What’s New

At a preshow reception introducing the Goodman’s new artistic director, Susan V. Booth, executive director Roche Schulfer talked about how the theater’s production of A Christmas Carol, which turns 45 this year, has grown from an annual tradition to something of a public trust and an institutional responsibility. And indeed, though it may be a cash cow (no shame in that—we need a whole herd of fiscal cattle to come through for live performance right now), the show continues to thread the needle between hewing to the original while providing just enough dashes of contemporary references to blow away the seasonal cobwebs. (This year, the show begins with a young woman, Rika Nishikawa, singing a Ukrainian carol while wearing a wreath of yellow and blue flowers in her hair.)

In that way, it mirrors the holiday experience for many families, which blend past and present. Children get older, move out, and perhaps have kids of their own that they bring to the gathering. People die, but their memories live on in the stories their surviving loved ones tell. (This year’s production is dedicated to William J. Norris, who first played Scrooge for the Goodman and died a year ago this week.) There is comforting sameness in traditions—as long as we don’t get lost in the mazes of memory, unable to find our way back to the needs of the here and now.

A Christmas Carol Through 12/31: Wed-Thu 7 PM, Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2 and 7 PM; also Tue 12/6 7 PM, Tue 12/20 2 and 7 PM, Thu 12/1 and Wed 12/7 11 AM, Wed 12/14 noon, Wed 12/21-12/28, Thu 12/15-12/22, and Fri 12/23-12/30 2 PM, Sat 12/24 and 12/31 2 PM only, no performances Fri 12/30 7:30 PM or Sat 12/25; audio description Sat 12/10 2 PM, ASL interpretation Fri 12/16 7:30 PM, open captions Sun 12/18 2 PM, Spanish subtitles Sun 12/18 7 PM; Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre.org, $25-$159

Larry Yando, returning for his 15th season as Ebenezer Scrooge, also knows how to thread that needle. The production never hits harder than when we see the losses that shriveled his heart during his journey with the Ghost of Christmas Past (played with ethereal charm by Lucky Stiff, who looks like a harlequin in costume designer Heidi Sue McMath’s shimmery, icy-blue ensemble, with a crescent moon on the cap serving as a subtle reminder of the waxing and waning of days). From the harshness of the boarding school where young Ebenezer (Jalen Smith) is held in by forbidding iron gates to the temporary reprieve with his beloved sister Fan (Ariana Burks), his earliest holiday memories seem to weave together harshness and light. Jessica Thebus’s staging incorporates a bit of the surreal in this segment, as we see a white stag—the traditional symbol of innocence, great change, and even Christ himself—walking just beyond those gates.

This year’s production also leans heavily on the talents of the women in the cast, suggesting how much Yando’s Scrooge has lost over the years by running away from the nurturing offered not just by Fan, but by his first boss, Mrs. Maud Fezziwig (played with infectious bonhomie by Cindy Gold) and his lost love, Belle (Amira Danan). The cross-gender casting continues with Frida (Dee Dee Batteast), Scrooge’s niece, who’s determined to keep the spirit of Christmas no matter how many “bah, humbugs” are tossed her way.

The splendid Bethany Thomas as the Ghost of Christmas Present also nimbly walks the line between jolly and stern, her admonitions to Yando’s Scrooge taking on sharp urgency as her own time on Earth draws to a close. (In place of the usual gigantic pile of presents and a holiday repast, Scrooge’s gloomy room is transformed into a green and glorious bower of plants for Christmas Present’s arrival, and a sprig of evergreen remains behind to remind Scrooge of his spectral adventures once his transformation is complete.) Thomas J. Cox’s Bob Cratchit and his “good wife” (Susaan Jamshidi) embody the mundane, but miraculous, comforts of loving companionship in an otherwise harsh world. 

As usual, much of the comedy in Yando’s performance comes from Scrooge’s growing sense of vanity. He smooths his hair as he awaits the arrival of the first spirit (well, the first after Kareem Bandealy’s fearsome Marley, that is.) At one point, Yando’s miser is looking at himself in the mirror, his back turned to the audience, and begins twitching his posterior like Hugh Grant’s prime minister in Love Actually. It’s endearingly ridiculous, but also reinforces that loving others does indeed begin with loving oneself enough to believe you can actually make a difference in the world, no matter how small.

The appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Future (Daniel Jose Molina) is suitably grim. The spirit looks like a cross between the Grim Reaper and a plague doctor with his beaky mask, and there’s a company of others wearing the same mask gathered wordlessly behind him, as if to remind us of those we’ve lost in the past few years. But despite the inevitable mournfulness evoked by that image, Tom Creamer’s adaptation remains a stouthearted study in the power of transformation. (Minor quibble: Andrew White is fine as the narrator, but I’ve never felt Creamer’s version has figured out exactly how much to bring the character into the story itself.)

It’s perhaps easy to view A Christmas Carol with seasonal cynicism, given how many versions compete for audience dollars this time of year. But after several seasons away from the Goodman’s production, it was good to be there opening night, remembering past productions, absent loved ones, and the importance of treasuring the ones who remain.

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Int. messy Chicago apartment, unseasonably hot end of November. 

Being a theater critic can be so isolating when you don’t fit the story being told. Most of the time, I sit through shows that center on the cishet male experience or at the very least shows that don’t pass the Bechdel Test. I am not shy about how much I loathe theater that rehashes the same, tired narrative. Yet, every once in a while I get a glimpse of something new which, even then, can be struck a deadly blow if one voice demands it. 

[increasingly exasperated] 

I have a master’s degree in writing, rhetoric, and discourse with a certificate in women and gender studies. I’ve written for Ms. Magazine. I’ve worked for Planned Parenthood. I grew up Catholic. I have polycystic ovary syndrome, which means I have fertility and period issues. Title Ten at Artemisia Theatre, written and codirected by artistic director Julie Proudfoot (Willow James also directs), should have been my cup of tea. [pause] But it wasn’t. 

Title TenThrough 12/18: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-975-8150, artemisiatheatre.org, $25-$44

[cross to center] 

Nine monologues over the course of 90 minutes. The play is a two-hander asking far too much of the two actors (Kaitlyn Cheng and Melanie McNulty) in its employ. A well-timed monologue is one thing, an excellent opportunity for epiphany, but there are some stories that are best served by dialogue. Especially with a topic like abortion, folks with uteruses spend a lot of time talking to themselves or feeling like they’re talking to a wall. When we’re given the chance to talk about Title X so openly, some of our stories are best served through an act of showing rather than telling. 

[realizes the irony of that last statement as this is a crude monologue at best]

If we’re going to tell intimate stories of tribulation, let’s really dig into them. Give audiences a full scene of a credible fearful interview between an immigration officer and an asylum-seeking mom. Allow us a chance to see the interaction not just from the side of the problematic officer. Let audiences see how harmful the process is. Parcel out monologues along with dialogue. Give us moments to really sink our teeth into. Play devil’s advocate at times, sure, but show us the pro-birthers protesting at clinics with more authenticity. 

Kaitlyn Cheng in Title Ten at Artemisia Theatre Credit Willow James

[increasing intensity] 

Give in to the vitriol, pain, heartache, and joy. Really give us the experience of what it is to exist in a world, as the text says, that demands so much of us simply for existing in these bodies. 

[hand over heart, three deep breaths]

Just let the stories really breathe.

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After earning rave reviews during its Chicago premiere last year, Matthew Lombardo’s provocative take on a holiday classic makes a triumphant return to Theater Wit. Who’s Holiday follows a now 40-year-old Cindy Lou Who (Veronica Garza) as she tells the story of the infamous night she met The Grinch Who Stole Christmasand the not-so-heartwarming events that followed after they crossed paths. 

Who’s Holiday Through 12/30: Thu 7 PM, Fri-Sat 7 and 9:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Tue-Wed 12/20-12/28 7 PM, Sun 12/18 7 PM, Fri 12/2-12/9 and Sat 12/3 7 PM only, no performances Sat-Sun 12/24-25; Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-975-8150, theaterwit.org, $36-$50

With Garza and director Christopher Pazdernik at the helm, Who’s Holiday transcends the Dr. Seuss story it’s based on and the expectations of anyone who might come in anticipating a typically wholesome Christmas story. Garza is a brilliant comedian who nails each of Cindy’s raunchy quips, droll physical quirks, and moments of frank sentimentality. From the moment she steps into Cindy’s humble trailer on the outskirts of Whoville, decked in festive garb and a grown-up take on her iconic hairdo, it’s clear that Garza thoroughly embodies an edgy variation on the classic character. 

Throughout the show’s 65-minute run, Garza commands and captivates, inviting the audience to laugh, riff, sing, and even cry with her as she recounts Cindy’s plight in the same rhyming cadence as the show’s source material. While Lombardo’s script isn’t afraid to go there in its humorand its whimsy, the honesty that Garza brings to Cindy makes this story feel totally earnest and enduring.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are in a bad way right now. They have lost a bunch of games in a row and it is hard to see when they are going to be able to get a win at any point in the near future. They are obviously going to win some games as all NHL teams do but it isn’t going to be easy.

They are trying lots of different things with their roster this year but they aren’t bringing in many of the young kids to join this losing culture. That is probably good news at this point as the future is bright but the present is dim.

On Wednesday, they play the Edmonton Oilers who are one of the most talented teams in the NHL. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way right now, things are going to be very difficult for the Hawks in this one.

In this game against Edmonton, the Hawks are going to try something that they haven’t done very often over the years. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are going to play with each other on the same line. That is something that might help this team generate some more chances on the net.

The Chicago Blackhawks are putting their two stars together on the same line.

Coming off a bad loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, something needed to change. Luke Richardson has never played this card so it will be fun to see if it works out for him and the team.

They are clearly in tank mode as an organization but nobody wants to lose eight in a row which is something that they are in danger of doing if they lost on Wednesday. The Draft Lottery is looking good but they can’t lose every single game as that would be bad for the team as well.

We know that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane could be traded so there is no reason not to at least try this lineup change. They might as well while they have it as an option. It will never hurt their chances to score more with their top scorer with their top goal scorer on the same line.

The rest of this season is going to be very challenging for the players on the roster so it is good to see them make some changes to try and give themselves a chance. Even though upper management wants to tank, the coach and the players give it their all no matter what.

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There’s no way around it, the Boston Celtics are the hottest team in the NBA.

Four straight wins and nine wins out of their last 10 games have been enough for Boston to claim the best record in the league at 17-4. But while the Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks are in a class of their own record-wise, there are a few under-the-radar contenders in the East that might have the juice to challenge them down the stretch.

The Miami Heat will have another chance to avenge their Eastern Conference Finals loss to Boston in their second and third meetings of the season over the next three days, and Miami will do so with their own momentum having won three straight after a slow start. The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks haven’t had the consistency to match Boston in the standings, but both teams have proven to be giant slayers so far this season with wins against Boston and Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, the Western Conference has slowly fallen back into order after a chaotic start headlined by the Utah Jazz holding the conference’s best record for a number of weeks, including last week. But a recent five-game losing streak by Utah has allowed some of the expected contenders in the West to get back in the driver’s seat.

The Phoenix Suns are riding the NBA’s longest active win streak with five in a row to claim the top seed in the West, while the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies round out the top four.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1 Week 4

Greg Harris is a survivor. He made it through the rough-and-tumble world of Chicago politics on the far north side, managing campaigns and serving as chief of staff to former alderman Mary Ann Smith (48th) before serving in the Illinois House for more than a decade. 

Harris, appointed in 2006, became the first openly gay man to succeed another openly gay man in the state legislature, the late representative Larry McKeon (D-13th). During his tenure, Harris spearheaded the legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois and was the Democrats’ chief negotiator in the years-long budget fight against former governor Bruce Rauner. 

He was elevated to majority leader in time for the General Assembly’s groundbreaking 2019 spring legislative session, which passed a $45 billion capital plan, legalized marijuana, raised the minimum wage, and established abortion as a fundamental right in the state. He continued leading the majority through the COVID-19 pandemic; the election of a new speaker, Chris Welch (D-7th); the passage of the Legislative Black Caucus’ four-part post-George Floyd agenda— education, economic equity, health care, and criminal justice reform—in 2021; and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that following summer.

“Leader Harris is the embodiment of a public servant, and throughout his 15-year career he has been a passionate advocate for what’s fair and just,” Welch said in a statement. “His command of a wide range of public policy issues has been a vital asset for our state. As a values-oriented leader and the first openly gay majority leader, he has given a voice to so many who have continuously felt left out of state government. I am grateful to have worked alongside Leader Harris in the House chamber, and I am remarkably blessed to call him a friend.”

With Harris’ departure, Illinois will lose a state legislator whose lived experience includes gay Chicago life before and activism during the AIDS crisis. Harris tested positive for HIV in 1988 and lived for years with AIDS himself before the arrival of effective antiretroviral therapies. He survived drug and alcohol addiction and suicide attempts, continuing membership in a 12-step program and sponsoring those who continue to suffer.

“Almost everyone else I know, my friends back then, died during that time,” Harris said. “I still think, ‘Why did I survive that, and others didn’t?’”

He got involved in community organizing and local politics almost a decade later when he was politicized by the AIDS crisis. He tested positive in 1988 and developed AIDS in 1990, at which point most of his friends were sick, dying, or dead.

“There was just literally no support system, no medical care, no organized gay community to speak of,” he said. “There was no corporate support. It was the Reagan years; he wouldn’t even say ‘AIDS.’”

Many HIV-positive Chicagoans were losing their homes, and unable to access food, pastoral care, and the meager health care treatments available. Motivated to change the circumstances, Harris found activism. As others worked on housing, legal assistance, and did direct action with ACT UP, Harris’ group Open Hand Chicago provided home-delivered meals: 41,476 in 1989, its first year of operation, and 750,000 by the end of 1994. He also chaired the city’s first AIDS Walk in 1990.

“Everyone sort of went and did things where they were comfortable,” he said. “I think everyone went where they thought they could do the most good. Getting people food seemed to be a really important thing.”

Harris took AZT, the first HIV treatment available. Asked if it helped, he said, “I’m still here.” He nevertheless developed cryptosporidiosis, an opportunistic infection, surviving by getting nightly intravenous nutrition. He also suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues. He made more than one unsuccessful attempt at suicide.

“This time around, knock wood, I’ve just been participating in a program of recovery and doing things that people suggest I ought to do. And it’s worked, but it’s not been easy,” Harris said. “It’s not, I don’t think, unusual for people to do those things or go through these things, but for politics in particular it’s always been, ‘Oh, you never talk about that.’ That’s been one of those things historically that people have wanted to keep within themselves because of all the negative attacks that can be used against you.”

He decided to be open about his recovery from the very beginning, saying that doing so takes away power people could have held over him, and adding that he’s glad more elected officials are being open about depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

“A lot of people you meet on the street are like, ’Thank God you’re willing to talk about this openly. We see a lot of hope that maybe one day in our job we’ll be able to talk about the struggles we’ve been having,’” Harris said. “It’s always been very interesting to me, that so many people have taken note of the fact that I’ve talked about depression, suicide, those kinds of things.”

“I’m starting to turn into someone else . . . again,” moans Luis Vasquez on “Monster,” from his latest album as the Soft Moon, Exister (Sacred Bones). It’s true that Vasquez, who’d been holed up in Berlin during the pandemic, moved to Joshua Tree to record this effort. But whatever else might’ve changed about him, his signature sound remains in place—a mix of postpunk, darkwave, and industrial, held together by the binding influence of Trent Reznor. Vasquez knows what his listeners want, and he reliably brings the mope and rage and throb. “Monster” is a bleak and lovely midtempo ode to self-alienation and self-recrimination that nods equally to werewolves and mental illness. As the synths swirl, Vasquez’s vocals alternate between numb, distorted dread and soaring regret. 

Similarly, opener “Sad Song” touches on shoegaze and ambient before its slow drone and amped-up crystalline feedback crescendo into the full-bore pop-industrial dance-floor assault of “Answers.” The refrain of that song, “I can’t live this way,” is an effective fist-pounding call to stomp out your frustrations beneath your (very black) boots, but it’s so catchy that goths won’t be the only people headbanging and wailing along. Vasquez is joined by a couple of guests, but they don’t change his sound so much as demonstrate its flexibility. Hip-hop artist Fish Narc ramps up the beats on “Him,” and Special Interest vocalist Alli Logout takes a turn ominously intoning on “Unforgiven,” but Vasquez confidently steers the music back to the same inky well. There may be multiple personalities on Exister, but they’re all agonized.

The Soft Moon Nuovo Testamento open. Wed 12/7, 8 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, $26, $21 in advance, 18+

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Greg Harris is a survivor. He made it through the rough-and-tumble world of Chicago politics on the far north side, managing campaigns and serving as chief of staff to former alderman Mary Ann Smith (48th) before serving in the Illinois House for more than a decade. 

Harris, appointed in 2006, became the first openly gay man to succeed another openly gay man in the state legislature, the late representative Larry McKeon (D-13th). During his tenure, Harris spearheaded the legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois and was the Democrats’ chief negotiator in the years-long budget fight against former governor Bruce Rauner. 

He was elevated to majority leader in time for the General Assembly’s groundbreaking 2019 spring legislative session, which passed a $45 billion capital plan, legalized marijuana, raised the minimum wage, and established abortion as a fundamental right in the state. He continued leading the majority through the COVID-19 pandemic; the election of a new speaker, Chris Welch (D-7th); the passage of the Legislative Black Caucus’ four-part post-George Floyd agenda— education, economic equity, health care, and criminal justice reform—in 2021; and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that following summer.

“Leader Harris is the embodiment of a public servant, and throughout his 15-year career he has been a passionate advocate for what’s fair and just,” Welch said in a statement. “His command of a wide range of public policy issues has been a vital asset for our state. As a values-oriented leader and the first openly gay majority leader, he has given a voice to so many who have continuously felt left out of state government. I am grateful to have worked alongside Leader Harris in the House chamber, and I am remarkably blessed to call him a friend.”

With Harris’ departure, Illinois will lose a state legislator whose lived experience includes gay Chicago life before and activism during the AIDS crisis. Harris tested positive for HIV in 1988 and lived for years with AIDS himself before the arrival of effective antiretroviral therapies. He survived drug and alcohol addiction and suicide attempts, continuing membership in a 12-step program and sponsoring those who continue to suffer.

“Almost everyone else I know, my friends back then, died during that time,” Harris said. “I still think, ‘Why did I survive that, and others didn’t?’”

He got involved in community organizing and local politics almost a decade later when he was politicized by the AIDS crisis. He tested positive in 1988 and developed AIDS in 1990, at which point most of his friends were sick, dying, or dead.

“There was just literally no support system, no medical care, no organized gay community to speak of,” he said. “There was no corporate support. It was the Reagan years; he wouldn’t even say ‘AIDS.’”

Many HIV-positive Chicagoans were losing their homes, and unable to access food, pastoral care, and the meager health care treatments available. Motivated to change the circumstances, Harris found activism. As others worked on housing, legal assistance, and did direct action with ACT UP, Harris’ group Open Hand Chicago provided home-delivered meals: 41,476 in 1989, its first year of operation, and 750,000 by the end of 1994. He also chaired the city’s first AIDS Walk in 1990.

“Everyone sort of went and did things where they were comfortable,” he said. “I think everyone went where they thought they could do the most good. Getting people food seemed to be a really important thing.”

Harris took AZT, the first HIV treatment available. Asked if it helped, he said, “I’m still here.” He nevertheless developed cryptosporidiosis, an opportunistic infection, surviving by getting nightly intravenous nutrition. He also suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues. He made more than one unsuccessful attempt at suicide.

“This time around, knock wood, I’ve just been participating in a program of recovery and doing things that people suggest I ought to do. And it’s worked, but it’s not been easy,” Harris said. “It’s not, I don’t think, unusual for people to do those things or go through these things, but for politics in particular it’s always been, ‘Oh, you never talk about that.’ That’s been one of those things historically that people have wanted to keep within themselves because of all the negative attacks that can be used against you.”

He decided to be open about his recovery from the very beginning, saying that doing so takes away power people could have held over him, and adding that he’s glad more elected officials are being open about depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

“A lot of people you meet on the street are like, ’Thank God you’re willing to talk about this openly. We see a lot of hope that maybe one day in our job we’ll be able to talk about the struggles we’ve been having,’” Harris said. “It’s always been very interesting to me, that so many people have taken note of the fact that I’ve talked about depression, suicide, those kinds of things.”

In 1991, Harris managed now-congressman Mike Quigley’s City Council campaign against then-incumbent Uptown alderman Helen Shiller (46th). 

Shiller said her relationship with Harris improved once he became a state representative, and that he capably navigated the different communities in the district. She said they developed professional rapport, especially in terms of incubating a societal safety net. She said he never wavered in his support for those doing social work, even when they were opposed by gentrifying forces: “Those who just wanted them gone because they represented hope and expectations for people who brought them to the community.”

“I always appreciated that,” Shiller said. “And I always appreciated that he ultimately took on that role statewide as the defender of those institutions we had the funding that we had for much of the safety net.” 

Harris began introducing legislation to legalize same-sex civil unions and marriage in Illinois in 2007, amid the national GOP effort to gin up their base’s turnout by putting gay marriage bans on state ballots. While working on that effort, Harris also dealt with both the impeachment of former governor Rod Blagojevich and the onset of the Great Recession in 2009. 

The Illinois civil unions bill passed in 2011. Harris introduced same-sex marriage legislation again in 2012 and 2013. An umbrella organization, Illinois Unites for Marriage, organized LGBTQ+ Illinoisans and allies to lobby all 118 representatives for the bill. 

“It was a tremendous education process, for one thing,” Harris said. “In districts like mine along the lakefront, we had a pretty large community of people who were out being LGBT. That was not necessarily the case in districts around the state.”

It passed the Senate in February 2013 and the House, narrowly, that November. The first LGBTQ+ couple was married later that month.

Harris “was right in the bucket from day one, as the main advocate in the House” for same-sex marriage legislation, former Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan said. “He did an excellent job.”

“I think it’s had a tremendous effect on folks,” Harris said. “You see increases in family units being formed, adoptions, folks having children and raising them, people feeling far freer to be themselves out in society, broader support in corporate America. All kinds of good things have come from it.” 

Harris presides over a session of the Illinois House during the COVID-19 pandemic

“I’m starting to turn into someone else . . . again,” moans Luis Vasquez on “Monster,” from his latest album as the Soft Moon, Exister (Sacred Bones). It’s true that Vasquez, who’d been holed up in Berlin during the pandemic, moved to Joshua Tree to record this effort. But whatever else might’ve changed about him, his signature sound remains in place—a mix of postpunk, darkwave, and industrial, held together by the binding influence of Trent Reznor. Vasquez knows what his listeners want, and he reliably brings the mope and rage and throb. “Monster” is a bleak and lovely midtempo ode to self-alienation and self-recrimination that nods equally to werewolves and mental illness. As the synths swirl, Vasquez’s vocals alternate between numb, distorted dread and soaring regret. 

Similarly, opener “Sad Song” touches on shoegaze and ambient before its slow drone and amped-up crystalline feedback crescendo into the full-bore pop-industrial dance-floor assault of “Answers.” The refrain of that song, “I can’t live this way,” is an effective fist-pounding call to stomp out your frustrations beneath your (very black) boots, but it’s so catchy that goths won’t be the only people headbanging and wailing along. Vasquez is joined by a couple of guests, but they don’t change his sound so much as demonstrate its flexibility. Hip-hop artist Fish Narc ramps up the beats on “Him,” and Special Interest vocalist Alli Logout takes a turn ominously intoning on “Unforgiven,” but Vasquez confidently steers the music back to the same inky well. There may be multiple personalities on Exister, but they’re all agonized.

The Soft Moon Nuovo Testamento open. Wed 12/7, 8 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, $26, $21 in advance, 18+

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