Chicago White Sox fans shouldn’t overreact to their season-ending slump.
As the 2020 MLB regular season concludes, the Chicago White Sox are gearing up for their first playoff appearance since 2008.
It’s been a while since the Sox were relevant, having finished below .500 in their last seven seasons. In fact, the last time the White Sox reached the postseason, Barack Obama was still a Senator residing just four miles from then-named U.S. Cellular Field.
Now, twelve years later, the White Sox are in their first year of contention in what could be a decade-long dynasty on the South Side.
After losing two of three to the Chicago Cubs to end the season, the White Sox finished tied with the Cleveland Indians for second place in the American League Central, just a game behind the division champion Minnesota Twins. It was a brutal disappointment for a team that spent 25 days in first place.
Despite the collapse, White Sox fans should not be overreacting to their recent struggles.
Sure, they had a difficult road trip to Ohio and lost some games in excruciating fashion. But take away the four game sweep to the Indians and the Sox are still 12-6 and in first place in the AL Central heading into their season finale vs. the Cubs.
And despite losing two of three to the Cubs, the Sox still scored nine runs against veteran Jon Lester and nearly rallied from a 10-1 deficit on Sunday and scored 13 runs in two games.
These are two very good teams that the Sox struggled against. It’s not like they lost 3 of 4 to the god-awful Pirates like the Cubs just a week ago.
After the devastating loss to the Indians on Thursday, White Sox manager Rick Renteria began trending on Twitter with many calling for his head.
That’s a bit of a stretch for a manager who has led the White Sox to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and is only in his fifth season as a big league manager.
This is a White Sox team that is going to have some slumps. They are an extremely young team led by a core of players that has zero playoff experience combined.
Regular starters Danny Mendick, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert have played for a total of less than eight seasons of games COMBINED, and yet the Sox remain second in the AL in batting average, OPS, and RBIs and led the AL in home runs.
Even an experienced team in a shortened 60-game season will still have some ups and downs, but it’s nothing to raise hell over after a four-game sweep and a loss in two games to your division champion rival across town.
There’s no doubt that the last ten games have been frustrating. And it’s a bit unsettling to see the Sox limping into the postseason.
Yet this could be the perfect time for the Sox to be struggling.
With any young team, there are kinks and slumps that need to be fought through. Though Renteria is not exactly a young pup, he’s in only his fifth season of managing and is in his first year of managing with a competent team.
Now is truly a better time than any to get the kinks out of the hose and address the problems from top to bottom.
Though the Sox are absolutely one of the best teams in baseball through 60 games, they may not have what it takes to win a World Series just because of their lack of postseason experience in most of their lineup.
Yes, they played at a very high level during the regular season. But October baseball is a completely different animal than what the kids have seen for their entire careers.
And Sox fans aren’t doing themselves any good by calling for their skipper’s head while they head into the playoffs fresh off their best regular season in 15 years. You can’t just throw out a fantastic season after three bad series.
One of Renteria’s biggest strengths and reasons that the White Sox hired him was his ability to develop young players.
If the Sox want to remain contenders for the future, it’s best to keep Renteria around so that he can continue to develop the young core of players. Firing Renteria in his first season of relevance would not make sense at all.
The Sox now have a day off before facing off against the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wild Card Series, and though it may be a travel day for the Sox, fans should take it as a mental health day to appreciate their successful season and upcoming October baseball as well as prepare themselves for the mental grind that comes with watching your team in the playoffs.
Just enjoy this, Sox fans. You have October baseball and a team that’s built to contend for quite possibly an entire decade with the proper development and roster moves.
The ChicagoBears backup quarterback impressed on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears capped off another incredible comeback on Sunday thanks, in large part, to the play of Nick Foles. In just under two quarters of play, Foles displayed many of his strengths and the reasons Ryan Pace brought him to Chicago.
It was an impressive performance to be certain. Foles entered the game on the Bears’ second offensive series of the second half, following a Mitchell Trubisky interception where it appears he failed to recognize zone coverage disguised pre-snap as man coverage.
Without taking a single snap all year, following a training camp with no preseason games, Foles came out firing. Facing a 26-10 deficit, Foles threw a beautiful 21-yard pass to Allen Robinson which was ruled a touchdown on the field, but inexplicably overturned on review. His third possession also resulted in a touchdown on the field, but later overturned when it was ruled that Anthony Miller didn’t have possession.
Despite his first two “touchdowns” being wiped off the board, (he should have had five TDs in one half) Foles led the team back with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat the Falcons 30-26. In doing so, he displayed so many of the characteristics that made him an attractive option for this offense.
This is not mean to pile on Mitch, but it’s impossible to discuss Foles’ strengths without implicating Trubisky’s weaknesses. However, late in the fourth quarter, while still trailing by three points, Foles was seen on the sidelines coaching up the offense. It appeared he was going over a recent play possibly highlighting something he saw that could be exploited on a future series. It is something that comes with having a command of the offense, as well as defensive coverages.
Speaking of which, Foles’ understanding of defenses was on full display as well. We saw him checking out of plays at the line of scrimmage and directing the offense in a way we haven’t seen under Trubisky. Doing so allowed him to take advantage of the plays to be made that Trubisky often left on the field. Just read what tight end Jimmy Graham had to say about Foles after the game:
Graham: “Foles’ execution and him taking over the kills/calls was special. He was up there ad-libbing a bit. Checking and changing plays.
There was one play he called and I’m like, he got that?”
That’s the difference under center. One guy knows how to play and what he sees.
He called Foles’ processing “special,” even being surprised at one time that he saw a change that he made — THAT’S how good he is at processing information. So while he will never be the athlete Trubisky is, he more than compensates with his intelligence.
Another stark example of this particular strength was the eventual game-winner to Anthony Miller. It was the same exact play on which Trubisky overshot a wide-open Miller earlier in the game, despite getting great protection. Foles, however, connected on the game-winner as he was getting hit. So how did he do it? Check out his comments to Miller in the huddle:
Essentially he told Miller that if he had to “kill” the initial play — based on what he saw pre-snap — that he would throw the ball to the “L” in the Falcons logo in the end zone. And that’s precisely what he did.
He knew he potentially wouldn’t have time in the pocket and set his team up for that contingency. It’s the kind of processing Matt Nagy has wanted to see from Trubisky for years, but now has with Foles.
The ChicagoBears are going to keep Nick Foles in at starting quarterback.
The Chicago Bears were dead in the waters on Sunday afternoon in their game against the Atlanta Falcons. They were down big and Mitchell Trubisky was looking bad once again. Well, without much warning, Matt Nagy pulled Trubisky out of the game and benched him. Nick Foles came in and made his first appearance in a Bears uniform. He did not disappoint as he led the Bears to a big comeback win to move them to 3-0. Now, the Bears named him to be their starting quarterback going forward.
He didn’t just come in and get lucky on multiple occasions either. Once he went under center, the offense seemed to just be one step quicker than they were the week before. It isn’t fun to say these things because Trubisky is a likable guy but he just wasn’t a sufficient quarterback most of the time. Ryan Pace acknowledged that he might have made a mistake in the 2017 draft when he traded for Foles and now it could pay off for him.
Now, this isn’t Tom Brady in his prime coming in to save the Bears but that isn’t what they really need. The rest of their roster is pretty good so some average to above-average quarterback play should be able to lead them to the playoffs. They are already off to a 3-0 start so they are on the right track. If they can play as they did on Sunday once Foles came in, they could become a really good team.
They could also see Foles take a step back and the offense is more of the same but it is better to take that chance that he will be better than Trubisky. This is the guy who led the Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory and won the Super Bowl MVP so you know he has the experience. He also did it in a replacement role as he started that season as the backup to Nick Foles. Oh, and by the way, the team he beat was the New England Patriots.
This was a no-brainer for the Bears after what they saw on Sunday. This team can’t be wasting too much time with the other quarterback and if Foles gives them the best chance to win (which he does), he has to be the guy. Now, they have a chance to rise to 4-0 on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the word on the street is I’m a grandfather. My daughter and her husband had a baby boy two weeks ago. Everyone is happy and healthy. They’re also stressed and lacking sleep. So, all is normal in their household. Enough about them. This is all about ME!!!
Since the birth of my grandson, the question I hear most is what is he going to call you? I answer with “I don’t know. I have a couple of years until he talks. I’ll figure it out by then.”
But, in actuality, I have been thinking it over. I have a few names that are out. My brother is PAPA to his grandkids. Too much confusion with two of them in the same family. ZADIE is also a loser. Whenever I hear it, I think of old men sitting on a park bench, killing time until they die. Remember the movie “Going In Style”, with George Burns and Art Carney? Those guys are Zadies. If you’re reading this and you’re a Zadie, no offense meant, it’s just not my style. Please keep reading and I’ll see you when I take my next walk in the park. I’ll even bring you some bread crumbs so you can feed the birds.
Finding the ones that are out is the easy part. Finding a great grandfather name is trickier. At first, I was sure it would be Grandpa. That’s easy, traditional, old school. But, I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be a hip, cool and now dude. For that, I need a hip, cool and now grandfather name.
It starts with the traditional ones. I didn’t know that Big Daddy, Bompa and Bumpy were grandfather names, much less traditional ones, but it’s their website so fine, I’ll go with that. They also have names in other languages. Too bad I’m not French or Chinese because both Grand-pere and Ye-Ye have nice rings to them. Hmmm…but if Trump wins re-election, I might have to use the Russian word of Dedushka. That’s a lot to put on a small child, isn’t it? Eh…I’ll worry about that in November.
They have a third grouping of modern names. Now’s that’s what I’m talking about! That’s what I’m looking for! That’s what I need!!!
Check some of these out: Ace Boss Captain Champ Rocky Skipper
Really? Those are grandfather names? Good thing I don’t like any of them. Plus, I can’t picture my daughter ever saying to her son, “Honey, come downstairs. Ace is here.”
But, they do have a few that might work: G-Dad G-Daddy G-Dawg G-Dog
When you hear these names, you are thinking one of two things:
That’s a hip, cool, now dude
or
That man is fucking nuts. What’s the matter with him?
I’m going to lean towards the first one because that’s the guy I want to be. In my head, I can hear these words from my daughter to her son, “Honey, come downstairs. G-Dog is here.”
So as of now, that’s what I’m going with.
Later this week, I’ll go for a walk in the park along Chicago’s lakefront. I’ll see these old men sitting on a bench watching the birds. I’ll hand them some breadcrumbs with the words, “Hello Zadie’s, have a good day.” They’ll respond with a smile and say, “Thanks for bird food. Have a good walk, G-Dog.”
My so called friends think it’s time to edit this section. After four years, they may be right, but don’t tell them that. I’ll deny it until they die!
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for four years.
It started as a health/wellness thing and over the years has morphed to include so many things that I don’t know how to describe it anymore.
I really thought this was going to be the final year of the blog but then Donald Trump came along. It looks like we’re good for four more years..God help us all!
Oh yeah…the biographical stuff. I’m not 60 anymore. The rest you can read about in the blog.
Hazel is a fun, sweet, lovable and energetic, 18-month-old, 41-pound, female yellow lab-mix looking for a loving guardian.
Hazel is housebroken (not crate-trained, ever) and non-destructive in the home, great in the car, walks well on leash (unless she sees a bunny, squirrel or bird).
Hazel knows the command “sit” and takes treats gently from your fingers, but only when there is a treat involved. She’ll definitely do best with continued training with her new family.
She loves sleeping in bed with her family, and laying at your feet as you work on the computer. She does get the zoomies and loves a securely fenced in yard to run around in. She easily pops over a baby gate and is quite agile and athletic.
Hazel does get momentary jolts of excitement where she jumps up and scratches and barks in happiness, so she’s recommended for families with teens and adults.
She previously lived with a family with four children, two of whom were autistic. Her excited barking at times set them off, and their screams made her hide under the bed. It wasn’t a good match.
Purchased at a pet store as a tiny puppy, she really has been loved and very spoiled since the moment she came home.
She is living in Chicago (Andersonville neighborhood) home with another dog, who she loves to play with and run in the yard with.
She is great with other dogs, probably not cats or other small animals. She also loves balls and toys.
To meet and possibly adopt Hazel, please contact [email protected] for an adoption application which must be completed prior to meeting her.
Her adoption fee of $400 benefits the rescued dogs Friends of Petraits. She is extremely healthy, spayed, up-to-date on rabies and distemper vaccines, micro-chipped, heartworm-tested negative and on monthly heartworm protection.
2112 W. Charleston St., Chicago: $1,250,000 | Listed: Aug. 6, 2020 (VHT Studios)
Outdoor space flows seamlessly with sleek interiors in this five-bedroom home in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Situated on a corner lot, the 4,200-square-foot house is outfitted with three bathrooms, high ceilings and large windows that flood the home with daylight. Polished concrete floors, sleek custom cabinetry and exposed beams lend an urban vibe to the home, where an open layout begins with the living room, equipped with a fireplace, and flows into the dining room. There, floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding door open to a slim deck and carry through to the kitchen, which touts a custom-built kitchen with two dishwashers, double ovens and other appliances by Miele, Sub-Zero and Gaggenau. A private roof deck sits above the home’s attached three-car garage, while a second rooftop space connects to the home office. The primary bedroom suite has a walk-in closet and a bathroom with dual vanities and a steam shower. A spacious home theater, a wet bar and radiant-heated floors complete the home.
Agents: Michael Battista and Maria Casciaro of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, 312-399-3412
Founded in fall of 2017 by Mandene Muhammad, Legacy Men’s Boutique exists to provide high end men’s clothing and accessories at affordable prices. Previously nestled in the heart of Bronzeville Chicago on King Drive, Mandene and staff are proud to serve the community and provide an inviting atmosphere which caters to the urban and sophisticated man who is building a legacy of style. On Saturday, October 3rd (11am-7pm), the Legacy Men’s Boutique will launch a new chapter in a new location at 107 E. 47th Street next to the Abundance Bakery. The new location will be bigger and even better.
About Mandene Muhammad
As a dedicated follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Mandene said like a lot of people he understands the importance of giving back. His mother died at a young age and his aunt did not hesitate to adopt him and his brother. He remembers that finances in the household were tight and his aunt struggled to collect nice clothes for them. As an adult, Mandene took to collecting clothes so he could help kids in need of every day school clothes and special occasion outfits for graduation, prom, etc. Mandene had collected so many clothes that his closets were overflowing, but he had not yet gotten to the important step of distributing the clothes back into the community. It was good news that people were so generous with their donations. But bad news because Mandene was running out of space.
For many years Mandene worked in the background with Brother Munir Muhammad running the Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad (C.R.O.E.) and the popular Munir Muhammad TV show on cable access. He was comfortable in the background and it wasn’t until he decided to open his own business that he realized all the entrepreneurial lessons he had gained from having Brother Munir as a mentor. Brother Munir often spoke about how he always had multiple streams of income. Munir sold insurance and he sold men’s and women’s suits out of the truck of his car. Munir said in business it’s important to have flexibility and low overhead. By selling out of the trunk of his car, he could sell when he wanted to or needed money and he didn’t have the expense of a brick and mortar store.
In 2017, with overflowing closets of donated clothes, Mandene decided it was his time to give back to the community. He wanted to cater to men, boys, and parents of young men who want to invest in style without breaking the bank.
Quality Clothes At Thrift Shop Prices
Legacy offers a wide selection of clothes (many major brands) and a full line of accessories for men. Staff members are always happy to assist and can answer any questions you may have. There is something for EVERY man in your life. For people who don’t like previously owned or gently used clothes, there are new items in stock. At Legacy, you don’t have to break the bank to look good. Shop Strong, Recycle Black Dollars, Look Fly, and still have money in your pockets.
Clothing
Whether you’re on your way to an interview or a night out on the town, Legacy has classic pieces to help make your experience legendary…Everything from unique suits to jeans.
Accessories
Its always a great idea to finish the look with pieces that adds a little extra to the top. Legacy has everything from exquisite neck ties to sunglasses.
Shoes
You can always tell where a man is going by looking at his shoes. Legacy offers a wide array of shoes for him…Everything from dress to casual.
“Our Legacy Lives Long.”
In 2017, Mandene knew it was time to get the overflowing clothing donations out of his house and into the hands of young boys and men in the community. He often ordered food at the now closed Jerk Shack across from National Black Wall Street Chicago at 47th and King Drive. When he was waiting for them to prepare his order, he’d walk around the building. One day inspiration hit and he knew it was time to come out from Brother Munir’s shadow and build his own legacy. He rented space in the EastLake building on 47th and the business took off. Personally, 2019 was a rough year with the passing Brother Munir, two uncles, and one cousin he was very close to was murdered in a tragic shooting. And 2020 has been…well 2020. But Mandene has built his legacy. He’s prepared to weather the storms to fulfill his purpose to give back to the community by providing quality men’s clothing at thrift store prices. He feels blessed that in this hectic year, he was able to move to a larger location that grants him visibility to street traffic. Please join Mandene and his staff on Saturday, October 3rd for the Grand Opening at the NEW LOCATION…107 E. 47th Street from 11am-7pm.
Reviews from Facebook:
*Great service! I brought my son in to purchase some items for graduation photos. I was able to afford shirt, tie, sweater, pants, belt, shoes and even cuff links! The salesman was able to coordinate his entire outfit effortlessly and even showed my son how to properly tie his necktie ! � I met the owner while I was there. So impressed and I will be back!
*Beautiful place, atmosphere and clothing. Highly recommended!!!
*Stopped in today to pick up a few things for my husband and son. I hit a home run with the amazing pieces I was able to find. Both my husband and son we’re pleased with the shirts, jacket and watch. They had a great selection of quality items at an affordable price. The service and atmosphere was phenomenal as well. I encourage you to check it out and support. We need more of this in our community. It certainly an inspiring experience.
*Great service and the prices are just right!! Their shoe selection is outstanding!!
*Great place to find blazers; greater place to give in donating for others to have!
*Fantastic atmosphere and clothing tailored towards men, that a thoughtfully chic fashionista can wear too.
*Quality and elegance personified– to look elegant, classy & swanky, you don’t need to break your bank & you wont at Legacy Men’s Boutique
*OUTSTANDING SERVICE…OUTSTANDING PRICES
One of the best kept secrets on the South side of Chicago. Black owned with great selection. Please check it out.
SHOP IN CONFIDENCE:
Great Selections, Amazing Prices, Friendly Service
Legacy Men’s Boutique is a high end men’s clothing boutique with thrift store prices. We specialize in styling the man who is building a legacy!
107 E. King Drive (NEW Location)
Chicago, IL 60615
Phone: (872) 228-1871
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Sat, 11am – 7pm
Sundays by appointment
(872) 228-1871
If you want new Red Cup Adventures blogs delivered hot, fresh, and directly to your email box, type your email address below and click the “create subscription” button to sign-up for my blog alerts. The list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Thanks! And Please…LIKE, SHARE & COMMENT!
Welcome to the “Red Cup Adventures”…the official blog of Single Girl Summer. Why the Red Cup Adventures? Because THE red cup is the universal symbol of fun, ambassador of good times, and the perfect decorative holder for my Single Girl Summer sangria. No party is complete without a red cup. I’ve got my drink and my two step. But ultimately my goal is to party with a purpose. We are building Black wealth, community, and commerce. Come for the Fun…Stay for the Nation Building. NOW SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG BELOW. Let’s organize around Black Joy, Progressing the Race, and Giving a middle finger to racism. I can have fun alone, but I prefer to dance in the rain and fellowship with my People. I’m the QUEEN of Black Chicago vibrating the highest frequency from the Village of Washington Park. Together We Can Achieve Your Wildest Dream! #LetsGo #FollowTheRedCup #SingleGirlSummer #VotedMostCreative #PrairieLaneOrganizes #ChicagoRenaissanve CashApp $PrairieLane
Chicago Bears quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles react to the Chicago Bears’ in-game quarterback change during the team’s Week 3 win against the Atlanta Falcons.
As a graduate student at Michigan State University, my friends and I would sometimes drive over to Detroit, and across the international border to Windsor, Ontario, Canada. We would go their to hit the casinos and buy Cuban cigars as this was long before gambling became further legalized in America and the Cuban trade embargo was lifted.
The Detroit-Windsor tunnel, adjacent to the motor city’s most iconic building, the Renaissance Center, is one of only two ways to enter Canada from the United States by heading south. The Ambassador Bridge, just a couple blocks southwest, is the other way to cross the Canadian border in this fashion. Neither will be an option for Michiganders, any time soon, as the border is closed due to coronavirus concerns.
Want to buy Canuck goods and services? You’re going to have to do it on the internet. If you are an American and you want to gamble in the country that borders us to the north, you’ll have to go to online casino Canada. The border will remain closed until Oct 21, and the latest public opinion polling in Canada conveys that most of the country wants access to remain cut off until the end of the year.
While this is really sad, for someone who used to live in a border state like myself, I totally understand it, given that two out of every three Canadian citizens live within about 60 miles of the American border. COVID sets the tone on anything and everything right now, and that applies to all forms of brick and mortar commerce. We were already heading towards a much more digital world before the pandemic, and now it’s all getting rapidly accelerated. Back in my MSU days, CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, came standard on the cable package in my apartment. Labatt and Molson were just as easy to find in East Lansing, MI as Miller and Budweiser.
Canada felt like the 51st state (or “America Junior” as Homer Simpson famously put it), and we felt like we were in living in the province of Ontario west. The Detroit-Windsor area, and going back forth across the Detroit River, was something that many of us Michigan State students associated with leisure, but you can’t have as leisure until you get your own house in order. Sports is a classic example. As Washington Nationals relief pitcher Sean Doolittle put it, as baseball was starting to come back: “sports is a reward for having a functioning society.”
America is more dysfunctional now that at any time since the 1960s, and perhaps since the Civil War, and Canadian authorities sees that. A New York Times story ‘I Feel Sorry for Americans’: A Baffled World Watches the U.S. contains this quote: “Personally, it’s like watching the decline of the Roman Empire said Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, Ontario.
His city is just across the St. Clair River from Port Huron, MI, just a little bit northeast of Detroit. It’s sad how it’s come to this, where Canada is deservedly looking down on us, but nothing in change until we can heal our own divisions. And that won’t happen until we have leadership that’s interested in doing that.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and ChicagoNow.
He’s been a featured guest in dozens of media outlets including The History Channel. His work has been cited in hundreds of publications including the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
A timely play Focusing on the women who served in the role of First Lady
The Fall 2020 teatre season will look a little different this year. But there’s still a lot to be excited about. The Chicago Theatre community–that is second to none–has put together a creative line-up of programing from outdoor performances and drive-ups to virtual and audio performances.
HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS (with more in the works)
“As Chicagoans gather on the park greens or around their computers, we celebrate the resiliency of Chicago theatre and the resolve of the industry to continue the work using new media and new ways of working. Theatre is an important part of all of our lives and theatres are striving to make sure we can all stay connected,” comments League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Deb Clapp.
OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES
Music Theater Works will perform Richard Rodgers’ Greatest Hits in the parking lot of the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts live in Skokie on September 29. The performance will be available online from October 2-11.
E. Faye Butler (Fannie Lou Hamer) in Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez (September 17 – October 3) GoodmanTheatre.org/SpeakOnIt
Goodman Theatre in collaboration with the Chicago Park District brings Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak on It! to parks across Chicago, playing now through October 3. The production featuring E. Faye Butler, directed by Henry Godinez, is inspired by the life of famed civil and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer—and uses storytelling and music to remind us there’s courage in the face of fire, hope in tomorrow and that we all have a stake in our country.
Oil Lamp Theater presents ICONIC: A Broadway Hits Cabaretin Glenview in a parking lot adjacent to the theatre on September 25 and 27.
Theater Wit offers the Park n’ Play Cabaret, a traveling cabaret act performed on the back of a customized 26′ flatbed truck. A live accompanist and Chicago stage performers will perform a private, socially distanced 35-40 minute Broadway cabaret at a host’s location.
VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES
The Second City’s Happy Hour is a live weekly show with a hilarious cocktail of interactive games, special guests, music, sketch comedy and suggestion-driven improv, now through November 5.
The Neo-Futurists performs 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies, a companion piece to the past Neo-Futurist production 43 Plays for 43 Presidents The play follows an identical format as its predecessor, with a chronological series of 1-5 minute plays that – in typical Neo style – adopt a variety of shapes, tones, and theatrical conventions. October 8 – November 2
Congo Square Theatre’s Hit ‘Em on the Blackside is a new, online sketch comedy series with Congo Square’s award-winning African American acting ensemble on the company’s Instagram and Facebook pages. October 9 – December 18
International Voices Projectpresents a virtual staged reading festival of international playwrights, including 2 readings in collaboration with Silk Road Rising on October 14 and 21.
Theatre in the Dark presents an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ A War of the Worlds performed live on Zoom, October 15 – November 15.
Strawdog Theatre offers a dark fairytale about one man’s obsession in Run the Beast Down. Filmed as a series of single shots, this production runs October 2-25.
Collaboraction’s Peacebook 2020 is a free program of Chicago artists/activists premiering short new works about peace in Chicago, on Zoom October 17 – November 14.
Broadway by the Decade
Porchlight Music Theatre’s Broadway by the Decade is a tour of Broadway musical history from the late 1800s to present day with performances by Chicago musical theatre performers, September 25 – October 25.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCES
Families can experience Chicago Children’s Theatre’s Beatrix Potter and Friends, an outdoor drive-in movie theatre and puppet show experience. The made-for-film puppet performances will be projected on a giant screen in the theatre’s parking lot, October 1-18.
PlayMakers Laboratory is producing its signature revue online. That’s Weird, Grandma: House Par-Tay, written by elementary school students and performed by professional actors, plays through October 5.
Northwestern University theater students, faculty and alumni will share 15-minute stories for young audience through its online weekly ImagineU Storytime program from The Wirtz Center.
AUDIO PLAYS
16th Street Theater’s Rastus and Hattie is an audio play by Lisa Langford, adapted and directed by Lanise Antoine Shelley with illustrations by Roy Thomas. The provocative comedy runs now through October 24.
Northlight Theatre is one of a select group of nonprofit arts organizations across the nation participating in a free livestream theatrical event, an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’ novel It Can’t Happen Here. The radio play, produced by Berkeley Rep and featuring David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), will broadcast live via YouTube on October 13.
MORE
For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres websites, ChicagoPlays.com and HotTix.org.
Subscribe to Show Me Chicago by email
If you would like to keep in touch with what’s happening in Chicago, like us on Facebook or subscribe to Show Me Chicago by email. To subscribe, type your email address in the box below and click the “create subscription” button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
