What I Write

My newest exciting endeavor is writing for The Real Chicago magazine. The Real Chicago is an entertainment magazine with a local focus that strives to get people out and about appreciating all this city has to offer. We offer previews, reviews and the inside scoop on everything from theater to dining to fitness.

The Real Chicago is printed four times per year and distributed to local businesses. The print content is also available on the website, along with more extensive and timely content. Here are a few of the pieces I have written for The Real Chicago.


Rudy’s Roundup General Store
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the person who has everything, this store is your solution with its wide array of unique and vintage items for sale. Do you need a cologne bottle shaped like a hammer? A holiday ornament carefully crafted to look like a banana split? Or perhaps a Cry-Baby t-shirt? This modern-day general store is for you.
You can find sassy gag gifts, hand-crafted jewelry, retro postcards and packs of classic trading cards complete with gum — that’s right, the actual gum itself has been aged to perfection for your strange pleasure. Rudy’s Roundup also offers a small selection of vintage clothing, hats and shoes. And don’t forget the card — there’s an expansive selection of independent greeting cards ranging from old-fashioned classic to pop culture sarcastic.
Rudy’s Roundup General Store is located at 1410 N. Milwaukee in Wicker Park. www.RudysRoundup.com

— Corey O’Day

The Boring Store
1331 N. Milwaukee in Wicker Park
www.BoringStore.com
This place is anything but a snooze. The Boring Store has every manner of secret agent gear a young spy could require. Here you’ll find invisible ink pens, secret hiding chambers shaped like shaving cream and soda cans, and my personal favorite — rear-view sunglasses. I think I’ll be gifting them as walking-home-by-yourself glasses for my street-wise Chicago girlfriends.
All proceeds from Boring Store sales go to benefit their not-so-secret mission: 826CHI, a non-profit organization that offers writing and tutoring programs free of charge for Chicago students ages 6-18.
“I like that the store is interactive,” says assistant store manager Anna Gross. “I think it does a great job of informing the public about the non-profit in an interesting and low-pressure way.”
The Boring Store sells just about every Dave Eggers book ever written, as well as quirky books like The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket. It also has a wide selection of literary journals including McSweeny’s, N/A Literary Magazine and chapbooks full of student work from 826CHI. This is a great place to find a smart and quirky gift for your eccentric someone (adults and kids alike), all while making a difference in your community.

— Corey O’Day

 

First Look: “Side Effects May Include…” at the Greenhouse Theater

One-man show from Seinfeld writer seamlessly blends witty dialogue, humor and raw emotion
By Corey O’Day
Playing at: The Greenhouse Theater Center (Upstairs Studio), 2257 N Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Park. www.GreenhouseTheater.org
 
When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. through February 10.
History: This one-man show was created by former Seinfeld writer, Marc Jaffe, and Emmy-nominated playwright, Eric Coble. The story is based on Jaffe’s personal experience surrounding his wife’s battle with Parkinson’s Disease. A portion of the proceeds from this show will be donated to Marc and Karen Jaffe’s organization, “Shaking With Laughter.”
Basic storyline: The main character, Phil Rosen, is a stand-up comedian whose wife has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The show explores the way they are dealing with issues like sex, prescription drugs, career, secrecy, and their 13-year-old daughter in the wake of this difficult diagnosis. We watch Phil attempt to cherish the good and brace for the worst all while trying to be professionally hilarious.
What to expect: A small, intimate theater and one man on stage for just under two hours. However, the engaging Andrew J. Pond helps you forget that he is the only character the audience ever sees. He moves smoothly between moments of reenactment, sections of exposition and bits of stand-up comedy. His use of the stage as well as his animation and physicality ensure that the performance is never boring.
What stood out: The personal, comfortable feeling of this performance. With a small venue and a singular cast member, Side Effects May Include… often felt like a conversation with a friend. Sometimes Pond would interact with the audience in true stand-up comedian style, getting folks involved in the jokes and ad-libbing with their responses.
Final thoughts: Though writer Marc Jaffe admits in the playbill that, “basically, Side Effects is just me getting stuff off my chest,” the show never feels self-indulgent. The issues and emotions in this story — love, sex, family, honesty, stress — are relatable and timeless. Combine that with witty dialogue and engaging acting, and everyone can find something to appreciate about this show.

Cathy Rigby returns to the stage in the enchanting “Peter Pan”

More than a decade since her award-winning run on Broadway, Rigby is back in this magical production for all ages

By Corey O’Day
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theater, 151 W Randolph
www.BroadwayinChicago.com

When: Every day except Monday, through February 10.

History: This production of Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of the novel, Peter and Wendy and the 1904 play, Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie. It debuted on Broadway in 1954. Cathy Rigby played Peter Pan in the same adaptation from 1990-1999. During this time, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, and the production itself earned a nomination for Best Revival of a Musical. Rigby, an Olympic gymnast turned actress, is back to wow audiences with her acrobatics at the age of 60.

Basic Storyline: Peter Pan is the boy who won’t grow up, living in a magical land where time stands still. He and his fairy sidekick meet the three children of the Darling family: Wendy, John, and Michael. They fly off — second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning — to Neverland. Here, they have many daring adventures, including various battles with the unconscionable Captain Hook and his pirate crew.

What to Expect: A fast-paced, family-friendly evening that will encourage a spirit of youthful adventure. Rigby tumbles about on stage with boyish restlessness and curiosity. And the reactions of the audience display an age-old love for this character. They cheer for Peter Pan’s entrance, clap to revive an ailing Tinkerbell and boo the villainous Captain Hook. The Lost Boys and pirates bumble about with slapstick antics and so much tableau vivant that it seems like you are watching a flipbook.

What Stood Out: The agility of Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan, the commanding presence of Brent Barrett as Captain Hook, and the enchanting Jenna Wright as Tiger Lily. Rigby was bounding about, bursting with fairy dust. At times she was moving with such fervor that it seemed like she was being thrown from one side of the stage to the other. And Barrett was a worthy opponent as Captain Hook with his booming voice and animated stage presence. Tiger Lily and her Indian friends have undergone a few alterations to attempt political correctness in a dated script. The result is an alluring and mystical energy that follows Wright through to the finish.

Final Thoughts: This imaginative production full of exaggerated caricatures will delight audience members of all ages. Patrons can’t help but feel a renewed vitality as Peter Pan declares: “I am youth! I am joy! I am freedom!”