Thief (Chicago Movie)

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Thief

Thief 1981 Drama/Thriller

Great Chicago Movie:

Directed by Michael Mann

Starring
James Caan
Tuesday Weld
Robert Proskey
(and a young Jim Belushi, William Petersen and Dennis Farina

Familiar Northside Landmarks:
Belden Deli
Green Mill Bar
Webster and Ashland Bridge
Division Street Bridge at Goose Island

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/chicago/famous-chicago-movie-locations

https://filmschoolrejects.com/30-things-we-learned-from-the-thief-commentary-a895492ff2a8/

Red Line

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Red Line
You rode the Red Line up from Cellular Field after the game on Sunday

An entertaining palette of diversity which resets after each station stop

It’s not your preferred way to get-around
especially if a transfer is involved

Being out on a Bicycle is always better

But being smoshed-in-there for a ride on the Red Line is something to capture

Cyrano de Bergerac

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at The Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Maybe I’ve never watched the complete story, because I don’t remember the ending

I have seen:

  • Roxanne, Steve Martin’s take on Cyrano
  • A the Fine Arts Theater, formerly located where Roosevelt University is now, I’d seen Gerard Depardeir in a version nominated for Best Foreign Language Film
    (in which he was also nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, rare for a non-english speaking role)
  • There is the classic silent version, which I watched from bed one Saturday morning, with a blinding hangover
  • and the Jose Ferrer version, which I’ve seen piecemeal

This is the first time I’ve seen it on stage. I’m never disappointed by the productions at Chicago Shakespeare, they are historic and grand and classic. Afterwards, I feel I’ve accomplished something. Cyrano is played by Harry Groener, who I remember featured in The Madness of George III (Best Actor-Chicago Jeff Award) at this same theater. As an associate artist at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, he does this sort of role very well; he is terrific

Afterwards, there was a discussion which I’d never stayed for before, but was recommended by a seat partner, at a performance in another theater. I’d imaged there would be some stage hands, maybe the actor who played Soldier #1, but here was Harry (still wearing his nose because there was another performance that evening), Roxanne (Julie Jesneck), and two other leading performers – Sean Fortunato and Nick Dillenburn. I’d always wondered why a steady mist falls from the rafters during the performance. They explained that it assists with a lighting effect which features the actors on stage and not the audience beyond it, on the other side of the stage. Also, the actual Cyrano died at 36, although the original performer was quite older as was the case in this performance

Cyrano de Bergerac with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Gardner