Artbeat: Inside the Arts Blog

Stocking Full of Fond Memories

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

An Artist Gets His Due

Alfonso Iannelli literally made the Chicago area more beautiful -- from the interior of the Pickwick movie theater in Park Ridge to St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Hyde Park. And then there’s his work on the Adler Planetarium and the Prudential Building. Heck, he even designed a coffeemaker. The modern designs of Alfonso Iannelli and his wife Margaret were recognized in a summer show at the Cultural Center. The exhibition is now closed but fans of decorative art can get an eyeful of the Iannelli's marvels in a new book written by Chicago's David Jameson, owner of the Architech gallery.

An Opera Goes Swimmingly

Last month’s presentation of Chicago Opera Theater’s Orpheus & Eurdice in a park district swimming pool is being reprised this weekend at Welles Park Pool. Advance tickets are sold out but walk-up tickets will be available. Get there early to secure a seat for Ricky Ian Gordon’s incredibly moving and luminous take an ancient myth performed by an attractive cast in and around the water. Even if opera isn’t your thing, this short and lovely show makes quite a splash.

                        
Savages Invade Pitchfork Music Festival

They’re as aggressive as they are thoughtful. This all-female band from London (with a French lead singer) hardly took their foot off the gas pedal in an afternoon set at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July. Their confrontational art shakes you up with the urgency of early U2 if they’d been led by Patti Smith. "Shut Up" is the lead track from their new record Silence Yourself. The video starts with a meditation on distraction and feels like an odd foreign film – and then the music explodes into its own savage distraction.

Anything Goes Goes on Tour

Touring musicals here for a brief stay often have that hello-we-must-be-going feel and penny-pinch on sets, costumes and orchestration. But this Cole Porter gem came from New York’s acclaimed Roundabout Theater and won the Tony Award for Best Revival. Starring Rachel York and a top-notch cast, this impossibly witty show boasts timeless tunes like “You’re the Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and “Easy to Love.” Every number was a knockout, and I never stopped smiling. The kind of show that makes you say: “They don’t write them like that anymore.” Darn -- should’ve seen it twice.

Simpatico Revels in Complexity and Nuance

Actor Michael Shannon was the marquee draw, but the entire cast was flat-out flawless in a noir-ish play about old friends, baggage and betrayal. It’s a testament to the greatness of playwright Sam Shepherd that this 1994 work isn’t as well-known as some of his other shows. It’s odd and brilliant and not everything is explained or neatly sewn up. This winning production from A Red Orchid Theater Company was truly edgy and resonated a long time after you left the theater.
 

Tomorrow I'll post my 5 most memorable moments of covering the arts for Chicago Tonight in 2013.