This is almost too juicy for Jonny to believe: Mayor Richard M. Daley is encouraging cruising in a public park. Oh, sure, they are calling it something else but, hey—nod-wink—we know the truth, right?
Here’s the deal: the Mayor’s Fitness Council is offering free workouts on the Great Lawn of Millennium Park, every Saturday morning all summer long until Oct. 10.
Each week, instructors from Lakeshore Athletic Club will lead yoga and Pilates classes, followed by a special aerobic-dance session lead by a Chicago-area dance company. Participating dance troupes include Latin Street Dance, The Joffrey Ballet, Muntu Dance Theatre, Ethnic Dance Chicago and instructor Shamila Khetarpal. All levels of experience are welcome. This is the second year of free workouts in Millennium Park, with last summer’s four Saturday morning workouts drawing an average of more than 500 people.
The weekly schedule begins with yoga, 8-8:45 a.m., followed by Pilates, 9-9:45 a.m., and ending with dance aerobics, 10-10:45 a.m. McDonald’s is the principal corporate sponsor of this year’s fitness program, which cannot but make Jonny smile. Burn a few calories, then down a Big Mac and fries, and Super Size them!
They’re baaaaack! For the fifth year, the Neo-Futurists offer one of Jonny’s favorite summertime treats: staged readings of some of the most obscure, trashy, goofy, bizarre, cheesy and all-around terrible film scripts of the 20th century! These immensely popular one-night-only readings feature some of the best bad films ever made, briefly restored to life by the Neo-Futurists and guest artists. The series, It Came From The Neo-Futurarium: Bride of The Neo-Futurarium!, plays Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.
The series opens June 29 with Single White Female (1992), in which three actors and a puppy cover 25 roles in a twisted roommate-on-roommate thriller. July 6 offers KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978), a horror of a flick featuring the glam-rock tongue band in a TV movie / rock concert / publicity stunt gone awry. Then, July 13 is double-feature night with Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983) and RobotJox (1990), described by the Neo-Futurists as ‘two terrifyingly crappy versions of the future in one evening!’ The readings feature the comedy troupe Schadenfreude.
Jonny will update you on other titles as the summer progresses. Tickets are $10; www.neofuturists.org or call 773-275-5255. Remember: These are not the films themselves, but live readings of the film scripts! Being zonked helps, but always zonk responsibly.
Perhaps you need a Japanese screen? Or a three-piece living room suite? A few rickety dressing room chairs? Some industrial lighting? Or maybe a bit of wrought iron railing? The Goodman Theatre is holding a yard sale, liquidating props and even furniture from such shows as Mary Zimmerman’s Silk, David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre and Arthur Miller’s final play, Finishing the Picture. Sale dates are June 23, 12-6 p.m., and June 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Terms are cash and checks (with ID) only; no credit cards are accepted. Goodman warns that some items are large and will require a van or truck for transport.
The Gerber/Hart Library is celebrating its 25th anniversary all year long with an expanded roster of programs and events, many of them occurring on a regular monthly basis. For example, there are book discussion groups for men and women that meet every other Tuesday. Next one up is for men, on June 27, with a discussion of Tennessee Williams’ play The Night of the Iguana. It’s a story about strong women and a weak, alcoholic but sexy man and a lizard. You know, the usual—at least for Tennessee.
Gerber/Hart also is running two film series this year, one of them marking the 25th anniversary of the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. Despite the theme, not all the films are entirely grim. Case in point: The next film in the series is It’s in the Water, to be shown June 28 at 7 p.m. It’s a film about women in a small southern town who volunteer at an AIDS hospice just as rumors spread that the local water supply contains a mysterious ingredient that turns people gay. Say, wasn’t there a porno movie like that? The library also offers a monthly Cinema Lesbiana. The next screening is June 30, title TBA.
The Gerber/Hart Library is at 1127 W. Granville; 773-381-8030; www.gerberhart.org.