Just a block or so from Simeon Career Academy, two students gave out a yell as they released star-shaped balloons into the evening sky in memory of a friend who had just been killed there.

As they held their small vigil and talked to reporters, another Simeon student was shot about six miles away in Hyde Park. He would die the next day.

Both were 15. Jamari Williams, shot near the school in Chatham, was on the junior varsity football team and had lost his father to gun violence within the last year.

Kentrell McNeal was shot as he sat in a car with a 14-year-old boy, who was also wounded. McNeal was known for his sense of humor and was an active member of the nonprofit youth group Good Kids Mad City.

“It just felt like a dark vibe,” a freshman said Wednesday about losing two classmates to gun violence so close together. “After something bad like that happened, it’s just a dark day today.”

Chicago police work the scene where two teens were shot in the 5200 block of South Lake Park Ave. in the Hyde Park neighborhood, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The deaths bring to at least 19 the number of children 15 and younger who have been shot and killed this year in Chicago. That’s nearly double what it was at the beginning of summer, when children in the city were already dying at a much higher rate than last year.

Among the youngest victims this year was 4-year-old Mychal Moultry Jr. He was visiting with family from Alabama Sept. 6 when gunfire tore through the front window, striking him in the head and killing him.

Weeks earlier, Serenity Broughton, 7, was killed and her 6-year-old sister wounded in a shooting Aug. 15 as their mother placed them into the backseat of a car in Belmont Central. That case is still unsolved.

The total number of children shot in Chicago this year is even more stark: at least 148 children 15 years of age and younger, according to Sun-Times data. Fourteen of the wounded were under 6 years old.

Last year at this time 119 kids had been shot, 24% fewer than now. The pace of children being shot far outpaces the overall 10% rise in shootings this year.

“Some of us haven’t even hit 18 yet and we have to lose so many people,” Aie’rianna Williams, a senior at Simeon, said Tuesday at the scene of the shooting outside her school.

Another student, a freshman, said she was shocked that two students her age were killed — and barely a month into the school year.

“It was just very heavy, it was like gloomy,” said Layla Rodgers. “You could tell that someone at the school was no longer there.

“I felt sad because they’re just freshman and they didn’t even get to finish high school, get the experience,” she said. “It was just taken away.”

Members of Chicago’s Board of Education were silent about the shootings during its regular meeting Wednesday. A spokesperson would not even confirm that the two boys were from Simeon.

“CPS extends its condolences to the family and friends impacted by this loss,” the district said in a statement.

‘Nowhere safe anymore’

Tamar Manasseh, founder of Mothers Against Senseless Killings, worries that young people are afraid for their lives now more than ever.

“There’s nowhere safe anymore,” she said. “It’s too many guns and too much misery and this is what you’re going to get.

“They are afraid of getting shot at that red light, they are afraid of getting shot at a gas station, they’re afraid of being shot on the expressway,” she continued. “That’s what they’re afraid of — COVID is not their main concern. And the city needs to treat it like that.”

Both boys had been struggling with the violence around them, friends said.

Jamari Williams hoped he would succeed enough in football to get him and his mother out of their neighborhood. He also rapped and released at least one video on YouTube.

The Rev. Donovan Price, a community activist, said Williams didn’t hang out with the wrong crowd and had a good support system around him.

Kentrell McNeal was a member of Good Kids Mad City in Englewood on the South Side. The group describes itself as developing “young leaders to advocate for resources that will allow them to create sustainable, livable community conditions.”

“Lately I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Kentrell,” the group’s executive director Carlil Pittman said on Twitter. “This is why it’s so important to have creative spaces and outlets for young people to be able to go to, because there’s nothing on the streets of Chicago for them already.”

Manasseh agreed there are too many guns on the street and not enough mental health facilities, especially for children who are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder or survivor’s guilt after they lose loved ones to violence.

She pleaded with city officials to be more creative.

“We’re not paying attention to what’s going on. We’re paying attention to the pandemic, but not the epidemic and the epidemic is getting worse,” Manasseh said. “We care about those COVID numbers going down and we care about stopping the surge and we care about getting people vaccinated but … you got to care about the people who are being shot.

“If you don’t address the mental health issue that’s getting these kids, I mean you’re killing them, you’re part of the problem.”

Contributing: Mohammad Samra

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot is determined to improve Soldier Field to convince the Bears to remain in Chicago, but her hands may be tied by the constraints of a lakefront seating bowl already towering over historic colonnades at a stadium that’s also a war memorial.

The team has put in a bid for the Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights, where a new stadium could be built. In Chicago, meanwhile, two architects who worked on Soldier Field’s $660 million renovation — bankrolled by bonds that won’t be fully repaid until 2032 — said only modest expansion is possible at the 61,500-seat stadium, the NFL’s smallest.

About 5,000 seats could be added in the least desirable and least expensive areas — the north and south end zones. But expanding sideline seating would be pretty much out of the question, given the outcry that would surely follow, they said.

“A lot of things are possible. But what do you have to do to expand the seating? Do you have to tear down half of it? Do you have to remove the old colonnades, for instance? Chicago would not stand for damaging or changing the historic architecture. It’s a monument to the soldiers of World War I,” said venerable Chicago architect Dirk Lohan, who worked with Boston’s Ben Wood on the much-ridiculed renovation.

To add more desirable and expensive seats on the east and west sides of Soldier Field, Lohan said, “You would have to have supporting structure outside the colonnades. Meaning in the parks. And on Lake Shore Drive. That side is severely restricted because of the road.”

A structural engineer familiar with the stadium noted that the 2003 renovation created the current Soldier Field by essentially pouring a new seating layout into the horseshoe-shaped boundary of the original structure, completed in 1924.

Any improvement that further changes that could bring opposition from preservationists and those who fear a loss of the field’s storied history, the engineer said.

The inside of Soldier Field at the start of the renovation in 2002 shows the high proportion of end zone seats. The Bears wanted more expensive seats on the sidelines, and they got them. Sun-Times file

Although that renovation cost Soldier Field its designation as a National Historic Landmark, the work improved the stadium for the fans and the Bears, the engineer said. It reduced the seating capacity because the team demanded it.

“The Bears wanted a higher proportion of good seats. They got great sightlines,” he said. “The old stadium was designed for track and field and it had horrible sightlines for football.”

The colonnades, repaired and made more accessible during the renovation, limit expansion to the east and west, he said.

“I don’t see how you can add a whole lot of seats. … The easiest places to add them are in the end zones, and those aren’t the best seats,” said the engineer, who declined to be quoted by name because of client relationships.

Raising a roof would be a challenge

A retractable dome would be needed to achieve Lightfoot’s goal of turning Soldier Field into a year-round revenue-generator. But that, too, would be costly and risk further desecrating the historic structure.

Lohan acknowledged “anything is possible for money,” but it won’t “come easy.” Soldier Field is simply “not laid out to receive a roof.”

“It’s already a mixture of two buildings. The old classical building with colonnades. And then, we have a modern seating shell surrounding the playing field. If you put a roof on it, you would have three different structures,” Lohan said.

Chicago architect Adrian Smith submitted his own plan to renovate Soldier Field before then-Bears President Michael McCaskey chose Wood to quarterback the stadium renovation in partnership with Lohan.

“We presented a plan to preserve the architecture of Soldier Field and cover the seating and the field with a movable roof. It could be covered when games were played in bad weather … and let sun in during times when they were growing grass. The whole issue was grass. That’s why they wanted an open field. That was a requirement of McCaskey,” Smith said.

“Our scheme had a roof that slid over to … the extra amount of space at Soldier Field on the north side. … We had the roof going over there and we called those tennis courts. When the roof was open, you had covered tennis courts. When the roof was closed, you had open tennis courts. … But it never really caught hold. [Then-Mayor Richard M.] Daley liked it. But McCaskey never really grabbed onto it. He didn’t say” why, Smith added.

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to resurrect that plan, Smith said, adding: “The structure has been put in place to hang those large cantilevers for the TV screen that’s in that area now. You just couldn’t do it.”

Soldier Field’s renovation built a new seating bowl inside the old exterior, but it also leaves the upper grandstand on the west side of the stadium towering over the original, iconic colonnade. Some said it looked like a spaceship landing inside the stadium.AFP/Getty Images

A Rosemont-style entertainment district outside Soldier Field could achieve Lightfoot’s dream of keeping fans in the area long after the game and even become a year-round attraction.

But that would run into lakefront protection issues similar to those that killed the museum Star Wars mogul George Lucas wanted to build south of Soldier Field.

“It would be wonderful to walk 100 feet in any direction and have a place where you can sit down and have a hamburger or an outdoor garden event. But we just can’t build along the lakefront like that,” said a source familiar with the issues.

“Some of that could require some heavy lifting legally to get through. How do we do this without getting sued and without triggering Friends of the Parks and all the folks that, any time you want to do something in parks, they say, ‘Wait a second’? … The city or state would have to help with various approvals to avoid litigation. Otherwise, it would be tied up in court forever.”

Without a retractable roof and a large number of more expensive seats, the revenue-generating possibilities would largely be confined to filling “dead areas” of stadium concourses and adding suites, sponsorships and advertising.

Five years ago, the door to what was expected to be a dramatic influx in stadium advertising was opened by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s now-scrapped plan to give Lucas 17 acres south of the stadium for the filmmaker’s museum.

That would have cost the Bears a parking lot, so they bargained for a host of marketing and advertising opportunities that could have gone a long way toward financing stadium upgrades.

They included selling sponsorships to several areas, including the gates, northeast mezzanine, southeast lawn and the ticket office and will-call building.

In addition, the Bears won the right to install 30 “interactive digital displays” in the concourse and other areas.

The team’s amended lease also included the right to sell “entitlement and/or sponsorship rights” to any improvements or enhancements contemplated in a study by Populous, a Kansas City-based stadium architect. That study ultimately identified $300 million in “potential capital improvements,” ranging from concourse, field and drainage improvements to adding bunker suites and 5,000 seats to bolster Emanuel’s long-shot bid to host a Super Bowl.

At the time, bunker suites had become popular in the NFL, not because they offer a great view of the game — they don’t — but for their intimate look at the game and players.

Sources said none of the big improvements identified in the Populous study ever happened. There was no money to pay for major changes. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority never came up with any additional money.

Neither Populous nor Bears officials would comment for this story.

One structural engineer said adding any meaningful number of seats to Soldier Field is possible only in the end zones, but those seats usually sell for less, and therefore don’t bring in as much revenue.Associated Press

Sell the name?

In 2001, under pressure from then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Bears agreed to permanently forfeit their right to sell corporate naming rights to Soldier Field, which could have been worth $300 million or more. Veterans groups and their political champion — former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn — had spent months pleading with Daley to stop the “commercial desecration” of a stadium re-dedicated in 1925 to the men and women who served in the armed forces.

As a result, Soldier Field remains one of only a handful of NFL stadiums without a corporation’s name attached.

It’s not known whether Lightfoot would ever be willing to revisit that issue, if that’s what it takes to keep the team in Chicago and prevent the Bears from exercising their option in Arlington Heights.

But the source familiar with stadium negotiations described a naming rights deal as the “only way you get any meaningful money” into Soldier Field.

“If it could be called the Nike Soldier Field or the Google Soldier Field, that would be the only thing that both parties could really share in and get some needed revenue to do some improvements. You could really give that thing an infusion of cash to spruce that place up,” the source said.

“Bring it up to modern standards. Build out some of the unused space in the dead areas in the interior. Make that place state of the art. Give it that added kick in the pants. Sox Park is wonderful. All the interior spaces are maximized. There’s a lot of wasted interior space at Soldier Field. You could really program all of that with shops, restaurants, bars.”

One of the newest NFL’s newest venues, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, shattered all records with a reported cost of $5.5 billion. The home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers has a translucent roof but open sides, allowing airflow.

A new stadium in Arlington Heights surely would cost $1 billion or more, but the development and financial possibilities for the Bears would be endless. Contrast that to the financial and operational girdle they wear at Soldier Field, and the move to the suburbs must be viewed as a very real possibility.

“It’s really tough to be an NFL franchise and not own your own stadium. They don’t have a lot of say in the other programming. Now, they’re competing with the Fire,” said a source familiar with the negotiations, referring to the soccer team that also plays at Soldier Field.

“There are concerts. The city needs to program the hell out of that thing. That building gets a lot of wear and tear,” the source added. At Soldier Field, “they are the marquee tenant and they are treated as such. However, they are only the marquee tenant for 10 days a year.”

Soldier Field, which opened in 1924, is not just a stadium. It’s a war memorial, dedicated to those who served in World War I. Associated Press

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DETROIT — It happened here in the spring and again in the summer, and — talk about an inauspicious beginning — the first day of fall looked like it might be a wet, wild and woolly replay.

Flooded freeways.

Kind of makes it hard to get where you’re trying to go.

A warning came from a friendly local at Comerica Park, where the White Sox went nowhere fast in a pair of losses to the Tigers before Wednesday’s series finale was postponed due to heavy rain that showed no signs of quitting.

“Stay off those freeways,” he advised.

And he had visuals for added emphasis, photos that show what can happen when local rivers overflow their banks and “ponding” sets in on these roads. The kind of photos that can make even an intrepid newspaperman skittish as he pilots his rental car from the ballpark to a hotel or, say, to Cleveland for a Thursday doubleheader.

Think: dozens of vehicles suddenly swimming in place — treading water, if you will — at an underpass.

Kind of like the Sox, when you stop and consider it.

The Sox have had more than their share of injuries, no doubt a major contributor to their second-half stall. A tip of the cap to them for building such an insurmountable division lead that they’ve been able to coast — all but certain the playoffs awaited them — since mid-summer. We mustn’t take their success for granted given this is the first time in franchise history the Sox will be in back-to-back postseasons.

But enough with the pleasantries. They really don’t jibe with the deep gloom of a baseball rainout, not to mention with tortured metaphors of automotive distress.

On only one occasion during the second half have these Sox won consecutive series; it happened at home late last month against the woebegone Cubs and Pirates. The Sox are 31-31 since the break, third-best in a bad division behind the Tigers (34-27) and Royals (33-30). After last year’s 60-game regular season, it doesn’t seem like a small sample size.

The Sox — their magic number down to two — surely can scrounge up a “W” somewhere over five games against the second-place Indians. A Cleveland clincher might even be a tad poetic. But with only 11 games to go before the start of the playoffs, it’s hard to find much inspiration in the way the Sox have been playing. Before they take on the Astros or anyone else in October, wouldn’t it behoove them to swim out of this months-long malaise?

“As long as we compete, we’ll be ready,” manager Tony La Russa said. “The thing is, you never take that for granted. We have 11 games left, so [11] chances to practice that competitive edge.”

The edge might have been present already if the Sox had faced an active threat in the standings at any point since July.

La Russa has managed 14 playoff teams before this one, and several of them were able to roll toward October unthreatened. But the run made by his last team, the 2011 Cardinals, sticks with him. The eventual World Series winners had both feet on the gas pedal throughout a long, wild stretch drive, finishing 16-5 to eke out 90 wins and claim the wild-card spot by a single game. Even his first championship team, the 1989 A’s — a 99-win team — had to sprint to the tape with the Royals on their heels.

“If we compete, the numbers will take care of themselves,” he said. “Then your confidence is moving into the postseason and the goal [becomes] to be the best you can be, respect your opponent and see who plays the best.”

The 2005 Sox were only two games above .500 in the second half heading into the final 10 games of the regular season. They went 8-2, winning their last five in Detroit and Cleveland, then tore through the postseason with a record of 11-1 — a stunning display of peak performance.

It’s tempting to look back on that bunch of world beaters — an outstanding team some Sox fans idealize as an all-time-great one — and think: Of course they turned it on. They had competitive juice pumping through their veins. They were special.

But heading into their last 10 games, an ESPN heading referred to them as “reeling.” An AP story that ran in papers around the country on Sept. 23, 2005 began: “Their once commanding lead is almost gone, and the Chicago White Sox are showing no signs of shaking a late-season collapse.”

So? So, you just never know what’s coming.

With these Sox, too.

“We’ve been treading water for a while,” La Russa said.

It’s kind of making it hard to get where they’re trying to go.

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NEW YORK — R. Kelly got away with sexually abusing underage victims for more than two decades by ruling his inner circle enablers with an iron fist, a prosecutor told jurors on Wednesday at the R&B singer’s sex-trafficking trial.

“The defendant set rules, lots of them, and he demanded complete obedience,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes said during closing arguments in federal court in Brooklyn.

That meant “for many years what happened in the defendant’s world stayed in the defendant’s world,” Geddes added. “But no longer.”

Among the secrets was Kelly’s 1994 marriage to the up-and-coming singer Aaliyah when she was 15, the prosecutor said. Only a few days later, the defendant “didn’t skip a beat” by allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old in his dressing room after a concert in Miami, she said.

The government had accused Kelly in opening statements last month of organizing a network of assistants, bodyguards and others at his disposal “to target, groom and exploit girls, boys and young women for his own sexual gratification.” Six weeks of testimony from more than 45 witnesses and other evidence proved “he did just that,” Geddes said.

The start of the government’s summation — to continue on Thursday — came after Kelly told U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly that he won’t take the witness stand, allowing him to avoid the risk of a potentially brutal cross-examination.

“You don’t want to testify, correct?” Donnelly asked Kelly. He responded: “Yes, ma’am.”

The defense completed a short case on Wednesday that relied on a handful of former Kelly employees and other associates who agreed to take the stand to try to discredit allegations

Most of the defense witnesses said they never saw Kelly abuse anyone. One even said Kelly was “chivalrous” to his girlfriends. Another admitted he owed Kelly for his break in music business and wanted to see him beat the charges.

By contrast, prosecutors have called dozens of witnesses since the trial began in federal court in Brooklyn on Aug. 18. They included several female and two male accusers who testified that once they were in Kelly’s web, he groomed them for unwanted sex and psychological torment, mostly when they were teenagers. Their accounts were supported at least in part by other former Kelly employees, whose own testimony suggested they were essentially paid off to look the other way or enable the recording artist.

Jurors have heard evidence about a fraud marriage scheme hatched to protect Kelly after he feared he had impregnated Aaliyah. A marriage license that was put into evidence falsely listed her age as 18; he was 27 at the time.

Aaliyah, whose full name was Aaliyah Dana Haughton, worked with Kelly, who wrote and produced her 1994 debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.” She died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.

The 54-year-old Kelly, perhaps best known for the 1996 smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly, ” has pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges. He’s also charged with that multiple violations of the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport anyone across state lines “for any immoral purpose.”

The defendant has vehemently denied the allegations, claiming that the accusers were groupies who wanted to take advantage of his fame and fortune until the #MeToo movement turned them against him.

Meanwhile, a judge at a hearing Wednesday in Chicago said that a criminal case there against Kelly will remain on hold until the New York trial is over.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Tarm in Chicago contributed to this report.

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On the day he was named the Bears’ starting quarterback, 22-year-old Justin Fields acted like he’d been here before, even though he had not. It seemed like a bigger day for everyone else than it was for him.

“I think I’m ready. I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time,” the rookie from Ohio State said after learning he would start in place of injured Andy Dalton against the Browns on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

“My mindset doesn’t change. I’m still going to have to play my football and prepare the best I can — get a lot of practice reps and study, study, study and get more comfortable and confident with the plays and stuff like that.”

While it might have been a red-letter day for Bears fans desperate for a franchise quarterback, Fields the epitome of calm Wednesday — unmoved by the moment and focused on the task at hand. Whatever emotion he was feeling, he channelled inward and out of sight.

Fields said he was “even-keeled” when coach Matt Nagy gave him the news. “I think I had a good idea that I might start, so I wasn’t really surprised by it,” he said. “Just kind of focused and trying to get prepared for Sunday.

Nagy said Fields was “stoic” upon learning he was starting — and wasn’t expecting a happy dance. “He’s a guy that has a lot of confidence in himself, in a good way,” Nagy said. “It rubs off onto his teammates, to his coaches. You feel it. You understand it. You appreciate it.”

That mindset is part of the journey Fields took to get here.

“I used to not be this way,” Fields said. “I definitely learned from past experiences — past first starts. I still remember my first start in high school, I was as nervous as can be. I think being more this way — just being stoic and even-keeled — just keeps my mind calm and allows me to think more.”

He said his Bears teammates have helped instill that comfort level. “Just practicing with them every day,” Fields said. “I think they have a lot of trust in me. Them having my back and having confidence in me that I’m gonna go out there and execute — that’s kind of kept me comfortable and kept me poised and confident.”

All those qualities — the focus, confidence, stoicism and ability to channel his emotions — will come in handy Sunday. It doesn’t figure to be an easy task on the road, commanding a wobbly offense still getting its feet on the ground, against a Browns defense that, while vulnerable, still has two game-wrecking pass rushers in defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.

But after coming in cold against the Bengals last week, Fields will have the advantage of a full week of first-team reps in practice and a better grasp of the offensive game plan.

“It’s definitely going to help me,” Fields said. “More than last week, of course, getting reps with the offense instead of just working with the scout [team] offense. It’s definitely going to have me more prepared this week, and I’m excited.”

That’s about as emotional as Field would get on this day. But he acknowledged the journey that got him here. Three years ago he was on the bench at Georgia behind starter Jake Fromm. On Sunday he’ll be an NFL starter. Who knows where it goes from here?

“It means a lot,” he said. “If you told me seven, eight years ago that I’d be in this position, I probably wouldn’t believe you. But as time went along, I got more comfortable and I guess my goals kind of got bigger and bigger. Around this time last year, I had an idea I could be in this position right now, so actually seeing myself in this position, being able to start on Sunday, it’s amazing.”

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Welcome to our highlights for concerts, festivals and live music in Chicago. From free shows at Millennium Park to large festivals like Ravinia and Lollapalooza, and intimate shows at small local venues, our guide has all the latest music entertainment. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on concerts and events.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Maestro Riccardo Muti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2017.(C) Todd Rosenberg Photography

WHAT: Ricardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra reunite for their first concerts since February 2020 with a series of three performances in a fall residency. The opening program (Sept. 23-25) features music by Joseph Bologne-Chevalier de Saint-George and Florence Price as well as Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3 (Eroica).” Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins Muti and the orchestra for Brahms “Violin Concerto in D Major” plus the orchestra performs “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 (Sept. 30-Oct. 2). The final fall program (Oct. 7-9) features the CSO’s first performance of Missy Mazzoli’s 2006 work “These Worlds in Us” plus pieces by Anatoly Liadov and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

WHERE: CSO at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan.

TICKETS: $38-$260.

VISIT: For updated information regarding the CSO’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit cso.org.

Berwyn Blues Festival

Black Joe Lewis Connor Beitel Photo

WHAT: The inaugural Berwyn Blues Festival kicks off Sept. 24-26 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd. The lineup includes Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Thornetta Davis, Cedric Burnside, Jackie Venson, Toronzo Cannon & the Chicago Way, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, Joanna Connor Band, Bette Smith, Honey Island Swamp Band and more.

TICKETS: $50/day.

VISIT: For updated information regarding the festival’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.

Hyde Park Jazz Festival

Makaya McCraven David Marques

WHAT: The Hyde Park Jazz Festival returns with mostly outdoor performances. Festival highlights include the debut of local drummer and band leader Makaya McCraven’s new piece commissioned by the festival plus sets by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Dee Alexander & the Metropolitan Jazz Octet, The New String Trio featuring Regina Carter, Junius Paul and Tomeka Reid, Juan Pastor’s Chinchano with Miguel Zenon, Micah Collier Trio and more.

WHEN: From 1-10 p.m. Sept. 25 and noon-7 p.m. Sept. 26 around Hyde Park.

TICKETS: Admission is free.

VISIT: For updated information regarding the festival’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit hydeparkjazzfestival.org.

Heartless Bastards

Heartless Bastards frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom.Photo by Aaron Conway

WHAT: Heartless Bastards tour behind the new album “A Beautiful Life,” which features new songs by frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom whose lilting melodies and driving beats enforce lyrics that outline her vision of the challenges faced living in today’s complex world. “It’s so easy to get caught up in the material goals that are prioritized by our society and the every-man-for-himself mentality of late-stage capitalism,” Wennerstrom says. “That way of thinking presents a false idea of what a beautiful life is, and I think it’s so important that we as individuals all ask ourselves what it truly means to have a beautiful life.”

WHEN: At 9 p.m. Sept. 24

WHERE: Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln

TICKETS: $30.

VISIT: For updated information regarding the venue’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit lh-st.com.

‘Songs for Nobodies’

Bethany Thomas in “Songs for Nobodies.” Photo by Michael Brosilow

WHAT: “Songs for Nobodies” is Joanna Murray-Smith’s one-woman tour-de-force that celebrates the iconic work of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas. Bethany Thomas stars in the story of the unexpected encounters between these divas and the ordinary women whose lives they changed. Rob Lindley directs.

WHEN: From Sept. 23-Oct. 31

WHERE: Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie.

TICKETS: $30-$89.

VISIT: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit northlight.org.

Ear Taxi Festival

Matt UlerySally Blood Photo

WHAT: The Ear Taxi Festival with its spotlight on new and experimental music begins with a Spotlight Series from Sept. 16-29 followed by a Mainstage Series Sept. 30-Oct. 4. The opening weekend is packed full of performances: rhythm is image (Sept. 16), Matt Ulery’s Mannerisst 11 (Sept. 17), Quijote Duo (Sept. 18), Kosmologia (Sept. 18-19), Fifth House Ensemble (Sept. 19), Fourth Coast Ensemble (Sept. 19) and Koeun Grace Lee (Sept. 19).

TICKETS/INFO: Prices and locations vary. For a complete schedule and updated information regarding the festival’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit eartaxifestival.com.

‘Feelin’ Groovy Series’ at The Hideout

WHAT: As part of the city’s Chicago in Tune Festival, The Hideout’s “Feelin’ Groovy” series features conversations with key figures from Chicago independent record labels and live sets of music from musicians that span genres and generations. Upcoming are Cedille Records president Jim Ginsburg with Black Oak Ensemble (Sept. 13), Thrill Jockey founder Bettina Richards with Thalia Zedek Band (Sept. 15), Teklife co-founders of Ashes57 and DJ Spinn with a performance by DJ Spinn (Sept. 16), Sooper Records co-founder Nnamdi with Sen Morimoto, Drag City director of sales Rian Murphy with Lama Lobsang Palden and Jim Becker (Sept. 22) and Sonorama Discos co-founder Marlowe Baca with Dos Santos (Oct. 1).

WHEN/WHERE: All are at 6 p.m. outdoor at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia.

TICKETS: Admission is free. For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit hideoutchicago.com.

Ifetayo Ali-Landing(C) Earl E. Gibson III

World Music Wednesday

Bomba con Buya Amy Young Photo

WHAT: The Old Town School of Folk Music’s weekly showcase of world music and dance, returns beginning Sept. 1 with Jazz a la Mexicana, a concert featuring traditional and folkloric Mexican music mixed with jazz. A celebration of Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center’s 50th anniversary follows on Sept. 8 with performances of Puerto Rican bomba music by Bomba con Buya and Mancha E’ Platano. The current roster of concerts runs through Dec. 1.

WHERE: Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln

Admission is free, a $10 suggested donation is appreciated. For updated information regarding the venue’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit oldtownschool.org.

Chris Foreman Courtesy Origin Records

Chris Foreman at the Green Mill

What: The Green Mill has reopened and that means the return of Chris Foreman, a Friday night fixture at the popular jazz club. Foreman, a jazz organist blind since birth, is a master on the Hammond B3 and regarded as Chicago’s best. His playing is a blend of blues-gospel and jazz honed in his professional experience, which has included work with Hank Crawford, Albert Collins, Bernard Purdie, The Deep Blue Organ Trio and The Mighty Blue Kings.

When: 5-7:30 p.m. Fridays

Where: The Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway

Cost: No cover charge

Visit greenmilljazz.com

Ravinia Festival

What: The Ravinia Festival, the oldest outdoor music festival in the country, returns with reduced capacity. As usual, the lineup is a varied slate of music from classical to pop, jazz and rock. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns for a six-week run with conductor Marin Alsop leading seven concerts in her first season as Ravinia’s chief conductor. Also on the roster are: Garrick Ohlsson, Cynthia Erivo, Counting Crows, Kurt Elling, Brian McKnight, John Hiatt and the Jerry Douglas Band, The Roots, John Legend, Madeleine Peyroux, Midori, Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Joffrey Ballet.

When: July 1-Sept. 26

Where: Highland Park

Tickets: prices vary

Visit: ravinia.org.

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Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment on stage at Chicago’s theaters. From local productions to Broadway hits, our guide has the latest on shows in the city. Bookmark this page and check back for updates and ticket information.

Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival

WHAT: Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival returns Sept. 23-Oct. 17 with its always diverse roster featuring works from Chicago and around the world. The performances, in addition to the Goodman Theatre’s staging of “American Mariachi,” performed at a various venues are Lagartijas Tirades al Sol’s “Tijuana” (Sept. 23-26), which asks the question: What does democracy mean in Mexico today?; Teatro Tariakuri’s “La manera como luces esta noche” (Sept. 25-Oct., 17), a comedic fairy tale about a princess and the commoner who loves her; Combat Hippies’ “AMAL” (Sept. 30-Oct. 3), an examination of the impact of war; Casa de Teatro’s “Mal de Amores” (Oct. 8-10), a fusion of storytelling and song as an old man tells love stories and a woman sings boleros, baladas and rancheras; Urban Theater Company’s “Brujaja” (Oct. 9-10), which pairs theater, dance and drumming; Teatro Vista’s “Futurology presents: The Fifth World” (Oct. 10-11), a new serial audio play about a true crime producer who is entangled in myth’s as old as the world; Vision Latino Theatre’s “Y tu abuela, where is she?” (Oct. 11-24), about an interracial couple seeking to modify the genes of their unborn children; Agus, Sol y Sereno’s “Corazon de Papel” (Oct. 14-17), a depiction of post-Hurricane Puerto Rico told through puppetry; Aguijon Theater’s “La Gran Tirana: Descarga dramatica” (Oct. 15-Nov. 21), a new work inspired by La Lupe, the Queen of Latin Soul.

VISIT: For more information on the festival and updated information regarding the Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit clata.org.

Peacebook Festival

Karen OlivoPhoto by Madison Uphoff

WHAT: Collaboraction’s Peacebook Festival offers different perspectives on peace via films and solo performances including one by Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo (“West Side Story”). At 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 (Kennedy-King College, 740 W. 63rd): Carla Stillwell’s “Oh, Colonizers,” a satirical film which connects the dots between capitalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection; “Encounter Englewood,” videos showcasing the life and vibrancy of Englewood and short solo works performed by Ameena Matthews, Banks Performance Project, E’mon Lauren, John Johnson, Loretta “Firekeeper” Hawkins, Mica Cole and Teh’Ray “Phenom” Hale Sr. At 5:30 p.m. Oct. 2 (Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington): a screening of “Oh, Colonizers” and solo performances by Abad Viquez, Ada Cheng, Anthony Wolf, David Flores, Karen Olivo, Marvin Tate and Molly Brennan.

TICKETS: $5-$35

VISTI: For updated information regarding the festival’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit collaboraction.org.

‘Songs for a New World’

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s season begins with Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World.” Pictured in rehearsal are Emily Goldberg (from left), Matthew Hunter, Averis I. Anderson and Nora Navarro.Courtesy of Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

WHAT: Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s season begins with Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World,” which tells the stories of people facing a variety of life-changing crisis and features a score that blends pop, gospel and jazz.

WHEN: From Sept. 24-Oct. 24

WHERE: Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard, Evanston

TICKETS: $42-$54

VISTI: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit theo-u.com.

‘Last Night in Karaoke Town’

Factory Theater presents “Last Night in Karaoke Town.”Michael Courier

WHAT: Factory Theater restages “Last Night in Karaoke Town,” Mike Beyer and Kirk Pynchon’s comedy set in one of Cleveland’s oldest karaoke bars that may have to close its doors when the new owner announces he wants to change it into a cider bar. Directed by Kim Boler.

WHEN: From Sept. 24-Nov. 6

WHERE: The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard

TICKETS: $10-$25.

VISIT: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit thefactorytheater.com.

Steppenwolf: Tracy Letts

WHAT: Here’s a trio of treats from playwright Tracy Letts. Leading up to the Steppenwolf Theatre restaging of his play “Bug” in November, the company is streaming three short plays which Letts says, “share at least one thread: a world off-kilter… they feel very much like stories for 2021.” Rainn Wilson performs the monologue “Night Safari,” which poses questions about animal behavior and human biology; William Petersen, Karen Rodriguez and Mike Nussbaum voice the puppets in “The Old Country,” in which two men in a diner wax nostalgic; and Letts performs “The Stretch,” a monologue about a horse race that is not what it seems. Patrick Zakem directs the first two and outgoing artistic director Anna D. Shapiro directs the third.

WHEN: Streams from Sept. 29-Oct. 24

TICKETS: $20

VISIT: steppenwolf.org.

Lyric Opera: ‘The Elixir of Love’

WHAT: The Lyric Opera presents Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love,” a classic of the bel canto repertoire. The heartwarming comedy, directed by Daniel Slater, is the story of a naive waiter Nemorino (tenor Charles Castronovo) who pines for the flirtatious Adina (soprano Ailyn Perez) who also happens to be his boss.

WHEN: From Sept. 26-Oct. 8

WHERE: The Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker.

TICKETS: $39+

VISIT: For updated information regarding the Lyric’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit lyricopera.org.

‘American Mariachi’

WHAT: Jose Cruz Gonzalez’s “American Mariachi” is the story of a young woman, Luca (Tiffany Solano), who spends her days caring for her ailing mother, Amalia (Gigi Cervantes), but longs to shake up her life. When the mariachi songs on a forgotten album spark her mother’s memory, she sets out to create an all-female mariachi band, an unheard of idea in the 1970s, the time in which the play is set. It’s a “funny, tender-hearted story about family, tradition and memory,” says director Henry Godinez. The cast includes an ensemble of musicians from the Grammy-nominated group Sones de Mexico.

WHEN: From Sept. 18-Oct. 24

GOODMAN THEARE: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn

TICKETS: $25+

INFO: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit goodmantheatre.org.

Lyric Opera — ‘Macbeth’

WHAT: The Lyric Opera’s 67th season begins with “Macbeth,” the inaugural production of music director Enrique Mazzola. The new production of Verdi’s opera from Scottish director Sir David McVicar is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, a portrait of a power-hungry couple and their bloody ascent to the throne of Scotland. Roman Burdenko portrays Macbeth with Sondra Radvanovsky as Lady Macbeth. Sung in Italian with projected English subtitles.

WHEN: From Sept. 17-Oct. 9

WHERE: Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker

TICKETS: $39+

INFO: For updated information regarding the Lyric’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit lyricopera.org.

‘The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 5 — Sex!’

Ed Jones (from left), Grant Drager and David Cerda with (bottom, right) Ryan Oates in “The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 5-Sex!” Rick Aguilar Studios

WHAT: Hell in a Handbag Productions long-running parody series continues with “The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 5 — Sex!,” in which Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia explore their naughty side. Original cast members — David Cerda, Grant Drager, Ed Jones and Ryan Oates — star as the Geriatric Fab Four. Written by Cerda and directed by Madison Smith.

WHEN: From Sept. 16-Oct. 23

WHERE: Leather Archives & Museum, 6418 N. Greenview

TICKETS: $27-$45.

INFO: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit handbagproductions.org.

‘Forever Plaid’

WHAT: Drury Lane Theatre returns with “Forever Plaid,” Stuart Ross and James Raitt’s musical revue packed with hit tunes from the 1950s. Paul Stancato directs.

WHEN: From Sept. 17-Nov. 7

WHERE: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace

TICKETS: $59-$72.

INFO: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit drurylanetheatre.com.

The Neo-Futurists

“The Infinite Wrench” by the Neo-FuturistsJoe Mazza

WHAT: The Neo-Futurists kick off their season with the return of the late-night show “The Infinite Wrench,” in which the ensemble attempts to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes.

WHEN: Ongoing performances are at 7 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: Neo-Futurists, 5153 N. Ashland

TICKETS: $10

INFO: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit neofuturists.org.

‘Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992’

Jazzma Pryor in “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992.”Courtesy of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre

WHAT: Jazzma Pryor stars in Anna Deavere Smith’s tour-de-force solo show “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992.” In it she portrays nearly four dozen people who were connected either directly or indirectly to the 1992 Los Angeles riots that erupted after the trial and acquittal of the police officers accused of assaulting Rodney King. The playwright shaped the piece from interviews that she conducted while researching the play. Tim Rhoze directs.

WHEN: From Sept. 11-26

WHERE: Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes, Evanston

TICKETS: $25. For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit fjtheatre.com.

‘The World Goes Round’

Kevin Earley (from left), Allison E. Blackwell, Meghan Murphy, Joseph Anthony Byrd, Amanda Rose are featured in “The World Goes Round” at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. @BrandonDahlquistPhotography

WHAT: The songs of musical theater team John Kander and Fred Ebb are the centerpiece of the revue “The World Goes Round.” The hit parade of songs includes selections from “Cabaret,” “New York, New York,” “All That Jazz,” “Funny Lady,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Maybe This Time” and more. The cast features Allison E. Blackwell, Joseph Anthony Byrd, Kevin Earley, Meghan Murphy and Amanda Rose; Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs and choreographs.

WHEN:From Sept. 15-Nov. 7

WHERE: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire

TICKETS: $50-$60. For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit marriotttheatre.com.

‘Thirteen Days’

Sheila Willis (from left), Cameron Feagin, Kat Evans, Julia Kessler and Maggie Cain star in “Thirteen Days” at City Lit Theater.Photo by Steve Graue

WHAT: “Thirteen Days” is Brian Pastor’s adaptation of Robert F. Kennedy’s memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world-premiere play, performed by an all-female cast, is set in President John F. Kennedy’s Situation Room where he maneuvers his way through the conflicting counsel of his advisors as the world comes close to nuclear war. Leading the cast are Cameron Feagin as JFK and Kat Evans as Attorney General Robert Kennedy; Pastor directs.

WHEN: Sept. 10-Oct. 24

WHERE: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr

TICKETS: $32. For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit citylit.org.

‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’

WHAT: Citadel Theatre presents Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” a comedy about a teen who must cope with the mundane existence of his life in Brooklyn.

WHEN: Sept. 15-Oct. 17

WHERE: Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan, Lake Forest

TICKETS: $20-$45. For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit citadeltheatre.org.

‘Kinky Boots’

Michael Wordly makes his Paramount Theatre debut as Lola in “Kinky Boots.”Thomas J. King

What: Live performances return for a new season at the Paramount Theatre with Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein’s high-kicking “Kinky Boots.” This first regional production of the Broadway musical, directed by Trent Stork, stars Devin DeSantis as Charlie, the shoemaker attempting to save his failing shoe factory, and Michael Wordly as Lola, the fierce drag queen who shows him the way.

When: Aug. 18-Oct. 17

Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena, Aurora

Tickets: $36-$74

For updated information regarding the theater’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit paramountaurora.com.

Theatre Y

WHAT: Theatre Y’s ambitious new adventure “You Are Here: The Emerald Camino Project” is a return of its urban pilgrimages, this time through Daniel Burnham’s Emerald Necklace — the boulevard system that links the public parks on Chicago’s West and South sides. The immersive 12-part walking experience was created with artists, community leaders and organizations across a dozen communities. “This is a joyful post-pandemic experience that connects Chicago’s diverse communities through the intersection of conversation and art,” says Theatre Y’s artistic director, Melissa Lorraine. If you are walking through the neighborhood in which you live, admission is free; all other participants are Theatre Y Members or encouraged to become members (for as little as $5/month).

WHEN: Aug. 21-Sept. 26 For updated information regarding the theater’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies as well as dates and times for each walk, visit theatre-y.com.

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group Caroline Talbot Photography

What: Those crazy characters in blue return for more goofy fun. The show, which encourages audiences to reconnect with their inner child, is a combination of art, music, comedy and technology.

When: Ongoing

Where: Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted.

Tickets: $49-$89

For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit blueman.com.

Teatro ZinZanni

The artistry and the excitement of Teatro ZinZanni returns to Chicago starting July 8. Pictured: Lea Hinz.Michael Doucet

What: The immersive, whirlwind theater experience that is Teatro ZinZanni has reopened featuring a new show with a cast of comedians, aerialists, acrobats, singers, dancers and a gourmet meal, it brings comedy, music and cirque back after a long pandemic hiatus. Included among the performers are powerhouse vocalists Storm Marrero and Cunio, aerial acts Lea Hinz and Duo 19, veteran comedians Frank Ferrante and Joe DePaul and acrobatic dancers Mickael and Vita.

When: Ongoing

Where: Spiegeltent ZaZou on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel, 32 W. Randolph

Tickets: $119-$189; limited show only tickets $69. Visit zinzanni.com/chicago.

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Countless water rescues have been credited to Joe Pecoraro, who during a 51-year career under eight mayors rose from lifeguard to general superintendent of all of the Chicago Park District beaches and pools.

Responsible for 1,000 lifeguards, nearly 100 pools and 26 miles of beaches, Mr. Pecoraro was one of the best known lifeguards in the nation, according to Tom Gill, spokesman for the United States Lifesaving Association.

He died Sept. 2 at 91 at Central Baptist Village senior community in Norridge.

From 1982 to 1991, Mr. Pecoraro was president of the lifesaving group and was “instrumental in helping create a national training manual for open-water lifeguards, which standardized lifesaving procedures,” according to Bill Richardson, a former president of the association and retired chief lifeguard from Huntington Beach, Calif.

“How many lives have been saved,” Richardson said, “because of Joe Pecoraro’s impact?”

“Joe Pec” began his career in 1949, a time, before widespread air-conditioning or TV, that frequently saw the city’s beaches packed all summer. Lifeguards didn’t have radios then, communicating at a distance via whistles.

His mantra: “Always swim near a lifeguard.”

“A lot of my former lifeguards are now high-ranking supervisors in the police and fire departments, aldermen, doctors, lawyers, business executives,” Mr. Pecoraro once told Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. “But they’re lifeguards for life,”

Jerry Gavin, a retired Chicago lifeguard captain, said Mr. Pecoraro insisted guards keep up their training, telling them: “You have to be able to swim fast, so work out, work out, work out.”

Mr. Pecoraro described the job’s training requirements in a 1975 Chicago Sun-Times interview: “First, the applicant has to swim 200 yards in under three and a half minutes, 25 yards under water, and retrieve a 10-pound brick. . . They have to break front and rear strangleholds and tow the instructor 25 yards.”

He grew up on the Northwest Side, where he attended Smyser grade school. His father Tony was a shoemaker for Florsheim. After her children were older, his mother Marie worked as a customer-service manager at the Sears at Irving Park Road and Cicero Avenue.

“He spent a lot of time at Oak Street Beach,” Mr. Pecoraro’s daughter Mary Kelly said, “because that was the only option to get out of the apartment, where it was hot.”

He was a member of the swim teams at Schurz High School and DePaul University.

In 1949, at 19, he started working as a lifeguard at North Avenue Beach. Except during his time in the Army, where he taught swimming in Tokyo — he worked for the park district until retiring in 2000.

In 1956, he met Peggy Stewart, his future wife, at a singles dance at St. Bartholomew Church. They fell hard for each other and were married within six months.

His daughter said Mr. Pecoraro never forgot the Lake Michigan tragedy that claimed eight lives in 1954. For many years, it was called a seiche, but the National Weather Service said it’s more accurate to call it a meteorological tsunami, caused by strong, fast-moving storms.

Mr. Pecoraro also never forgot the rescues that failed, the ones that ended with lifeguards trying to console bereft mothers whose children could not be revived.

In his memoir “Naked Rescue,” he said Chicago lifeguards used a lifesaving method in the 1930s that later became known as the Heimlich maneuver.

He also wrote that some triathletes didn’t realize pool training doesn’t always prepare them for open-water swimming. At one triathlon, he said lifeguards had to pull so many struggling swimmers out of the lake that the rescue boats were in danger of sinking.

He was a member of the Illinois Water Polo Hall of Fame, the DePaul University Athletic Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

He taught swimming at DePaul for a couple of years and taught physical education on Mondays — his day off — at St. Edmund’s school in Oak Park.

In Washington, D.C. in 1986, Mr. Pecoraro was thrilled to meet a former lifeguard who went into politics after gaining fame in Hollywood — President Ronald Reagan. He said the president regaled him with rescue stories.

In addition to his wife Peggy and daughter Mary, Mr. Pecoraro is survived by his daughter Nancy and son Joseph Jr., sisters Petricia Brush and Jody Morhammer, his brother Frank and four grandchildren.

At his Sept. 13 funeral, Mr. Pecoraro’s casket was draped in a quilt made of T-shirts representing Chicago beaches and the U.S. Lifesaving Association. At the close of the funeral, his family played Stevie Wonder’s recording of “A Place in the Sun.”

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The problem with “Dear Evan Hansen” the movie is “Dear Evan Hansen” the Broadway musical, which somehow won six Tony Awards and was a commercial hit despite a problematic, manipulative, cynical and creepy storyline asking us to empathize with an admittedly troubled teenager who tells an unspeakably cruel lie and proceeds to double down on that falsehood again and again, even as he realizes he’s causing lasting emotional damage to a grieving family.

Dear Evan Hansen: You’re the worst.

The adaptation is a curiously strange effort, as director Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) films the story like an indie drama, with straightforward, realistic, dialogue-driven scenes — and then every 10 minutes or so, a character breaks into song, and it seems much more contrived and jolting than something like “La La Land.” It doesn’t help that Ben Platt (reprising his Tony Award-winning role) is still playing the part as if he’s onstage and aiming for the rafters, while the supporting ensemble including Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams and Amandla Stenberg are performing in more subtle, film-friendly notes.

Platt’s Evan Hansen is a shy and depressed kid whose therapist has given him the assignment of writing encouraging letters to himself. The printout of one such letter falls into the hands of the volatile bully and loner Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan) — and when Connor commits suicide and the note is found in his pocket, Connor’s family mistakenly believe Evan was Connor’s only friend, and they turn to Evan for comfort.

So, after a teen suicide is used as a plot contrivance, Evan decides that rather than coming clean to Connor’s mother, Cynthia (Amy Adams), stepfather Larry (Danny Pino) and little sister Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever), he’ll concoct an elaborate, ongoing lie about his non-existent friendship with Connor, manufacturing a series of emails they shared and telling ridiculous stories about their adventures together. (Sidebar: Why would a teenager write to a friend with the salutation, “Dear Evan Hansen,” as if it’s 1825?) We understand Evan has been in emotional pain for a long time and is need of help, but still: He allows a well-meaning classmate (an excellent Amandla Stenberg) to spearhead an online fundraiser in Connor’s memory, he sings the show’s signature anthem “You Will Be Found” at a service for Connor and he enters into a romance with Zoe — all under false pretenses. The tonal disconnect between this darker-than-dark material and the ultimately upbeat nature of this tale simply cannot be reconciled.

There’s been a lot of chatter about how the 27-year-old Ben Platt looks far too mature to be playing the title character — though there’s no denying the power of his voice as he belts out one standard-issue Broadway tune after another. And in truth, virtually everyone playing high school students in this adaptation, from 24-year-old Kaitlin Dever to 26-year-old Colton Ryan to 27-year-old Nik Dodani (as a family friend of Evan’s), looks as if they should be playing young teachers instead of students. But even with more age-appropriate casting, it’s difficult to imagine a version of “Dear Evan Hansen” that wouldn’t make me cringe.

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Bears coaches have been designing a playbook for Justin Fields since he was drafted, drawing up and testing plays that best utilize a man clocked as the second-fastest NFL Scouting Combine quarterback this century.

Sunday, they’ll unveil an offense that will be worlds different than the one Andy Dalton ran. It figures to reside somewhere between the five option gimmicks Fields executed in Week 1 and the conservative, stagnant scheme he lumbered through in Week 2. The Bears will try to make Fields a passer first, a runner second and a weapon unlike anything the franchise has seen.

If the scheme works, it’s not hyperbole to say it will change the way the Bears offense looks for the next decade.

The future is now. And in, of all places, Cleveland.

“There are some things that he does extremely well that you want to be able to take advantage of, and that’s not always running and running the zone reads or designed QB runs,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday, minutes after naming Fields the starter in place of an injured Dalton. “There’s a lot of stuff that he does way better than running the football. He is a quarterback that is tremendous in throwing the football that’s going to grow every day.”

Big picture, Fields’ improvement from game-to-game is the most important indicator of the franchise’s long-term health. He’ll be judged on wins and losses, too, so long as Nagy’s job security depends on showing improvement.

Monday night, the Bears’ coaching staff began drawing up their Week 3 gameplan. They weighed Fields’ strengths against the reality that, as a rookie, he’ll make mistakes.

The Bears want Fields to play fast — and that means narrowing the playbook down to a manageable size. Nagy figures to lean on running back David Montgomery. While coaches tend to give young quarterbacks easy throws, it’s hard to imagine the Bears doing it any more often than they already have. Only one team has fewer air yards than they do.

The team’s pre-snap motions and tempo changes could be tamped down — those are usually most effective with a veteran passer.

“We get together as a staff and we just talk through the things that we think he does well for us …” Nagy said. “We know on the front end there’s gonna be mistakes. That’s gonna happen. We understand that. But we gotta try to reduce and eliminate those as we go throughout the year when he’s going. So I think that for him, when he’s out there playing and going, that’s real. He’s got to be able to do that.

“And then every time he’s there playing: ‘Play hard, do your thing and just be the best quarterback you can be.'”

Fields will get every practice snap with the starters this week for the first time in his NFL career. That should smooth out some of the timing issues that plagued him Sunday at Soldier Field, when he posted a 27.7 passer rating.

“It’s definitely going to help me,” Fields said. “More than last week, of course, just getting reps with the offense instead of just working with the scout offense.”

Changes won’t be limited to the playbook. Fields’ athleticism and ability to improvise brings something new to the Bears offense.

That’s the plan, at least.

“With Justin, there’s the play that’s called and then there’s the second play that turns into kinda some backyard football,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “You know I’m going to be getting some sprints in after practice this week. You just gotta be aware of that. The scramble drill is really alive now with Justin.”

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