Ann Hampton Callaway may be a gifted and popular performer, but is she worth a $40 cover charge? Jonny thinks not. Jonny doesn't think anyone is worth that high a cover charge, but that's the fee Davenport's has imposed for Hampton's Nov. 19-23 appearances. That's forty bucks, plus drinks, plus tax, plus tip (and the servers probably will be pissed if you don't include the cover charge when figuring the tip).
Jonny has observed that Davenport's has steadily been increasing its cover charges to $15, $20 and more where they used to be $5 or $10 or $12. Watch out, guys, or you'll kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. A few bargains remain, however: you still can catch Daryl Nitz and George Howe on Saturday nights in Davenport's front room for a $2 cover and two-drink minimum. Believe Jonny, you'll get more than $40 worth of entertainment from these two.
Hell, for $35 you can catch Tony Award winner Betty Buckley in concert, November 22, at Dominican University (7900 W. Division, River Forest). Buckley, the original Grizabella in Cats and star of Sunset Boulevard, is every bit as good a singer as Callaway. For $75, you get the concert and a reception with Buckley; proceeds go to the school's theater program. (708) 524-6454.
A lot of readers no doubt saw the cover story a few weeks back in The Reader about popular Sex Pig Brian-Mark. Well, it certainly got him in a lot of hot water with the board of Season of Concern, the theater industry's AIDS charity of which he is executive director. The crux of the argument was not whether it is appropriate for Brian-Mark to have a sexually extravagant and kinky private life—no one had an issue with that—but whether or not it is appropriate for the head of Season of Concern to engage in unsafe sex practices, which Brian-Mark indicated he does. After heated discussion, the Season of Concern board voted to retain Brian-Mark as executive director. He has, after all, done quite an outstanding job of fundraising and expanding the organization's charitable giving.
I Am My Own Wife, the Off-Broadway hit developed here at About Face Theatre (and previewed by About Face last summer at the Museum of Contemporary Art), is moving to Broadway, slated to open Dec. 3 at the Lyceum Theatre. The one-character play is written by Doug Wright, directed by Moises Kaufman and stars Jefferson Mays. The Broadway transfer is good for About Face in two ways: first, it notably increases the national visibility and prestige of the troupe; second, it provides income for the company, as About Face retains a small piece of the action. A serious work such as I Am My Own Wife is not likely to have a lengthy Broadway run, perhaps three-six months; but the show will qualify for the 2004 Tony Awards. Any Tony nominations, let alone wins, will be that much better for About Face. Meanwhile, a couple hundred bucks a week from the Broadway run—no matter how long or short it is—sure beats a stick in the eye.
Everyone knows the music of composer/ conductor John Williams: Star War, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws, Schindler's List, Harry Potter, etc. Williams will be in town Nov. 29 and Dec. 2 to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in a concert of his own music, including the world premiere of Williams' Concerto for Horn and Orchestra. The work was commissioned by the CSO for the orchestra's principal French horn, the great Dale Clevenger. (312) 294-3000, or Symphony Center box office; $15-$125.
All Autumn, the latino Aguijon Theater Company has been presenting an incredible roster of international Spanish-language artists in a series of one-night-only programs. The next will be Cantautores, a concert by Columbian singer/songwriter Franco Reins performing his own music and that of other composers. For those fond of things Espanol (Jonny means the language, not the nation), Aguijon really has become a primary source. It's at 2707 N. Laramie; (773) 637-5899: $10 suggested donation.
On the other hand, Jonny knows many LGBT Francophiles and Francofones, which is to say those who love things French and speak French. For those whose knowledge of things French extends beyond kissing and oral sex, Jonny can recommend a Nov. 22 performance by Belgium's Theatre de la Valette, performing (in French) their original comedy, Gustave et Alexandre, about Alexandre Dumas (the playwright and novelist who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers). The perfomance is at the Chicago Cultural Center (Claudia Cassidy Theatre) at 4 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited. The co-sponsor is the Alliance Francaise, (312) 337-1070.
For those whose knowledge of things French does not extend beyond kissing and oral sex, please call Jonny.