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What do you remember about John Lennon?Howard Mooreon October 9, 2020 at 5:12 am

I’ve Got The Hippy Shakes

What do you remember about John Lennon?

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What do you remember about John Lennon?Howard Mooreon October 9, 2020 at 5:12 am Read More »

16th Street and Strawdog examine racism and dystopiaKerry Reidon October 8, 2020 at 4:55 pm

How do you write dramas about dystopia and alienation in the middle of a pandemic, especially when the people in charge have seemingly signed a blood oath to a nihilist death cult? Isn’t doomscrolling Twitter enough to make most of us imagine the worst?

Two recent streaming productions–Rastus and Hattie by Lisa Langford, courtesy of Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater, and Run the Beast Down by Titas Halder with Strawdog–tackle the nature of time, history, historical trauma, and our own interior perceptions of truth, especially when we’re isolated from the world we thought we belonged in. And though both pieces were written before COVID-19, they deliver satisfyingly relevant and mind-bending results, thanks to stellar performances and adroit production values.

Rastus and Hattie

Rastus and Hattie premiered a year ago at the Cleveland Public Theatre and has been reimagined for 16th Street as an audio play, under the direction of Lanise Antoine Shelley. It’s a fitting coda to a year marked by heightened attention to racial justice and institutionalized white supremacy.

Langford was inspired in part by Westinghouse’s 1930s foray into creating prototype robots designed to look like Black men–one of whom was actually named “Rastus” and was also referred to as a “mechanical slave.” As Simone Browne, a professor of African and African Diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin notes in a 2017 presentation, Rastus’s cartoonish appearance fit with advertising images and other representations of Black people in popular culture. “These exaggerated representational practices worked to rationalize the economic exploitation of Black domestic workers, as well as those who labored in low-paying conditions in the service sector,” said Browne. (That economic exploitation has come into sharper focus as the pandemic has hit Black essential workers especially hard.)

Here, Rastus and his robot partner, Hattie, are servants in the home of Marlene (Kate Black-Spence) and David (Ryan Kitley). Marlene is best friends from childhood with Needra (Krystel McNeil), a Black scientist researching epigenetics, or the idea that trauma (such as that caused by slavery and racism) can leave a chemical mark on genes that is then passed down through generations. Needra is facing resistance from an adviser on how she’s presenting her findings, and an impending move to a university in Alabama, closer to the ancestral home of her husband Malik (David Goodloe).

The discovery that Marlene and David are using slave robots (which David inherited from his uncle, a researcher at Westinghouse) of course horrifies Needra and makes her question everything about her friendship with Marlene (played with pitch-perfect microaggression by Black-Spence).

But then they all, including Rastus (Colin Jones) and Hattie (Jasmine Bracey), find themselves moving backward in time to 1870 Alabama. And that’s when things get really dicey.

Langford’s script works some of the same sci-fi/horror territory as Octavia Butler’s 1979 masterpiece Kindred, in which a Black woman is repeatedly thrown back to a plantation in slavery-era Maryland, as well as the comic horror of Jordan Peele’s films. The latter comes through particularly in the framing of Marlene and David as “good” liberal white people who can’t see why having slave robots is such a big deal. (“I’m lazy and I’m greedy,” Marlene admits without a shred of guilt or shame.)

But the epigenetics thread weaves itself like a double helix through the story, reminding us that while Langford’s framing may be fantastical, the traumas of racism are not. Yet Needra’s initial impulse to “level the playing field by removing the trauma at a microlevel” may, as she comes to discover, carry its own problematic form of erasure.

It’s possible to just listen to Shelley’s cast on the Vimeo stream and enjoy the beautifully modulated back-and-forth debates and sidebar conversations among the characters. (Sound designer Olanrewaju Adewole and audio engineer Nathan Cox-Reed deserve props.) Langford has an indelible ear for dialogue, and it’s a treat to use our powers of imagination to conjure the contrasting worlds of present and past. But the production is greatly enhanced by the black-and-white illustrations of Roy Thomas (an undergrad from Ball State), who uses a silhouette aesthetic somewhat reminiscent of Kara Walker, but with his own nuanced use of grays that suggest the twilight world of race, science, and interpersonal relationships Langford’s characters are navigating.

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Gage Wallace in Run the Beast Down - KAMILLE DAWKINS

Run the Beast Down

The narrator in Halder’s solo play isn’t a robot, but he may remind you of Elliot Alderson, the tormented soul played by Rami Malek in USA Network’s Mr. Robot. Like Elliot, Charlie (Gage Wallace) suffers from crippling paranoia and isolation. He’s lost his job at a London stock trading firm and his girlfriend Alex–though he can’t stop himself from calling her. He’s also haunted by the idea that foxes have taken over his housing estate–a possible holdover from a childhood encounter in the woods near his home.

The show is presented in seven interludes, each introduced with its own title card. (The first, “Peter is Dead,” foreshadows the fate of a cat owned by Mrs. Winter, Charlie’s neighbor, who first warns him about the foxes.) The scenes are shot in separate rooms of a home seemingly under renovation or possibly demolition, with the walls in some cases stripped to the lathes, just as Charlie’s grip on reality also seems to be peeling down to the bones and his apartment becomes more bunker than sanctuary. (Kamille Dawkins’s videography captures the suffocating qualities of Charlie’s environment quite well.)

Wallace delivers a mesmerizing performance (sometimes in extreme close-up) under Elly Green’s precise direction. Like Mr. Robot, Charlie’s story takes place against a backdrop of capitalism melting down, and yet he’s fighting back like a cornered animal. And like Elliot, we’re well aware we’re in the company of a narrator who is beyond unreliable, but who still wins our empathy through his palpable pain. There are echoes of genocidal impulses in the attitudes of Mrs. Winter’s son, who believes the gangs of “feral” children in the neighborhood should be hunted like, well, foxes.

Run the Beast Down is, like Rastus and Hattie, a cunning and cutting parable for these strange days, indeed. v






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16th Street and Strawdog examine racism and dystopiaKerry Reidon October 8, 2020 at 4:55 pm Read More »

5 Best Corn Mazes & Pumpkin Patches Around ChicagoAudrey Snyderon October 8, 2020 at 7:15 pm

In the fading sunshine, amid crunchy leaves and cooler breezes, Chicagoans can soak up the last pleasant outdoor weather as we frolic through corn mazes, pick out our favorite seasonal gourds, and stuff our faces with tasty treats. Like the lifespan of a pumpkin that’s been plucked from its patch, carved, and lit from within, the fall season in Chicago— with its perfect temperatures and beautiful foliage— is fleeting. Enjoy the festivities while you can at these Chicago area pumpkin patches.

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Konow’s Corn Maze

16849 S Cedar Rd, Homer Glen IL 60491

Konow’s has not one but two corn mazes on its grounds— one for a casual, easy jaunt through some corn, and a second, more difficult and lengthy maze for those who are more *serious* about their outdoor fall activities. In addition to the mazes, you can pick out and purchase the perfect pumpkin, as well as plenty of warm, autumnal treats.

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Didier Farms

16678 W Aptakisic Rd, Lincolnshire IL 60069

Drive just 40 minutes north of the city to experience Didier Farms’ Pumpkinfest. This pumpkin farm near Chicago is open through the end of October and offers plenty of outdoor activities— including a corn maze and pumpkin-picking. Grab some fudge from the shop and work your way through the maze on a sunny fall day!

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Sonny Acres Farms

29W310 North Ave, West Chicago IL 60185

No corn maze here, but with a pumpkin patch, the Spook Shed, the Sonny Express (a small train that runs around the farm), pony rides, and more, this family-owned farm in West Chicago is a must-see for families with small children.

Johansen Farms

710 W Boughton Rd, Bolingbrook IL 60440

Travel to this corn maze and pumpkin patch near Chicago to enjoy mini golf, pony rides, and plenty of other activities. Visit the children’s zoo to hold baby chicks! When you’re worn out from walking the maze and playing putt-putt, stop at the bakery for some apple cider doughnuts or a pie!

Replay Lincoln Park

View Replay Lincoln Park’s Latest Fall Pop Up Bar

Need a good place for a date after you visit the pumpkin patches in Chicago? Try out Replay in Lincoln Park and their unique popups.

View the Best Pop Up Bar in Chicago

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Posted by Abbey Farms on Thursday, September 17, 2020

Abbey Farms

2855 Hart Rd, Aurora IL 60502

Featuring Kane County’s largest corn maze (covering 12 acres), Abbey Farms of Aurora is holding its COVID-friendly Pumpkin Daze event through November 1. Pick out your pumpkin from the 40-acre pumpkin farm, check out the petting zoo, and grab an apple cider or pumpkin spice doughnut (or one of each) before you go.

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: 16 Inch Softball Hall Of Fame Instagram Page

 
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5 Best Corn Mazes & Pumpkin Patches Around ChicagoAudrey Snyderon October 8, 2020 at 7:15 pm Read More »

Chicago Bulls: One trade with each top-3 team in 2020 NBA DraftRyan Heckmanon October 8, 2020 at 11:00 am

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
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Chicago Bulls, NBA Draft

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Under new leadership, don’t count the Chicago Bulls out of a big move come 2020 NBA Draft night.

With the NBA season winding down and a new champion soon to be crowned, it’s time to focus even more so on the offseason ahead. For the Chicago Bulls, the offseason seems to have been in full swing for quite some time now.

It is fair to say Bulls fans haven’t been this excited after an abysmal season in a very long time. It isn’t every year you see a fan base optimistic after their team wins just 22 games. But, this year has been different in many ways.

The league-wide shutdown helped kickstart the offseason in a way, because the Bulls had a chance to rid themselves of some longstanding dead weight. Of course, we’re talking about Gar Forman and John Paxson being replaced by Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley.

Going into the heart of this offseason, the new front office was given a gift; two, in fact. First, the Bulls moved up in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery to pick no. 4 overall — finally some luck for this organization.

Second, Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways. Karnisovas worked quickly to bring him in as the team’s new head coach. Between Donovan being hired, a fresh, aggressive front office and also working with the fourth overall pick in the draft, Chicago is set up nicely for the future.

Going into draft night, though, there are bound to be trade talks. One of the biggest reasons we could see more picks traded than ever before is due to this year’s class being generally weaker than recent ones.

A guy like Karnisovas may be one who takes advantage of that perception. On a team that’s retooling, with a coach who gets the absolute most out of their players, going after even more in this year’s draft could end up interesting. What if they decided to make a deal with one of the top three picks? Let’s go over some options.

Next: 1: Charlotte Hornets

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Chicago Bulls: One trade with each top-3 team in 2020 NBA DraftRyan Heckmanon October 8, 2020 at 11:00 am Read More »

Chicago Bears: 4 polarizing quarterback trades to consider makingRyan Heckmanon October 8, 2020 at 12:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Chicago Bears, Matt Nagy

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

At this stage, the Chicago Bears could switch it up in a big way at the quarterback position.

Whose fault is it? That’s the question roaming around the minds of so many Chicago Bears fans at the moment. Who is at fault for the inexcusable offensive output thus far, and specifically in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts?

Some thought the offense would magically take a step forward with Nick Foles under center. After all, benching Mitchell Trubisky and turning to Foles ended with a comeback victory against the Atlanta Falcons. All was fine and dandy when the Bears were 3-0.

But, that Falcons defense was a mess. The Bears had no business falling behind in the first place, whether it was Trubisky or Foles at the helm.

Now, head coach Matt Nagy is in on Foles. But, the problems remain. Nagy continues to baffle us with his inability to call plays. He’s showing the same flaws as he had in 2019 and refuses to do the sensical thing in so many scenarios.

Clearly, Nagy is the biggest problem in Chicago right now. But, it’s also clear he and the organization wish to move on from Trubisky. From the way the coaching staff has answered questions over the past week and a half, you can tell there is no plan to re-sign the fourth-year pro.

In the meantime, how do the Bears correct the position? Do they depend on Trubisky as a backup for this year? What if they could go out and get a replacement?

Better yet, maybe they could go out and get someone who offers even a little more hope for the future.

There are some intriguing quarterback stories going on at this point in the season. Some are a big deal. Others aren’t as polarizing. But, if the Bears decided to make a move at the position, one of the following could end up making some sense.

Next: 1: Dwayne Haskins

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Chicago Bears: 4 polarizing quarterback trades to consider makingRyan Heckmanon October 8, 2020 at 12:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: Three non-tendered players to considerVincent Pariseon October 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 13: Vinnie Hinostroza #13 of the Arizona Coyotes skates with the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the NHL game at Gila River Arena on October 13, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Sabres defeated the Coyotes 3-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 13: Vinnie Hinostroza #13 of the Arizona Coyotes skates with the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the NHL game at Gila River Arena on October 13, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Sabres defeated the Coyotes 3-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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The Chicago Blackhawks have three former players that have been non-tendered that could help.

The Chicago Blackhawks are a team that has made some mistakes over the years with letting certain players go without giving them enough of a chance. Well, they have a chance to make up for it here. Stan Bowman takes a lot of heat for bringing back old players that used to play for him but there are some times where the idea would make a little bit of sense.

There have been some former Chicago players that had contracts non-tendered over the past 48 hours that they might want to get in on. You never know how these guys will play if they return which is why it would be cool to see them get a chance again. It wouldn’t cost a whole lot of money either so there is no reason not to try and fill out some of the lineups with these pieces.

There are more than just former Blackhawks that have been non-tendered but some of the former Hawks make the most sense to bring in. They would be familiar with a lot of their “new” teammates and the environment that they would be coming into. This team isn’t going to be good by any means but they should be fairly competitive on most nights if they play their cards right.

The fact that they were able to show some heart in the bubble might make them a little bit more attractive than if they got smoked. There are some talented young players here ready to compete so adding someone who was non-tendered on a cheap deal might really help. These are the three former Blackhawks that have been let go by their teams that they should take a chance on:

Next: Vinnie Hinostroza

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Chicago Blackhawks: Three non-tendered players to considerVincent Pariseon October 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant needs to be tradedJordan Campbellon October 8, 2020 at 3:00 pm

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 30: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs bats against the Miami Marlins during Game One of the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on September 30, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 30: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs bats against the Miami Marlins during Game One of the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on September 30, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

With limited resources available in regards to Free Agent spending, the Chicago Cubs will need to trade Kris Bryant in order to ignite a much needed change.

The Chicago Cubs need a significant change to their roster construction.

That much was clear after the Cubs were bounced from the 2020 National League Wild Card series by the Miami Marlins. The Cubs were swept by the Marlins and the team only managed 1 run on a combined 9 hits between the two games.

For the Cubs, their postseason series against the Marlins marked the third consecutive season where the team’s offense has been rendered broken. The issue is that the team never fixed the offense from when it was evident that it was broken in their 2018 National League Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies.

When speaking with reporters earlier this week, Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein seemed to indicate that change was in store for the Cubs’ offense this off-season.

“We have not performed up to our expectations offensively,” Epstein said, “and especially at the most important times of year. And sort of simply hoping for a better outcome moving forward doesn’t seem like a thoughtful approach. So, embracing some change, even significant changes, is warranted.”

–Theo Epstein, MLB.com

In review of the Cubs’ position players, the biggest change that seems likely is a trade of third baseman Kris Bryant. Bryant’s name has been flooded by trade rumors over the course of the past two seasons and it seems like the Cubs finally are not only open to but leaning in the direction of moving their star third baseman.

Bryant is the most likely option to be moved and signal significant change than any other player on the Cubs’ roster.

More from Da Windy City

The goal of the Cubs’ front office appears to be build around Javier Baez as the two sides have had contract extension talks for much of this past calendar year. Willson Contreras appears to be a fair bet to remain with the team, at least, until highly touted catching prospect Miguel Amaya is ready for the Major League. Anthony Rizzo is the unquestioned leader of the Cubs and a trade of him would signal more of rebuild as opposed to a smooth transition to the next contention rebuild. Kyle Schwarber is a candidate to be moved but a potential trade of the left fielder would not bring the needed change for the Cubs. That would be why Bryant is the likely candidate.

Bryant’s struggles during the 2020 season were well documented. Between suffering multiple injuries and struggling to hit over .200 on the season, Bryant was not the cornerstone of the Cubs’ offense that he once was.

At the age of 28, Bryant still has the future and talent to be a star in Major League Baseball. The issue is he likely is not the star that Cubs are going to build their next contending team around. With Bryant’s contact set to expire at the end of next season, the Cubs need to trade the third baseman.

The hiccup with trading Bryant this offseason is that the Cubs will not receive the same value for the former National League MVP that they would have last offseason or potentially next season at the trade deadline. Bryant is not going to the net the Cubs a top-tier prospect as his value is likely now worth a B-level prospect. That is not an ideal situation for the Cubs but a necessary evil given their past failures to fix the offense.

Next: Ricketts Destroyed Cubs Potential Dynasty

Should the Chicago Cubs trade Kris Bryant? Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts.

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Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant needs to be tradedJordan Campbellon October 8, 2020 at 3:00 pm Read More »

Ryan Dempster hopes Cubs and Kris Bryant stick togetherMark Carmanon October 8, 2020 at 5:54 pm

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, now “Off the Mound” host on the Marquee Sports Network, hopes Kris Bryant remains with the Cubs.

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The best start to a career with the Chicago Cubs belongs to Kris Bryant. And it isn’t close. Bryant won every award possible, culminating with a drought-ending World Series championship in his first two years in Cubs pinstripes.

But did Bryant’s incredible performance on the field come with the cost of raised expectations that he has never been able to duplicate?

“I think he set the bar crazy high,” Ryan Dempster told Da Windy City podcast. “Golden spikes winner, minor league player of the year, rookie of the year, MVP, World Series champion, doing it all and then he hits .280 with 30 or something and we are like ‘what happened to Kris Bryant’? Thats a lot to carry around and the expectations of that.”

Bryant hit those numbers in 2019, but the discussion was whether Bryant was a clutch player. Any prior playoff successes were long forgotten, and now Bryant’s injury-riddled nightmare 2020 season where nothing went right. He finished with an abysmal .204 batting average, only four home runs.

Bryant enters his final contract year with rumors swirling that he has played his last game in a Cubs uniform, even if the Cubs are unable to get fair value in a trade. Bryant’s bounce back contract year will, in all likelihood, benefit another franchise.

Bryant has said numerous times he wants to stay in Chicago. The Cubs have made at least one long term offer to Bryant that his agents deemed too low at the time. Dempster believes there is some common ground between the two parties.

“I’m sure they (Cubs) do and I’m sure he (Bryant) wants to (sign a longterm deal), but we know there are two sides to everything, right. There’s agents and there’s players trying to get the best contract they can get, and there’s teams trying to manage payrolls all of those things,” Dempster said.

Some have speculated that Bryant would be happy elsewhere. The expectations and the bright lights playing in Chicago are “not the best fit” for the easy-going Bryant. Dempster believes all the early success may have taken a toll on Bryant.

“I’m not saying he is Michael Jordan in this town, but especially after the 2016 season you could argue he was as popular as Michael was in those championships,” Dempster said. “Guy can’t go to the grocery store without 100 people asking for a picture and that’s not everybody’s cup of tea — that’s a hard thing to try and take in all the time.”

True, Bryant is not Jordan. But, he was Cub-Jordan for a while and remains extremely popular. At 6-foot-5 he can’t exactly blend in like most baseball players. The Cubs’ parade in 2015 drew an estimated five million people to Grant Park. Life in Chicago as a Cub had changed dramatically.

Things are back to “normal” now. The Cubs have very little expectations. The baseball buzz in Chicago is tilted towards the up and coming White Sox, not the getting old and stale Cubs. It might take Bryant having another MVP year to get Cubs fans excited, which again seems more likely to happen elsewhere.

No matter what happens going forward Dempster will always appreciate and respect Bryant for how he carried himself in a Cub uniform.

“I just think he’s had an incredible amount of expectations on him and he has handled it all extremely well,” Dempster said. “He has been a pro through it all, a team-win first guy always. One of my favorite people around. I hope he is a Chicago Cub the rest of his career. If not, I hope he gets everything he deserves because he’s earned every bit of it.”

Change is coming to Wrigley Field. Theo Epstein will reportedly depart after next season. Trades are coming before that. Will Bryant be the first to go?

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Ryan Dempster hopes Cubs and Kris Bryant stick togetherMark Carmanon October 8, 2020 at 5:54 pm Read More »

Team Gregula Guide to Chicagoland Haunted Happenings: Pandemic Edition 2020Count Gregulaon October 8, 2020 at 12:23 pm

Count Gregula’s Crypt

Team Gregula Guide to Chicagoland Haunted Happenings: Pandemic Edition 2020

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Team Gregula Guide to Chicagoland Haunted Happenings: Pandemic Edition 2020Count Gregulaon October 8, 2020 at 12:23 pm Read More »