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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
THE CASUALTIES: Premiere Another New Track, Announce European Tour
ACT OUT: Broadway in Chicago Sizzle Reel Video #Theatre
Fall into a stellar line up with Broadway in Chicago's current offerings. The 2nd city's theatre scene is 2nd to none! Order your tickets NOW for the best choice in seats.
We'll be there tonight for opening night of I Love Lucy LIVE and we'll have a full review up for you shortly. Check back with ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for loads of theatre news, show reviews, original video interviews, photo filled features and more.
Of course we're soooo stoked for the Tony Award winning Book of Mormon in December, by the creators of South Park. It's one of the hottest shows and hardest tickets to get.
So don't wait. Get your tickets already! AmEx presale ends today.
http://broadwayinchicago.com/
But between now and then there are some sweet shows coming to town for the whole family and for adult nights out. Les Miserables is one of my favs, and I'm excited my kids are finally old enough to see it for the first time. Cinderella's also sure to be a family pleaser, as is The Grinch and War Horse.
On the adult night out front, I'm looking forward to the world premier of Kinky Boots, with a score by Cindy Lauper!
Check out Broadway in Chicago's main site here for ticket ordering info and show specifics.
FELLOWSHIP OF THE BOOBS: A LOTR, D&D, WoW, RPG BURLESQUE ADVENTURE returns to the GT Stage for limited Engagement: Saturdays at 10:30pm, September 22 - October 27, 2012 ONLY
The FELLOWSHIP, Dinah Dentata as The Elf, Diva la Vida as The Mysterious Zemrat, London Derriere as The Warrior, and Hazel Hellbender as The Dwarf
Photo by K Leo, www.mirthandbeauty.com
End of summer got you down? Well Gorilla Tango Burlesque has a sure-fire pick up me, ready to send you THERE AND BACK AGAIN!
FELLOWSHIP OF THE BOOBS: A LOTR, D&D, WoW, RPG BURLESQUE ADVENTURE is returning for a limited run engagement: Saturdays at 10:30pm, September 22 - October 27, 2012 ONLY at Gorilla Tango Theatre Bucktown (1919 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago 60647). Tickets are $20; to purchase tickets visit www.gorillatango.com or call 773-598-4549. 18 and over only.
Juicy Lucy as your friendly Dungeon Master
Photo by Greg Inda
With inspirations drawn from Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft, and Dungeons and Dragons (as the title suggests), FELLOWSHIP OF THE BOOBS entwines classic burlesque gimmicks with iconic fantasy moments in an upbeat adventure plot that also pays homage to fantasy greats such as H.P. Lovecraft, J.K. Rowling, T.H. White, and “other brilliant authors with two first initials,” quips creator/director MsPixy, thumbing through a battered C.S. Lewis novel as she speaks.
From the start of the show the audience is welcomed as a fellow (chair-bound) adventurer and provided with training to fulfill their role as “Healer” on the journey. Endowed with the powers of Encouraging Woot (to give energy to the mighty bosoms of their fellow travelers) and Generous Tipping (to help restore Tip Points lost in battles with sexy beasties), both audience members with deep pockets and those saving their pennies for a post-show beverage can aide the forward progress of the Quest (and earn appreciative winks and shimmies from their on-stage companions).
Why yes, those ARE Merlocs.
Photo by Greg Inda
Though the script is chock-full of references for the die-hard nerd crowd, creator/director MsPixy reassures us that you don’t need a game manual to play along. “These are strong, sexy, satisfyingly silly characters that have become part of the cultural consciousness. You don’t need to have memorized a map of Middle Earth to enjoy the journey... but if you have, there are many landmarks you’ll recognize along the way.”
“We've put together an exceptionally fun group of girls for this limited run - Geek Girl (as the GTB troupe is known) regulars and newbies alike - and I really hope you’ll come out and support their boobs.”
She pauses...
“You know what I mean.”
Be wary of Shelobs lair...
Photo by Greg Inda
MORE ABOUT GORILLA TANGO BURLESQUE
Over the past almost three years (!!!), Gorilla Tango Burlesque has gone from the debut of the surprise hit “Boobs & Goombas: A Super Mario Burlesque” in October 2010 to a local burlesque/comedy powerhouse with literally thousands of audience members through the door to see unique burlesque parodies of everything from Star Wars to Indiana Jones, from superheroes to 1990s pop-culture phenomena -- and that's just a small selection of what they have available for-- as their slogan states-- "the Discerning Nerd."
GTB will debut its first Halloween-themed show, BOOBS OF THE DEAD: A WALKING DEAD BURLESQUE which runs in October only, and look for THE EMPIRE BRINGS SEXY BACK: A STAR WARS SEQUEL this November!
Gorilla Tango Theatre (GTT) provides year-round theatrical venues where audiences of all ages can consistently go to see a wide variety of talented artists. GTT exists to provide artists with an opportunity to produce their work in professional environment. GTT was created by Dan Abbate and boasts two venues: an 80-seat performance space in Bucktown and a 150-seat performance space in Skokie. GTT Bucktown is conveniently located at the intersection of Western and Milwaukee in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. Easily accessible by public transportation, GTT is steps away from the Western Blue Line stop and the #49 Western, #73 Armitage and #56 Milwaukee buses. Street parking is readily available. Gorilla Tango’s Skokie Theatre is located in the heart of Downtown Skokie; street and lot parking available. With shows for all ages, all GTT performances are on a rating system, similar to the one used in movie theatres. GTT offers a variety of affordable beer and wine for purchase. Consult the website for show details, rating information, tickets, and more.
www.gorillatango.com – 773.598.4549
1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
7924 Lincoln Ave. Skokie, IL 60077
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
TONIGHT: CHI, IL Live Shows On Our Radar--Ambassadors at Bottom Lounge
Chicago Teachers' Strike--Day 7 #photofeature #Riotfest #CNN
Even at Riot Fest all weekend, teachers were never far from our minds. I saw this bag on a teacher who was shooting the fest with me in the photo pits.
Teachers were there as audience members. photographers, and even musicians in the bands!
Above, keyboardist for the aptly named band, Deals Gone Bad, sports a red Chicago Teachers' Union Tee.
The strike is still on, although there is lots of good buzz about an equitable resolution soon. If you missed it before, I was quoted by CNN about the strike HERE on September 14th.
Today they're running my op-ed piece in favor of the teachers! Check it out here:
Teachers were there as audience members. photographers, and even musicians in the bands!
Above, keyboardist for the aptly named band, Deals Gone Bad, sports a red Chicago Teachers' Union Tee.
The strike is still on, although there is lots of good buzz about an equitable resolution soon. If you missed it before, I was quoted by CNN about the strike HERE on September 14th.
Today they're running my op-ed piece in favor of the teachers! Check it out here:
My View: We’ve got your backs, Chicago teachers
By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, Special to CNN.
My 9- and 11-year-old Chicago public school kids are getting schooled in politics, union organizing and grassroots protest in a very visual way this week. The streets of Chicago are running red as teachers wearing crimson shirts take to the streets for the first strike in a quarter of a century. They're joined by red-wearing parents, kids and supportive community members.
This isn't an “us vs. them” fight. Our teachers ARE our friends, neighbors and parents with their own kids in public schools right next to our own. Where is Mr. Mayor? Maybe he missed out on every one of those 50 prior meetings that Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union had because he was so busy chauffeuring his kids to a well-funded, private Lab School.
Union whistle seen at Riot Fest
Monday, September 17, 2012
ChiIL Live Shows Photos--Best of The Fest--Riot Fest Sunday
Riot Fest 2012 Sunday Best
We have literally thousands of sweet shots from Riot Fest Friday through Sunday that we're editing through and will bring you soon with full recaps. For now, here's a little taste of some of our favs from each day--working backwards. Recognize some famous faces? We'll be breaking it down by the band later this week. We shot all the bands in bold. See if you can match the faces and feet to the following:
- Sunday, Sep 16
Humboldt Park - NOFX
- Alkaline Trio
- The Jesus and Mary Chain
- AWOLNATION
- The Promise Ring
- Less Than Jake
- Chiodos --original lineup reunion
- (singer crowd surfing)
- Built To Spill
- Imagine Dragons
- Reverend Horton Heat
- Fishbone (singer crowd surfing)
The fest was a huge, raging success in the new Humboldt Park digs. We love it's incarnation as a family friendly, carnival feast for the eyes and ears and hope it becomes an annual tradition. The park was spacious, shady and ideal for the Riot Fest day shift. Then the night shows and after parties at all the usual venues kept the fun going well into the morning hours.
We shot loads of pit photos but we also made a point to catch the colorful crowd and especially the punk kin and yute. If we can walk together why can't we rock together, indeed. This year with both The Descendants and The Offspring playing....how could we not shoot the actual descendants-offspring- progeny-spawn of the punk parents out there. We know parents and kids rock and the littles are sometimes the purest punks--anarchy incarnate, live in the moment, endless energy....You get the picture.
We also made a point of shooting the fire spinners, burlesque performers, and circus punks like Environmental Encroachment, and UPPERkase stilt crew. We even had another fest sighting of Shreddy Shirt Boy (AKA: Mat with one T) and his twin brother, too! They were rocking out on drums with an ape, on one of the fenced in mini stages skattered throughout the grounds. We'll have video footage up soon.
It was like a big family reunion, 30,000 punks strong. We ran into soooo many good friends. These are truly our people. It was great to relax and hear stellar music with some of our favorite friends.
Speaking of familiar faces....we saw Coco Loco for I think the 4th or 5th fest this season, and still couldn't resist their rockin' earrings. We left with 2 more pairs!! I've worn two of their pairs of spirals daily for years. They're very comfortable, fun, and distinctive. I still get a ton of comments and compliments on them. Now Sagezilla has a few pairs of her own. She has black wings, black S shaped earrings made of water buffalo horn, and black spirals inlaid with white triangles.
Check back in with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for more Riot Fest recaps in the coming weeks, including video and many more photos. Follow ChiIL Live Shows by e-mail in the right side bar for free downloads, original band video interviews, LIVE show footage, pit photos, tour news, give aways, reviews, and the heads up on great music and theatre coming to town. Follow ChiIL Mama by e-mail in the right side bar for all ages fun, alt punk parenting tips, loads of kindie music/book/toy reviews and more.
We'll see you out there.
Chicago's Las Guitarras De Espana at Reggie's 9/25 FREE-ALL AGES-MULTICULTURAL
On Tuesday, September 25, Las Guitarras De Espana will be supporting Chinese folk group Hanggai at Reggie's Rock Club, 2105 S. State Street, as part of the World Music Festival. This show will be an Indo-Flamenco rock collaborative with special guests Satya (vocalist) and Sara Ranganathan (veena). The event is free and open to all ages.
LAS GUITARRAS DE ESPANA
Las Guitarras de España (The Guitars of Spain) is a “world music” ensemble, with a “Spanish guitar twist,” that performs a fusion of Cuban son, rumba, R&B, Latin-jazz, blues, and African percussion with an underlying flamenco music and dance focus. From the start, the ensemble has presented traditional Spanish guitar music along with traditional flamenco forms in collaboration with music and musicians from other genres and cultures. The ensemble has sought to unite music, dance, travel, poetry, and culture in recordings and performances. Click here for Las Guitarras main site Click here for the Reggie's Show Details
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