sweeps in family. and magic. Rapley’s The Nutcracker is not a bal- an opening Christmas party scene filled with an- let, but a celebration of family and friends amidst ticipation and joy and then, just as fast, turns grief and sorrow, wrapped and ready to deliver into the grim realities of death and loss. This is a through song and dance. brave undertaking by both the creators and actors eSPOTLIGHT Part of the experience of this show is seen upon as they are seamlessly moving from one scene to arrival at the venue. A milieu of people in cos- the next, a wardrobe change at a time and most tume are seen talking, laughing and dancing pre- treacherously of all, from smiles to tears. They With Twelfth Night, Writers Theatre takes one show and during intermission. It has a SNL after- are successful at it with all nimbleness of body of Shakespeare’s most conflicted comedies and glow feel as the actors interact and mingle with and mind, bringing light to an otherwise dark instills it with warmth, wit and emotional clar- guests who will take their seats just a few steps tale. ity. The story launches with a shipwreck and away, some at floor level. The stage is at center There are many examples of this duality closes snowfall. In between, there are lovers, ring and the entire room is a living stage as some throughout the play. Take, for example, Clara liars and fools who make the language sing, action takes place on the walls and spaces be- (Haley Bolithon), an endearing child who is seen even when it’s weeping. Performances run hind the seats. In a swirl of dancing and song, jumping with glee one moment and literally drop- through Dec. 16 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor theatergoers experience the story up close and ping to the floor the next, as she mourns the Court, Glencoe. Tickets are $35-$80; visit Writ- personal in this inviting and interactive space of loss of her brother, Fritz (Desmond Gray). But her ersTheatre.org. Photo by Michael Brosilow

By FAMILIAR playwright Danai Gurira of A joy-filled comedy about a wedding Black Panther celebration, an unexpected guest and fame a secret that will change a family forever.

2 FOR 1 TICKETS NOV 28-30 USE CODE: WINDYCITY 18 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES AmericanBluesTheater.com 773-327-5252 ductions spoofs the gloriously vulgar Parker- Shawn Goudie, Camille Robinson and Brandon —Christmas Bingo: It’s A Ho-Ho-Holiday: The Stone-Lopez musical while serving up a roster of Dahlquist in It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago. folks who brought you the long-running Late Nite Ethel Merman’s greatest hits, delivered by Nicole Photo by Johnny Knight Catechism replicate an interactive game event Frydman as the immortal Broadway diva, herself. with a bar, prizes and lots of Yuletide trivia. Per- Performances Nov. 24-25 at Stage 773, 1225 W. formances Nov. 23-25 at the Royal George The- Belmont Ave. Info: FlyingElephantProductions. atre, 1641 N. Halsted St. Info: RoyalGeorgeTh- com 773-327-5252 eatre.com 312-988-9000. —SnowGirls-The Musical: The ribald camp- —The Nutcracker: Not the toe-shoes and tu- dragsters of Hell In A Handbag Productions em- tus version, but House Theatre’s heartwarming bark on a parody of the 1995 Hollywood sleaze- tale of brave toys, evil rats and a family find- flick with the saga of a pole dancer at the North ing solace in a dark time. Performances 23-25 Pole. Performances Nov. 24-25 at Mary’s Attic, at Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division St. Info: 5400 N. Clark St. Info: HandbagProductions.org TheHouseTheatre,com 773-769-3832 800-838-3006

Just for grown-ups: Hanging out on the big day itself: —The Book of Merman: Flying Elephant Pro- —Lincoln Park Zoo boasts that it stays open every day of the year. Be thankful with the ani- mals from 10 am to 5 pm at 2001 N. Clark St (Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton Parkway). Info: LPzoo.org 312-742-2000 —Winterland Rink at Wrigley Field. Marvel at the grandeur of the friendly confines (without the crowds) or rent ice skates for a spin on an artifi- Entertaining the guests: cial pond in the adjoining plaza at 3637 N. Clark St. Info: GallagherWay.com 773-388-8260 —Lincoln Park Conservatory is an indoor Thanksgiving activities museum displaying exotic vegetation of every BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE Getting into the holiday spirit: description at 2391 N. Stockton Drive. Info: —Amahl and the Night Visitors: Chicago ChicagoParkDistrict.com/parks-facilities/Lincoln- Suburban and rural households are seldom dis- Chamber Opera (assisted by the Ensemble Espanol Park-Conservatory mayed at the prospect of family gatherings. Dance Company) presents Gian-Carlo Menotti’s —Oz Park at 2021 N. Burling St. features open- For city dwellers in small apartments, however, fable of the three kings bound for Bethlehem and air sculptures of beloved characters from the L. multiple-generation reunions often lead to claus- the humble family they meet on their journey. Frank Baum/Wicked series. Info: ChicagoParkDis- trophobic stress. Downtown events are typically Performances Nov. 24-25 at the Athenaeum, 2936 trict.com/parks-facilities/Oz Park). swarming with hotel visitors and oversized auto- N. Southport Ave. Info: ChamberOperaChicago. For those who want to stroll in a green space mobiles, so why not minimize the long waits and org 773-935-6875 close by, Chicago’s Park District website (Chica- the scrimmages by entertaining guests—parents, —It’s A Wonderful Life: Live In Chicago: This goParkDistrict.com) offers a comprehensive guide in-laws, siblings, nieces and nephews—away live-action adaptation of the Frank Capra film to its locations citywide. People can also rent from the tourist districts? classic is framed in an old-time radio broadcast Divvy bikes and work up appetites for pumpkin by American Blues Theater. Performances Nov. Amahl and the Night Visitor. pie with a ride around neighborhoods. Non-holiday plays: 23-25 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Info: Photo by Lisa Howe-Ebright Photography —Blue Man Group: In the nearly three decades since the enigmatic ceruleans with the squirt- ing vests and splashy drums descended on our city, new generations continue to delight in their unique brand of mischievous spectacle. Four per- formances daily on Nov. 23-24 and two on Nov. 25 at the Briar Street Theater, 3133 N. Halsted St. Info: Blueman.com —Women of Soul: Black Ensemble’s musical re- vue showcases nine powerhouse vocalists paying homage to a glittering pantheon of icons from Sam Massey, Nicole Mavis Staples to Aretha Franklin. Evening perfor- Frydman and Michael mances Nov. 23-24 and afternoon Nov. 25 at the Idalski in The Book of Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St. Info: Merman. BlackEnsembletheater.org 773-769-4451 Photo by Christopher —Chicago Magic Lounge: The secret-code en- Semel try of this speakeasy-style club (don’t be fooled by the washing machines) leads to three swanky rooms hosting a diverse array of close-up magi- cians. Two shows nightly on Nov. 23-24. All-ages no-alcohol show on Sunday Nov. 25. Info: Chica- goMagicLounge.com 312-366-4500 —Bonus Round Game Cafe: Not a theater, but a coffee lounge on the border of Boystown/ Wrigleyville with a bazillion kindsa board games for rent and on-site tutors to instruct newbies in how to play them. (Recommended by students at Loyola and DePaul.) Open 11 am-midnight at 3230 N. Clark St. Info: BonusRoundCafe.com 773- 857-7037 WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 19 CULTURECULTURE CLUBCLUB Jamie Shriner in Wife Material. Photo by Evan Hanover

THEATER REVIEW Devon Nimerfroh and Jacqueline Grandt in Ghosts. Photo by Gracie Meier Wife Material By: Jamie Shriner THEATER REVIEW At: The Understudy, 4609 N. Clark St. Tickets: UnderscoreTheatre.org; $20-$25 Ghosts Runs through: Dec. 9 Playwright: Henrik Ibsen At: Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. BY SARAH KATHERINE BOWDEN Tickets: Redtwist.org 773-728-7529; $35-$40 Runs through: Dec. 10 Jamie Shriner is defiant in sharing her private life onstage. Her musical Wife Material, produced by Underscore The- BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE atre Company and playing at the company’s Understudy space, unfurls Shriner’s sexual history and romantic woes Over a century ago, Henrik Ibsen declared Victorian moral- for the audience, giving her the chance to decide whether ity—to women, especially. Ever since, allegedly enlight- or not she has it in her to be the kind of uncomplicated, ened societies have continued to hide behind equivoca- domesticated wife society expects of her. If the musical tion, speculation and flat-out denial in their attempts to does not quite justify its need for the audience to watch rein in the vehemence of his diatribe on the folly of blind her work through that problem, it does provide laughs and obedience to rigidly inhumane convention. a few entertaining songs that had people cheering the We meet the widow Alving on an auspicious occasion: night I attended. tomorrow is the dedication ceremony of the orphanage This production was adapted from Shriner’s one-woman that will serve as the late Captain Alving’s legacy, the show, which also addressed her love of sex, her bisexuality residue of his estate going toward its operations under and her restriction by a patriarchal society that requires the administration of their church leader, Pastor Manders. her either to be an angel or a whore. She smartly expands More wecome to Helene Alving, however, is the return of the cast to include Caitlin Dobbins and Natalie Rae, play- her long-absent son Oswald from his pursuit of an artistic ing Angie and Luci, the angel and devil on the shoulder career in Paris. Little does the devoted mother and wife who take on the traits of all the men and women with suspect that this reunion will precipitate the undoing of whom Shriner shares her time. Director Dana Anderson all her plans, not to mention exposing the futility of her shapes the performance around the changing physicalities sacrifices on their behalf. of Dobbins and Rae, and the results lead to wonderful sight Erin Murray’s premiere adaptation mostly adheres to the gags involving Satan and Jesus arriving on the scene, as original text, with a few slight emendations—starting with well as each performer accurately transitioning into the Mrs. Alving addressed by her given name, Helen. Our locale slouches of an angsty teen musician and the predatory is designated “an island” in the playbill, and the actors leans of cat-callers. Anderson moves Shriner around Nicho- speak without accents (except for Manders’ tendency to las Schwartz’s small bar set as if she is a singer at a cock- orate even in casual conversation), but the casting of Af- tail lounge, and that attitude and confidence helps keep rican-American actors as housemaid Regina and tradesmen the audience involved, even when the musical’s narrative Jacob, coupled with reference indicating a maritime-based becomes hard to invest in. economy, hint at a colonial-governed outpost. Shriner’s “teen with a reputation” years in Indiana, and Playgoers versed in the play’s many translations will also her messier adult years in Chicago, should make for a relat- note a number of modern motifs inserted by the author/ able experience. There were tons of laughs of recognition director—some intensifying the anger lying beneath the or groans of sympathy throughout the performance. But characters’ regrets, but others inadvertently diluting the there are so many vignettes packed into this hour and a extent to which they can be held individually account- half show that parsing what matters and what might be a able for their misdeeds. (Helen’s deceased husband, for one-off joke is difficult. Shriner’s fierceness in sharing ugly example, is now represented as a likewise frustrated victim moments, hypocrisy, toxic masculinity, and sexual long- of his own robust appetites instead of a hard-drinking phi- ing is admirable. But none of the relationships we see her landerer well-deserving of a memorial founded on criminal engage in have enough time onstage for the viewer to care activities.) whether or not Jamie finds answers within them. So it be- The cast assembled for this intimate Redtwist production gins to feel as if we are watching a therapy workout, rather strive mightily to overcome the shortcomings of Murray’s than a narrative collaboration between audience and actor. as-yet-incomplete framing concept. Jacqueline Grandt That said, Shriner’s music is delightful, with her girl navigates Ibsen’s literary syntax with virtuoso skill to de- group/power ballad sound mixing well with lyrics that liver a delicately nuanced performance as the remorseful touch on contemporary hookups and self-love in surpris- LUX. BY JOE MAZZA-BRAVE PHOTO AND JENNIFER LATIMORE. KYRI PICTURED: DANIEL Helen Alving, as does Sophie Hoyt as the pragmatic Regina ing and funny ways. And music director Kyra Leigh brings and Lionel Gentle as her wily sire. Ultimately, though, their energy to the band that adds life to the performance. If brave efforts cannot dispel a curiously flattened dramatic Wife Material doesn’t say anything new about the power of NOW PLAYING tone leading us to wonder what all the fuss was about in identity and sexuality, at least it leaves people humming a 847-242-6000 | WRITERSTHEATRE.ORG 1882. tune. 20 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Sukie de la Croix weaves real-life ‘Fairy Tale’ BY OWEN KEEHNEN

Sukie de la Croix made such an indelible mark BOOKS on Chicago’s LGBTQ scene when he lived in the I’m at a point in my life where I’ve given myself Windy City from 1991-2014 that the Chicago Sun- permission to look back and ponder. Times proclaimed him “The Gay Studs Terkel.” WCT: If you were to give me a recipe of your Sukie de la Croix. During his time here, de la Croix authored the childhood, what would the ingredients and Photo courtesy of the subject award-winning book Chicago Whispers: A History proportions be? of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall and wrote the SdlC: My childhood certainly wasn’t a gourmet What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? joint in Chicago with a drag show called Joe’s popular Chicago Whispers column in Windy City meal with specific proportions. It was a big old SdlC: Never disrespect a guinea pig and never Deluxe. Why? Who wouldn’t want to go see that? Times. He wrote for numerous other papers as pot where anything around me was thrown in. take advice from humans. WCT: As someone with a strong Internet well, including Outlines, Chicago Now and Chi- Ingredients included chaos, insanity, isolation, WCT: If they visited and spoke to you in presence, do you consider social media a god- cago Free Press. His popular history blog, Bitter socialism, Buddy Holly, I Love Lucy, children’s Bath, whose spirit spoke to you and advised send or a scourge? Old Queen, was published on the Chicago Tribune storybooks, steam trains, butterflies, art, love, you during your Chicago years? SdlC: Well, it’s obviously both. It’s like all Media Group’s website, Chicago Now. His colorful Russian spies and the wisdom of the fairies. SdlC: For me to write I have to separate myself drugs; some people can pace themselves and oth- LGBT history anecdotes and engaging personal- WCT: How do you explain Darryl Michael Vin- from what most people call the “real world.” I ers overindulge. ity merged when he scripted and conducted the cent becoming St. Sukie de la Croix? observe it and report what I see. Other people’s WCT: Tell me about life in Palm Springs. What Chicago Lesbian and Gay Tour for Chicago Neigh- SdlC: Our birth names are only temporary. They opinions are irrelevant to me. I get my advice is a typical day like in the life of St. Sukie de borhood Tours, a division of Chicago’s municipal come from our parents. Mine named me after Dar- from a more-trusted source. I absorb the wisdom la Croix? tourism authority. In addition to being a popular ryl F. Zanuck, the film producer. However, as I of those who have passed from this earth. Dead SdlC: I’m an early bird. Up between 3-4 a.m. speaker on LGBTQ history, de la Croix has had two explain in The Memoir of a Groucho Marxist, I people have no agenda. usually. Most days I drive to a gym in Palm plays adapted for the stage and was inducted into was not really born of woman. I emerged from In the Introduction to Chicago Whispers: The Springs, lift weights and work out for an hour. the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2012. a badger hole in Midford Woods. Growing up, it History of LGBT Before Stonewall, I wrote: “If you Home, it’s breakfast, often sitting outside in the Since moving to Palm Springs in 2014, de la soon became clear to me that sissy boys were not stand on a corner in Chicago and close your eyes, garden. Then I start work in my office. I try to Croix has remained busy. In addition to maintain- welcome in “their” society, so I set off in search you can hear the past: the rat-tat-tat of Al Ca- take a break at lunchtime, which is coffee or ing his strong queer presence on social media, of a world where I belonged. That’s what LGBT pone’s machine guns, the Haymarket Rioters, and lunch with friends. I continue working until I’m de la Croix last year released a novel set in 1924 people do, isn’t it? Not only LGBT people, but all the screams of the passengers on the SS Eastland too tired. Chicago, The Blue Spong and the Flight from outcasts. That’s our journey and our destiny. In capsizing into the Chicago River in 1915. Stand Then I sit outside, make notes, doze off, drink Mediocrity. Last month, de la Croix released his the same way that everyone should have a drag on the corner long enough, peel away those cries chocolate milk, swim in the pool, read books, latest work, The Memoir of a Groucho Marxist: A name, we should all have a fairy name as well. St. from the past like the layers of an onion, and un- make more notes, etc. I’m cutting back on eat- Very British Fairy Tale, a fantastical tale of his Sukie de la Croix is my fairy name. derneath you will hear the whispering of ghosts ing out, so I cook, or mostly my husband cooks, impoverished childhood in Bath, England and the WCT: Fairies and the spirits of Virginia as they tell their untold stories. These voices be- dinner. Evenings it’s a gallery opening, a movie, first part of the story about how Darryl Michael Woolf, Hans Christian Andersen, Oscar Wilde, long to lesbians and gay men locked in the closet a play, TV etc. I always use marijuana in the eve- Vincent eventually became St. Sukie de la Croix. and others visit and advise you in the book. of Chicago’s past. Men and women who lead dou- nings. I’m stoned by 8 p.m. I lead a very quiet Windy City Times: What did you want to cap- ble lives, lying to the world by day, then turning life. I don’t drink alcohol anymore, so I only go ture with The Memoir of a Groucho Marxist, the up their collars to hide their frightened faces as to a bar once a week. On Sunday afternoon, to a fantastical story of your boyhood in Bath, Eng- they dart down litter-strewn alleys into unmarked leather bar called the Barracks. land? bars at night.” WCT: Palm Springs must be agreeing with Sukie de la Croix: I’ve never been a Grateful Those are the voices I listened to in Chicago. I you because you are in an amazingly produc- Dead fan. Their music reminds me of a bewildered listened and wrote that book. tive phase. What other projects do you have old man wandering the streets with his fly open, WCT: I love that. You wrote Chicago Whis- coming? trying to remember where he lives. However, hav- pers, you have done columns for years on Chi- SdlC: Several. I’m putting the finishing touches ing said that, Jerry Garcia said one good thing. cago social history, given numerous tours, etc. to Out of the Underground: Homosexuals, the He said, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” Life What spot, or two, in Chicago should every Radical Press, and the Rise and Fall of the Gay is strange. I may now be living in a four-bedroom LGBTQ Chicagoan know about and celebrate as Liberation Front. That’s been a major project. house in Palm Springs, but I came from intense part of our local history? Local artist Curt Miller did the artwork for the poverty. After World War II, Britain was devas- SdlC: Henry Gerber, who started the first gay- cover. That should be published in the New Year. tated, and I grew up in its wake. Bomb sites, rights organization in the U.S., lived at 1710 N. The next book is St. Sukie’s Strange Garden of ration books, damaged people—all figured in my Crilly Ct., so that’s worth a visit. Also, a mostly Woodland Creatures, a collection of short stories childhood. gay African-American jazz joint called the Kitty being illustrated by Roy Alton Wald, another lo- With The Memoir of a Groucho Marxist, my ini- Kat Club at 611 E. 63rd St. It’s an empty lot now, cal artist here in Cathedral City. The next book is tial intention was to write a novel about a little but you can feel the history there. I’d also sug- under wraps, but it’s a collaborative effort called sissy boy growing up in post-World War II Britain. gest a visit to Bobby Love’s, the location of the Tell Me About It. I’ve also completed the next I soon realized I was writing about my own child- earliest gay Lake View bar I can find. It was the installment of Chicago Whispers, but it needs a hood. I’ve never dwelled on the past before, but Inbetween circa 1972, run by a woman, and then lot of work. this book started to pour out of me. A floodgate it became Augie’s, a lesbian bar, the following WCT: What’s been behind your sudden surge opened. I just let it go. My attitude was, “Let’s year. It was two years later that a men’s gay bar of productivity? see what happens with this.” What emerged was opened in Lakeview. SdlC: I started Rattling Good Yarns Press. I the story of an outcast. A boy who escaped into WCT: As a queer historian, what era would wanted control over my own work, covers of the children’s adventure books, then ran away to join you most like to have lived in, and why? books, etc. Now I’m the literary dominatrix. the circus. SdlC: [In the] 1940s, [at] a gay-friendly jazz WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 21

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FULLKIT.COM | 5021 N. CLARK ST. CHICAGO, IL 60640 | OPEN 12-9 DAILY 22 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES rienced massive culture shock. That shock never really went away, and it does feel like a gentler life not being there. I think we all know why. WCT: Do you have any advice for people who are victimized, bullied and harassed, but feel fearful and powerless? RM: Act as if you are brave and you will become brave. It doesn’t Gerami headshot by Stephen Blaha mean you won’t be scared, it just means you do it anyway. WCT: What is your favorite charity or cause? RM: I really advocate for the smaller charities, the ones that are on the front lines. It is not easy and I tip my hat to them. In the past, I’ve volunteered at Covenant House helping homeless LGBTQ teenagers, my focus for years being gay rights. I also love the East Los Angeles Women’s Center; an extraordinary place doing great aftercare work with rape and human trafficking survivors. Now that this year has settled down a bit, I hope to get back to more volun- teer work. We all should. WCT: Which living person(s) do you most admire? RM: All of us who have survived and come out the other side of questions pain. Those who inspire. I also really admire my partner, Rain Dove. WCT: What project(s) do you have coming up? RM: I have a skin-care line called The Only that I’ve been devel- oping with my aunt Rory for eight years. It’s an incredible product 10BY VIC GERAMIwith Vic mixing science and nature. I’m working on the visuals to go with Rose McGowan my album, Planet 9, because I want it to be an experience. Also, Photo courtesy of McGowan Often, it isn’t until after a long time has passed that people fully starting work on my next book and preparing for Brave to come out appreciate and acknowledge a star’s legacy. in paperback! percent better than I have to be, I use it as a personal challenge But that is not the case with Rose McGowan, whose natural tal- WCT: Tell me a secret—a good one! and one that may inspire others to be better versions of themselves. ents have earned her immense success and critical acclaim; striking RM: When I’m in America, I eat at Taco Bell at least two times a beauty has forever elevated Hollywood iconography; exceptional WCT: You have an impressive resume as an actress in film and week. I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help myself. intellect has made her a survivor and a champion; and finally, her TV, but have since added best-selling author with your memoir, For more information on Rose McGowan and to purchase her charisma and articulation have made her the Joan of Arc of the Brave, and a documentarian with your four-part docuseries Citi- book, Brave, visit RoseMcgowan.com. To see who Gerami inter- #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. zen Rose. Do you miss acting and do you plan to do film or TV views on 10 Questions with Vic each week, visit WindyCityMe- It is difficult to measure an artist’s contribution to society and again soon? diaGroup.com. RM: I’m proud of my body of work. I did the best I could job wise, the countless people she influences and inspires. But it’s impossible despite being heavily blacklisted. TV and film were very separate to ascertain Rose’s impact as the defacto heroine of a historical and businesses at the time. The TV producers on Charmed didn’t know long overdue global movement. She has conquered acting, singing, that I had been canceled in the movie industry. I always tried to writing, producing, directing and public speaking, and they have Raul Esparza to be communicate with the audience through my eyes; now it’s time led her to this new chapter in her life where she sheds old pedals to for my own voice. Through acting I inhabited many skins, lives, in ‘Hamlet’ next year reveal fresh glorious beauty. Chicago Shakespeare Theater announced that four-time Tony voices—so many other people for so many years—it’s time for me Windy City Times: Modesty aside, how would you describe Award nominee and Law and Order: SVU alum Raul Esparza will to just be me. For now, I can’t see acting anytime in the future. I yourself? lead William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, staged by Artistic Direc- do miss directing and crafting a story, but right now I feel like we Rose McGowan: A good person who just wants the best for every- tor Barbara Gaines, in the Courtyard Theater, April 17–June 9, don’t have time for metaphors. What needs to be said needs to be one. 2019. said. WCT: You have emerged as a heroine, a pillar of strength and Esparza takes on the iconic title role of a grief-stricken Prince WCT: Tell me a bit about the album you’re working on? an inspiration for millions after a tumultuous and controversial of Denmark as he attempts to navigate his father’s death, be- RM: Planet 9 is the name of my upcoming album. I’ve been craft- year. How are you doing now? trayal and relationships torn asunder in one of the great mas- ing it for three years. I like to say it’s music that can take us to RM: The past few years have been harder than I could imagine. terworks of Western literature. The complete casting will be space. Suspended in time, given room to feel and move. The album Surviving the last year most especially. What helped me was the announced in the coming months. takes listeners on a journey for sure. If you mixed up Pink Floyd, support I got in real life. I’ve met person after person who said, Single tickets ($48–$88 each) are on sale now. For more in- Grace Jones and Stevie Nicks with some propulsive French beats, “Keep going, keep fighting.” It has been both humbling and inspir- formation, visit ChicagoShakes.com/hamlet. you have Planet 9. ing. It was a hard, hard year, but there were bright spots of joy here and there. I try to focus on those. The answer is I’m healing. I have WCT: Tell me about your fans, especially people who reach out great friends and a great relationship that is helping with the heal- to you following the past year. RM: I have met extraordinary beings this past year. I’m honored ing. to walk with them on this journey, which is why I’m turning my WCT: What have you learned from the last year that you can Instagram @rosemcgowan over to others to share their truths on share with people who might have gone through or are still go- my page for the month. Calling it #NOvember. I’m really excited to ing through similar experiences? highlight and honor those who are fighting the good fight. People RM: I have learned that we are stronger than we know, that tears that have risen up and are rising; it’s a beautiful thing to witness. equal strength, that pain equals growth, and to just hang on be- I hope you’ll all join us. cause it does in fact get better. Keep going no matter what, keep going. WCT: What are a few misconceptions about you? RM: Ooof, that I’m transphobic. Nothing could be further from the WCT: Would you do anything differently? truth. This one hurts a lot because my life has been interwoven with RM: There are certain toxic people I wish I’d never let into my life. the community since I was 13 years old. I was a runaway taken in I had no idea how dark some people’s secrets are, and the lengths by two loving trans women who saved me from a life on the streets. they’ll go to protect those secrets. The idea that I’m transphobic makes me physically ill, it hurts my WCT: Do you feel pressure to be strong all the time, consider- soul. When I said, “What have you done for women?” I meant ALL ing your strength and defacto role as a leader? women. RM: It’s an unusual pressure. We haven’t been here before soci- etally; there is no road map. A bit like walking through a jungle WCT: You have traveled quite a bit in the last year. Has your with a machete and you have no idea where the drop offs are but perspective changed being outside of the USA looking in? Raul Esparza. RM: When I came to America [from Italy] as a young girl, I expe- you hope for the best. For me, the best is always trying to be ten Photo courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 23 “We are so afraid of discomfort we will take comfort over justice,” said Ajayi. Esposito performed an uproarious comedy set Reese Witherspoon, that began with her calling herself “a giant lesbi- an” who looks like “a vacationing Draco Malfoy.” One-on-one conversations took place between Cameron Esposito and Walsh and Witherspoon, Bush and Doyle and Wambach and Doyle. more at storytelling event Walsh and Witherspoon’s talk focused on With- BY CARRIE MAXWELL erspoon’s evolution from being an actor to an ac- tor-producer-activist. Witherspoon said it started A diverse line-up of women-identified speakers SPOKEN WORD with what she called “a crappy script” in 2009. took to the stage at the Hello Sunshine X To- Founder Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. Bush and Doyle spoke about what drives them, Left: Reese Witherspoon. Right: Cameron gether Live storytelling tour Nov. 12 at the Audi- Walsh greeted the packed house of more than with Bush explaining that “learning to let the Esposito. torium Theater. 3,500 attendees and said the power of storytell- lies go” and creating boundaries have been vital Photos by Jerry Nunn This is Together Live’s third year on tour and ing can showcase what is possible for individuals to her growth as a person. the first time they have partnered with Hello Sun- “The great loves of my life are Abby, our kids, and the wider world. “Listen deeply enough to be changed by what shine, founded by actor and activist Reese With- coffee and boundaries,” said Doyle. Parker spoke about what it was like living at you hear,” said Parker. erspoon. Ahead of Doyle and Wambach’s conversation on the intersection of two diametrically opposite Bush said, “Stop being someone else’s defini- Witherspoon joined fellow actor and activ- what it really means to be brave and how to make worlds when her parents got divorced and she tion of ‘enough,’ and start listening to what you ist Sophia Bush; award-winning author, speaker real change in the world, Wambach recognized was shuffled between her liberal Democratic In- feel is enough.” and digital strategist Luvvie Ajayi; Thrive Labs the handful of men in the audience and those dian-British atheist mother’s house and her white “Go off the path,” said Wambach because that Founder and author Priya Parker; lesbian come- “who may lie somewhere on the gender spec- American evangelical Christian conservative Re- has always been the way she has learned about dian, actor and writer Cameron Esposito; singer- trum.” publican father’s house. what is important in life. songwriter MILCK (Connie Lim); Together Rising “You can be grateful and also demand what you Walsh said her motto/mantra is, “It is not what MILCK said, “It is hard to hate up close.” Founder and President, Momastery online com- deserve,” said Wambach. happens; it is what happens next,” because no “Save as drafts,” said Doyle in reference to her munity creator, author, activist and philanthro- Doyle spoke about her journey to sobriety and one can change the past. She asked everyone else outspoken nature and her need to sit with her pist Glennon Doyle; and retired soccer player, the importance of “feeling every single one of my to share theirs. thoughts before sending them out into the world. coach, two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA feelings.” “Sometimes you do not know you can do it, but Ajayi explained that hers is, “Put the glass Women’s World Cup champion and activist Abby MILCK also performed “O-o-h Child” to open the you do it anyway,” said Witherspoon, referring to down,” because the longer one holds onto things, Wambach. Doyle and Wambach have been married event and her song “Quiet,” which became the starting her own production company. the harder it will be for them to go out in the since May 2017. Women’s March’s unofficial anthem, to close out Esposito said to “hold the door open” so others, world and do things. The event was moderated by William Morris En- the evening. especially marginalized people, can have oppor- Being a “troublemaker for good” was the focus deavor Worldwide Literary, Lectures and Confer- See https://togetherrising.org/ and https:// tunities for success. of Ajayi’s talk. ence Divisions Director and Together Live Tour hello-sunshine.com/. 18 0 2 FEATURING OUR FABULOUS MC when. THURS 11/29 >> 5:30 - 9:30 TICKETS. SILKY $125 Per PERSON GANACHE PRESENTED BY. AND

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AWRITTEN BYCradle MARK ZUBRO; ILLUSTRATED BY W.S.Song: REED Part Six A Cradle Song, written by Mark Zubro and illustrated by W.S. ber 17 to December 19 and will also be available for gift giving Reed, debuts in the Windy City Times as the new holiday clas- as an e-book and as a paperback. For the true joy and meaning sic. Filled with travail and woe, warmth and great joy, it is a of the season, this is the book you want to read. story for the ages. It will appear in ten installments from Octo- Today A Cradle Song: Part Six.

Chapter Six In the window, Matthew also saw metal He tried to look beyond to other shiny, stared at the little trains going round and Part Two machines whirr and spin. A million blocks noisy toys with mechanical parts that round on the toy mountain filled with tiny of a zillion colors climbed in a wild array chuffed and huffed. Some of them tooted humans, bridges, and little trees. Most often, Matthew stood with one foot more than halfway to the ceiling. Wisps and twisted and twirled and sang songs. It seemed to Matthew almost as if wheel- in the tiny space between the toy store of cloudy cotton filled every space. Stars He didn’t like the dolls that seemed to chair and dog had formed a funnel right to and the bakery next door. This way he was twinkled and shone in the ceiling. Every blink at odd moments. He wished he could the front door of the store itself. half in front of each store, and he hoped time Matthew looked, there seemed to be touch the tiny little cars and trucks, some He found himself grasping the doorknob. less noticeable to both. He hung onto a more to see and wonder at. barely bigger than his thumb. He wished As he opened the door and stepped in- drainpipe with one hand so he could lean Through chinks in the stacks of toys or he could touch the little red fire truck that side, Matthew looked back for a moment. farther over. He’d stare for the longest when he caught glimpses inside as the always had a sad look on its face. Man and dog seemed to be smiling. As he time. He hoped no one noticed his longing front door opened and closed, Matthew If other kids came to the store window, closed the door, the little bell at the top gazes at the toys or the bakery. could get a little bit of a better view to Matthew sidled away. He didn’t want them tinkled. Neither the gruff old man nor any The smells from the baked goods were the aisles crammed with more toys than intruding on his dreams and hopes. of the clerks or the woman at the register nearly intoxicating, fresh bread being his he ever imagined having as his own in his On this Christmas Eve, the gray iron sky took note of him. favorite. Once in a while, Matthew could own house, in his own room. let loose a few flurries. It was as cold to- Matthew stepped farther inside. No one find a discarded sweet snack or bit of One time, he saw two little girls about day as it had ever been during Matthew’s bothered him as he let his feet lead him bread out back. While waiting for scraps, his age admiring some brightly colored pa- exile. What light the dun-colored sky had into the depths of the store, down long he lingered out front in the tiny corner per dresses covered with frills and ribbons. let in was fading. wondrous aisles with shelves filled with with its dripping drain pipe. The girls pointed and shyly giggled. When The Christmas display in the window was toys mounting to the ceiling. In the bakery window, he could see cakes the old man looked at them, the girls hung even more wondrous with packages cov- piled high with swirling frosting and bright their heads. Matthew feared for the little ered in brightly colored wrapping paper Chapter Seven: confections of flowers heaped and nestled girls, knowing how much the old man with cheerful bows spouting from their The Isle of Misfit Toys in mounds of multi-hued icing and filled didn’t like it when kids lingered too long. tops. eclairs. Nothing like the stale and tough That day, he saw the old man scowling at This Christmas Eve, Matthew was drawn On every continent, in every country, stuff he ate. On the food he found, Mat- the girls. As the door opened and closed, even closer to the window from his safe in cities and towns no matter how big or thew often scraped off the moldy parts. he heard him harrumph and grumble. The perch by the drain pipe. His fingers touched small, most often in the shabbiest part of He remembered he’d had a cake on his old man put out his hand to grasp his the pane. His nose was an inch away from town, there was always an old toy store. last birthday. His mom had made it. It was cane. Matthew knew he was going to chase the glass. He gave a wistful sigh. Sometimes it was very hard to find on a perfect. And his dad had been home. And the little girls away. Matthew noticed Tawny, the big golden not-very-busy street next to where the he’d gotten a tiny little car which had a Then an older woman appeared between retriever, walking beside his human in the old dime-store used to be, or around back wonderful sad face. He’d loved it. the girls and the old man. She worked wheelchair as they approached. They came in the alley behind the last independent His eyes always strayed to the toy store. at the table with the cash register. She up beside him, Tawny on his right, the man bookstore in town, or near a used book- There were other reasons Matthew didn’t frowned at the old man and said the girls on his left. Tawny sat down next to the store, or next to a shoe repair shop, or dare go into the toy store. He didn’t want could pick one dress apiece. The woman boy. The man stopped and rested his hands down a little ways from the closed-up the look of pity. Or the glare of annoyance paid for them herself and told the girls on the arms of the wheelchair. uptown theater, or near the river where it of a clerk or the owner after admitting he they could go. As they rushed out the door, Matthew wasn’t afraid. He could see the sometimes flooded. had no money and them telling him he the little girls were beaming and thankful. dog’s breath in the cold. He had on a har- If you were lucky enough to find it, the couldn’t stay. He had no mom or dad to The old man seemed to nod and almost ness and a dog coat. bell above the door tinkled when you en- keep him company. smiled. The girls walked away. The woman Together, the three gazed at all the won- tered. You could wander forever up and The toys displayed in the window were returned to her regular perch. ders on the other side of the window. The down aisles past treasures and glories. Ev- a wonderment of childhood joys. Mat- Matthew thought that was really wonder- golden retriever leaned against him. Mat- ery child could find something his heart thew’s favorites were the little trains. They ful. thew felt great comfort in that closeness. desired. chuffed around on their miniature moun- In another direction inside, Matthew He lowered his hand and let his fingers If you spent a long enough time and tain. He could see puffs of real smoke come could see war toys: cannons and guns and touch the soft fur. followed the paths into the depth of the out of the trains’ chimneys. They ran round bazookas and tanks, and ranks of plastic, As they lingered, Matthew felt Tawny’s stores, you might stumble onto a wind- and round on tiny tracks that traversed still, tin, or wooden army men. All that muzzle nuzzle under his elbow as if urg- ing path that led to a dark passage, which bridges and spanned painted streams. unmoving, pent-up violence caused him ing him toward the door. Matthew glanced opened onto a sun-lit pathway. This nar- Crossing gates would lower by themselves. to frown. He didn’t like the danger they down at the dog. He thought the animal row lane had well-manicured shrubbery Small plastic people waved forever from represented to his dad. He didn’t like that might be smiling. Do dogs smile? The ani- on each side. Tall trees rose behind it. If their silent, unmoving perches. One static they didn’t move. He wanted his daddy to mal looked in his eyes. For several more you followed the narrow lane for a short man in a uniform held out tickets. be alive, not rigid, inert, and lifeless. moments, all three, boy, dog, and adult while, you came to a metal bridge covered WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 25 with little starlights: top, and bottom, and lived behind or above their stores. A very up and down along each metal strut and few dwelt in the castle high above. When beam. The bridge arched high over a vast they were young, some of these people expanse of deep blue water. If you were just came to work or help deliver toys for a lucky enough to stumble onto the bridge few weeks during their vacations. and walked across to the other side, you If you purchased a toy on the Isle and came to the Isle of Misfit Toys. went back the next day to the magical The Isle of Misfit Toys was a magical store, and searched for the same aisle that place. led you away, and the same secret portal Its cobbled street stretched in great that led to the bridge, it was never there. sweeping curves that wound around and If you returned with greed in your heart around the mountain that made up the just to take more, the memory of the Isle heart of the island. of Misfit Toys faded forever. All along the path the multi-hued build- If you treasured your toy and were grate- ings gleamed and shone. On the landward ful for what you had, the memory remained side, the street was lined with a myriad of pure and whole. cheerful little stores. On the other side, a When a child talked with a proprietor of small parapet rose over which you could a store on the Isle of Misfit Toys, every one see a magnificent vista of the deep blue of them spoke with him or her in their own sea. language, a Babel of joy. It was one of the Every kind of toy had its own special bits of magic present on the Isle. store. One might have blocks, all the kinds Most importantly, on the Isle of Misfit and shapes and sizes you might ever want Toys, on the last day before Christmas they were in that store. There were stores spe- whose kids grew up and no longer loved librarians who spent their remaining years let the poor, homeless, little boys and girls cially for action figures, or boy and girl them. Sold in garage sales. Designated for now dedicated to bringing smiles to chil- come to the Isle and pick toys for free. dolls, or board games, or little kids games, the trash as unwanted or unfixable. Bro- dren’s faces. Mostly, these people were old It was always a special, perfect day for or big kids games, music stores, just a ken toys. Toys with manufacturer’s defects. and kindly and alone, or people with aged the forgotten and neglected, both toys myriad of children’s delights. There was Forgotten or stolen. Overlooked under and wrinkled faces who lived in homes and children alike, to have at least a few another store for trucks, and one for cars, front porches. Left in the rain. Thrown out where their memories were nearly gone. moments for the possibility of happiness. and one for trains, and another for fire en- and dumped in disgraceful landfills. They came, their arms filled with broken The goal of the Isle of Misfit Toys was to gines, and on and on from the end of the No matter their story or background, all toys that they brought to this last refuge. bring smiles to children’s faces and delight bridge up to the very top to the castle’s misfit toys were welcome here, everyone From the toys they carried, these people to the heart of a toy. drawbridge. had a place. caught snippets of remembrance of hap- In your heart you really had to want The toys on the Isle were never brand They were delivered from all over the pier times when they’d known the joy of them, not just be greedy for things you new. These were toys that had been loved world, from toy boxes, attics, garages, toys as children. didn’t deserve. That’s how you got to pick and used, or too frequently abused and basements, back rooms, and emptied stor- All helped find the toys and bring them toys. Some small, some large. scorned, many often simply outgrown and age spaces. in hopes that these once loved objects End of part six. Part seven coming next neglected. Lost in sandboxes. Misplaced Many of the toys came to the island in would find a new home. All were volun- week. and mislaid. Toys rejected by kids. Toys the arms of an army of retired teachers and teers. A few were permanent residents who

“A Cradle Song is my “A Cradle Song Mark Zubro is the very favorite of Mark is a wonderful, author of thirty-six books Zubro’s books. Tender, heartwarming story, and seven short stories. full of insight and love, and just right for He has won the Lambda it made me cry—but Christmas. Open this Literary award for A they were happy tears.” present and enjoy!” Simple Suburban Murder and been nominated —Jeanne M. Dams, —Barbara D’Amato, eight other times. All author of the Dorothy Martin author of the Cat Marsala are available as ebooks mysteries series and the recent and most as paperbacks Other Eyes online or at Unabridged Bookstore in Chicago A Cradle Song will be available soon as an ebook and as and Outwords Books in a paperback online and from Unabridged Bookstore Milwaukee. in Chicago and Outwords Books in Milwaukee. 26 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES

Alyson Stoner. Photo courtesy of Stoner Oriental to be renamed after Nederlander Broadway In Chicago announced its plans to honor the late James M. Nederlander—the legendary Broadway theater owner and pro- ducer, patriarch of Broadway and champion Alyson Stoner: of Chicago’s Downtown Theatre District—by renaming the Oriental Theatre as the James Actress/singer/ M. Nederlander Theatre. The new marquee and signage will be un- veiled as the Nederlander Theatre on Tues- dancer talks day, Feb. 12, 2019, with the opening of Dear Evan Hansen. James L. Nederlander, now president of The Ms. Jackson, Nederlander Organization, said in a state- ment, “The renaming of the theatere on Ran- dolph, in honor of my father, is something acting and he would have been so proud of, as he had a love for Chicago that manifested in his steadfast support of Chicago’s theatre com- coming out munity until the day he died. I am lucky to have inherited his love for Chicago and I am moved by this acknowledgement of his work on Broadway and his commitment to Chicago as a beacon for theatre across the country.”

BY ANDREW DAVIS opment. “After I did the Missy Elliott video, it Dramatists has positioned me as a recognizable dancer,” Stoner leadership changes Being in the glare of the spotlight—especially reminisced. But before one might think that was MUSIC Chicago Dramatists announced it has ac- for those who have been in the public eye since an advantage, Stoner added, “I stopped audition- can’t deconstruct someone’s theology and I don’t cepted the resignation of Executive Director childhood—can be harsh. ing because it came down to an artist wanting a want to project my own ideology—but I would Vanessa Bamber. Bamber will continue in her However, Alyson Stoner, 25—who many may recognizable dancer, or just a dancer. So I wasn’t love to give a bird’s-eye view so people can un- position until Dec. 31, according to Ajitha remember as the dancing girl in Missy Elliott’s able to do dance gigs. I don’t mind because I derstand that the American evangelical church of Reddy, president of Chicago Dramatists board videos such as “Work It,” and who has been on TV enjoyed every moment I danced with Missy—and 2018 is influenced by capitalism and militarism, of directors, in a statement. shows and movies like Phineas and Ferb as well as it opened other doors, like in film. For Cheaper by which aren’t even based on the Bible.” No replacement has been named to date the Cheaper by the Dozen and Step Up series— the Dozen, they saw my attitude in the video and Asked about how she came to reconcile her but the board is working with playwrights, seems unaffected. Meeting recently with Windy hired me. Then I became an artist on my own.” faith (which she mentions in the Teen Vogue es- associates and alumni to fill the management City Times at Knickerbocker Hotel restaurant Nix However, this year was a really big one for say) with her life, Stoner said she actually went position and to begin a search for a new ar- (which this writer chose because of Stoner’s fas- Stoner as well—especially from a personal stand- to her mentor’s mentor. “I went to this guru of tistic director. cination with Janet Jackson, who once stayed point. In March, Teen Vogue published an essay sorts—a pastor who’s in Illinois,” she said. “He’s Separately, Chicago Dramatists announced there), she seemed absolutely down-to-earth. she wrote entitled “How I Embraced My Sexual really cultured, and he’s shown me all of these it has added two new members to its board. Mention Jackson, and Stoner became starry- Identity,” about the long journey to recognizing different perspectives, and that’s really cracked Will Dunne, resident playwright at Chicago eyed, like anyone discussing an idol. (She’s also a her own attraction to other women. (In fact, she me open in terms of my consciousness. My heart Dramatists, will join the board this month huge fan of Michael Jackson, and people can see was in town to attend the wedding of YouTuber and soul don’t see labels any more.” as a network playwright and Writers Studio her tributes—as well as one to K-pop—on You- Alex G and her wife.) And it seems that this life- Her new perspective is also shown in her new- representative. Additonally, Michael J. Keat- Tube.) During this year’s Billboard Music Awards, changing event has informed her perspective on est video, for the song “Fool,” which shows her ing—president of Vertical, Incorporated— for example, Stoner was not only present but “ran life in various ways. in a relationship with a woman of a different race joined the board in August and will head up to the front of the stage” during Janet’s trib- “I was recently in Ethiopia,” Stoner began. “I’m and build, embracing diversity. “There was some- development and fundraising. ute. “The cameraman kept giving me face time— a criminal over there. [Homosexuality is illegal thing about Jasmine’s essence that was grounded For nearly 40 years, Chicago Dramatists has and my family [went wild]. My mom said, ‘I didn’t in the country.] So they, ironically, asked me to and lovely,” Stoner said. “When I mentioned to supported the development of new plays and know you were in the front row.’ I said, ‘I’m not, speak at their church. I wondered if they knew, my team that I wanted a female love interest, playwrights. It is the only comprehensive but I ran up here because Ms. Jackson-If-You’re- because I didn’t bring it up. I listened to how she was the only person I had in mind. I wasn’t playwright development center of its kind in Nasty was on stage.’ We breathed the same air, they said they wanted to suppress homosexuals thinking about intersectionality. … It was ‘hu- Chicago. and that’s enough for me.” and destroy their support network. I said ‘When man first.’ [Filming] was so comfortable.” See ChicagoDramatists.org. Regarding that Janet tribute, how did she a group is oppressed, suppressed and repressed, Talking about her personal circle of friends, she choose which songs to feature from the icon’s they are going to grow stronger—and that sup- said, “A lot of people I know in the LGBT commu- huge catalog? “We did a mixture,” Stoner said. port is how they’re surviving. If anything, I en- nity are pretty outspoken, and I am pretty quiet. “Jared Jenkins is an incredible vocal arranger and courage you to listen; whenever you encounter I was wondering if I was hiding—but I realized producer.” She also dropped other factoids about them, just listen—and not just with your ears. that being quiet is my superpower.” the video, such as the fact that she made the T- Observe their connections and that they’re not “I can’t allow the past to distract me from the shirt Janet wore in her own “Pleasure Principle” ill-intended. Allow your heart to feel what it evolution,” she added. “You can be enamored of video: “I took a Sharpie and colored in letters wants to feel.’” your recent successes instead of remembering from the original ‘Hawaii’ on a shirt to make it It was interesting to hear this story for sev- how big the world is and [constantly] learning.” look like Janet’s. … [The video] was a passion eral reasons—including the fact that Stoner was For more about Stoner, visit her official page project.” kicked out of her church, “and it’s in Los Angeles,” on Facebook. Then the conversation turned to her beginning she said. “You’d think they’d be more understand- in show business, with an unexpected devel- ing of the spectrum.” She added, “I wish—and I WINDY CITY TIMES Nov. 21, 2018 27 BILLY MastersMasters

“Broadway’s Disastrous ‘King Kong’ is a $35 mil- lion crime against puppets.”—Rex Reed’s head- line for his review of King Kong: The Musical. I haven’t read any further, so don’t ruin it for me. But do you think he likes it? Usually I wait till the end of my Thanksgiving column to give thanks. But you know what? I’m thankful right off the bat. I’m thankful to be alive, and I’m thankful you’re reading this col- umn. And, well ... that’s it. Typically I’m a greedy bitch, but that just about covers it. Everyone is talking about Michelle Obama’s bi- ography, which seems to be the book Mr. Obama would have written if he were free to say what- ever he’d like. But you know, U.S. presidents used to maintain a certain level of decorum and dis- cretion. Be that as it may, Mrs. Obama can say whatever she’d like—within reason. One section stood out for me. On the day the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, LGBT folks were cel- ebrating in front of the White House. Michelle wanted to share the historic day with her daugh- “Bi” the way, Michael C. Hall has something ter, Malia. She tried to sneak out of the White to say. House (as if) to join the festivities—not consid- Photo of Hall in Kill Your Darlings courtesy of ering she wasn’t wearing any makeup ... or shoes! Sony Pictures Classics She whipped herself together, and went out in- cognito with Malia. She wrote, “We just took it It wouldn’t be the first gay rumors about Ty- in. I held her tight, and my feeling was, we are ler, The Creator (and let’s hope I don’t ever have moving forward. Change is happening.” to type those three words again). Last year, he Jussie Smollett is enjoying having a fiancé on wrote a song extolling the virtues of Timothee Empire. But it almost turned out quite differently. Chalamet. In “Okra” (get ready to sing along), He said, “There was talk about Jamal having a he rapped: “Tell Tim Chalamet to come and get white boyfriend and I said, ‘Fuck no!’ Not for at me, skin glowin’, clear of acne.” Now, there’s a any reason except we have a responsibility and talent. I bet even Cole Porter wouldn’t know what we have such a beautiful opportunity to show to rhyme with acne—let alone Clearasil! Still, it’s two black men in a relationship together, in a nice to see Tyler doesn’t have a type. healthy relationship. But it was important and Didya know our acting attorney general has that wasn’t anything against white men. It was a secret about his private parts? Back in 2014, just a thing of ... this is what I wished I had seen Matthew Whitaker was on the advisory board as a kid because if I had seen certain things as of World Patent Marketing Company, which de- ter I imagined as pansexual. Yeah, like I made an adolescent, I would have had a much different veloped a toilet for well-endowed men! Their out with Michael Stuhlbarg every night doing the understanding of who I am in an earlier space.” research showed that well-hung guys’ penises show. I think I have always leaned into any flu- I’m still confused—would he date a white guy or dangle into the water when they sit on a toilet. idity in terms of my sexuality.” He added, “I’ve not? “The average male genitalia is between 5” and never had an intimate relationship with a man.” Then there’s Jaden Smith, who is going some- 6.” However, this invention is designed for those Now, I don’t want to call Michael C. Hall a liar, where Daddy never went. At a recent show, he of us who measure longer than that. I estimate but I think he’s a big fat liar—just my humble said, “I just want to say Tyler, The Creator is the that a 12” distance is adequate enough for most opinion. best friend in the whole world and I love him so well-endowed men. An ‘extra long’ (XL) version As a bonus, we’ll give you a nude nobody asked fucking much. And I want to tell you guys some- can always be created if needed.” This product for. You all watch Will & Grace. And you all know thing—Tyler doesn’t want to say, but Tyler is my would be right up Barbara Corcoran’s alley on Jack’s biological son, Elliot. In the film In a Re- motherfucking boyfriend, and he’s been my moth- Shark Tank. The company was shut down after it lationship, actor Michael Angarano appears na- erfucking boyfriend my whole fucking life. Tyler, allegedly bilked “thousands of consumers out of ked and shows off his assets—if you’re into that The Creator is my fucking boyfriend. It’s true!” Or millions of dollars.” Think about this toilet next kinda thing. Check him out on BillyMasters.com. is it? Tyler, The Creator (a name I’m fairly confi- time you hear someone say Dump Trump. When our cornucopia runneth over, it’s time to dent doesn’t appear on a birth certificate) can Our “Ask Billy” question comes from Victor in end yet another column. In addition to thank- be seen shaking his head offstage. Then Jaden Detroit. “I just read that Michael C. Hall says he’s ing our readers, I want to thank the publications, tweeted, “I told everyone you can’t deny it now.” bisexual. Didn’t you write about this years ago?” proofers, lawyers, webmasters and everyone at- Tyler responded with a post of his own (and don’t Apparently I knew before Mikey did. In an inter- BillyMasters.com—the site that celebrates giving get mad at me—I’m just quoting him): “hahaha view with The Daily Beast, he said that appearing each and every day. In fact, I’ll give you whatever you a crazy ni--a man.” Part of me believes this. in Cabaret made him aware of it: “I think there’s you want—if I can. Send your requests to Billy@ Part of me doesn’t. Part of me doesn’t have a clue a spectrum. I am on it. If there was a percentage, BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to who Tyler, The Creator is. And part of me thinks I would say I was not all the way heterosexual. you before I brave my bountiful butt in anoth- this is a bunch of straight guys laughing about I think playing the Emcee required me to fling a er blizzard! So, until next time, remember: One being gay ... which brings us back to Will. bunch of doors wide open because that charac- man’s filth is another man’s bible. 28 Nov. 21, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES and Lettuce Entertain You, and hotels like the feel like it’s on tier with a luxury brand,” Vucko Four Seasons. I like eating at those places, but said. “I also went through two chefs de cuisine, we want to be in the conversation as well. We and learned a lot. We competed in [the culinary want to be the giant-busters and be the giants of competition] Cochon555 and we won this the DISH the city ourselves.” region—twice.” He also talked about embracing Weekly Dining Guide in “We definitely challenge ourselves and we don’t Chicago’s Green City Market—so much so that want to be comfortable,” echoed Vucko, who Travelle has hosted a Green City Market dinner WINDY CITY TIMES even was involved in the insurance business at series for the past three years. one point, but who said he followed his dream of From the start, The Langham “was sold as a SAVOR owning a restaurant. “Never stop.” luxury, five-star dining experience,” Henry added. Vucko and Henry have both been involved “A lot of times you hear that, but it doesn’t Talking with with Travelle since it opened in 2013—so why come to fruition. But here, the best talent in the Travelle’s chefs; have they remained with this establishment, country is here, and the backbone of that is still when so many other people seem to quickly here.” dining news Chef de Cuisine Jeff Vucko and Executive and continuously jump from one culinary spot And the talent these chefs exhibit was apparent BY ANDREW DAVIS Chef Damion Henry of Travelle. to another? “The space itself is gorgeous, and I during lunch, when I was fortunate enough to try Galdo Photography a hearty serving of creamy barley risotto and a There was a time when dining at a hotel’s perfectly cooked lamb burger. However, there is restaurant was almost an afterthought. culinary operations within the hotel—including one experience Vucko described that warrants a How times have changed. Many hotels its 15,000 square feet of banquet space, Travelle, return visit. across the nation now boast at least dining Pavilion, in-room private dining and exclusive “There’s this 32-ounce tomahawk chop that we establishment that features upscale dishes that Club Lounge) about what distinguishes the food bury in salt and put in the oven. Then we crack warrant repeat visits. at the spot—and they both cited a determination [the salt shell] tableside, in front of the guests. Among such spots is Chicago’s Travelle at the to raise standards. Then we light a torch and give it a little sear,” he Langham (330 N. Wabash Ave.; TravelleChicago. “We keep challenging ourselves,” said Henry, said. This writer had heard of fish being prepared com), which features plenty of items with who landed here after being in Jamaica, Miami that way—and it comes out tasty, without innovative twists. and New York City. “We keep setting the bar. We retaining the salt. Recently, Windy City Times talked with Travelle get five stars, but we don’t settle. We want to be Travelle is definitely on its way to being Chef de Cuisine Jeff Vucko and The Langham the best restaurant in the city. Travelle’s barley risotto. included in those conversations Henry mentioned.

Executive Chef Damion Henry (who oversees all “There are the big boys, like the Book Group Photo by Andrew Davis Turn to page 29

BERLIN The witchiness of Coven. Joseph Stevens Photography

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