Standing Up For the Little Guy

Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago

Mike Royko is a name known by anyone who grew in or around Chicago between the mid-1950’s into the late 1990’s. His name is synonymous with uncompromising journalism. Although he sadly left us in 1997, Mr. Royko is remembered today for being a tough and prolific reporter, a humorist and a man who always stood up for the little guy. Mike Royko was also a Pulitzer Prize-winner for Commentary, as the famed columnist for the Chicago Daily News. In this informative, very funny and sometimes poignant one-man performance, written and presented by Mitchell Bisschop, audiences will get to know the fellow called “The Toughest Man in Chicago.”

A Tribute to a Great Leader

The Audience

Back in the 1980’s, British TV sported a popular political situation comedy. This hit show was titled “Yes, Prime Minister.” Set within the private offices of Jim Hacker, a fictional British cabinet member working at the made-up Department of Administrative Affairs, the show satirized the inner workings of the government. But another, more seriously biographical work of art would eventually come along that would examine the relationship between the Monarchy and several of Britain’s actual Prime Ministers. 

The Fantastic Two

The House of Ideas

City Lit proudly opens their 2024-25 season with their 150th production. It’s the long-awaited, entertaining third installment of Mark Pracht’s “Four-Color Trilogy.” The series of plays, which includes THE MARK OF KANE and THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION, concludes with a story that describes the rise of Marvel Comics. The two-act play details the turbulent  relationship between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Two behind the artistry of the comic book empire.

Big Ass Rock

The Full Monty

It’s hard to believe that this musical, based upon a popular British film of the same name from the late 1990’s, is almost a quarter of a century old! The reason for its beloved reputation is partly due to the fact that the story couldn’t be more timely. It’s about six out of work, out of shape steel workers trying to find a way to make a living and still maintain some shred of dignity. The men looking self respect are husbands, sons, parents, bread winners and, quite simply men. The result is a Big Ass Rock of a musical filled with humor and pathos. 

The Chosen One

A Shadow Bright & Burning

Henrietta knows that she’s special. She possesses the magical power of fire. At the beginning of this complicated fantasy tale, Henrietta is invited to leave Yorkshire’s Brimthorn School for Girls and travel to London with the Royal Sorcerer, Master Agrippa. There she’ll be trained, along with other students, to also become one of Her Majesty’s Royal Sorcerers. Believed to be The Chosen One, the first female sorcerer in years, Henrietta trains with Agrippa to further develop and finesse her magic powers. This has to be accomplished quickly so that Henrietta can help the others defeat the bloodthirsty Ancients. Having been accidentally released from the Other World, the Seven Ancients are plotting to wage war and conquer all of Victorian England. But not if Henrietta and her magical friends have anything to say about it.

History Comes Alive

1776

 In spite of the fact that everyone knows how the story ends, this musical surprises with its unexpected humor, dramatic tension and unrelenting suspense, as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and their allies attempt to persuade all 13 colonies to vote for independency. The dramatic construction of this play by librettist Peter Stone is beautifully enhanced and given a playful, almost irreverent tone by Sherman Edwards’ music and lyrics. History comes alive in this intelligent and accessible musical, now in an incredibly captivating production at the Marriott Theatre.

Art Isn’t Easy

[title of play]

Avid theatergoers could probably provide a list of plays and musicals about the art of making art. Included would be such plays as ART, PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE, RED, VINCENT IN BRIXTON and the quintessential example of artistic creativity, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s beautiful SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. This Pulitzer Prize-winner illustrates that art is a long process, it doesn’t just happen. The musical details the method by which 19th century French Pointillist painter, Georges Seurat, created his masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The second act of the musical jumps ahead to the 20th century, where the artist’s great-grandson endures a similar struggle with creativity, demonstrating to audiences that Art Isn’t Easy.

A Stormy and Articulate Work

The Normal Heart

During the early 1980’s a fast-spreading outbreak of a strange unknown illness began showing up among New York City’s gay community. Its flu-like symptoms signaled the destruction of the body’s immune system and became known as the “gay plague.” Hundreds of thousands of men began contracting this mysterious, deadly virus that ultimately developed into pneumonia and resulted in incontinence, severe weight loss, tumors, dark purple lesions and an ultimately death. 

Anything For High Ratings

Network

Long before Jerry Springer, Howard Stern and reality TV as a popular alternative to scripted dramas and sitcoms, Paddy Chayefsky’s Academy Award-winning screenplay satirized how television might be willing to do anything for high ratings. The movie, a black comedy-drama, became one of the highest grossing films of 1976. It opened the public’s eyes to what was really going on within the often corrupt world of broadcasting. Audiences suddenly became privy to the inner workings of the television industry, including all its unsavory little secrets. 

Wonderverse

The newest attraction to hit the Chicagoland area is Wonderverse located above L.L.Bean in the Oakbrook Shopping Center.