CHICAGO’SFREEWEEKLYSINCE | MARCH CHICAGO’SFREEWEEKLYSINCE Spring Theater and Dance Issue The homegrown Chicago-style circus Max Maller 16 Puppet renaissance man Dan Jakes 18 Links Hall celebrates 40 years Irene Hsiao 26 The weirdos and visionaries of Prop Thtr KT Hawbaker 28 2 CHICAOREADER - MARCH ll CHICAGOREADER | MARCH | VOLUME NUMBER THIS WEEK NOTE FROM AN EDITOR TR - ­ ­ IT WOULD HAVE been easy to begin this letter and Links Hall, which has nurtured the dance in Chicago takes place not under a big top, but @ by writing “Chicago is a theater town,” but community for 40 years. They met Lily Be, who in industrial lofts and deconsecrated churches. also stupid because everybody knows that, has turned her life into a series of hilarious All this and reviews of 10 new plays, includ- P even people who don’t live here: Steppen- stories, and Blair Thomas, creator of ingenious ing the fi rst production of a new company and TB wolf, Second City, City Hall, blah blah blah. puppets and architect of glorious spectacles. the last production of an old company! Never IEC We respect you, dear readers, and so we’re They went back in time to 1933 to revisit the think that we don’t love you. SKKH DEKS not going to insult you by fi lling this special dance partnership of Ruth Page and Katherine There’s plenty of other drama in this issue, C L SK Spring Theater and Dance Issue with stu you Dunham, and to 1992 because for some reason starting with the history of local LGBTQ poli- D P JR CEAL already know about and have probably seen. playwrights find it a fascinating backdrop tics and continuing with some dramatic ques- M EP M Instead, we asked our writers and one for drama. They looked ahead to some of the tions: What does the city treasurer do exactly? A EJL SWDI photographer to go out and learn more about spring’s most exciting new productions and an Who is C.H.E.W.? Is Us a worthy follow-up BJ MS places and performers that fascinated them. open mike for women of color. They went in- to Get Out? Will Chicagoans finally learn to S WMD LG G D D C They went behind the scenes at Prop Thtr, side theaters to see what they look like when no appreciate the Coney Island hot dog? Read on S M EBW the Avondale hub for experimental theater, one is there. And they went to the circus, which and fi nd out. —AL M L C S C -J FL C PF T A ECS CNB D C D C LC NLC IN THIS ISSUE CC MDLC S F IG AG KTH JH JH 36 ReviewNtozakeShange’s IH DJ MK S choreopoemforcoloredgirls K MM B M JRN MO L O Y remainsastunner P LP KS KR 36 PlaysofnoteShawChicago BS DS A W goesoutwithTheDoctor’s ---------------------------------------------------------------- DilemmaLandladiesexploresthe D D JD D P E &P powerdynamicbetweenrenters KK andownersandSweatshowshow O M SN L SPRINGTHEATER Trump’sAmericacametobe ADVERTISING 39 ComingAttractionsLottery -- -@ CITYLIFE &DANCE DayCambodianRockBandNext 52 SecretHistoryofChicago C @ 04 PublicService 14 ComicReturntocosplaya toNormalandmore MusicBluesroyaltyandMuddy S M PF AnnouncementFreewaysto dispatchfromCE 41 ComedyLemonadeStandmakes WatersbassistCalvin“Fuzz”Jones V PS workyourbodyandstretchout 16 CircusSteprightuptothe asafespaceforwomenofcolorto 55 EarlyWarningsDuff McKagan AM magicalthethrillingtheChicago befunny DawnRay’dChaiTulaniandmore SA R JL NEWS&POLITICS stylecircus! justannouncedconcerts A R 05 Joravsky|Politics 18 PuppetsBlairThomaswantsto 55 GossipWolfTaraTerrafront LM-H Progressives?LoriandTonihaven’t makeChicagothecenterofanew womanEmilyBluedropsasolo CR M TP beenonthefrontlinesofprotest worldofpuppetry synthpopEPandmore N A 07 Dukmasova|PoliticsWhat 21 DanceWhatdidasballet VMG --- thehelldoesthecitytreasurer sayaboutinterracialmixingand CLASSIFIEDS JLSB evendo? culturalappropriationinmodernist 57 Jobs 10 PoliticsAtimelineofwinning Chicago? 57 Apartments&Spaces ---------------------------------------------------------------- LGBTQcandidatesintheChicago 26 DanceLinksHallcelebrates 57 Marketplace DC [email protected] area yearsofbeingwhateverthe -- Chicagodancecommunityneeds OPINION STM READER LLC ittobe FILM 56 SavageLoveDanSavageoff ers B PDRL 28 TheaterPropThtr’sgangof 42 ReviewWehavemettheenemy adviceonsadboysandvaginal T E R misfi tsweirdosandvisionaries andtheyareUs design S JS A- S V entersthespotlight 43 MoviesofnoteTheBraisa 30 LiveLitHowLilyBemadethe refreshingdialoguefreecomedy COMICS C C EB localstorytellingscenelookmore EmmaPeetersburstsattheseams 58 SerialsIndiestarsJohn ---------------------------------------------------------------- likeChicago withwittyhumorandhopeand PorcellinoMelissaMendesand R ISSN-­ 31 PreviewThreeplaysbring Starfi shisasolitarystoryofsurvival MikeCentenoreturn STMR LLC SM SC IL defi anceandderringdoto -- Chicagostagesthisspring MUSIC&NIGHTLIFE 32 TheaterJackalopeandRaven 46 Galil|FeatureCHEWtakea C ©C R P C IL FOOD&DRINK takeaudiencesbackto biteoutofhardcore O PM A C R R 12 RestaurantReviewLola’sConey 33 PhotosTheghostlightasingle 50 ShowsofnoteLittleBigCity SFS’ RR T® IslandstandsforDetroit bulbinanemptytheaterisfor GirlsMotttheHoopleandmore safety andsuperstition showsthisweek ll MARCH - CHICAOREADER 3 SC D N W C C Y T C curvychickyoga.com southchicagodancetheatre. nothingwithoutacompany.org CITY LIFE com PUBLIC SERVICE South Chicago Dance Theatre has been ANNOUNCEMENT offering free community workshops on first Fridays. The next workshop concentrates on If you like to work it, modern dance techniques. You can join them Friday, April 5, from 6-7:30 PM at the Dorches- work it ter Arts + Housing Collaborative, 1456 E. 70th How to stretch out and fi nd Street. All ages welcome. your inner Aunt Viv right now. Participants can take in the wonderful vista of Lake Michigan during free yoga at Berg- er Park in Edgewater. Classes are coordinat- ed by Nothing Without a Company, a local CHICAGO RESIDENTS AND visitors who performance organization. All levels (with or like to “work it work it” show up in droves to without yoga mats) are welcome at these out- the justifiably popular, city-sponsored Sum- door (weather permitting) classes. Meet up merdance series in Grant Park. Live bands every Saturday at 10:30 AM outside of the and DJs, and a fi rst hour of dance instruction, Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheri- make for a lively and free night out in down- dan Road. Homiey, a coworking space at 3455 town. Unfortunately, Summerdance doesn’t W. North Ave. in Humboldt Park, also offers kick off this year until June 27. But there are a monthly free yoga class taught by Angel- some other free ways to work your body, ica of Curvy Chick Yoga. Let’s get physical stretch out, and discover your inner Aunt Viv now so we can show off our moves in June. before June. —S C-J Angelica K. Lewis, owner of Curvy Chick Yoga, leads class. JINDUELUEZE Chicago Reader & Lumpen Radio — Election Party Live Marz election Community coverage Brewing by Co the Reader’s 3630 Ben S Joravsky Iron & St Maya Dukmasova & special guests all-vinyl jams by DJ Sadie Woods Tuesday April 2 / 6:00–9:00pm — Free 4 CHICAOREADER - MARCH ll ENGAGEMENT RINGS WEDDING BANDS NEWS & POLITICS ENGAGEMENT RINGS WEDDING BANDS ENGAGEMENT RINGS WEDDING BANDS Lori Lightfoot DOUGMCGOLDRICK Toni Preckwinkle ERIKDAVIS IS ISIS POLITICS Missing in action It’s hard to call Lori or Toni a progressive because they were not on the front lines of protest during the Rahm years. By BJ or the past few days, I’ve been bar- that a lot of progressives feel compelled to raged with calls and e-mails from make good on the endorsement gamble they friends of the progressive persua- probably should have thought twice about sion, extolling the virtues of Lori making in the fi rst place. Lightfoot or Toni Preckwinkle. I get all that. FAnd if positive arguments don’t work, they But as for one candidate clearly being more fall back on bashing the opposition. “progressive” than the other? That’s a di er- It’s as though the great Harold Washington ent story. had magically reappeared in the person they With Preckwinkle you have a pragmatic and support or their opponent had been taken cautious Democratic Party chieftain who rose over by one of those sewer-dwelling, scissor- to the top by cutting deals with the Daleys and wielding creatures in Jordan Peele’s Us. Burke and Berrios. Donald Strzepek Great fl ick, by the way—run, don’t walk, to And in Lightfoot we have a classic Dem— Proprietor, community member see it. sort of like Chicago’s own Hillary Clinton. A Look, I understand we’ve entered the fren- corporate lawyer from a downtown fi rm who JEWELRYDonald FOR ALL Strzepek OCCASIONS zied fi nal moments of a campaign, where folks makes a killing representing the 1 percent. 5 S. Wabash, ste 507 Proprietor, community member 312.263.3315 are losing their collective minds with the urge I’m not saying there’s anything intrinsically Chicago, IL 60603 [email protected] to glorify the home team and demonize the op- wrong with either type. Hell, I’ve voted for JEWELRY FOR ALL OCCASIONS position. And I know that if you can’t convince candidates similar to Lori and Toni many 5 S. Wabash, ste 507 312.263.3315 the voters of your candidate’s virtues, the next times over the years. It’s a big world out there, Chicago, IL 60603 [email protected] best thing is to scare them with a distorted people. Not everyone’s like me. caricature of your opponent. And I also know So you got to learn to get along with all J ll MARCH - CHICAOREADER 5 Donald Strzepek Proprietor, community member