THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 January 16, 2008 • vol 23 no 18 WINTER THEATER Soldier Comes Out PREVIEW page 4 From left: Songs for a New World; Blooming Flow- ers in Weeds; Coffee Girl; The Day on Which a Man Dies; and The Little Dog Laughed. Background: The Chicago Sinfonietta with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater in a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Candidates Face Off page 6 Bailiwick’s Bathhouse Debates in NYC; Fight to Is Chicago Next? Stay Alive BY AMY WOOTEN by ANDREW Davis While New York City’s health department debates whether or not it will regulate the city’s bath- Given the steady streams of plaudits (including houses and sex clubs, local health officials do over 150 Jeff Committee citations, recommenda- not think Chicago will return to the great bath- tions and nominations), hit productions (such house debates of the past. Jack as Jeffrey, Jerry Springer: The Opera and the “We’ve been in this epidemic for 25 years now, Barenaked Lads series) and seemingly successful and the epidemic has clearly evolved over time, Mackenroth: fundraisers associated with Bailiwick Repertory and I think our responses have evolved over since its 1982 inception, one would expect the time, also,” said Chris Brown, assistant com- Life Off the company to be extremely financially successful. missioner of the STD/HIV/AIDS division of the However, one would be wrong, according to Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). ‘Runway’ page 20 Bailiwick’s founder and artistic director, David David Zak. Photo by Tracy Baim “We’ve learned a lot from history, and in Chi- Zak. cago, we’re putting a lot of energy into working Zak said that the financial problems have snow- with our partners to do what we can to reduce balled in “the past 12 months.” He said that the lesbian plays, and we’ve found that audiences the transmission of HIV and the transmission of perception was that things were going smoothly aren’t coming for those—and that’s true across sexually transmitted diseases that are associ- all along. “Our sense was that everyone thought the country.” ated with the bathhouses.” nightspots we were fine. [Even] the foundation community Zak also said that technology is responsible “I don’t see the ‘80s repeating themselves,” thought we were fine.” for the financial hit Bailiwick has taken. “It’s Brown continued.“I think we’ve evolved.” n a cultural change,” he said. “People have their Part of the problem, Zak told Windy City Times, Gay City News reported that a leaked memo pick it up is the burgeoning Broadway in Chicago series TiVos and Netflix, so they have their neverend- from New York City’s health department indicates take it home that takes place downtown. “We sent a fund- ing supply at home of gay and lesbian television health officials are reconsidering the city’s poli- raising letter to our people that talked about programming. In the old days, our subscribers cies regarding bathhouses and sex clubs. More the change in the marketplace,” he said. “It’s would announce a new show and people would recent reports indicate that the area’s health of- great that people are going to Altar Boyz, Jersey trot out to see [it], and then with Broadway, ev- ficials, due to increasing new HIV infections and Boys and all these other ‘Boys’ that are down erything assimilated; I mean, Hairspray is about syphilis rates, are considering shutting down there, but it’s expensive. If people spend $80 as gay as it gets. So it’s an interesting cultural such venues. for Wicked or $100 for Jersey Boys, [the effect] change, where young people don’t seem to be “We’ve been funding a lot of prevention ef- is what a lot of the smaller theaters are feeling. going to gay theaters; young people don’t seem forts in the LGBT community for a long time www.WindyCityQueercast.com People will see the big stuff like Jerry Springer, Turn to page 10 Turn to page 4 but we’ve done workshops and smaller gay and www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com 2 January 16, 2008 “A suspenseful mystery…. keeps the audience guessing.”—The Reader h s u r G s i u o L n e h p e t S d n a k c o R m i T Don’t miss the show that is keeping audiences captivated right up to the final revelation! Good Boys and True by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa directed by Pam MacKinnon Featuring ensemble member Martha Lavey Now Playing! $20 TICKETS available day of performance, after 11 a.m., in person or by phone. (Limit 2 per person) steppenwolf buy online at www.steppenwolf.org or call 312-335-1650 Production Sponsor of Good Boys and True: January 16, 2008 3 index We can help you News Soldier comes out 4 prepare for tomorrow Bathhouse debate 4 today. Gay man missing 4 Memories of Lisa Tonna 5 Madeleine Albright in Chicago 5 Candidates square off 6 National roundup 7 Local news 7 Clinton, McCain win in N.H. 7 Views: Baim, Monroe 8 World news 9 The Little Dog Laughed (above) is just Quotelines 9 one of many productions profiled in this week’s winter theater special. See WINTER THEATER GUIDE page 12. Bailiwick’s fight 10 Photo by Michael Brosilow 7 to Applaud 12 6 to Shout ‘Out’ 12 6 to Sing 13 ENTERTAINMENT Pop Making Sense 16 Deep Inside Hollywood 16 Knight at the Movies 17 NOW IN LINCOLN SQUARE, you can take advantage of the proven experience of Jack Mackenroth talks 20 COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services. COUNTRY can assist you with every- thing, from insurance and college funding to retirement. Knowing what you want OUTLINES in the future is the first step toward making it come true. And now you can get real answers for real financial Real estate ads 18 security, right here. Classifieds 19 Financial products and services offered by certain affiliates of COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services. Political event pics 19 countryfinancial.com Real people. Real answers. Real quick.® Calendar, Dykes 21 Visit our new Lincoln Square office at 4700 N. Western Ave. or call (773)728-2957. Sports and fitness 22 Does WCT movie critic Richard Knight, Jr., give 27 Dresses (above) a —Ping-Pong player Wolfgang dressing down? See page 17. Busch; motivational trainer Marty Tuley Photo by Barry Wetcher This week’s online-only www. features include: COUNTRY • Lincoln Square NP-Windy City Times-Graduate COUNTRY —Media Watch 47121 • 5 x 6.625 • 47121 Windy 12/2/07 —A feature on 12/2/07 • 4/C Mat due 1/10/08 Art Director_Susan Schmidt • Production_Maija D. City committeemen, including a talk with Alderman Tom Media Tunney Group Also, check out extended .com online features of: —political candidates —an interview with personal trainer Marty Tuley (right) www.WindyCityQueercast.com GIVING GOOD FACE Sal-E and JoJo Baby are featured in Renard Colbert’s new photogra- phy exhibition “Getting Into Face,” at Gallery 203. nightspotsn photo by colbertimages.com 4 January 16, 2008 rogatory; the added stress began to affect his job performance. That is when Manzella went to Gay Man Missing his supervisor and explained the situation. Many of his coworkers were supportive, they would go Since August out to dinner with Manzella and his boyfriend. BY ANDREW DAVIS After a three-week investigation, his battal- ion commander said they “had found no proof of Evanston police said that they still are not sure his homosexuality.” This conclusion was reached of the whereabouts of a gay man who has been after Manzella had acknowledged that he is gay missing for several months. and had shown them pictures and video of he Rob Stone, 43, was reported missing last Au- and his boyfriend kissing. gust by his roommate, Susan Polzak. According The division was redeployed to Iraq in October to an e-mail she recently sent to Windy City 2006. He ended up serving much of that second Times. Stone “is a waiter and was looking for tour in medical liaison position in Kuwait, fill- work.” She added that he goes by the nick- ing a position generally taken by a person three names “Stone,” “Satan” and “Uncle Satan.” ranks higher. “All of my colleagues knew I was A missing persons report lists Stone’s stats as a six-foot-tall white male who weighed gay, and it made no difference.” Rob Stone. Manzella taped his interview with 60 Minutes about 150 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. in Kuwait and told his commanders about it im- The report also stated that Stone “was last contact” with Stone Oct. 18, 2007; however, Sgt. Darren Manzella. Photo by Bob Roehr mediate prior to the program airing. His section seen on 8-6-07 when he left 1900 Seward with commander said, “’Wow, you can’t go back now.’ his personal belongings and has had past al- no one knows his present location. “I would He stood up and wished me the best of luck, say- cohol addiction problems. Stone is known to just like to know where he is so his family will ing it is unfortunate that policies like this are in frequent Bar Louie, Prairie Moon and the Keg know that he is alright,” Kohl said. Anyone with relevant information should call Manzella place.” in Evanston, but has not been seen there in The sergeant returned to the U.S. just before weeks.” the Evanston Police Department at 847-866- Demonstrates Christmas and spent the holidays with his fam- Det.