Today In The Culture, January 6, 2022: Coronavirus Cancels Shows for Lyric Opera and Raven Theatre | Goodman Announces World Premiere | Tony Fitzpatrick and Steve Conrad Converse
Cleve Carney Museum of Art Hosts “Tony Fitzpatrick in Conversation with Steven Conrad”
The Cleve Carney Museum of Art, on the College of DuPage campus, presents Tony Fitzpatrick in conversation with Steven Conrad on Sunday, January 23 at 3pm. Following the conversation there will be a book signing with Fitzpatrick for his most recent release, “The Apostles of Humboldt Park (I, Apostle).” Topics will include Fitzpatrick’s connection to Chicago, his CCMA exhibition “Jesus of Western Avenue,” his social and political concerns and our shared changing reality. Tickets are $10 plus service fees. The conversation will be available by livestream, then on-demand January 24-February 25. More here.
DESIGN
Tonika Johnson Maps Englewood Homes Where Contracts Denied Black Land Ownership
Tonika Johnson is creating “Everyday Englewood,” an immersive guide to Chicago homes that were held in land sale contracts, a predatory lending vehicle of the twentieth century, reports Crain’s.
Making The Case For A Museum Of Architecture In Chicago
“The demolition of another pre-Fire residence reinforces architect John Vinci’s belief that Chicago is in desperate need of a museum of architecture,” writes Crain’s.
DINING & DRINKING
Dear Margaret Makes It To A Year With Poutine And Labatt’s
Chef Ryan Brosseau follows a long Christmas break with a celebration in honor of Dear Margaret’s first anniversary. On Monday, aka Industry Night, January 17, “slide into DM for a very Canadian celebration featuring burgers and poutine, along with Labatt’s and shots of Canadian whisky,” alerts the establishment, “and likely a soundtrack exclusively of iconic Canadian rock band Rush.” The Canuck Burger is a griddled CDK beef patty topped with housemade peameal bacon, cheddar, lettuce, onion, pickle, and garlic aïoli ($15). Dear Margaret’s Poutine starts with Kennebec frites fried in beef tallow, fresh Wisconsin cheese curds, topped with the velvety sauce poutine ($15). Labatt Blue and Canadian Club (neither of which are on the regular menu) are available only with the purchase of food. Menu modifications and substitutions are not accepted. No reservations; first come, first served starting at 5pm until the food runs out. More here.
“A Very Harry Winter” at Replay Lincoln Park Extended To End Of January
With high ratings for the HBO Max “Harry Potter” cast reunion and headlines for J.K. Rowling’s public stances, Replay is expanding their limited-time pop-up, “A Very Harry Christmas,” to “A Very Harry Winter” at Replay Lincoln Park, 2833 North Sheffield. “There are hidden Easter eggs that only Harry Potter mega-fans will spot, like Dobby looming somewhere in the distance. This event and all of the games are free, with no reservations, tickets or tokens required. This limited time pop-up, which Replay first hosted back in 2019, features spectacular homages to fan favorite moments from the series such as the Chamber of Secrets, The Whomping Willow, Umbridge’s Cat office and Molly Weasley, along with Hagrid’s House, the Burrow Spoon Clock, and more. Expanding to the upper level, new featured moments like Diagon Alley, the iconic 9 3/4 platform, Zonko’s Joke Shop, Honeydukes Candy Shop, and Hog’s Head Inn will help fans get even more immersed in the wizarding world.” More here.
“In recent years, NPR has taken pride in its efforts to diversify its ranks of on-air hosts, with the hiring of many Black and Latino journalists to lead its signature news programs, including voices such as Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Noel King, Michele Norris and Audie Cornish,” reports the Washington Post. “But now the public-radio giant is contending with an exodus of the very same talent. On Tuesday, it was Cornish, the co-host since 2012 … of ‘All Things Considered,’ who announced she would be leaving at the end of the week, destination unspecified… Other prominent on-air personalities of color to depart NPR’s airwaves recently include ‘Weekend All Things Considered’ host Garcia-Navarro, who left in September to host a New York Times podcast; ‘Morning Edition’ host King, who left in November for Vox Media; and former ‘1A’ host Joshua Johnson, who joined MSNBC.”
MUSIC
Vinyl Crisis Escalates
The Los Angeles Times visits one of the last two producers of vinyl records in California and details the ongoing crisis in pressing records. “The pebble-like synthetic plastic polymer, stored in refrigerator-sized boxes in one wing of the facility, is also used to make vinyl flooring, fake leather and credit cards. Global production and distribution still haven’t recovered from the pandemic’s first wave, which shuttered plants and cluttered shipping lanes. In 2021, a cargo ship wedged in the Suez Canal caused a six-day backup that shook up shipping schedules for the rest of the year. Record Technology Inc.’s Rick Hashimoto said they get their vinyl from Asia. ‘A container that used to cost about $5,000 to ship now costs about $20,000 to $25,000,’ he says. ‘Every part of the process is getting more expensive, including PVC, metal plating, freight and labor,’ said [indie label] Stones Throw’s Jason McGuire. He adds that the label has been reluctant to raise its prices, but their costs have jumped significantly in the past half-year. ‘I expect them to continue to increase into the next year.’ As with every major plant in the country, Erika Records’ presses couldn’t keep up with the orders in 2021, and her plant is already fully booked through the end of 2022. RTI is scheduled six months out but Hashimoto says that tenuous supply chains have rendered precise scheduling difficult.”
STAGE
Goodman Announces More Of Season
Goodman Theatre continues its season with scheduling updates. Artistic director Robert Falls will direct the world premiere of Rebecca Gilman’s “Swing State,” his sixth play by his longtime collaborator, in the Owen Theatre. The Goodman will also produce the Chicago premiere of composer-lyricist Britta Johnson’s new musical “Life After” directed by Annie Tippe in the Albert Theatre, which replaces the planned musical adaptation of “The Outsiders,” based on S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Coppola’s film, which has been postponed to a future date. More here.
Lyric Postpones “Proving Up” Indefinitely
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has postponed its production of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s chamber opera “Proving Up,” planned for January 22-30 at the Goodman’s Owen Theatre. “This difficult decision is based on our current understanding of the ever-changing public health situation, with the goal of keeping the safety of our company, our audiences, and our artists as our overriding priority,” Lyric general director, president and CEO Anthony Freud said in a release. Rehearsals were set to begin this week. Lyric plans to reschedule “Proving Up” in a future season. The Lyric’s season is set to continue at the Lyric Opera House in early February.
Raven Theatre Cancels “Beautiful Thing”
Raven Theatre has canceled its production of “Beautiful Thing,” written by Jonathan Harvey and directed by Mikael Burke that was scheduled to run February 9–March 27, 2022 on Raven’s East Stage. Artistic director Cody Estle and managing director Markie Gray said in a release, “This has been an extremely difficult decision, but at the end of the day, the safety of our cast, crew, staff and patrons is our top priority. We thank everyone for their hard work on this production and hope to bring Mikael Burke’s vision of this beautiful coming-of-age story to the Raven stage in a future season.”
ARTS & CULTURE
No More “Normal” For The Arts?
“How bad is COVID-19 damage to the arts sector?” asks Deanna Isaacs at the Reader. “Arts Alliance Illinois says it’s been researching that question and will be releasing the results any day now… The heads of both the AAI and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events published recent op-eds in Crain’s describing the situation as ‘a horror movie,’ and the arts landscape as ‘devastated’… And that was before Omicron began… How much of this damage might be permanent? Will we see once-great city centers turned to hulking ghost towns, their offices, theaters, museums, shops, and concert halls forever emptied out? Are we going back to normal anytime soon? Or ever?”
Every State Is On Chicago’s Travel Caution List
“Chicago updated its travel advisory to include every U.S. state and territory, prompting city health officials to urge anyone looking to travel right now to reconsider their plans,” reports NBC5 Chicago. “Last week, Montana and Guam remained the only locations not on the city’s warning list. States are added to the advisory’s orange list when COVID metrics rise above the threshold of 15 cases per day per 100,000 people. Any below that mark are on the yellow list, with public health officials still warning against nonessential travel.”
