ChiILin' At Chicago Auto Show #CASGM #greatcarhunt #CAS

ChiIL Mama's photo recap of Media Day Thursday--Sneak Peek at Chicago Auto Show 2013

I WON A COBALT BLUE CAMARO AT THE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW!!   Yeah, alright it is just 3" long, but now that I have your attention....   

There were some dramatic unveilings Thursday and some serious hot wheels....and I don't just mean the toys...though you can WIN one of those, too, in the Chevy exhibit.  Two people launch cars simultaneously and if you get yours in the funnel--you're a winner, baby.  These special edition Chicago Auto Show 2013 Hot Wheels are sure to be a favorite.   

Pictured above:  Eric Bjorklund assembles the Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels exhibit Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

Good thing McCormick Place has an expert band of pros on hand to keep the cars spotless.  I think I already got my finger & nose prints pressed up against some of the windows, hungrily peering in.  And I may have even drooled a bit on a few hoods.  We particularly dug the special edition, life sized Hot Wheels Camaros in my absolute favorite color--one brand new release & a classic car from my birth year....   (Sorry, no spoilers, if you have to ask...go find out yourself.)

Fred Quinn details the Hot Wheels Chevrolet Camaro  Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the opening of the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

ChiIL Mama's covering as much of the show as we can catch during media previews this Thursday and Friday.   Since we actually are looking to replace my RAV4 this year, I'm extra excited.   Check back with ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We're editing some rockin' video footage from our 2 Cadillac test drives Thursday and Buick's amazing philanthropy with Samaritan's Feet Friday!   

We'll have those clips and lots more stills, features, and great CAS tips for you in the coming week.

Even GM execs and sports celebs got in on the action with Samaritan's Feet and Buick!!   We'll have a full photo and video filled feature soon.

ChiIL out indeed, Chi IL!   Chevy's gotten smart with the Smart phone charging stations.   So when your phone dies from envy....shooting video & stills of all the amazing autos, you can revive it at Chevy's chill charging spots and revive your tired feet in a comfy seat as well.   The auto show's HUGE, so put on your walkin' shoes!

The new Chevrolet Silverado is shined up Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the start of the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

Special shout out to GM for bring us in and wining and dining us.   It was great to see our friend and long time associate "Cadillac Connie" and meet new friends among the GM ranks as well.   GM's got an impressive social media presence, and it's been a pleasure working with them for the past several years.   We had a chance to do 3 GM extended test drives for a week, this past year, and have past and future coverage up under the tag #greatcarhunt.   Check out our photo & video filled adventures with the hot orange Camero SS, Equinox and Suburban!   We have loads more coverage to come.

That said, we're objective journalists here, and not exclusively in anyone's pocket.   Our blog is first and foremost for YOU, our readers, so we're being pretty equal opportunity, checking everyone out for our Chicago Auto Show coverage.   I've been a happy RAV4 driver since 2000, so we're not writing off Toyota quite yet,  and we also own a newer Montero Sport we've been pretty satisfied with.   We've been checking out Subaru, VW, Nissan and Ford's midsize crossover offerings as well.

Once again, check back with us early and often, for loads more Chicago Auto Show 2013 coverage.   Then get out there and experience CAS13 for yourself!

The 2014 Corvette Stingray drives onto the turntable in the Chevrolet exhibit Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the start of the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

TONIGHT ONLY-Julian Sands, A Celebration of Harold Pinter at Steppenwolf #Review

ChiIL Live Shows will be there....will YOU?!   There are a limited number of tickets still available for A Celebration of Harold Pinter, performed by British actor Julian Sands, directed by ensemble member John Malkovich on February 10 at 7:30pm in the Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). This is a one-night-only engagement.  

Click here to order your tickets for tonight's performance and for Steppenwolf’s current production of Pinter’s The Birthday Party .

I've been a fan of Nobel laureate Harold Pinter's work since I was first introduced to his plays in college in the 80's.  His witty word play and power dynamics on stage are compelling.  We checked out opening day of The Birthday Party, and kudos to Steppenwolf for presenting such a challenging work.  

The Birthday Party was reviled and misunderstood by critics when it was first produced, and it's still a mind bending, dialogue heavy piece without closure.   Virtually every statement is contradicted and the audience is left bewildered and  unsure who is sane and who insane.  Who is lying or lied to?  Even the on stage action remains unclear.  Despite a fantastic cast and excellent directing, there were audience members nodding off.  Critics took full advantage of the two intermissions to chug coffee, running Steppenwolf's concessions completely out of both coffee and cream!   In the elevator, after the show, one critic declared it a two martini play, and said he was heading for a drink, ASAP.  That said, it's Pinter's first work, and an intriguing dark comedy worth another look.   

We dig this excerpt from WSWS below:

Set in a seaside boarding house run by a childless couple, a lodger (Stanley) is confronted by two outsiders (Goldberg and McCann). They terrorise him, interrogate him and eventually take him away. It is never stated who or what they represent. The play has been described as a repertory thriller written by someone who had read Kafka, but this is not a paranoid Cold War period piece. The play is clear and unambiguous, with taut, spare dialogue. In a world of political anxieties, Pinter's play represents a confused world in the clearest possible way.

This is directly linked with his knowledge of earlier dramatists. In an early essay on Shakespeare, he wrote that he "amputates, deadens, aggravates at will, within the limits of a particular piece, but he will not pronounce judgment or cure." It is this same quality that makes Pinter's plays so understandable, and thus so terrifying.

The Hammersmith run of The Birthday Party was a disaster. The critics were hostile, and the play had closed before its one good review, by the influential Harold Hobson, was published in The Sunday Times, although that played a greater part in securing Pinter's future than the cancelled run. Over the next two years Pinter worked on a revival of the play and a television adaptation, as well as directing London premieres of The Room and The Dumb Waiter.

He also wrote revue sketches and a radio play, as well as other plays. Most importantly, he did not abandon his vision of theatrical writing. Trusting to the necessity of artistic expression he continued to "take a chance on the audience." As he said later, he gave the audience not what they wanted, but what he insisted on giving them. In The Birthday Party, when Stanley is being taken away, Petey cries out, "Stan, don't let them tell you what to do." Pinter called this line "the most important ... I've ever written." 

At a sleepy seaside boarding house in England, the humdrum routine of corn flakes, newspapers and naps is interrupted by the appearance of two mysterious strangers. They become guests at longtime tenant Stanley's surprise birthday party which, after a few glasses of whiskey, party games and a mysterious blackout, turns into a deliciously impalpable nightmare. As excuses and alliances hastily shift, so does the truth in Harold Pinter's riveting dark-comic masterpiece. 

SYNOPSIS

Harold Pinter was a director, actor and one of the most influential modern British dramatists, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. His celebrated, ultimately undefinable classic The Birthday Party derives its power from Pinter's brilliantly mysterious yet comic riff on the absurd terrors of the everyday.

Check out ChiIL Live Show's past coverage, including show details, for The Birthday Party and for A Celebration of Harold Pinter here.   Click here for our review of The Motherf**ker With the Hat, highly recommended and also now playing at Steppenwolf.

REVOCATION Enter the Studio #originalshowshots #metal

Live Dates With Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood and Ramming Speed Confirmed Massachusetts metallers REVOCATION have entered the studio to begin work on the follow up to their critically acclaimed 2011 Relapse Records release Chaos of Forms.  This will be the first full length album with bass player Brett Bamberger who joined the band in 2012 and was featured on the band's last EP Teratogenesis which was released by Scion AV.   Frontman Dave Davidson commented on the start of the recording process: "What's up guys, today we've entered the studio to record our upcoming full length with long time producer and drinking buddy Pete Rutcho. We'll be recording the drums at The Brick Hithouse Studio and then finish up the rest of the tracking at Damage Studios. This is shaping up to be some of our most aggressive material to date and will be the next logical step forward from our last EP. The songs on this upcoming record have a great deal of diversity to them and employ a variety of different techniques, tunings and tempos.  We are incredibly stoked to begin this process and can't wait for our fans to hear the finished product. More details as they develop..." The band will take a quick break from working on their new album this Spring when they hit the road with Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood, and Ramming Speed.  REVOCATION joins the tour in Bucksport, ME on April 28th and will play six shows winding things down in Toronto on May 3rd.  A complete list of dates is below.  Updated REVOCATION news and tour information will be made available at the Relapse Records website, & the REVOCATION Facebook page. REVOCATION with Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood and Ramming Speed 4/28: Bucksport, ME @ The Kave  4/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus  4/30: Burlington, VT @ Nectar's  5/1: Middletown, NY @ Sounds Asylum  5/2: Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar  5/3: Toronto, ON @ Opera House

Check out ChiIL Live Shows original Revocation show shots and past features here.   

We've also got a sweet video interview coming soon.

ACT OUT OPENING: Columbinus at ATC

ATC's world premier of the revised columbinus opens tonight, and we're very much looking forward to this timely piece.   We'll have a full review for our readers shortly.   

AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE REVISED VERSION OF

columbinus

Written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli

Dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch

Conceived and Directed by Artistic Director PJ Paparelli

In the mean time click here for all the basics in our columbinus feature from January 8th.

Schedule:                  Thursdays & Fridays: 8:00 p.m .

Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:00 p.m.

There will be an additional performance on Tuesday, February 5 at 7 p.m.

Location: American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St., Chicago

Tickets: Previews: $33

Regular run: Thurs, Sat matinees, Sun matinees $38

Fri & Sat evenings $43

Opening night including post-show reception $50

As part of Chicago Theater Week, a limited number of $15 tickets will be available for all performances February 14 – 17, 2013.

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 1909 W Byron St., Chicago;

773.409.4125; www.atcweb.org

American Theater Company announces the world premiere of the revised version of columbinus, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, with dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch, and conceived and directed by Artistic Director PJ Paparelli. The 2013 production will premiere material devised from recent interviews with survivors of the Columbine High School Shootings, families of victims and residents of Littleton, Colorado. The new material includes never-before-released information on the shooters and their families and first-hand accounts of both the Columbine and Aurora shootings.

columbinus will run through March 10, 2013, at American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St, Chicago, IL. 

Littleton, Colorado. 1999. Two teenagers devastate a community and shock the country when they walk into their suburban high school and kill twelve students and one teacher. Based on interviews with teenagers across the country and survivors and community members in Littleton, this haunting drama takes a hard look at modern teenagers through the lens of the most infamous high school shooting in American history.

“Folks who didn’t want to talk before because of lawsuits or their healing process, have now all opened up,” said Paparelli about the recent interviews. “I was shocked at what I heard and I am glad that theater will be the vehicle to get this information out to the world.”

Several survivors who are featured in the documentary play will travel to Chicago to work with the cast and attend Opening Night.

Paparelli continues, “The events in Newtown have saddened and, frankly, angered our entire company as well as those survivors from Columbine with whom we have been working with so closely on this project. While the nation mourns, a passionate dialogue has begun about the larger issues of gun control, mental health treatment, and ultimately, the unanswerable question of, “why?”. Our interviewees in Colorado and our artistic team hope that columbinus will be forum for Chicagoans to further that dialogue, which is exactly why teenagers from Chicago Public School are at the center of that dialogue, as they work on the play in classrooms around the city.”

Over 1000 ninth grade students in Chicago Public Schools English classes will have a first-hand experience with columbinus. Through ATC’s American Mosaic program and in conjunction with the city-wide initiative to address violence in the schools, Now Is The Time, ATC teaching artists will collaborate with classroom teachers to lead students in a performance-based study of the play. Through American Mosaic, ATC hopes to strengthen reading competency and comprehension, spark interest in reading and lead and inspire meaningful conversation about solutions to violence.

Monster Jam Video, Ticket Discount & Fun Facts #ChiMonsterJam

Monster Jam-ChiIL Mama's Original Video Footage 


Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam 2012--opening night at Allstate Arena in Chicago.  Like the music?   It's Red Fang's tune, Dirt Wizard.   Check 'em out.

Check out our past coverage here, including original photo filled Monster Jam features.

Our readers get 30% off advanced adult tickets with the code MOM.

Check your Monster Truck Trivia Level with these Fun Facts...then try to stump your family & friends:

1. Body
   – Made of_____________, a monster truck body is custom designed to
   create a character or theme for the truck.
   1. Fiberglass
   2. Steel
   3. Iron

2. Driver
   Seat – Most monster trucks have the driver seated
   ______________the vehicle so he or she can best see the track for
   weight distribution.
   1. in
      the center of
   2. on
      top of
   3. on
      the left side of

3. As
   a safety measure, all seat belts employ ________________ to restrain
   the driver’s body.
   1. an
      auto-lock feature
   2. a
      5 point harness
   3. an
      escape pod

4. Paint
   – Most Monster Jam® monster trucks require _______________ of
   paint time.
   1. more
      than 25 days
   2. more
      than 40 hours
   3. less
      than 10 hours

5. Engines
   – Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a monster
   truck engine burns up to _________________ of methanol per run
   (approximately 80 meters) and delivers about __________________.
   1. 30
      liters; 2,000 horsepower
   2. 10
      liters; 1,500 horsepower
   3. 5
      liters; 1,000 horsepower

6. Suspension
   System – In order to allow the drivers to withstand the punishing
   impacts of jumping and crashing a monster truck during a
   performance, each Monster Jam monster truck is equipped with
   specially-engineered extra long 76cm shock absorbers filled with oil
   and ________________________ that are installed with each tire.
   1. vinegar
      
   2. water
   3. nitrogen
      gas

7. Each
   monster truck tire is custom made but must be ______________ inches
   high and _____________ inches wide.
   1. 120;
      99
   2. 33;
      33
   3. 66;
      43

8. The
   average monster truck team will go through _____________ tires in
   one year.
   1. 80
   2. 8
   3. 20

9. ________________
   was the 25 year
   anniversary for the Grave Digger Team
   1. 2005
   2. 2010
   3. 2007

10. More
    than ____________________ Monster Jam fans attend events each year
    worldwide
    1. 1
       million
    2. 2
       million
    3. 4
       million

11. The
    World Finals in ____________________ brings 24 of the top trucks in
    the world to compete for the World Freestyle and Racing
    Championships. Competitors are by invitation only.
    1. Houston,
       TX
    2. Las
       Vegas, NV
    3. Atlanta,
       GA

12. A
    monster truck race team will travel _______________ Miles a year by
    land to attend events.
    1. 45,000
    2. 1
       million
    3. 27,000

13. Typical
    monster trucks cost ___________________ yearly to build, staff,
    compete, transport and maintain on the Monster Jam tour.
    1. $1
       million
    2. $350,000
    3. $600,000

14. Average
    number of cars crushed per year: _____________________.
    1. 3,000
    2. 500
    3. 1,000

ACT OUT OPENING: Teddy Ferrara at The Goodman & Other Desert Cities Now Playing

WORLD PREMIERE OF TEDDY FERRARA FROM PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST CHRISTOPHER SHINN OPENS FEBRUARY 11TH

***SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS INCLUDE FIRST-EVER STUDENT PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW, ON FEBRUARY 7, EXPANDED $10 TICKETS***

Previews are underway for the world-premiere production of the Goodman-commissioned Teddy Ferrara by Pulitzer Prize finalist Christopher Shinn, praised as "among the most provocative and probing of American playwrights today" (The New York Times). 

Ferrara), Christopher Imbrosciano (Jay), Jax Jackson (Jaq), Dev Kennedy and Fawzia Mirza (Campus Police), Paloma Nozicka (Jenny), Adam Poss (Drew), Josh Salt (Tim), Kelli Simpkins (Ellen) and Janet Ulrich Brooks (University Provost). The design team includes Jenny Mannis (Costume Designer), Keith Parham (Lighting Designer), Lee Savage (Set Designer) and Richard Woodbury (Sound Designer). 

Teddy Ferrara runs February 2 - March 3, 2013 in the Owen Theatre (opening night is Monday, February 11). Tickets ($14 - $45; subject to change) are now on sale and are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Teddy, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn).

Evan Cabnet directs this stirring exploration of an on-campus tragedy with a cast that includes Liam Benzvi (Gabe), Patrick Clear (University President), Rashaad Hall (Nicky), Ryan Heindl (Teddy).

In conjunction with the production, Goodman Theatre hosts its first-ever student press conference including cast members from Teddy Ferrara on February 7 from 5:30 – 6:30pm. Chicagoland college and high school students are invited to join participants of the Goodman’s Cindy Bandle Young Critics program (CBYC) in this unique opportunity to interview the cast. To make arrangements, student journalists should call 312.443.5152 or email Press@GoodmanTheatre.org.

Students can also take advantage of “10Tix” tickets – $10 tickets exclusively for students, now available for advance purchase – at GoodmanTheatre.org using the promo “10Tix” or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn). Previously, 10Tix were only available day-of show. A valid Student ID must be presented upon pickup, and limit four tickets per student. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply.

"I was teaching undergraduates just as I was beginning to work on Teddy Ferrara and really observing them and measuring my own experiences against that,” says playwright Christopher Shinn. “It’s an entirely different social world today as mediated through media and technology, and it’s rare to see college students represented truthfully. I’ll know I have achieved this if college-aged students respond to this play.”

Teddy Ferrara Rehearsal Photo
(L to R) Adam Poss (Drew), Director Evan Cabnet and Liam Benzvi (Gabe) in rehearsal for Christopher Shinn's Teddy Ferrara at Goodman Theatre.                                 

Other special events for audience members include:

Artist Encounter

TONIGHT--Wednesday, February 6 | Polk Rehearsal Room 6pm, FREE for Subscribers, Donors and students with ID; $5 for the general public (reservations required) Join us for an intimate conversation with Teddy Ferrara director Evan Cabnet before the 7:30pm performance that evening. Moderated by Adam Belcuore. To reserve tickets, call the box office at 312.443.3800.

PlayBack

Following each Wednesday performance of Teddy Ferrara, audiences are invited to attend free post-show discussions with members of the Goodman’s artistic staff.

Teddy Ferrara takes place during Gabe's senior year of college. His future looks bright: he runs the Queer Students Group, he finally has a single room and he recently started dating a great guy. But when a campus tragedy occurs that makes national headlines it ignites a firestorm and throws Gabe's world into disorder. When new evidence surfaces, Gabe discovers that the events surrounding the tragedy aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and he is forced to question popular assumptions—and his own life’s contradictions.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is the Corporate Sponsor Partner for Teddy Ferrara. The Time Warner Foundation is the Major Supporter of New Play Development and The Glasser and Rosenthal Family and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust are Supporters of New Work Development. The Davee Foundation is the Major Contributor to Research and Development for New Work. The Joyce Foundation is the Principal Supporter of Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives.

Also now playing at The Goodman through February 17th--Other Desert Cities

January 12- February 17, 2013 In the Albert
Approximate running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission

• “Highly Recommended”— CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
  

A family is pushed to the brink in Jon Robin Baitz’s scintillating new drama, dubbed “the best new play on Broadway” by The New York Times.

When Brooke Wyeth arrives at her parents’ Palm Springs mansion on Christmas Eve with the manuscript of her tell-all memoir in tow she unearths a devastating family secret—throwing her parents into a panic that threatens to rip the clan apart. With biting wit and razor-sharp insight, Other Desert Cities “has the appeal of a Broadway hit from another age” (The New York Times).

About Goodman Theatre

The Goodman’s 2012/2013 Season features 11 productions on its two stages—six in the 856-seat Albert Theatre and three in the 400-seat flexible Owen Theatre, plus a Latino Theatre Festival that includes two additional productions. Still to come in the 2012/2013 Season are 

Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz, directed by Henry Wishcamper (now through February 17, 2013); Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn, directed by Evan Cabnet (February 2 – March 3, 2013 in the Owen); 

a Latino Theatre Festival in the Owen, including Cuba’s Teatro Buendía’s production of Pedro Páramo by Raquel Carrió

Co-directed by Flora Lautén and Henry Godinez and produced in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (March 22 – March 31); The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegría Hudes, directed by Edward Torres (April 13 – May 12, 2013) and Albany Park Theater Project’s production of Home/Land, written collectively by the Albany Park Theater Project teen ensemble and directed collectively by the Albany Park Theater Project artistic staff (June 20 – June 30, 2013); By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage, directed Chuck Smith (April 27 – June 2, 2013 in the Albert); and The Jungle Book, a new musical based on the Disney animated film and the stories of Rudyard Kipling, adapted and directed by Mary Zimmerman (June 21 – July 28, 2013 in the Albert).

Goodman Theatre, “the leading regional theater in the nation’s most important theater city” (Time), is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago, generating nearly $250 million in economic impact over the past decade in its state-of-the-art two-theater complex on North Dearborn Street.

Founded in 1925 and currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls, “Chicago’s most essential director” (Chicago Tribune), and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for-profit resident theater has welcomed nearly two million patrons to productions and events—including 10 festivals celebrating playwrights such as David Mamet, August Wilson and Horton Foote, as well as the biennial Latino Theatre Festival—and served legions of students through its Education and Community Engagement programs (including the FREE Student Subscription Series and other interactive programs). 

The Goodman has earned more than 90 awards for hundreds of productions, including the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined by Lynn Nottage—one of 25 new work Goodman commissions in the last decade. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre. Ruth Ann M. Gillis is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sherry John is President of Women’s Board and Lauren Blair is President of the Scenemakers Board, the Goodman’s young professionals auxiliary group.

Visit the Goodman virtually: watch artist interviews, view production photos, catch the latest news and more at GoodmanTheatre.org. Like us on Facebook.com/GoodmanTheatre; follow us at Twitter.com/GoodmanTheatre; and peek behind the scenes at YouTube.com/TheGoodmanTheatre.

Click here to order tickets and find further show details for both productions.