CHILLY RECEPTION: The Neo-Futurists revisit the Vanilla Ice vehicle Cool As Ice.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss events for Wed 06.24.09 through Tue 06.30.09

1

theatre Cool As Ice*
Think Be Kind Rewind, live. For the eighth year running, armed with only a shoestring budget and some truly awful source material, Chicago’s absurdist theatre troupe The Neo-Futurists presents It Came from the Neo-Futurarium VIII: Legend of the Neo-Futurarium, a series of staged reenactments of some of the Worst Films Ever, including this year’s kickoff, Cool As Ice (aka the Vanilla Ice movie). If anything less than the best is a felony, consider the Neos innocent until proven guilty.
GO: Cool As Ice: June 25 at 8. Series continues Thu at 8 through July 30. $8-$10. The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N Ashland. Full schedule: neofuturists.org.
2

concerts Shellac
Fronted by the legendary music producer Steve Albini, Chicago’s kings of tightly wound agitation surface for a pair of rare local shows. Don’t miss this chance to hear the band’s knotty licks and ominous grooves live.
GO: June 27 at 8; June 28 at noon. $12. Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake. bottomlounge.com.
3

concerts Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus
In a special Pride Weekend run, the passionate, precise choir commemorates a milestone and an icon: On the 40th anniversary of New York’s Stonewall riots—the dawn of the modern gay rights movement—the group sings a program honoring Judy Garland.
GO: Chorus: June 26 at 7; June 27 at 3 and 7. $25. Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N Broadway. lakeshoretheater.com. Also, Pride Parade: June 28 at noon. Free. Steps off from Halsted and Belmont. chicagopridecalendar.org.
4

theatre Boleros for the Disenchanted
Puerto Rican­–born José Rivera is an Obie-winning playwright and an Oscar nominee. Cuban-born Henry Godinez is, well, Godinez: actor, director, professor, and Teatro Vista cofounder. In the former’s Boleros, the latter directs a story of love and infidelity spanning decades and oceans. Stick around to meet the power pair following the June 25 performance.
GO: Previews through June 28; $25-$57. Regular run through July 26; $25-$70. Goodman Theatre, 170 N Dearborn. goodmantheatre.org.
5

farrago Gen Art Chicago Film Festival
As anticipated for its glitzy afterparties as its indie screenings, this four-night affair brings a dash of red-carpet glamour to town. Saturday’s closing-night flick, Shrink, ups the glam ante with a Hollywood-insider plotline and a star-studded cast (Kevin Spacey, Gore Vidal, Saffron Burrows).
GO: $20 includes film and afterparty. Film: June 27 at 7:30. AMC Piper’s Alley, 1608 N Wells. Afterparty at 10: Loft Six Ten, 1332 N Milwaukee. genart.org.

FREEBIES OF THE WEEK

concerts Bloodshot Records showcase
Counting Crows headlines Taste of Chicago on June 27, but considerably more fun can be found on the second stage, where a bill of bands from the local roots-punk label Bloodshot Records includes the raucous Waco Brothers (at 7) and the ribald soul man Andre Williams (at noon).
GO: June 27 from noon to 8:30. Taste runs from 11 to 9 daily through July 4, and 11 to 6 on July 5. Michigan and Congress. tasteofchicago.us.

farrago Mamma Mia! sing-along
More fun than a Greek holiday (well, almost): Reeling, the LGBT film festival held each fall in Chicago, hosts a special summertime sing-along screening of the hit musical Mamma Mia! BYO lawn chair; ABBA haters need not apply.
GO: June 27 at 8:30. Osterman Beach, east of Sheridan from Ardmore to Hollywood at the lakefront. chicagoparkdistrict.com.

*ET CETERA

The Neo-Futurists are only the most recent in a long line of folks who’ve felt called to revisit the one-hit wonder Vanilla Ice. You could kill an afternoon watching YouTube renditions of “Ice Ice Baby”—or you could let us do the dirty work: Check out Ben Kweller, Jim Carrey, and tennis star Andy Roddick delivering variations on the theme—and then there’s this visual adaptation.

 

PHOTOGRAPH: Hope Rehak