10/26/07

Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure
Be the master of your entertainment destiny this week and pick from one of two routes to amusement: For the kids at heart, we’ve rounded up a roster of Halloween treats sure to put some “Gotcha!” in your game plan; read on for the spine-tingling rundown. Party poopers who’d rather turn off the metaphorical porch light to trick-or-treaters can find plenty of ghoul-free options below the fold (not that we’re judging).

Hallo-wheeeeeeen!
• Perhaps Ichabod Crane would have fared better on a Schwinn than a noble steed. Relive the spirit of Sleepy Hollow—without those inconvenient beheadings—at the Headless Horseman Hunt, a costume party meets bike race meets...

Posted at 09:02 AM in Marquee | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/19/07

Supersized Marquee: The Original Jersey Boy

The Garden-State Path
Jersey Boys, the Tony-winning musical biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, follows the group from blue-collar roots to pop fame, bumps in the road (mafia high jinks, gambling, womanizing, heartbreak) and all. Chicago's much-anticipated run is onstage now, but the show's inspiration isn't idling in the wings. A consummate professional who parlayed his trademark falsetto into 25 top-40 hits and counting, Valli just released a new compilation of love ballads, Romancing the '60s, and has an upcoming concert date at the Chicago Theatre. Marquee spoke with Valli recently about his long career...

Posted at 07:50 AM in Marquee | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/12/07

Marquee: Gotcha!

Freaky Friday
Here’s a grown-up alternative to the traditional Halloween fare of corn mazes and pumpkin patches: Disturbed II. For the 15-minute play of sorts—organizers describe it as an “inverted haunted house”—the audience stands in a cramped space while the action jumps out from the sidelines. It’s a combination of performance and multimedia special effects that is, to put it mildly, really scary—i.e., no kids allowed. The show runs every half hour from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Halloween at Oracle Theatre (3809 N. Broadway; 773-244-2980). Admission is $9 at the door, $7 with reservations; last year’s Disturbed sold out, so...

Posted at 06:04 AM in Marquee | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/05/07

Drumsticks, Flicks, and other Picks

Better than Blockbuster
Perhaps the best reason to live on popcorn alone: the Chicago International Film Festival opened last night and runs through Wednesday the 17th with hundreds of documentaries, features, and shorts from 44 countries. High-profile attendees include Tony-winner Jeffrey Wright, star of the fest entry Blackout and recipient of this year’s Black Perspectives career achievement award (Black Perspectives Tribute and Party, Saturday the 13th), but we recommend balancing your out-of-town intake with a shot or two of local talent. In America the Beautiful, Chicagoan Darryl Roberts interviews advertising and fashion pros about...

Posted at 08:26 AM in Marquee | Permalink | Comments (0)