Latest news with #CircusQuixote
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Afternoon Briefing: Cook County prosecutors seek to unionize
Good afternoon, Chicago. In the first major union drive to reach the office in decades, a group of assistant state's attorneys have asked the office to voluntarily recognize a bargaining unit that would represent hundreds of government lawyers working for the country's second largest prosecutor's office. A majority of Cook County assistant state's attorneys in the proposed bargaining unit have signed union authorization cards with Teamsters Local 700, according to a letter sent to State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke. Representatives declined to say what percentage of attorneys signed cards. The prosecutors are motivated by a desire to improve wages and working conditions in a notoriously grueling job, union representatives said. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Dalilah's death a homicide. This morning, Chicago police said a 14-year-old boy was charged with manslaughter in her death. Read more here. More top news stories: DuPage County Board votes to strip US Rep. Henry Hyde's name from courthouse Chicago says it hopes to open city-owned market instead of city-owned grocery store Air traffic control facilities at the city's two airports, plus two other regional centers, failed to meet a working group's target staffing levels as of September 2023, according to the most recent published numbers. Read more here. More top business stories: Key things to know about how Tesla could benefit from Elon Musk's assault on government Naperville 5-bedroom home with dual cherrywood staircases: $2M As the Stars begin a new era of club history, the team is continuing to pursue the possibility of practicing in their own facilities — and playing games in Chicago. Read more here. More top sports stories: The big question going into NBA All-Star weekend: Will the new format work? There is some skepticism. Soccer star Sam Kerr found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment Buttermilk wants to sell specially-branded bourbon at its Naperville restaurant but needs city approval for a variance and a code amendment before it can proceed. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: Sheryl Crow will play the Illinois State Fair this summer Review: In Lookingglass Theatre's 'Circus Quixote,' the magical parts don't always make a whole Pope Francis issued a major rebuke to the Trump administration's mass deportation of migrants, warning that the program to forcefully deport people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and 'will end badly.' Read more here. More top stories from around the world: Netanyahu threatens to resume fighting in Gaza if hostages aren't released Saturday Google Maps now shows Gulf of America for US users
Chicago Tribune
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: In Lookingglass Theatre's ‘Circus Quixote,' the magical parts don't always make a whole
With a beautiful — truly splendiferous — new lobby at the Water Tower Water Works, Lookingglass Theatre has come back to life with a rich, circus-infused show designed to remind everyone of its crucial historical role in the Chicago theater aesthetic. Huzzah for that. I've long thought the history of Chicago theater rests on a three-legged stool: The improv tradition of Second City, the in-your-face acting made famous by Steppenwolf Theatre, and the decades of innovative work by Lookingglass, as incubated at Northwestern University, that made Chicago a center for turning non-dramatic works of all kinds (novels, poems, notebooks) into fresh, beautiful, physical shows. The new production, 'Circus Quixote,' a new adaptation by David and Kerry Catlin of Miguel de Cervantes' 'Don Quijote of La Mancha,' is very much in that wheelhouse, given this 17th century work's foundational role when it comes to the development of the novel, especially in Spain. Characters such as Aldonza/Dulcinea (Laura Murillo Hart), Sancho Panza (Eduardo Martinez) and Don Q himself (Michel Rodríguez Cintra) all are familiar to fans of the musical 'The Man of La Mancha,' but this is a Lookingglass show so nobody is about to start warbling 'The Impossible Dream.' We're dealing with the source here, in all of its quixotic glory. It would be more poetic, for sure, to declare this comeback show a great triumph, but the truth is that 'Circus Quixote' has its issues, although in my book that does not make its appearance any less welcome. Lookingglass' Achilles heel over the years has been to get lost in details instead of focusing on what really matters in and around the theater. I would not say that tendency is vanquished here. If you looking at the piece on a moment-by-moment basis, it's quite delightful, given the oodles of creativity evidenced in Courtney O'Neill's fabulously inventive design (a great wall of books, among other things), the spectacular and witty puppets from Grace Needlman (part of the reason why Act 2 is much stronger than Act 1), the circus experiences devised by the great Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi (unevenly present, but welcome every time) and the general joie de vivre and love of adventure that the director David Catlin long has brought to his work with this company. There are some wonderful individual pieces of staging, so clever that I started to realize just how much I have missed what this theater company can do. But a show based around a quest needs an empathetic, charismatic lead to show the audience the way and define the desired takeaway. And despite charm and talent, Cintra does not command the center of the experience, or at least he did not at the Friday performance I saw. Frankly, I'm not convinced the adaptation helps him enough in that quest. There are a pair of competing narrators in the piece, including Cervantes (Martinez), and that little battle over who has the right to tell whose story, while interesting and very Lookingglass, often pulls focus from our dreamy main man here. ('The Man of La Mancha' actually contained some lessons there.) On that same theme, for a show that is so sophisticated in its vision of storytelling, it demurs when it comes to really looking audiences in the eye and telling them what they are watching, and why. There's a lot of air in the piece. There's also some tonal inconsistency. At times, it feels like we are watching a Spanish 'Spamalot,' at others, more of a cirque-like dreamscape, at still others, a philosophy seminar. Such eclecticism is baked into the novel, granted, and also in the circus itself. But there's still a fine line between tonally eclectic and tonally inconsistent and this show needs a firmer focus on the former. This is Cervantes, y'all. A contemporary audience needs some help. What's at stake in individual moments is perfectly clear. The stage drips with talent (both Andrea San Miguel and Ayana Strutz are especially strong) and myriad forms of invention. But what are we to feel? There's the rub. Are we celebrating hope and endurance for its own sake or witnessing the cautionary tale of a cockeyed optimist? It could be all of the above by all means, but the show hasn't yet linked its individual scenes to a fully clear position. I still found the piece admirable (those theatrical moments are that skilled and sweet). The big issue here, given the richness of the material, strikes me as eminently fixable. By the time you go — and this company deserves support in its comeback — perhaps fixed it will have been. The lodestar is perfectly reachable. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@ Review: 'Circus Quixote' (3 stars) When: Through March 30 Where: Lookingglass Theatre in the Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
CBS News
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre celebrates renovated space, return to stage
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's famous Lookingglass Theatre on Monday celebrated its new design and path forward. The Tony Award-winning theatre company held a ribbon cutting Monday for its newly-renovated lobby, bar, and café at the Water Tower Waterworks, at 163 E. Pearson St. Lookingglass cofounder David Schwimmer, whose involvement with the theatre predates his role as Ross Geller on "Friends" by six years, was at the venue to share the announcement Monday. Schwimmer revealed the revamped lobby in the nearly 155-year-old Chicago Avenue Pumping Station complex as the theatre prepares to return to the stage after the COVID-19 pandemic and a long hiatus. "Lookingglass was forced to close our doors, pause operations for 19 months, and let the majority of our staff go. It was devastating," Schwimmer said. "But this is Chicago — the City of Big Shoulders — and its strength, resilience, and work ethic inspires us. We decided to regroup, rebuild, and today, reopen." Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was also present for the ribbon-cutting. "The best way out of division and chaos may be by bringing people together to share experiences and find common bonds in the imagination of gifted playwrights and across actors, and so many others that bring Lookingglass to life," Pritzker said. The Lookingglass is also renaming its theatre space the Joan & Paul Theatre in honor of longtime supporters Joan and Paul Rubschlager — whose name also graces the Rush University Medical Center building that houses the Rush MD Anderson Cancer Center. The first show in the revamped space is "Circus Quixote," based on the early-17th-century Miguel de Cervantes novel "Don Quixote." As described by the theatre, the production goes "tiltingly, acrobatically into the dreamy madness of Don Quixote and his impossible folly-filled quest to bring good-deed doing back into the world — whether the world wants it or not!" "Circus Quixote" debuts on Thursday. The Lookingglass was founded in 1988 by Schwimmer and seven other Northwestern University students. Its space in the old pumping station first opened in 2003. The Chicago Avenue Pumping Station is located opposite Michigan Avenue from the famous Chicago Water Tower. It was completed in 1869, according to published reports, and it survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 along with the Water Tower itself. Before the Lookingglass, the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station was home to the"Here's Chicago!" exhibition — which featured a 13-minute film showcasing the city that ran several times a day in the space from 1983 until 1996. Part of the pumping station remains in use for its original purpose as a water utility, pumping 250,000 gallons of water to the city's North Side each day.
Chicago Tribune
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
David Schwimmer says he is ‘doubling down' on Lookingglass Theatre
On Thursday, after an existential crisis and a hiatus of close to two years, Chicago's famous Lookingglass Theatre Company officially returns to public performances in its Michigan Avenue theater in the city-owned Water Tower Pumping Station. Aptly for a company known for its physically oriented performances, the new production is 'Circus Quixote,' as devised and developed by longtime ensemble member David Catlin and his wife, Kerry Catlin, with a circus-based assist from Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. Prior to that, on Monday morning, Lookingglass also cuts the ribbon on a new lobby, cafe and bar space, funded by a grant from the State of Illinois and with an entrance at 163 E. Pearson St. Founded in 1988 by former classmates at Northwestern University, Lookingglass has many illustrious long-time ensemble members, including Joy Gregory, Laura Eason, Mary Zimmerman and J. Nicole Brooks, many of whom now work mostly in film and TV. But the most famous of all is David Schwimmer, who shot to global fame with 'Friends,' one of the most popular TV sitcoms of all time. Schwimmer is expected Monday at the ribbon cutting and spoke to us from his home in New York. The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Q: You grew up in Los Angeles. How is your family doing? A: Everyone is OK but going through a lot. We know so many people who have had to evacuate their homes. Q: It's been a while since you were back in Chicago and also a while since Lookingglass performed. A: It has. But I am really glad to come back. I am hoping the return of our company will be as exciting to the city as it is to me. Listen, I think what transpired over the last four years with the pandemic and our having to shut our doors and lay off some 70% of our staff was just incredibly difficult for us. First, we weren't able to produce, then we came back with an original show only for us to have to close it up again. And the Magnificent Mile has had difficulties too, as have so many other theaters and arts groups. Q: I, like many, was worried Lookingglass was gone for good. A: I'm not going to lie. Over the last few years, there has been significant burnout and things became a bit demoralizing, especially when it comes to finding new sources of contributed income at a time when people are not giving much to the arts. There were times when we all asked each other whether we should just fold up shop, be glad for the 30-plus years we've been doing this, all the work we'd done and all the jobs we'd created. Or do we dig in, put on our big-boy pants and ask, can we figure out a new way forward in this climate while still sticking to our mission of original work? I thought we just do it, try for a return and give it everything we've got. Q: You are a very famous and a very busy person beyond Lookingglass and Chicago. So what does this comeback mean for you? A: I decided I'm going to lean in and double down on Lookingglass. I've joined our board of directors for the first time. I am donating myself, of course, but I am also trying to meet new people in Chicago and get more investment in us from the business community. We want to revitalize this whole corridor on Michigan Avenue and make Lookingglass a fun destination for parties, speakers, classes, even stand-up comedy. This has to be a vibrant space, even when we don't have a show running, and that is our goal now. We're talking to Hubbard Street Dance, Broadway in Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art. We want to transform our space into a shared arts hub and also work ourselves in other, bigger spaces. That is the dialogue we have been having. Q: Admirably ambitious. A: We have to start slow and ramp up over the next three to five years as we figure out our new producing model. We have some incredibly new shows in the pipeline but one show I'd love us to bring back is Mary Zimmerman's 'The Odyssey,' a wonderful story about returning home. But that's a big show and we cannot do that in our space and hope to break even, so we need to find new producing partners. Q: The ensemble has changed some over the years. A: Yes. Some have wanted to pull back. But we want our return to be all about the new guard and the best of the old guard. We have new leadership and they are fantastic and we really hope we can get people to come back downtown. That's the key. Q: Are you going to direct or act in a show? A: I definitely am. I can't wait to get back on the stage at Lookingglass, where I have not performed since I did 'Our Town' (in 2009). We might fall flat on our faces but we really need the whole community to help us rise to this challenge. We need the governor, the mayor, this whole neighborhood, too. Q: I know there long has been a struggle to get signage on Michigan Avenue, where so many people once walked by. A: We have to get that foot traffic back to where it once was. And we need the city's help in letting people know there is a theater here.
