What’s New

Chione (Vero Maynez, left) interacts with Harpier, the white raven (manipulated by Thomas Tong) in “The Snow Queen.” | Michael Brosilow

There’s a message about pollution in the playful, magic-filled Hans Christian Andersen adaptation.

“Frozen” might have the ubiquity only a Disney-sized budget can produce, but the House Theatre of Chicago has its own magical winter’s tale in “The Snow Queen.” Some 15 years after Victory Gardens premiered its adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s ice-bound fairy tale, House Artistic Director Lanise Antoine Shelley has created her own adaptation.

The puppetry and the magic remain, but this telling reflects a world where pollution has damaged the farthest edges of a planet, human trash accumulating in snowpacks high in the uninhabitable reaches of the Arctic Circle.

Shelley retains the touchstones of Andersen’s original: A shattered magic mirror brings about calamity. A child must embark on a vast, snowy odyssey in order to set the world right and save a beloved friend. In Andersen’s tale, trolls almost destroy the world. In Shelley’s telling, that destruction is at the hands of humans, heedless of the fact that all things on Earth are connected, their very survival included.

That might sound heavy and didactic, but director Amber D. Montgomery’s 85-minute staging is neither. The tone of the production is playful. Watching it feels like stepping into an enchanted storybook.

That story centers on best friends/cousins Quin (Jackie Seijo) and Kai (Vincent Williams) and their life-changing encounter with the mysterious Chione (Vero Maynez). Chione has big magic to share, but the trio’s carelessness with it puts Kai in mortal danger, leaving Quin and Chione on a desperate quest to rescue him.

Shelley’s ending bumbles a bit. It’s abrupt and feels more convenient than earned. Moreover, the wise-crone archetype Womoon (Molly Brennan) speaks in faux-mystical platitudes. But this is a show designed to reach the hearts of children, and that demographic will be entranced throughout.

Jesse Mooney-Bullock’s puppets are fantastical: A polar bear the size of a small car lumbers through the wilderness with her cub. An arctic fox (Roxy Adviento) sniffs and yips through the snow. A white raven (Thomas Tong) swoops and cackles. Montgomery appropriately adds magic to the otherworldly tale, with longtime House artist Dennis Watkins consulting on the illusions. A fist uncurls to unleash an entire blizzard of whirling snowflakes. Blood-red roses materialize from seemingly nowhere.

Like Kai and Quin, Chione has an epic growth arc to traverse, and Maynez manages well, starting out with a childlike impetuousness before morphing into a regal source of wisdom and warning. Seijo creates an amiable Quin, a child whose trust has to be earned and whose loyalty, once given, is unbreakable. A double-cast Williams is bratty and endearing as Kai and later unrecognizable as Smith, a goggled-denizen of the endless north.

Tong makes the white raven Harpier a squawking delight, a winged wiseacre and the kind of bird best friend anyone would be lucky to have.

Montgomery doesn’t try to render the puppeteers invisible — nobody’s wearing black, and there’s no attempt made to hide the manipulation of various mechanisms. Yet when the fox or Harpier or those bears are on stage, the puppeteers seem to disappear.

Throughout, the production is immersive. Erin Pleake’s video design, Liviu Pasare’s projections and Sully Ratke’s set and costume design work together to create a cinematic world. Ratke’s surprisingly mobile fields of snow and ice are crusted with flapping plastic bags and other trash. Pasare and Pleake bring a magic mirror to life, making the Andes and the Himalayas (among other distant lands) appear and disappear.

Michael Brosilow
Kai (Vincent Williams) needs rescuing in the House Theatre of Chicago production.

In several scenes, the snowy landscape darkens so that shadow plays can unfold, stark images of light and dark creating crystal-clear storytelling. Lighting designer Trey Brazeal also does indispensable work, dressing the stage in cool blues and greens, including a Northern Lights show that credibly invokes the real phenomenon.

When all the elements come together (including a score by co-composer/sound designers Olanrewaju Adelowe and Kevin O’Donnell), “The Snow Queen” delivers a seasonal delight with an evergreen message.

Read More

A 12-year-old girl was shot December 4, 2021 in the Loop. | Adobe Stock Photo

The girl was among a group of people about 8:30 p.m. in the first block of North Michigan Avenue when a person fired shots in their direction.

A 12-year-old girl was seriously hurt in a shooting Saturday night in the Loop.

The girl was among a group of people about 8:30 p.m. in the first block of North Michigan Avenue when a person fired shots in their direction, Chicago police said.

She suffered a gunshot wound to the back and is being treated at Comer Children’s Hospital, where she is in serious condition, according to police.

No arrests were made.

Read More

Coach Matt Nagy’s frustration while walking off the field Sunday after a loss to the Cardinals mirrors the fans’ frustration with the Bears. | Ashley Rezin/Sun-Times

Or maybe I haven’t if I’m wearing one of the Bears’ less-than-trusty headsets.

I don’t know if they have them anymore, but when something went wrong with the film projector in your junior-high health class back in the day, a dude or two from the student audio-visual department would come to the rescue.

These AV guys (always guys, for some reason) were what we nowadays would call nerds. Back then, I think we called them dorks. Or Einsteins.

At any rate, they’d come in, adjust their glasses, check the machinery and, after whispered consultation, one would say: ‘‘The film melted.’’

Out they’d wheel the projector, in would come a new one and our class quickly would be back to ‘‘Hemo the Magnificent’’ or ‘‘Reefer Madness.’’

Point?

Why don’t the Bears, a pro football team Forbes recently valued at $4.075 billion, have somebody — even a junior high nerd — who can guarantee their stupid technology stuff works on game day?

How much would it cost?

Certainly less than the sod bill for the lousiest home-field grass anywhere. Or the janitors who clean Halas Hall.

A couple of AV kids likely would do it for extra credit.

I’m getting angry now. Memories of being 14 and hormonal are flooding back.

In two of their last three games, including a 33-22 loss Sunday to the Cardinals, the Bears have had their radio transmissions from skybox to quarterback fail.

And this failure has contributed to their 4-8 demise, as well as the overall perception that we’ve got a $4 billion Rube Goldberg contraption posing as an NFL franchise.

On Sunday, Bears quarterback Andy Dalton clearly was rattled because skybox signals weren’t getting in through his headset and he had to wait for coach Matt Nagy on the sideline to relay plays via walkie-talkie.

All of this added time, pressure and distraction, which to the Bears are like bird poop on the windshield of a car they barely can steer.

Think of it: a walkie-talkie. Like the things little kids get for Christmas, then whisper into from bedroom to closet like child assassins.

Seriously, what is going on, Bears?

‘‘He couldn’t hear it, and it was going in and out,’’ Nagy said Monday of Dalton and the radio waves. ‘‘So that’s not good when you’re out there and it’s going in and out.’’

‘‘I mean, that’s a big deal,’’ tight end Cole Kmet added.

‘‘You’d like the headsets to work at all times,’’ Dalton summed up.

Agreed. It’s ridiculous for anything this dumb to happen on a team that needs everything to function perfectly just to have a chance at winning.

Technology was brought into the NFL to make things more ‘‘modern,’’ cooler for tech-loving Americans, more controlling for coaches who see their players as chess pieces.

But technology brings with it the black-box concept. That is, stuff goes in, stuff comes out and nobody but nerds know what goes on in between, such as, say, in a TV, an iPhone or a radio thing that tells a quarterback to run David Montgomery again.

This wavelength failure happened to the Bears in their last home game, too, a loss to the Ravens two weeks ago.

Funny that it doesn’t happen to the other teams at Soldier Field or anywhere else that I know of. Like the Bears are purposely blowing themselves up.

The Bears always seem amazed at such predictable stupidity. They apparently didn’t know the forecast Sunday called for cold rain, so a bunch of players wore tacky gloves that — oops — get slick in such weather.

It makes you wonder whether they know it might be cold in Green Bay when they play the Packers on Sunday. (Don’t forget your long underwear, fellows!)

I remember the Super Bowl in February 2007 outside Miami. Rain was predicted, and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning practiced at times with footballs dunked in water. Bears quarterback Rex Grossman? Nah.

How about you historians who recall that the Bears lost the 1934 NFL championship game to the Giants 30-18, largely because the Giants switched out of cleats to gym shoes for the frozen field at the Polo Grounds?

Can’t blame the Bears too much for that. It was on the road.

But this? The Giants slaughtered the Bears 47-7 in the 1956 NFL championship game, this time at Yankee Stadium, because they switched to gym shoes for the frozen turf and the Bears did not.

First time dumb happens, you can blame somebody else.

Second time dumb happens?

Shame on you.

Read More

Flanked by family members, supporters, attorneys and bodyguards, former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett walks into the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Monday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Smollett for the first time told jurors his version of the night he was attacked, spending around six hours fielding questions from his attorney and parrying Special Prosecutor Dan Webb about his role in the alleged hoax.

Jussie Smollett took the witness stand Monday, a star turn for the actor at his trial for allegedly choreographing a hoax hate crime attack that boosted him to international fame — and sank his career.

Wearing a dark blue suit and maroon tie, Smollett spent around six hours fielding questions from his attorney and parrying Special Prosecutor Dan Webb about his role in the alleged hoax. Smollett testified that he was the unwitting victim of a betrayal by a close friend, and then became wary of Chicago Police investigators after several leaks from police sources who were skeptical of his story.

Smollett for the first time told jurors his version of the night he was attacked and his relationship to the prosecution’s star witnesses, brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, whom he allegedly paid to act as his attackers.

Smollett’s lead attorney, Nenye Uche, closed out his direct questioning of the actor with a string of questions delivered at a near-shout, instructing his client to face jurors as he answered.

“Have you ever planned a hoax?” he asked.

“Never in my life,” Smollett said.

“Did you ever give (anyone) $100 to go buy supplies?” Uche said, shouting directions to the actor. “Don’t look at me! Look at the jury! Your fate is in their hands!

“No, I never did,” Smollett said.

Describing the attack, which he partially reenacted with his lawyer a few feet from the jury box, Smollett said he fought back after being struck in the head.

“I would like to think that I landed a punch, but I know that I certainly threw one,” Smollett said.

Smollett said he was reluctant to even call police immediately after the attack, worried that any coverage would hurt his career. His creative director, who was staying at his condo, called police without Smollett’s permission, he said.

“I am, I was, a well-known figure at that time. I’m an actor, I wanted to play boxer… I want to blow things up,” he said.

“The moment that I got beat, I became a f—–t that got his ass beat. I knew that.”

Webb got in roughly an hour of cross-examination before asking the judge to break for the day. Smollett was poised and at times indignant, as Webb tried to cast the star’s refusal to hand over his cellphone and medical records to police after the attack as proof Smollett was afraid they’d uncover his connection to the Osundairos.

“I wanted the police to solve a crime that had been committed against me,” Smollett insisted.

Smollett’s testimony is key to defusing key bits of circumstantial evidence, and his apparent lack of cooperation with investigators, as data points that prosecutors have used to buttress a case that leans largely on testimony from Smollett’s alleged accomplices, the Osundairos.

“I’m trying to figure out what you admit to the jury and what you deny,” Webb said. “Anything that has surveillance on it, you’re going to admit. Anything else you’re going to deny.”

But that line of questioning stalled after Webb played video of Smollett’s SUV when he was riding with Abimbola Osundairo before the attack, when Smollett allegedly recruited him for the fake attack.

“I had admitted all of this even before,” Smollett said, his voice rising.

“I have been questioned about many things… I told the truth about everything.”

Testimony from “Empire” showrunner Brett Mahoney delivered a blow to the prosecution theory that Smollett concocted the hoax because he felt the studio didn’t do enough after a letter threatening the actor was sent to their Chicago production office.

“The only concern that I believe was expressed (by Smollett) was he felt like the security was too intrusive and he did not want it following him home,” Mahoney said.

Questioned by his attorneys, Smollett claimed he was far from unhappy with his career in the winter of 2019. As he filmed the fourth season of the show, his star was on the rise, his salary had nearly tripled and his music career was taking off by the fourth season of the show.

Smollett said “Empire” creator Lee Daniels described the actor’s TV role as groundbreaking.

“You have to be for gay Black men what Phylicia Rashad was for Black women on ‘The Cosby Show,’” Smollett told jurors.

Days before he was charged, Smollett had given a tearful interview to reporter Robin Roberts, proclaiming himself the victim of both a violent attack and a homophobic, racist public. Monday, Smollett testified that he only booked the interview at the behest of the Fox Network.

“They said do it,” Smollett said the studio told him. “It’s one and done. Just tell the truth and you’re good.”

Smollett insisted he told the truth in the interview with Roberts as well as police — ”Not one iota of information has changed,” he said — but publicity he allegedly sought from his hoax sent his ascendant career into a tailspin.

“Since this incident happened have you got in and secured a significant roles in Hollywood or in TV or commercials?” Uche asked Smollett.

“No,” the actor said, flatly.

“Did you gain anything?” Uche asked.

“I’ve lost my livelihood,” Smollett said.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Former federal prosecutor Dan Webb, who was appointed special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case, walks into the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Monday.

Read More

Post ContentRead More

The Chicago Bears didn’t fire Matt Nagy despite a report last week stating that Thursday would be his final game with the franchise but all signs are pointing to this being it for the head coach in the Windy City. Barring a miracle run to the playoffs and then winning some playoff games, Nagy’s time has run out in Chicago.

And it’s not too early to start thinking about candidates to replace him.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora wrote on the Bears situation Sunday morning and dropped some interesting names as to who could intrigue the Bears. Here is what he wrote mentioning Byron Leftwich, Brian Daboll and Josh McDaniels:

If they make a move, the Bears are expected to consider Tampa offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, among others, and it has been well-known throughout the industry for years how high Bears ownership is on Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who numerous NFL teams have pursued in recent years. However, sources said that Fitzgerald, who recently signed a big extension to remain at the school he also played for, would not be interested in a jump to the Bears.

The last name mentioned, Pat Fitzgerald, is brought up almost every time the Bears have an opening but like those times, he’s not expected to leave Northwestern for the NFL.

Now, these are just a few names floated out there by La Canfora but we should pay attention as the weeks go on.

For more on the Monsters of the Midway, please check out our Chicago Bears forum.

The post Names starting to surface about potential candidates for Chicago Bears head coaching job first appeared on CHICITYSPORTS.

Read More

The Chicago Cubs could be on the verge of making a splash with a big addition to their starting rotation according to reports. On Wednesday, 670 The Score host Matt Spiegel reported that the Cubs and free agent pitcher Marcus Stroman are in “heavy” talks to bring the starter to the Northside.

Have heard now from 2 different sources that the Cubs and Marcus Stroman are hot and heavy in discussion right now. Would absolutely love that signing.

— M@ (@MattSpiegel670) December 1, 2021

A few hours later, both Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal confirmed the reports saying that the two sides are in serious talks, signalling that the right-hander is close to being a member of the Cubs.

With Chicago going into a rebuild mode, the team still needs to address a rotation that struggled last season outside of Kyle Hendricks. Jed Hoyer and co. are hoping to fix the rotation and pledged to spend money this offseason and this could be the big move.

The 30-year-old Stroman has spent time with Toronto and the New York Mets in his career, posting a 3.63 ERA in 173 games started.

For more on the Chicago Cubs and the Hot Stove, check out our Cubs forum.

The post Report: Chicago Cubs in serious talks with Marcus Stroman first appeared on CHICITYSPORTS.

Read More

The past week or so has been an interesting one for the Chicago Bears surrounded by reports of Matt Nagy’s job status, players being unhappy and even management forcing the head coach to play Justin Fields. In the middle of that, the Bears snapped their five-game losing streak with a win over Detroit but the schedule gets even tougher starting this week.

At 4-7, the playoffs are a stretch for this team despite being a game out in the standings. And with that, the focus on the future grows more and more each day. The latest report suggests that it might not be only Nagy on his way out this season and that Ryan Pace is likely gone as well with the franchise pushing the “reset” button. Here is what CBS Sports’ NFL insider Jonathan Jones wrote:

Whether it happens today, or tomorrow, or any day between now and Jan. 10 following the final game of the regular season, Bears head coach Matt Nagy will be relieved of his duties in Chicago.

It’s likely that general manager Ryan Pace will meet a similar fate, and it’ll be the dawn of a new era in the Windy City.

Chicago would offer a clean slate for a new GM and head coach. It has the quarterback of the future already in place on a rookie contract, plus some quality veteran pieces to fill in around. Ownership isn’t known to meddle, meaning the folks hired for the job can simply do their job. And with Aaron Rodgers very likely on his way out of Green Bay, the NFC North would be up for grabs.

Interesting.

This report was last week but a win over the lowly Lions probably doesn’t change much in the minds of ownership. There’s also rumblings that Pace could be out as GM BUT return in a new role in the front office.

Whatever the case is, the Bears need to totally reset and get this thing back on track.

For more on the Monsters of the Midway, please check out our Chicago Bears forum.

The post Report: Ryan Pace “likely out” as Chicago Bears GM after this season first appeared on CHICITYSPORTS.

Read More

Tuesday afternoon, it was reported by Jon Heyman that the Chicago White Sox have signed Leury Garcia to a new 3 year deal. Garcia has played 9 seasons with the White Sox.

Leury Garcia goes back to White Sox. 3 year deal.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 30, 2021

Garcia is the ultimate utility player, able to fill many different positions for when injuries pop up. In the 2021 season, Garcia played 126 games for the White Sox, second most behind 140 games played in 2019.

Garcia is a career .259 Hitter with 497 hits and 181 runs driven in. Of course, “Leury Legend” was the hero of game 3 of the ALDS against the Astros.

In the midst of many crazy signings across MLB in the last few days, this signing comes off as a bit of a letdown for the White Sox. Sure, Garcia plays good defense (in the infield at least,) but there are still holes the team has yet to fill. Positions like right field, second base, and another starter are the main ones.

Come opening day, if Leury Garcia is the starter in second or right field, fans will certainly be somewhat disappointed. However, the expectation out there is that Garcia will be a bench player to plug in to fill any holes that may come up throughout a season, according to James Fegan.

García is expected to continue the role he’s served in for the last several years for the White Sox: filling needs all over the diamond and playing everyday when a void emerges https://t.co/AOTSfjMPLs

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) November 30, 2021

Another quick note, MLB and the players union are currently in negotiations in Dallas, Texas. The status of the 2022 season is still somewhat uncertain.

The post White Sox Re-sign Leury Garcia first appeared on CHICITYSPORTS.

Read More

The confetti has fallen, the trophy has been raised, and the Chicago Sky are the reigning champions of the WNBA. To commemorate the moment, FOCO has released a pair of bobbleheads commemorating two of the players on the championship roster, Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper.

Parker, a legendary WNBA veteran and new signing on the Sky roster this year found her way back home in free agency, signing a two-year deal with the Sky and helping to propel them to the title. With Chicago securing its first championship in franchise history, the sky’s the limit for Parker and the rest of the lineup.

As for Copper, her gritty selfless play and hot shooting made her another key piece in the championship puzzle for Chicago. For her dominant play, she was named the MVP of the championship series, and looks poised to remain a star in the league for years to come.

Each bobblehead is officially licensed and stands approximately 8 in. tall. Both bobbleheads are handcrafted and hand painted to showcase Parker and Copper in authentic detail, with team and championship accents around the base of the bobblehead.

Both Sky Championship bobbleheads are individually numbered out of just 221 units and are currently available on pre-order for $60.

The post FOCO Releases New Chicago Sky WNBA Champs Bobbles Featuring Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper first appeared on CHICITYSPORTS.

Read More