My first visit to The Green Mill

Personally, I’ve lived in Chicago for five years now, and have always wanted to check out The Green Mill.

Fortunately, I have an amazing husband who still believes we should surprise each other with dates, and so now I can say I’ve officially spent an evening partaking of music at the Chicago institution.

(Truth be told, Eric first surprised me with dinner at King of Thai off the Argyle Red Line stop.  I have to give them a shout-out, as their Thai Iced Coffee was simply the best I’ve ever had. I’m still dreaming about it, and woke up this morning wishing I could have another one.)

Its really easy to imagine the Green Mill in its heyday, when the tables were filled with the gangsters of Chicago past.  It’s a little run-down inside, but endlessly charming at the same time. It’s a little bit like the bar from that scene in The Corpse Bride where the skeletons sing Victor the saga of the Corpse Bride herself.  (You know what I mean. Don’t lie.)

Last night’s act was The Modern Sounds – a jazz/slap-base/rockabilliy trio hailing from right here in the Windy City.

The tattooed bouncer checked our IDs and we went in search of a table from which to watch the show. Fortunately, as we were really early, we got a great table right next to the stage. It’s a really dim place, lit largely by table candles and the neon sign behind the stage that screams “Green Mill” in case you’ve forgotten where you are. We partook of Mad Hatter beer (on draft, thank you) and watched the place fill up as the show grew closer to starting.

The crowd at Green Mill is really interesting. There are young people, many of whom are outfitted in clothes that are throwbacks to the glory days of the bar. There was a girl in full-on flapper mode, several gents in fedoras and vests, and a girl I can only describe as Marilyn-esque.  The older folks, however, come as they are – in everything from jean shorts to track suits.

The Modern Sounds are a delight to hear play.  The three-piece band (guitar, upright bass, and drums) played several sets, mixing various styles of music from jazz to rockabilly.  We wound up buying their two-disc CD, which is now ripped to my ipod and I can’t wait to listen to it next week at work.  Many of the bands songs had the crowd up and dancing.

The banter was funny, the music was great, and the crowd was simply adorable.

The waitresses were witty, the drinks were pretty cheap, and I left charmed.

I had a great time during my first visit to The Green Mill, and look forward to going back soon.

Who wants to come with?

Check out The Modern Sounds appearing on WGN.

Meet My Munny Creations…

One of my most recent hobbies is painting Munnys.  A few of you who have read this blog with some regularity probably already know that, but for most people it’s a new thing I’m doing as of late. Though I’ve always loved painting, there’s something about painting these vinyl toys that is really fun, and feels like a nice creative release.

Munny are a do-it-yourself vinyl toy made by San Francisco’s KidRobot company. I’ve made a few of the little guys, and they’re all chilling on a shelf in our hallway, on display, but I thought I’d share them here – since June is officially Munny month.

[In addition to Munny - who is a little dude - there are Trikky (a cat), Roos (Kangaroo), Raffy (Giraffe), and Bub (a Hippo)]

Really, it all began with Space Hooper.

It’s all Eric’s fault, really. Upon me saying I thought making a Munny might be fun, he bought me a Trikky and commissioned me to paint him.  That’s how this all started.

This is Space Hooper.  As Eric is a huge Transformers fan, I used red and blue a la Optimus Prime.

After that, I got an actual Munny, and FlowerChild was born.

FlowerChild is a 4 inch Munny (Mini-Munny, if you will) and like all my pieces, he was made with acrylic paint.

Next up was another Munny, who was inspired by a day with dreary weather – Meet “Rainy Days and Mun-Days.”

(He and Flower Child are “The Twins.” April Showers bring May Flowers, right?)

Then, there was my first Raffy figure.  Originally, I thought Raffy was a cow – but no, he’s a giraffe.

This is “Raffy’s Had another Disco Dream.”  I wanted to play with the colors of brown and purple together, and had gotten my hands on some glitter paint as well.

Next up was a piece inspired by my favorite designer, Betsey Johnson. I’m crazy about her designs, and especially about her iconic shade of pink.

The figure is called Roos (Kangaroo, get it?) and so in my version, he’s “Bets-a-Roos.”

The most recent piece I’ve done is another Trikky, and was loosely inspired by Lindsey and Kris’ wedding invitations.  However, as I started painting it, it took on a bad-ass quality.

And so, “Ninja Blossom, ” my first female, joined the gang.

I have another creation to unveil soon (My first 7-inch Munny with Customization!) in addition to my first Bub in a box on the shelf just waiting to be painted.

I hope you like these guys, and I’m on the hunt for fun ideas as to what to paint next. Thoughts?

(Yes, I know I’m a nerd.)

Chicago’s Green City Market

By all accounts and my own admission, I am not someone who particulary focuses on eating Organic foods. However, I do support the slow food movement and the idea of knowing where your food is coming from.  In addition, I think supporting local farmers is a completely valid and valuable cause.

So, with all that said, let’s talk about Chicago’s Green City Market.

Which, in addition to being a complete joy, hits all of the points I mentioned above.

Held on the south end of Lincoln Park on a twice-weekly basis from May to October, it’s the area’s only year-round farmers market. (In winter months, it moves indoors to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.)  Farmers from around the Midwest come to peddle their goods, which range from flowers to cheese to meat to homemade pies. (Pies seem to be a big hit.  By the time we got to the Hoosier Mama Pie booth, they were already sold out.)

Eric and I took a jaunt down to Saturday’s market, and wound up coming home with strawberries, snap peas, asparagus, radishes, and peonies from local Midwestern farmers. We also bought steaks from the Heartland Meats people to cook for Memorial Day.

The vendors are all incredibly knowledgeable about their products, being the ones who actually grow/produce them, and the produce is all positively beautiful.

I mean, check out these radishes (which I totally wound up buying.)

The atmosphere is very chill and relaxed, and there doesn’t seem to be much (if any) elbowing people out of the way to get at the merchandise. Visitors to the market seem to be largely young couples with babies and strollers and people with dogs.  It’s also a dreamland for foodies; There are samples of everything from cheeses to rhubarb popsicles.

If you’re lucky – like we are – you’ll get to make a new friend. (LOVE this dog.)

It’s a nice way to spend an afternoon.  You should go.

“Neverwhere” @ Lifeline Theatre

“You just have to make the best of it down here in the magic and the sewers and the dark.”- Neverwhere.

Here’s my disclaimer:

I have never read Neil Gaiman’s beloved novel, “Neverwhere.”

Once upon a time, Eric and I attempted to watch the mini-series version, but the bad acting and incredibly dated cinematography wore us down and I think we stopped after about fifteen minutes.

After seeing Lifeline Theatre’s world premiere adaptation of “Neverwhere” last night, I realize that I’ve been missing out.

Cleverly adapted by Robert Kauzlaric, this version of  “Neverwhere” is an an epic adventure through the underworld of London Below. The adaptation wisely keeps the characters coming and the action moving, and doesn’t bog the audience down with too much exposition.  The script doesn’t feel the need to dwell on the special talents of each and every character. (So you’re a rat-speaker. You talk to rats. Awesome. Next!) With dozens of characters, keeping the focus on the action is a really smart move.

Paul S. Holmquist’s direction keeps things moving swiftly along, over, and around the clever levels of Alan Donahue’s set, which covers everything from a London office to a market in the underworld. Like the cast of this show, the set plays a bunch of different roles.

And what a cast it is!

I’m always skeptical when the writer/director/adapter of a show plays the lead.  In this case, adapter Robert Kauzlaric plays the leading role of Regular-Joe Londoner Richard Meyhew.  Fortunately, he’s grand in the role. As the everyman at the center of this adventure, Kauzlaric is a little cocky, a little dim-witted, and a whole lot of fun to watch. He’s the Dorothy in this Wizard of Oz, and the eight other actors in the show swirl around him playing multiple characters each.

An ensemble of eight actors play every other role in the show, and they each get moments to shine and showcase their talents. Of those characters, I particularly enjoyed Katie McLean as the lady Door, whose sudden appearance in London Above triggers the entire plot of the show.   On a quest for answers and vengeance following the murder of her entire family, Door enlists the shady Marquis de Carabas (a charismatic Chris Hainsworth) and the dangerous Hunter, and winds up with an unplanned tagalong; Richard.As this motley crew makes their way through London Below in search of answers (and an angel) they encounter everything from Monks to Hit-Men (played with relish by Sean Sinitski and Christopher M. Walsh.)

This sci-fi adventure doesn’t overdo it on the special effects. The good people at Lifeline are uniquely gifted at making something really spectacular out of minimal things. They’re aware that a simple light effect can do a lot. The lights, by Kevin D. Gawley, go from harsh fluorescent to lovely deep purple tones as the scenes change. Combined with the sound design by Mikhail Fiskel, the set is able to both rumble and sparkle. It’s an incredibly smart technical design for a show.

However, while I understand the awesomeness of the effect that fog produces on stage, the show is a little heavy on the fog when it does appear. Yes, it looks cool, but honestly the Lifeline space (when sold-out as it was on Thursday) is a little crowded and filling the already warm air with heavy fog that surrounds and fills the entire audience is a bit much. I’m prone to claustrophobia and don’t like feeling like there isn’t fresh air to be had, so I was a wee bit uncomfortable for a few seconds.

But – that and a few audience-member induced groans were my only complaints.

(Can I vent? The (count ‘em!) SEVEN people who were allowed in to the show late were really distracting, as we were sitting near the back and their entrance completely blocked our view for a few minutes. In addition, the guy sitting next to me who wanted everyone there to know that one of his PROFESSORS was IN the SHOW was making me insane, mainly with the 4 or 5 times he got up to search for a better seat, was foiled in his attempt, and had to come back, which necessitated climbing over Eric and I.)

However, the fact that audience members can’t show up on time or act like normal, non-awkward people much of the time isn’t Lifeline’s fault.

I have to say, their show was fantastic enough that it let me mostly forget about annoying people.

In conclusion — “Neverwhere” is a fantastic evening of theatre and I think even people who aren’t familiar with the genius of Neil Gaiman will enjoy it.

Go here for tickets and more info.

(FYI – We attended a Thursday night show and it was sold-out, so get your tickets fast if you want to see the show. I’m guessing Lifeline’s fan base + the name of Neil Gaiman have generated enough buzz to make this show a smash!)

Tonight: Neverwhere @ Lifeline Theatre

Because this is apparently a theatre-tastic week:

Tonight we’re attending Lifeline Theatre’s World Premiere production of Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere.”

Hooray! Neil Gaiman + Theatre!

Tonight: The 39 Steps!

“Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have…(mystery chords!) Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, Broadway’s most intriguing, most thrilling, most riotous, most UNMISSABLE comedy smash! The mind-blowing cast of four plays over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining ad venture.”

May 19 – May 30, 2010

More information at BroadwayinChicago.com

It’s not unusual. Or, what I learned at my first Anime Convention.

Anime fans are their own universe.

Prior to this weekend, I had never entered the world of Anime fandom.  And honestly, I’ve probably rolled my eyes a few times in my life at fans of Anime and role-playing. Sometimes I’m not as nice a person as I should be, and in truth I judge more often than I should.

But in truth – who am I, really, to judge?

Let me start at the beginning.

What the F is Anime, you ask?

Anime: Japanese Animation. It is also largely consolidated with Manga, which is Japanese comics and print cartoons. Some popular examples of anime are Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Dragonball, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Cowboy BeBop.

Honestly, I’m relatively new in my new nerdiness, though I’ve long been a nerd in other respects. (Dont get me and Bob started on musicals. Just don’t. We might as well speak Portugese.)  I’ve only recently begun reading graphic novels with any real interest, and have found myself with a new developing appreciation for Superheroes.  But I know nothing about Anime.

While my husband has an appreciation for Japanese culture, and enjoys some various aspects/pieces of Anime (Pokemon, Gundam) he is not by any means what I’d call a fan of Anime.

All that aside, Eric and I headed out to the Hyatt/Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont yesterday to spend a day at the three-day Anime Central Convention. Anime Central is the Midwest Anime and Manga convention.  It’s affectionately known as “ACen,” and has been happening in the area for the last twelve years.

It wasn’t Eric nor my first time at a big convention like this, so we came prepared with comfortable shoes, clothes that could be layered, water, etc. A quick rule of thumb if you ever plan to attend a big convention: Just realize that you’re probably going to spend 8+ hours in a room with thousands of people. It might be freezing in there, It might be roasting, you’re going to do a ton of walking, and if there’s food available it’s probably going to be much like a trip to Six Flags. (You want a bottle of water? Five dollars, please.)

So, on Saturday we took the blue line to Rosemont, and immediately upon exiting the CTA station knew we’d arrived in the right place. How did we know? By the Cosplayers walking down the street.

Cosplay: (From Wikipedia) short for “costume play”, is type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan. Favorite sources include manga, anime, tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, hentai and fantasy movies…Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered around role play.

Yes, there were people in Costumes. Tons of them, actually. Being a Cosplay novice, I didn’t know what most of the costumes were, but I could occasionally point out a Pokemon character, Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass (Woot!), a Doctor Who, and a great deal of Lollies.

Let’s talk about Lollies, shall we? As they were probably the most interesting thing about the entire day for me.

“Lolly” is short for Lolita, and in anime it is most definitely a thing.

I had only vaguely heard of this prior to this weekend.

Lolita Fashion: (thanks, wikipedia!) a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is primarily influenced by VictorianRococo period. Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan.

Devoted subculture, indeed. There was an abundance of girls wearing lovely frilly dresses and carrying beautiful dolls. Many of them had colored wigs.  The overall effect was one of hyper-youth and femininity, almost as if they wanted to be little, exquisitely-dressed, girls forever.  The overall effect was rather fantastic, I thought.

But I digress…

After about an hour of waiting in the registration line, which wasn’t as terrible as it sounds largely thanks to Jack. We met Jack while standing in line, and chatted with him as the rope lines wound us back and forth to the front of the line.

(Jack. Who, when someone asked him about his costume, replied “I’m just cute.”)

Finallly, we got our badges/lanyards and headed into the show.

And I quickly realized how much I didn’t know.

(Apparently this is quite a few characters from Bioshock.)

Back in April, Eric and I attended the C2E2 convention at McCormick Place, and I actually felt like I fit in. The majority of featured things there were comic book and video games, and I feel like I held my own.  I mean, I’m no expert or superfan, but I know some things about superheroes, grew up on Mario Bros., and enjoy both Doctor Who and the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, so I could hang at that show.

Very little of that applied at ACen.

I was in over my head. You know you’re in over your head when you exclaim over a Pikachu.

However, I was relieved to see some familiar Nintendo faces wandering around.

Another indication that I didn’t know WTF was going on were the tons of panels taking place.  We attended part of a panel on “Special Moves,” and got to watch anime fans acting out their favorite special moves from their favorite series. Some of them take this very seriously.  Like this gentleman in the photo below.

One of the events we were most looking forward to was the Khaotic Kouture fashion show, and honestly everything about the show except the fashion was a bit of a train wreck. All these nerds (including us) were sitting happily waiting for the show to begin, and at about 30 minutes before the show is to begin pushy ACen volunteers begin circulating telling everyone to stand up and basically smoosh together to accomodate more people in the rope lines for the show.  So, for a half-hour we wind up standing claustrophobically close to people, and then the show doesn’t even begin on time. It was past the starting time when they even let us in the doors.

(Also – Though the fashion on display was really interesting, the narrator/host of the fashion show was dreadful. She fumbled with her cards (which she’d obviously never looked at before) and wasn’t even looking at the models.  Eric says she was the host of the fashion show the year before and did exactly the same thing. I have to wonder who she is (she never mentioned it and none of the paperwork mentions her) and how she was this terrible two years in a row yet gets to narrate the big fashion show on the main programming stage. Seriously.)

However, like I said – the fashion was really interesting.

(This girl was my favorite Lolly that we saw.  And there were a lot to choose from. I saw her several times throughout the day, looking adorable, and she owned it. Straight up.)

A huge part of any convention are the booths. Vendors and companies haul their stuff to the show to peddle their wares, as when are you (as a bookseller who focuses on anime and graphic novels) going to have a more perfect example of your target market.  I was on a semi-hunt for Vinyl toys I recognized, but didn’t find a single one.

My shopping highlight:  At a booth that had a trillion T-shirts,  I bought a “Lucky Bag,” which is nothing more than a grab bag. These things don’t always turn out well, but fortunately my bag was awesome. I’d spent all day pointing at this T-shirt that said “Don’t make me go Zelda on you,” and lo and behold, one was in the bag! In addition, I now own a stuffed Kirby, and managed to get Eric some little Gundam figures.  We considered that a win.

Around 6pm, Eric and I sat down by the perimeter of the show and just knew – We’d done it all. The events and panels continued well into the night, and the thing everyone was abuzz about was the Masquerade, which is apparently like Prom for Anime fans.

So — after all this, what did I learn?

First, Only at an Anime convention can you sit at the beautifully pristine O’H Grill in the Hyatt hotel eating lunch, and look to your left to find a man in a cape with a fake bat on his shoulder. (Awkard yes, but as we got our bill we noticed that – just for wearing our ACen badges, we got an “Animation” discount.)

Second, People who dress as the girl from Avatar are showing committment. More committment than I’ll probably ever possess. Full-body blue paint and a strapless bra for eight hours? Count me out.

The most important thing I learned, however, is everybody has their something.

The joy of these people is intense, because for one weekend they are the majority instead of a minority.

Jack (our friend from the registration line) mentioned that the previous year he’d seen a douchey jock yell an insult at a group of Cosplayers on their way home from the convention, and the subsequent fight had been won by the Cosplayers. In the “real world,” in a battle between one douchey jock and one nerdy anime fan, the battle isn’t ever going to be even and is rarely going to be won by the nerd.

There’s a power and a safety in numbers, and I couldn’t help watching the excitement of the folks attending this convention and thinking about my own Broadway/Musical Theatre fandom.

And I realized, I understood them.

I know what it’s like to have most of the world know nothing about something you care so deeply about, and the freedom that comes with finding kindred spirits who, if nothing else, get your references.  That’s why Bob and I are such good friends. I can make that obscure Anything Goes joke (the one about the “pants of Russia”) with him, and he gets it.

I ended the day pretty much spent from over-stimulation, but.. appreciating all of it. I mean, I get it – even if I don’t get it. You know?

So, in conclusion, the next time I see a Cosplayer or overhead an intense conversation about Manga, I won’t judge. Nor will I bat an eye.

Because everybody’s got their something.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

(Thanks, Eric, for all the photos in this post.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++

One last note: As we were leaving the show, we realized that not only was ACen happening at the Hyatt, along with some sort of international gem show, but there was also a prom happening.

I can only imagine being seventeen and at prom, dressed for the biggest night of my young life, and stepping out of the limo to come face-to-face with a dude dressed as Naruto.

It made me chuckle.

The geeks will inherit the world, you know.

The Fun of Medieval Times

Eric took me to Medieval Times to celebrate my birthday a week early, as my bridal shower falls on my actual birthday and that whole weekend is going to already be a whirlwind.

So, after a delightful day of breakfast at M.Henry, book gorging at Half-Price Books, and getting a new phone, we found ourselves in the merry kingdom of Schaumberg, Illinois at the castle-like structure that houses the infamous Medieval Times.

I had a blast.

I could pretend to be too cool and say it was cheesy (which, duh, it was) but it was a truly fun and unforgettable experience.

We were in Royalty seating in the Green section, which meant we got to root for the Green Knight (aka, blatantly the bad guy.) We got souvenier programs, green flags to wave, crowns, and a tasty meal of tomato soup, chicken, ribs, and pie – all of which you eat with your hands, which isn’t nearly as strange as it sounds, I promise.

There’s a loosely-structured plot about the audience being guests at a tournament to celebrate the signing of a peace treaty, but  – Gasp – the Prince is kidnapped. There’s sword fighting and jousting and gorgeous horses performing tricks. There’s also a Falconer who shows up and lets his beautiful falcon soar through the crowd (sometimes just breezing over your head.)  There’s a King and a Princess and a charismatic announcer/Chancellor. The Knights, though, do most of the hard work. These six guys work their butts off, and the crowd loved them.  Other than our beloved bastardy Green Knight, we dug the Red&Yellow Knight too. Funny dude.

What can I say?

At twenty-seven, I had a great time at Medieval Times.

I cannot imagine how amazed I would have been at seven.

(People with kids, seriously. Take them to this.)

Also, like the good American consumers we are, we had beer in collectors holographic glasses and bought silly memorabilia:  a light-up sceptre and a wooden battle-ax. Thank you.

If you’re interested, here’s the official Medieval Times website.

Big Apple Bound!

I’m New Jersey/New York bound today, and couldn’t be more excited.

Among the highlights I’m looking forward to are a huge New Years Eve party in Newark (Masquerade! Fire-eaters! Zebras? That’s what the press says!), seeing Ragtime the day before it closes on Broadway, setting foot inside The Strand (18 miles of books?!), and seeing friends – Jolene will be our hostess, and we’re trying hard to make plans with Whitney and Jason.

Who knows what else will happen? It’s NYC, people!

I heart New York.  (I’ve never been to New Jersey before, but I probably love it too!)

Broadway Bound! :)

If asked, I would have a hard time coming up with a musical I think is as soundly-structured and plainly perfect as Ragtime. So, the fact that my wonderful fiancee (a man who clearly pays attention) got us tickets to see the acclaimed new revival on Broadway when we’re in NYC next weekend excites me greatly.

Oh, the wonder….

I am over the moon. For realz.

(Update: Ragtime will be closing on Broadway on 1/3, the day after we see it. Sad news, but I’m glad I’ll get to see it nonetheless.)