A view from the sofa

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November 14, 2009

Anonymous The Democrat Sat Nov 14, 2009, 12:02 PM CST

Not exactly the way I had planned spending two beautiful fall days, but being confined to my sofa having to deal with a stomach bug that snuck up on me, I had the chance to surf local cable offerings and all I can say is thank goodness for reruns, the Golf Channel and when my stomach permitted, the Cooking Channel.

The latter was more in honor of my wife; I am always on the lookout for hints for the new kitchen.

Anyway, I am ever thankful, (and it’s not just a guy thing) for remote control units. It got to the point however, that I just had to turn it off and rest. Even ’50s and ’60s stalwarts “Leave It To Beaver,” “I Dream of Jeanie” and “Betwiched” could not hold my attention and I knew then that I must really be ill. That bug really did sneak up on me, so a word to the wise.

I have always taken this period to update you on the comings and goings in New York.

I like to remind myself that many of the shows that begin their commercial runs during this time of the year will eventually make it to our part of the country and become a part of the Celebrity Attractions or Lyric seasons.

With the recent announcement of the closing of “Shrek, The Musical,” it is my hope that we will be seeing it and maybe the long exited hit “Young Frankenstein” making their ways across the nation. Back to Broadway: What to watch for in the coming season: “The Addams Family,” based on the famous cartoon strip is a musical as is the highly anticipated “Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark.”

Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington will appear in August Wilson’s, “Fences” in the spring and film actress Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia in “Star Wars” continues her run in “Wishful Drinking” through the middle of January.

Other notable productions will be interesting to watch as they make return engagements: “Ragtime,” “Promises, Promises,” “Finian’s Rainbow” and “Bye, Bye Birdie” will continue to shine as their once dimmed lights again brighten with those on the Great White Way.

I learned over my protracted stay at home that the NYC restaurant business is rebounding and along with current and future theater offerings, the holidays are looking to be a bit brighter and that is eventually good news for all of us.

And finally, as promised, a parting note on my favorite city, Chicago. Speaking with a colleague who happens to be a professional artist in his spare time, he remarked how much he enjoyed spending time in the city.

That is, for me, an enduring part of my personal journey: It does my heart good when people I meet who know nothing of my history and I get to talking about the arts, culture and certainly the theater and almost to the person, they single out Chicago as a special place from their past. It was, and it is.

Stay well, with your remote clearly at the ready, and a special thank you to our men and women in uniform for their service to our town and towns across the world.

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