I feel privileged sitting in the small Chicago Greenhouse Theater with an intimate group invited to see the first professional staging of a new play, My Whorizontal Life by Sephe Haven. OK, the title is a giveaway. This is a solo recollection of her life…

So many good books passed through my hands in the last month. Of all, Viktor Frankl’s focus on finding the meaning in your life still resonates. As a result, I was discussing with a friend the meaning of corporal works of mercy (Catholic) and mitzvahs (Jewish) in our lives…

My family is from St. Louis, so a nice road trip from Chicago to St. Louis (five hours with one potty stop) was in the cards for my opera friend, Betsy, and me. Opera Theater of St. Louis is known for excellent productions, many of them commissioned premiers…

Spontaneous traveler? How about a Fall trip that will bring the beautiful colors of nature and the joy of excellent theater? It’s prime season to visit Wisconsin and Ontario. Unconsciously, I’m cruel to my sister-in-law Norah and myself…

Used to be that smaller live theaters did not run year-round. That changed in the last five years. Ok, there is nothing scheduled for August, but Chicago keeps producing excellent theater while drumming up season subscriptions for 2023/24…

Summer reads – what a joy to curl up with a hefty book and let the hours spin. I’m off to Spring Green, WI for a family and theater (American Players Theater) holiday. My selected book for the trip is so long it must be on Kindle! I’ve never enjoyed “beach reads”…

Let our summer readfest begin! Though it may be a while before I come up for air again. I’m in the midst of reading three 500 – 700+ page books! Almost finished with Franzen’s Crossroads. Next will be Verghese’s new book (see below)…

All musical forms progress as new instruments, new technology, and new innovators come on the scene. Modern opera has bad rap because some of it contains music written using the 12-note scale, uncomfortable to most ears…

In March, I was honored to moderate a panel of memoir writers at the Tucson Festival of Books. Meeting and interacting with these authors was memorable. Adiba is as funny and direct as her book. Asked by an audience member…

Last spring, I wrote about the explosion of black on the live stage. In 2022, all the new plays opening on Broadway were written by black playwrights and starred black performers. Locally, in Chicago, the explosion is sustained by the four-to-six-week schedule of new performances throughout the year. All Black Productions Most theater groups average […]