MOVIE CRITIC: MICHAEL WILMINGTON
FILM NOIR IN GRANT PARK
Remember movies under the stars and the old outdoor theaters? Beginning July 15, the City of Chicago again will offer what is, in many ways, an improvement: its 4th Annual Outdoor Film Festival. Every Tuesday night through Aug. 26, the city will show a classic feature in spacious Butler Field, Grant Park, on a huge screen, with a primo sound system. Admission is reasonable (free), picnic meals and folding chairs are available at the Park Grill (for a price) and each program features comedy shorts by Charlie Chaplin or The Three Stooges and work by current Chicago filmmakers. Movies begin at sunset: approximately 8:30 p.m. (Please, no pets.)
July 15: It Happened One Night
(Frank Capra, 1934) Screwball classic with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
More Top Picks Best Usb Flash Drive
July 22: A Night at the Opera
(Sam Wood, 1935). Marx Brothers mayhem: their most famous picture.
July 29: On the Town
(Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, 1948). Kelly’s favorite: Frank Sinatra joins him for a New York sailors’ spree.
August 5: In the Heat of the Night
(Norman Jewison, 1967). Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger in the Oscar-winning Deep South detective drama.
August 12: Only Angels Have Wings
(Howard Hawks, 1939). Classic aviation drama-romance with Cary Grant and Jean Arthur.
August 19: Pillow Talk
(Michael Gordon, 1959). The quintessential Rock Hudson-Doris Day risque comedy lite.
August 26: Rear Window
(Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) Hitch’s great voyeurism thriller, with James Stewart and Grace Kelly.
For more information, call the Mayor’s Office of Special Events at 312-744-3315 or visit the Web at cityofchicago.org/ specialevents.
ARTS CRITIC: HOWARD REICH
SHALL WE DANCE?
When it comes to intimate, enchanting settings for late-night jazz and related genres, the annual SummerDance series in Grant Park has few rivals. With the city’s glittering skyline as backdrop and an ever-changing roster of ensembles taking the stage, SummerDance invites visitors to sit back and listen or get up and dance, as the sun gives way to the stars. Unlike the raucous, mass-entertainment events that overrun Grant Park all summer, SummerDance caters to smaller crowds, with first-rate visiting and local players performing in a setting where their art can be heard and savored. The opening week sums up the stylistic range of the offerings, with Fanfare Ciocarlia, a Romanian gypsy brass band, on June 19; the Sam Burckhardt Nonet, June 20; 911 Mambo Orchestra, June 21; and the Teddy Lee Orchestra, June 22. The sessions run Thursdays through Sundays, from June 19 through Aug. 31, with dance lessons from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays; performances from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. Grant Park, 601 S. Michigan Ave., between Harrison Street and Balbo Drive; free; phone 312-742-4007.
RESTAURANT CRITIC: PHIL VETTEL
MOONLIGHT DINING
My favorite outdoor dining spots combine good food with a commitment to comfort. A few umbrella tables with molded-plastic chairs won’t cut it. I gravitate toward the serene urban backyard at Thyme, the Frenched-up flower boxes at Bistrot Margot, the mini-conservatory at Mon Ami Gabi, the second-floor porch at Le Colonial and the secluded courtyard at Dinotto Ristorante.
In the suburbs, dining under the tent at La Bella Winnetka is like crashing someone’s wedding (on some nights you actually might be crashing someone’s wedding). I love the deck overlooking the Fox River at Eric & Me in St. Charles. The awning-covered outdoor tables at Emilio’s Tapas in Hillside mostly overlook the relentless traffic of Roosevelt Road, but the food is so good I don’t mind. The patio at Bistro Banlieue in Lombard is a good bet anytime in the summer, but nobody puts on a better Bastille Day party.
CULTURAL CRITIC: JULIA KELLER
TAKE A WHIRL
Flinging you heavenward no matter what sins you’ve committed, Ferris wheels deliver. They give the world back its wonder. They make everything special, even ordinary things such as trees and streets and cars and office buildings. Seeing those things from a Ferris wheel renders them suddenly splendid, much more so than they seem at ground level.
If it’s after dark, the magic multiplies. City lights appear to crowd around your ankles like handfuls of gems casually strewn on a black velvet cape. You could give a brisk little kick and dislodge a ruby–or is that Wicker Park?
That’s why the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier is among the city’s best treats on a summer night. Rising 150 feet into the air, it is intimidating upon first approach. Once aboard, though, your perch feels as natural as stepping up on a curb. The world below looks like something you could alter with a snap of your fingers.
Adults $4; kids under 12 and seniors $3.50. Kids under 2 are free. The ride is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
THEATER CRITIC: MICHAEL PHILLIPS
A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS’ COMEDY
In your rich, full life, you may have hap’d upon outdoor Shakespeare productions that had nothing going for them beyond fresh air. Last year’s “Othello” at Shakespeare on the Green, however, was a whole lot better than that. This summer, in her 12th season as Shakespeare on the Green artistic director, Karla Koskinen is going back to one of the Bard’s early, funny works: “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” The way this romantic comedy plays out, there’s a friskiness as well as a strange, unsettling instability in the games of love played by Shakespeare’s callow young pups. The plot calls for a real pup, too: a dog named Crab who inevitably steals a scene or two. Admission is free, and the grounds open for picnicking at 6 p.m. You can partake of the food and drink sold on the site or bring your own. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays, July 25-Aug. 10, DePaul University Barat College campus, 700 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest. 847-574-4758.
ARCHITECTURE CRITIC: BLAIR KAMIN
LIGHTS FANTASTIC
More Top Picks Best Motorola Phones
My favorite architectural pleasure in the summertime? Easy, at least when that pleasure is supposed to be enjoyed at night: It’s the views from Grant Park after Taste of Chicago or a concert by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. First, of course, there’s Buckingham Fountain, the color of its waters shifting ever so slowly against the background of its frilly, sea-themed ornaments. Even if those waters are controlled by a computer, they’re a wonderful antidote to the frenetic pace of the computer age. Then there’s the view of the cliff-like row of buildings along Michigan Avenue that face Grant Park. They’re terrific in the daytime, but some of them, such as the Cultural Center and the former Straus Building (it’s the one with the glass beehive), are elegantly lit at night. I love seeing these beautiful buildings sculpted by light. And after a noisy event like the Taste, I love the quiet of the park and the muffled roar of the cars on Lake Shore Drive. For a second, just a second, the stillness makes you think that the park, which just had throngs of people in it, is yours, and yours alone.
ART CRITIC: ALAN ARTNER
PARTY ARTY
The biggest art party of the season for the past seven years–the Museum of Contemporary Art’s 24-hour Summer Solstice celebration–has been rescheduled and shortened this year to more closely resemble an opening-night reception for an exhibition. “Thomas Struth: Picturing the World,” devoted to the work of the celebrated German photographer, will open at 6 p.m. June 27 with a lecture by Struth for MCA members only. A silent dance party–headsets with the music of two different groups will be provided– follows from 8 to 11 p.m. Theatrical events will take place on the plaza beginning at dusk. A classical guitar concert by Frank Bungarten, a childhood friend of the photographer, also is scheduled for 8 p.m. June 28. A museum spokesperson says the 24-hour solstice party, or some new form of it, may return next year. Admission this time is $15 (or join the museum and get in free with a friend). As Edmond O’Brien says at the end of “The Wild Bunch”: It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do.
MUSIC CRITIC: JOHN VON RHEIN
BUBBLING BERLIOZ
While many musical organizations this year will honor the 200th birthday of French composer Hector Berlioz, Ravinia will do Berlioz with a twist–make that Basil Twist. The famed puppeteer will present his celebrated take on Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” in the Chicago premiere of an “underwater” production like nothing ever presented at the summer home of the Chicago Symphony. A 1,000-gallon water tank will be constructed for the performances Aug. 27-29 in Bennett-Gordon Hall. Twist’s team of puppeteers will use mirrors, slides, feathers, dye, glitter, air bubbles and more to bring the music to life.
The Berlioz “Fantastic Symphony” also will launch Ravinia’s new One Score program, which aims to give a deeper understanding of classical music to a broad public through related concerts, in-school programs and seminars. Ravinia Festival, Lake Cook and Green Bay Roads, Highland Park. $10-$40; 847-266-5100.
ARTS CRITIC: SID SMITH
HAPPY FEET
The most eagerly anticipated al fresco dance event each year is the unabashed lovefest known as Dance for Life. This one-night-only benefit, now in its 12th year of raising money for AIDS care and prevention, set for Sept. 6 at Navy Pier’s Skyline Stage, unites the city’s tiny, disparate dance community like nobody’s business.
Besides being blessed with a variety of local styles and talents, the event, to feature six troupes this year, generates a holiday-like spirit of bonhomie. (Film director Robert Altman came and pronounced himself conquered last year.) There are some cherished traditions it wouldn’t be Dance for Life without: Randy Duncan’s soulful finale, an original work employing dancers from all the companies; Harrison McEldowney’s typically hilarious Broadway send-up to accompany the annual raffle drawing; and WGN-TV and Radio’s Dean Richards as masterful, droll emcee. Tickets go on sale June 30: 312-922-5812.