Play Locally: Beauty and The Beast, Gruesome Playground Injuries, West Fest, Ren Faire and More

This morning we caught the opening of the stunningly spectacular production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at Chicago Shakespeare.   We'd seen the Broadway version, so our expectations were high, and we were not disappointed.   We'll have a photo filled full review up soon.




The next two days West Fest is going down.    Temps are finally a high of 88 and going down to a high of 81 Sunday, which feels downright spring like after 100+ heat index all week.   So venture outta the air conditioning and see some fun bands, theater, or Ren Faire Fun.   




We'll bring you our photo filled adventures from Bristol Renaissance Faire after Sunday.   Check out our recent Ren Fair coverage & details here.




Click this link for free 12 & under kids' admission and a printable coupon for $4.95 off for adults for opening weekend, along with announcements of new acts.








Opening Tonight:

Tonight we're super stoked to be going to the opening of Gruesome Playground Injuries at The Chopin Theatre!

In Rajiv Joseph’s masterful play, an accident prone dare devil and a corrosive masochist navigate friendship, love and the squishy parts that lie in between. 8-year-olds Doug and Kayleen meet in a school nurse’s office, beginning a lifelong intimacy which is revealed through the physical and emotional injuries they sustain over 30 years. Gruesome Playground Injuries tells a different kind of love story through sharp humor and even sharper insights into the human condition.

Our full review will be up shortly.

West Fest

West Fest 2012 Saturday & Sunday, July 7th & 8th 12-10pm on Chicago Avenue between Damen and Wood There is something for everyone at West Fest, the Chicago street fair that reflects the eclectic persona of its West Town environs. Held annually on Chicago Avenue at Damen, the two-day party features live cutting edge music on 3 stages! The main stage is booked by Empty Bottle Presents, then there is a DJ Stage, and a Kid Fest Stage. There are Kid Fest activities and entertainment, PUPFest with pet product vendors and dog activities for charity, plus a multitude of booths from popular neighborhood restaurants, retailers, and artists. The Music The biggest difference between West Fest and other cookie-cutter Chicago street festivals is the high quality live music. West Fest is all about up and coming local and national artists playing original live music. West Fest also features a DJ stage, one of the first at a Chicago street fest since it's inception in 2004. The main stage is booked by the renowned local venue Empty Bottle Presents. Click here for the complete 2012 live music line up. **We highly recommend checking out He's My Brother She's My Sister today at 4pm!   They were amazing at Empty Bottle a few months back and we'll have loads of live video footage and show still for you soon.   They're fronted by a talented actual brother/ sister duo and have a rockin' girl drummer who tap dances on one drum while wailing on the rest.   Amazing! The Activities Kid Fest (on Wolcott & Rice): Join us for the 8th annual Kid Fest held in conjunction with West Fest July 7th & 8th from Noon to 10pm - located on Wolcott Ave between Chicago Ave and Rice. A jammed packed two-day family fun event. This year Kid Fest will feature the usual pony rides and face painting for the little ones, plus will also focus on arts and music programming for those hard to please tweens and teens. Older kids and all ages will enjoy the programming by The Opus Institute  with live music, arts lessons, B-Boy Battle and music workshops presented by The Opus Institute, Maestro Chroma, Ground Lift Media and Chicago Tribe.  Live art demonstrations by Czr Prz, Des One, Daze, Celr, Fel 3000, Sintex, Rift, Cero, Revise, CMW and more... Click here for complete Kid Fest stage line up.  PUP Fest: Each year West Fest features another large ‘fest within a fest’ dedicated exclusively to pet product vendors, canine bathing pools, and plenty of pet activities for charity hosted by West Town's own Doggy Style Pet Shop and Green Dog Inc. With a $5 donation, dogs who attend can participate in a variety of activities at no additional charge - including an agility course, an additional obstacle course fun area (with mud pit!), dog "tattooing", face painting and paw painting, paw cooling stations, raffles and spin-the-wheel prizes. With a $15 donation dogs can participate in the above activities PLUS the Suds For Strays Charity Dog Wash. After getting all messy in the mud pit (but prior to getting tattooed), volunteers from the 5 rescues will be washing dogs all day.  Each dog that gets washed will also receive a gift bag containing freebies and coupons. ALL PUPfest proceeds benefit these 5 pet rescues and charities: Alive Rescue, One Tail At A Time, Treehouse Humane Society, Friends of Animal Care and Control, and Leaving Tracks. $5 donation requested for admittance to West Fest offsets the costs of the event and benefits local non-profits providing services for the immediate neighborhood. This year the gate proceeds will benefit the West Town Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit providing programs and services for West Town businesses; and also a new benefactor brought in by The Opus Institute for their part in organizing Kid Fest, and the Magi Cultural Arts Center, a community and culturally-based art center which empowers individuals with the entrepreneurial spirit to reinvest into their community.

Kids Free This Weekend at Ren Faire & New Acts Announced

*Click here for a printable coupon for adult discount tickets.   Kids 12 and under are free this weekend and kids under 5 are free all season.

Join us as we kick off the 25th Celebration!
Save $4.95 off each Adult Admission and All kids 12 & younger are free!  (July 7 & 8, 2012 only. Coupon must be presented at Box Office.) 

Bigger, bolder and more boisterous than ever, this summer’s 25th annual Bristol Renaissance Faire promises patrons an unparalleled celebration, filled with all the first-rate revelry Faire-goers have come to expect over the past two-and-a-half decades and a queen’s ransom of special surprises. More than 200,000 visitors are expected to attend Bristol’s special anniversary celebration, which begins July 7 and runs for nine weekends through Labor Day, Sept. 3. 

“We’re going to party like it’s 1599,” said Linda McFeters, producer of the Bristol Renaissance Faire, promising streets brimming with a commedia del arte kaleidoscope of frolicking fools and masquerading merrymakers who will sweep patrons into a world far removed from the stresses of the 21st Century. 

  

Sagezilla rocks the Steampunk Invasion weekend at Ren Faire 2011



Complementing a perennially popular array of jousting knights, swashbuckling swordsmen, mud beggars, rope-walkers, period dancers and musicians, the season will be one of the most extensive line-ups of special entertainment the Faire has ever assembled, including limited-engagement appearances by many of the most sought-after performing groups on the national Renaissance fair circuit. Travelling to Bristol for the first time this summer will be the explosively-entertaining steampunk bagpipe group, Klaxton, and juggling juggernaut London Broil. Also announced, the all-female Seelie Players will lure audiences with their debut of “Sirena: From Down Below We Sing,” an original musical tribute to the Sirens of Greek legend, featuring tribal drums and staffs, lithe dancing and all-new music.

Among favorite guest headliners returning to Bristol on select weekends to help celebrate the Faire’s 25th anniversary are Doktor Kaboom, with his side-splittingly funny scientific diversions, Celtic rock phenomenon Tartanic, and the Clan Tynker family circus, an enchanting cacophony of music, juggling, magic, sword-swallowing, fire-eating and dangerous stunts. Also returning this summer is a performer who literally turned heads during her 2011 debut, aerialist Lauren Murray, who suspends herself from the treetops above the Faire in a graceful and gravity-defying silk act.

For 25 years, the Bristol Renaissance Faire has been captivating visitors with an incomparable spectrum of experiences, from unabashed revelry to first rate people-watching.  For those who want to check their inhibitions at the gate, there’s ample opportunity to whoop and holler at jousting knights, get down and dirty with raucous, earth-clad mud beggars, or hurl a ripe tomato at a blustering braggart.  Those inclined toward more serene pursuits will find a comparable bounty of enjoyments, from watching glass-blowers create one-of-a-kind works of art, to joining in a round of 16th Century court dancing, or listening to the dulcet tones of world-class minstrels.

Among the most popular attractions at the Faire for the past four seasons, Bristol’s live action fantasy-play game, RenQuest, will return this summer with an entirely new storyline. RenQuest brings the worldwide phenomenon of multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft, into the live action dimension of the Renaissance faire,  creating an interactive theatrical experience that offers gamers an unprecedented opportunity to test their mental and physical skills beyond the realm of their computer screens.

For the Faire’s youngest patrons (a.k.a. “nipperkins”), Kids Quests provide two daily opportunities to embark on their own, age-appropriate adventures. Kids Quests set out from the vicinity of Bristol’s Kids Kingdom, an enclosed play area filled with oversized sand boxes, a huge climb-aboard pirate ship, and an entertaining cast of Renaissance fairytale characters presiding over interactive games, crafts and other child-friendly activities. 

Festivities at the Faire take their framework from the summer day in 1574 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth visited the English hamlet of Bristol. Queen Elizabeth and other historically based characters are juxtaposed with fictional scenarios, such as the popular street-fighting escapades of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Faire streets are lined with game and ride areas, food vendors offering a palate-pleasing array of epicurean delights, and merchants selling everything from sterling silver jewelry to rare-edition books and hand-caned brooms. Strolling minstrels, jesters and other era characters mingle with faire-goers, many of whom come dressed in their own period costumes. 

Located on 30 wooded acres, just west of I-94’s Russell Road exit, near Kenosha, Wis., the Bristol 

Renaissance Faire will be open rain or shine, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, July 7 through Sep. 2, and on Labor Day Monday, Sep. 3. Tickets are $19.95 for adults and $9.50 for children. Advance ticket discounts are available at renfair.com or (847) 395-7773.

Vote Gorilla Tango for IndieWire's Project of the Month by 7/6 #theatre review

Gorilla Tango Says:  THANK YOU FOR VOTING US CHICAGO READER'S 2012

BEST BURLESQUE TROUPE!

ChiIL Live Shows had a chance to check out Superboobs:   A Superhero Burlesque Adventure and also Attend The Tale of Danny Tanner:  A Full House Musical.    


Their Burlesque is playful, grrrl powered fun for couples or a night out.   All body types are represented, not just sleek, airbrushed Barbie types.   Most of all, the actors look like they're having a great time, thoroughly enjoying their campy parodies.   Seeing a Gorilla Tango Burlesque show is kinda like spying on a girly slumber party or 21+ kids playing R rated charades with a costume bin.


There's even a lobby bar!    Gorilla Tango is not just hooters.....their shows are a hoot....clever, smart, sexy spoofs.    Come check 'em out.    Highly recommended adult fun.


We're super stoked  Attend The Tale of Danny Tanner:  A Full House Musical has been extended into July.  Check the link for show dates and times.  This show was horribly wrong in ALL the right ways.   I haven't laughed this hard in ages.  The audience was on the floor laughing from the time the opening number echoed forth.  The actors' parodies were so funny I can't believe the cast actually made it through the whole show without cracking, though I saw a few tell tale facial twitches.   Attend the tale....before it's too late.   If you drove, you might want to forgo the lobby bar on this one...lest someone in the audience gets any ideas!   There's always the blue line el--Western stop a short walk away.    However you get there, go already.

EXTENDED INTO JULY!!!!

In this darkly comedic musical, the true life of Danny Tanner and is family is exposed; promises will be broken, sinister paths explored, lives may be lost, and yes, songs will be sung. Whether you're a member of the Full House fan club or scoff in a superior fashion when you hear someone utter "Cut It Out"; you will find both a touch of nostalgia and an illuminating light shining brightly on the Tanners' most clandestine realities. Come see the Tanners as you've never seen them before. Attend the Tale.

Written by Chris Gorton, Katie Johnston-Smith, and Tara Trudel
Directed by Kelly Williams.
Choreographed by Nikki Pierce.
Fight Choreography by Bobby Hoffman
Musically Directed by Rhapsody Snyder.
Costumes and props by Vanessa Walilko.


"An hour of gleefully over-the-top songs about murder and pinky swears..."
Centerstage Chicago

READER RECOMMENDED!
"Cheerfully morbid musical goof!"
Chicago Reader

"An interesting, dark twist on the "Full House" we all know and love. The choreography is stylistic and interesting, the actors believable and the harmonies pretty perfect."
Lady Art Chicago

"This show isn't just good, it's pretty brilliant."
Gapers Block

Produced by GTT.

Show Rating - R

Show Type - Musical

Gorilla Tango Theatre [Bucktown] 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 773-598-4549

Gorilla Tango Says:

Haven't seen one of our new shows? Check us out - Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm and 10:30pm;
visit www.gorillatango.com or call 773-598-4549 for tickets and showtimes!

HEY! WE LIKE WINNING!
PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER VOTING FOR Gorilla Tango Motion Picture's upcoming film

"YOU ARE NOT ALONE"

for IndieWire's Project of the Month:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/decide-who-talks-to-the-tribeca-film-institute-vote-for-junes-project-of-the-month#**Voting ends TOMORROW (Friday, July 6 at 5pm).**

CHI, IL LIVE SHOWS--Milwaukee Ave. Arts Fest 7/20-22

LOGAN SQUARE ROCKS We love our hood and when it comes time for the  annual Milwaukee Ave. Arts Fest, so does everyone else. Check out the sweet line up below with some of ChiIL Live Shows top picks in red.   Festival Center Main Stage at Milwaukee & Logan Friday July 20 9:00 - Disappears 7:45 - The Mutts 6:30 - This Is Cinema 5:15 - Shannon Hayden Saturday July 21 9:00 - NOMO 7:45 - Loyal Divide 6:30 - Cains & Abels* 5:15 - Del Rey* 4:00 - Unicycle Loves You* 2:45 - Los Vicios De Papa* 1:30 - Rambos* 12:00 - Pinkalicious The Musical (Family) Sunday July 22 8:00 - Ana Tijoux 6:30 - My Gold Mask 5:15 - In Tall Buildings 4:00 - Eastern Blok 2:45 - Speck Mountain *presented by saki 1:30 - Las Guitarras de Espana 12:00 - Rhythm Revolution (Family)

Nomo Ana Tijoux * Chicago Mixtape   Showcase

Cole's Stage at Milwaukee & Belden Friday July 20 9:00 - Yolks 8:00 - Rabble Rabble 7:00 - Big Colour 6:00 - VILLAGE Saturday July 21 ALL FEMALE FRONTED SHOWCASE 9:00 - The Runnies 8:30 - Ruby yo 7:15 - Tyler Jon Tyler 6:45 - Trinity 5:45 - Moritat 4:45 - Blizzard babies 3:45 - Swimsuit addition 2:45 - Charming People 2:00 - Shugga Shug 1:00 - squish Sunday July 22 9:00 - Al Scorch 8:00 - Weepin Willows 7:00 - Laurance Peters 6:00 - Mike Musikanto 5:00 - Deadbeat

Hairpin Arts Center at 2800 N. Milwaukee presented by Tito's Handmade Vodka LIVE JAZZ PRESENTED BY ELASTIC ARTS AND CHICAGOMUSIC.ORG: Friday July 20 9:45 Vocalo DJ Collective After-Party Featuring Trancid with Shazam Bangles Saturday July 21 6:30 - 7:15 Josh Berman - cornet, Matt Schneider - guitar 7:45 - 8:30 Guillermo Gregorio - reeds, Jason Roebke - bass, Brian Labycz - electronics 9:00 - 9:45 Cameron Pfiffner - saxophone, Anton Hatwich - bass 9:45 Vocalo DJ Collective After-Party Featuring Jesse De La Pena with Charlie Sunday July 22 4:00 - 4:45 David Hernandez & Street Sounds 6:30 - 7:15 Jason Adasiewicz - vibraphone, Nate McBride - bass 7:45 - 8:30 Jim Baker - piano, Josh Abrams - bass 9:00 - 9:45 Mars Williams - saxophone, Kent Kessler - bass

Full Moon Fire Jam July-Photo Filled Feature

It was a purely magical evening at July's full moon fire jam last Monday.   We ran into loads of CircEsteem teachers and students that we know, including fire jugglers Brian & Maria.   We're currently editing all our HD clips from the jam into a longer piece with music, that we'll have up soon, so check back with ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often!    For the rest of the Full Moon Fire Jam Season dates and more photos, check out our prior coverage here.

CHI, IL FILMS ON OUR RADAR-FACETS MULTIMEDIA

I've volunteered at Facets every month since September of 1990 and have seen some incredible indie films, classics, and multicultural offerings over the last 20+ years.   Check out their nightly features, midnight cult classics on Saturdays, Children's International Film Fest, and one of the most comprehensive video rental libraries in the nation.   Check out their main site right here for more info, upcoming film, and membership details.

Facets Cinematheque
Starting Friday, July 6th :
DARK HORSE


Dark Horse has a surprising roster of actors which prove a perfect match for the skewed sensibility of filmmaker Todd Solondz, adding vitality to his signature style and tone, as indicated by such films as Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness. Solondz has established himself as American cinema's crown prince of comic discomfort and once again, he has made another provocative film which finds humor and insight in our deepest neuroses, pains, and misdeeds. 


Facets Film School
FACETS FILM SCHOOL
Summer Session: July 12 - August 22, 2012
Facets Film School provides a forum for discussion among film lovers, emerging mediamakers, and film veterans, encouraging an appreciation for movies as an art form and means of communication, and allowing for an exploration of various film genres, techniques, filmmakers, actors, and more.


Led by local professors and other film experts, Film School courses run one evening per week for six weeks. Each three-hour class session includes a film screening in our intimate small theater, along with time for lecture and discussion. Film School courses are designed to be accessible to students of all levels, with or without any prior background in film studies.






Facets Film School Reel Talk


REEL TALK: FILM SCHOLARS ON TAP
Monday, July 9, 2012




Join fellow film fanatics for an evening of movie clips, cinematic insights, mingling, and munchies. A panel of film scholars will kick off the night in Facets' Cinémathèque theater with scintillating observations illustrated by scenes from various films. Reception to follow the event. Informal but lively discussion is encouraged. More Info






Facets Film Portal
FREE FILMS ONLINE @ FACETS FILM PORTAL




Facets Multi-Media's mission is to preserve, to present, and to distribute independent, world, and classic film, and to educate adults and children in the art and legacy of film.


Facets Film Portal extends that mission by scouring the web for streaming films that have fallen through the cracks, and presenting our discoveries daily. Feel free to search, to watch, to discuss, and to suggest what would make your experience better. More Info




Facets in the Community


SUNDOWN IN K TOWN:
NORTH LAWNDALE DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
Tuesdays and Thursdays at sundown July 10-24, 2012
Special program on Friday, July 27, 2012




Better Boys Foundation and Facets Multi-Media announce a film festival comprised of a series of social documentaries screened outdoors at the Better Boys Foundation, 1512 S. Pulaski Rd. These groundbreaking documentaries such as The Murder of Fred Hampton, And This is Free, Been Rich All My Life and others exemplify the role of independent, particularly documentary, filmmaking in reporting about and shaping Chicago.
Discussion panels of film professionals, journalists, and individuals relevant to the films will follow the screenings.


Admission is free and parking is available at 1512 S. Pulaski Rd. For further information, please contact Mary Visconti at the Better Boys Foundation (773) 542-7300.

Time Travel to Another Century-Ren Faire Opens This Weekend!

photo credit-Bristol Renaissance Faire

What's a quarter of a century old and centuries ago?   Time travel back like Dr. Who and steam punks do....to party like it's 1599.

It's 1 day...19 hours...20 minutes till the gates open for Ren Faire 2012!

Bristol Renaissance Faire has been an annual fav of ours for nearly 20 years.   We can't wait to do it again this weekend when Ren Faire opens for their 25th summer!   ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows will be there Sunday and we'll have a photo and video filled recap for you.    Check out a few links to some of our favorite past coverage here:

Steampunk Day 2011 at Ren Faire

Huzzah-2011 Photo Filled Adventures

Play Locally-Bristol Ren Faire Opens 2011


Lost:   Ren Faire 2010

Faire Weather Friends-2009

Now That's a Hat

Ren Fair Photo Filled Feature 2008 

Ren Fair Redux 2008

FAIRE FACTS

◆ WHO: More than 1,200 period artisans and performers including jousting knights, juggling jesters, willful wenches and a newly arrived cast of street-performing fools presiding over revelry of epic proportions.

◆ WHAT: A rollicking romp through Elizabethan England, complete with 16th century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music and dance, recreating the summer day in 1574 when Queen Elizabeth visited the English hamlet of Bristol. This summer, Bristol commemorates its 25th anniversary with the biggest, boldest and most boisterous celebration to date.

◆ RENQUEST: Bristol’s live action fantasy-play game, which debuted in July 2008, returns with an all-new story line. Bristol’s RenQuest brings the worldwide popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft, into the live action dimension of the Renaissance fair, and offers gamers the chance to test their role-playing prowess beyond the realm of their computer screens.

◆ ENTERTAINMENT: Sixteen stages of nonstop entertainment featuring Faire favorites such as Dirk and Guido (“The Swordsmen”) *they've been friends of ours since my husband, Dug did the location sound for their DVD years ago, the Sturdy Beggars Mud Show and MooNiE the Magnif’Cent — Juggler, Ropewalker and Foolish Mortal. Also, many of the United States’ top touring Renaissance Faire performers will drop in to help celebrate this summer’s special anniversary. These performers include the Celtic fusion band Tartanic, steampunk bagpipe group Klaxton, the Clan Tynker family circus and sidesplitting Renaissance scientist Doktor Kaboom!

◆ MARKETPLACE: Nearly 200 artisans and crafters showcasing wares ranging from jewelry and leatherworks to tapestries and hand-crafted longbows. Demonstrations by potters, glassblowers, broom caners, forgers and other working artisans.

◆ FOOD AND DRYNKE: Roasted turkey legs, skewered shrimp, barbecued ribs, garlic sauteed mushrooms, steak sandwiches, grilled chicken, ice cream, fruit crepes and other delicacies. Thirst-quenching ales, fine wines, iced tea and fresh-squeezed lemonade.

When: Saturdays and Sundays, plus Labor Day Monday, July 7 through Sep. 3, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., rain or shine

Where: Kenosha, Wis., west of I-94 near Illinois/Wisconsin border (Russell Road exit)

Tickets $19.95 for adults and $9.50 for children (ages 5-12) at the gate.  (discount coupons at Walgreens)

*Kids under 5 are FREE!

RenQuest Info: participation costs an additional $10 per day.  

Discounts available online at renfair.com or by phone, (847) 395-7773.

Check out Bristol Renaissance Faire's Main Site here for more info

photo credit-Bristol Renaissance Faire