Sunday, 9 October 2011

Day 83 - Clybourne

I had planned to sit down somewhere today and rest, but Lauren invited me to a play with her and her family. Lauren's parents picked us up around 2:00 and we drove to Steppenwolfe Theater in Lincoln Park. The play is called Clyborn and it has been compared to "A Raisin in the Sun" with its themes of racism and housing. Lauren's sister and her boyfriend also met us at the theater. I found out that today is Mrs. Richardson's birthday and the tickets were a gift. The show was very thought provoking. The first half is set in the 1950's when housing is having a hard time getting integrated, and modern times where a new couple is trying to tear down a house and build a new one, unknown to them, erasing the history of the neighborhood. There are moments when I wanted to close my eyes, partly because I was tired and partly because the tension on stage was a little too much for me.

After the show, I walked with Lauren to CB2, Crate and Barrel, and Bed, Bath and Beyond, she was looking for a stainless steel mixing bowl. Then we linked up with the others at J. Alexander for a birthday dinner. I had fish tacos and shared chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Although I spent more than I wanted to, I understood how it might have been awkward for Lauren to hang out with her family by herself. Kristin and Tahir were all coupled up, whispering to one another. Lauren's mom and dad argue often and are just reaching out for supporters of their respective positions. Then there is Lauren, that might have an impact over time. Another element of the dinner conversation that irritated me was their emphasis on superficial things. Lauren's mom whispers across the table to me, "have you found another job yet?" I told her about JPC, but in hindsight, why does it matter? While Lauren and I were walking to the stores, she asked if I had tried a Brazilian Blow-Out for my hair. It is supposed to be a new way to straightened hair, no I like my big frizzy curls!

I tried to follow their conversations and stay engaged, but by my second taco, I had to tune them out..the sarcasm and bickering, was exhausting after awhile. The kicker is that, I assumed her dad was going to pay for the meal, so I ordered very lightly. When the bill came, they spilt it among everyone, so there I am paying a percentage of the automatic gratuity and the cocktails that everyone else was enjoying. I promise I'm not cheap but I hate having to pay for something that I didn't enjoy. Tomorrow is a new day, and I don't hold grudges but I will definitely be more cautious about throwing my lot in with those folks.

Day 82 - Marvin's Room

After work today, I had plans to meet Marvin at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater to check out The Follies. He is the box office manager and was able to comp a ticket for me. I had to take two buses and a train to get to the theater which is located on Navy Pier. The second bus was extremely crowded and extraordinarily late. At every stop, I had to get off of the bus let someone, most likely with a double decker stroller off of the bus. The door opened on my butt more than once. I had never seen Navy Pier lit up and crowded as it was tonight,  I made it to the theater, just in time to get my ticket and be seated just before the curtain rose.

Steven Sondheim's Follies is the story of vaudeville performers from the 40's who get together in 1971 for a reunion, just before the theater is shut down. It was really cool the way that it was designed to show the older and younger versions of the characters, often on stage at the same time. The first half is very dramatic, but the second half has that super quirky, musical, comedic vaudeville style to it. The music was great and I really enjoyed the dance numbers. The character of Phyllis was after my own heart, her rival Sally was a twit. During intermission, I watched fireworks from the theaters' windows. After the show, I met up with Marvin on the fourth floor of the theater. He walked me out to the balcony, off of the administrative offices of the theater. The view was breathtaking. Marvin pointed out the significant buildings and explained that on a clear day, you can see all the way to Indiana. After that, he gave me an informal tour of backstage. All of the actors were gone, but I saw the costume department and where they kept all of the props.

Since we were at Navy Pier looking for something to do, we decided to check out the IMAX theater. Although it wasn't my idea, I was complicit in taking us to watch Real Steel with Hugh Jackman. I understand that the movie is ridiculous and should have went straight to video. In the interest of not being a Debbie Downer, I took it for what it was and rode out the highs and lows. When the robot with the heart of gold defeats the battery operated behemoth, I clapped and cheered. After the movie, we walked around the Botanical Garden at Navy Pier. I told Marvin that I wanted some greasy late night takeout, but he decides to take me to Cafe Tiempo instead. It is a 24 hour cash only restaurant in the Gold Coast neighborhood. I had an omelet and we shared some interesting conversation. It was probably about 3:00 AM when we left the restaurant.

From there, we went back to his place for a tour and jam session. We listened to his box set of doo wop classics, Gil Scott Heron and some group called Reindeer Station. He drove me home just as the sun was coming up, and I went straight to bed. I think that Marvin is a great person to know in this city and his work ethic really inspires me.