Buffalo Grove Countryside

Barrington kicks off summer with art fair

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:26:16 -0500

Artists from around the country will be lining the streets this weekend, May 26-27, for the fourth annual Barrington Art Festival. “We have an amazing group of artists this year,” said Amy Amdur, art festival producer and director for the 140 artists selected from hundreds to participate in one of the area’s largest festivals. “Barrington is the first festival of the season and a great time when artists have a full inventory.” Artistic variety More than 22,000 guests are expected at this year’s show with artists’ booths displaying paintings of oil, acrylic and watercolor, pastel work, pencil drawings, collage, mixed …

Diversions: 4 picks for the coming week

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:58:00 -0500

Looking for fun, fancy or off-the-beaten-path options for the coming week? We present four, for your consideration.

One-woman show tells a hairy tale

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:32:39 -0500

Deborah Staples is playing a colorful role at Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe. Actually, she’s playing several of them as “The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead.” Robert Hewett’s one-woman play begins when a redheaded housewife named Rhonda Russell reveals that her husband is moving out. Rhonda’s response to this revelation leads to a spiraling series of events that affect everyone around her. We learn what happens through monologues presented by six of the people affected — all played by Staples. This is the second time that Staples has tackled the solo show. The first was in 2008 at Milwaukee …

Historic postcards are art in miniature

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:03:15 -0500

In England, around the turn of the 20th century, if you thought about greeting cards, Christmas cards and, especially, postcards, you were probably thinking of Raphael Tuck & Sons. The firm began in a small frame and print shop in Bishopsgate, achieved great success in the postcard boom of the 1890s and early 1900s, and eventually became “art publishers to Her Majesty” after receiving a royal appointment from Queen Victoria. It’s particularly well known for its large output of Oilette postcards — reproductions of original oil paintings commissioned by Tuck for the edification of the masses. And now, a comprehensive …

Tammy McCann salutes vets with big band

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:57:19 -0500

Jazz singer Tammy McCann is adding another genre to her repertoire, and she’ll be showing what she’s made of at the Memorial Day weekend concert at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights on Saturday. McCann, a Chicago native who has been winning over jazz critics since performing with saxophonist Von Freeman and his brother, guitarist George, and backing up Ray Charles, will sing songs from the big band era, a genre she’s only vaguely familiar with, and doing so with a band larger than she’s used to. McCann revealed just a few of the songs on the set list. …

Fighting the good musical fight

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:26:46 -0500

If you have a keen sense of reality, or at least an appreciation of the odds against the lightning bolt that picks out the chosen few, a career in pop music can seem daunting, to say the least. Which explains how the Barrington guitar-pop duo Fighting for Fiction chose its name. “We fully realize that a career in music is kind of fictional — though we’d love to do it,” said lead singer Robby Kitferl. “So we’re fighting for this fictional dream we’d like to achieve.” Fighting for Fiction performs a mix of original guitar-pop songs and covers May 26 …

Breezy take on marriage in ‘Married Alive!”

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:26:58 -0500

The state of matrimony is one of high peaks and deep valleys. “Married Alive!” looks at both through two sets of eyes — those of a pair of starry-eyed young newlyweds and the well-grounded, maybe a bit more clear eyes of a middle-aged husband and wife. The breezy musical, playing at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, is the work of Sean Grennan (book and lyrics) and Leah Okimoto (music). Dynamic Stacey Flaster directs and choreographs a well-matched, talented cast of four. “Married Alive!” opens with Paul (David Hathway) and Erin (Katie Siri) celebrating the start of a life together, idealistically vowing …

Arts and entertainment calendar for May 24

Tue, 22 May 2012 19:27:04 -0500

Stage “Art” will be presented by Prufrock Productions May 25-June 3 at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor, Elgin. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $20 general admission; $15 for students and senior citizens.. Call (630) 780-4948 or visit www.prufrockproductions.blogspot.com. “Hero,” the story of a talented young artist and comic book illustrator living anything but a superhero life, June 20-Aug. 19 at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The performance schedule is 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and …

Barrington’s Art in the Park a feast for the senses

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:50:01 -0500

Family Fun: Celebrate the arts in Barrington, flip for flapjacks in Palatine, sing with Mary Poppins in Wheeling and enjoy ‘Puss in Boots’ in Schaumburg.

Diversions: 4 picks for the coming week

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:23:06 -0500

Looking for fun, fancy or off-the-beaten-path options for the coming week? We present four, for your consideration.

Flawless cast celebrates life, love in ‘Music’

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:58:01 -0500

Full disclosure: We’ve seen “A Little Night Music” three times in the past year — twice with leading ladies of serious star wattage writ on bold on the marquee. And while it’s in bad taste and unfair to compare, we’re going to do so anyway. Which is to say, those million-dollar, $200-a-ticket endeavors on Broadway have nothing on the current production in Glencoe. Directed by Bill Brown and featuring a compact chamber ensemble, Writers’ Theatre’s “A Little Night Music” is irresistibly seductive. Stephen Sondheim’s musical (inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film, “Smiles of a Summer Night”) is about many things, …

Teflons in harmony at Chicago Botanic Garden

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:20:05 -0500

Perhaps members of The Teflons should wear petal-pushers when they perform at the Chicago Botanic Garden May 19. After all, they will be the live music act for the annual “A Bloomin’ Festival” with its sales of plants and flowers, gardening demos and tips, and more. “We’ve played this several years in a row now,” said Barbara Silverman, “it’s not a music fest, but a wonderful spring festival, with people walking around and choosing bulbs and plants to buy.” Founded in the late ’90s, The Teflons is a Chicago-based group comprised of Silverman (vocals, guitar, washboard), Gail Tyler (vocals, bass, …

Area restaurants, shops, take on WINGS

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:12:56 -0500

Eighteen restaurants and another 18 businesses will be serving up sips, samples and shopping during the second annual “Taste Takes Flight,” a fundraiser for WINGS — Women in Need Growing Stronger which provides a safe house, counseling and transitional housing for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Organized by the Women of Wings, the upscale event will present nine on-stage chef demonstrations, more than 300 food samples from 18 northwest suburban restaurants, wine tastings by the International House of Wine & Cheese in Richmond, plus boutique shopping with local retailers. An estimated 400 guests are expected to …

Play plumbs heart and humor of marriage

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:23:58 -0500

Marriage has its rewards and challenges, whether you are newlyweds or have been together a long time. That’s what two couples discover in “Married Alive!,” Sean Grennan and Leah Okimoto’s musical comedy onstage at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. The musical opens with the wedding of Erin (Katie Siri) and Paul (David Hathaway). Guests include Ron (Jerry Mills) and Diane (Elizabeth Haley). “Dr. Ron Parker is a marriage and family therapist,” reported Arlington Heights resident Mills. “He and his wife have been married going on 25 years. He’s a simple guy with simple tastes. He loves his wife. They’ve gone through …

Garden tour in Barrington

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:44:44 -0500

The Barrington Hills garden of Thomas and Lisa Hirdes is one of four private gardens that will be open for self-guided tours during the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program, 10 a.m.-r p.m. May 20. Four private gardens in Barrington Hills, Bartlett, and Elburn are part of the benefit event. No reservations required; event is on, rain or shine. Special highlights in the gardens include a spiral staircase winding up an old hickory tree, European-style perennial gardens, landscaped ponds and waterfalls, and art objects complementing plantings. Visitors may begin at any location: Garden of Thomas & Lisa Hirdes, 296 Donlea Road, …

Arts and entertainment calendar for May 17

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:45:52 -0500

Stage “Hero,” the story of a talented young artist and comic book illustrator living anything but a superhero life, June 20-Aug. 19 at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The performance schedule is 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $40-$48, plus tax and handling fees. Discounts available for students and senior citizens. Dinner and theatre tickets, $55, are available Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Dinner is at Kings Wharf Restaurant or the Fairfield Inn (based on dining availability). Call (847) 634-0200 …