Arts & Entertainment Event highlights of the week!
SportsWise
Could the Cubs benefit from trade deals?
Cover Story: Superman
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… director James Gunn and his stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, ready to reintroduce audiences to the wholesome side of Superman.
From the Streets
Blues legend and "Ambassador of Chicago Blues" Billy Branch releases new single and is honored with a prestigious fellowship he says will enable him to expand his "Blues in Schools" program.
Julie Youngquist, Executive director jyoungquist@streetwise.org
Ph: 773-334-6600 Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL, 60616
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Compiled by Dave Hamilton
A Reading Rainbow!
‘BOOK UP!’
As part of the Night Out in the Parks series, Goodman Theatre presents "Book Up." A traveling librarian rolls into town with their book cart, ready to spark big imaginations everywhere and beyond! With a little wiggle, a little giggle and a whole lot of wonder, stories leap off the pages through juggling, tumbling, clowning and aerial acrobatics! Every book holds a new adventure; where will we go next? This wonderous outdoor circus spectacle invites little ones—and their grown-ups!—to move, play, and discover the magic of reading. “Book Up!” is specially made for children ages 0 – 5 years and their adult friends and family. July 23 – August 10 in two one-hour performances, 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., at 12 Chicago parks citywide. All performances are FREE and followed by a hands-on workshop for audiences. Tickets are not required, but registration will allow you to be informed of changes due to inclement weather. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/event/BookUp for a full schedule of parks.
For a Good Laugh!
TJ and Dave
Revisiting their three sold-out performances at the Goodman Theatre last summer, famed long-time improvisers, actors and friends TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi—"two of the world’s finest practitioners of the art of long-form improv” (Time Out Chicago)—bring back their unforgettable live performance. Over the past two decades at venues across the country and overseas, TJ and Dave walk out on stage without characters, dialogue or plot. One hour later, their two-person, completely improvised show leaves an audience with one of the funniest nights of their lives. Jagodowski and Pasquesi have become living legends in their field—with special musical guest, Ike Reilly. July 24-26, 8 p.m. daily, at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets are $28-$53 at GoodmanTheatre.org/show/TJ-Dave-2025
Water Parade!
Venetian Night
The 5th Annual Venetian Night Chicago is set to illuminate the Chicago Riverwalk on Saturday, July 26. The event transforms the heart of the city into a vibrant homage to Venice, Italy, celebrating cultural heritage through music, art, and a spectacular lighted boat parade. The evening begins at 6 p.m., as the Riverwalk fills with strolling performers dressed in Venetian regalia who weave through the crowd, serenading guests with operatic arias and classic Italian ballads. As dusk deepens into night, at 8:30 p.m., the river transforms into a canal of dreams, as a parade of lighted boats glides silently under the city’s iconic bridges. Each vessel is a floating canvas, aglow with handcrafted lanterns, fairy lights, and themes ranging from Venetian masquerade to Broadway glamour. FREE.
Kids Say the Darnest Things!
‘That’s Weird Grandma: Summer Vacation’ PlayMakers Laboratory welcomes back its original sketch show “That's Weird, Grandma: Summer Vacation!” It features adaptations of stories written during PML’s creative writing residencies in Chicago elementary schools. PML’s ensemble of professional actors, comedians and musicians bring the young authors’ stories to life as raucous sketches, songs and movement pieces, performing first for students in their schools and then for the public. These stories – from hilarious dialogues between unlikely characters to poignant pleas for social change, along with perfect summertime stories – resonate with adults while celebrating the imaginations of young people. This family-friendly comedy extravaganza returns for six performances only, July 26 – August 10 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. Tickets are $27.50* adults, $17.50 youth under 17 at playmakerslab.org
A Revolutionary Persona!
‘The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen’
A fearless, funny, and deeply personal solo show that resurrects the lost legacy of William Dorsey Swann— the first known drag performer and queer activist in U.S. history, a formerly enslaved man who in the 1880s crowned himself “The Queen of Drag” and hosted underground balls in Washington, D.C. Creator and performer Les Kurkendaal-Barrett channels Swann’s spirit while reflecting on his own life as a Black, gay performer navigating love, visibility, and the winding road to adoption with his husband. July 24 - 27 at Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Ave. Tickets are $30, $25 seniors and students at openspacearts.org
Dine for a Cause!
Culinary Battle Royale
Cordon Bleu-trained chefs Jacquelyn Lord of The Dinner Belle and David Welch of Kitchnstudio.com will again face off at the 2nd annual Culinary Battle Royale, creating a mouth-watering meal using only pantry staples to benefit Care for Friends, for whom they will later duplicate the meal. The epic culinary showdown will be 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at Aura on the Lake, 5701 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, in partnership with the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce. The event includes a pre-dinner mixer at Uvae Wine Bar & Kitchen (5553 N. Clark St.) with sips and snacks, a complimentary cocktail upon arrival at Aura, a multi-course tasting from Chefs Jacquelyn and David, and dinner karaoke. Tickets ($108.55 per person) are available on Eventbrite.
‘LOOK! LOOK!’
Coming Up Roses!
The Seldoms ‘Superbloom’
The Seldoms collaborates with the Chicago Botanic Garden to present the Chicago North Shore premiere of “Superbloom,” an evening-length work combining dance, live music, animation, costume and lighting design. July 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. and July 27 at 2 p.m. in Nichols Hall at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe. Tickets start at $27 for non-members and includes admission to the gardens at chicagobotanic.org/superbloom
Filmmaker Spotlight!
BBFF ’25: Black & Brown Femme Film Festival
The Black & Brown Femme Films Festival (BBFF) 2025 returns July 25 & 26 for two unforgettable days of bold cinema, creative community, and femme-forward storytelling at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Featuring 42 films from around the world—spanning doc, drama, animation, horror, and comedy—plus panels, art, vendors, and the signature BBFF After Dark event. Individual screening blocks start at $10, and 2-day passes are $40 at bbffilms.org
ABeautiful Mess!
Three vignettes, two actors, one circus slug, a load of puppets, a bit of clown, a big dance number and a ukulele. Fresh off a sold out run at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, “LOOK! LOOK!” is a celebration of the gross and beautiful, the sweet and creepy, the euphemistic and earnest and – most importantly – the weirdos. July 24-26, 8 p.m. daily, at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets are $28 at www.steppenwolf.org/lookout
A Celebration of Dance!
‘Blondell Cummings: Dance as Moving Pictures’ “Blondell Cummings: Dance as Moving Pictures” sheds new light on the pivotal work of African American choreographer and video artist Blondell Cummings (American, 1944-2015). Through a unique movement vocabulary that she called “moving pictures,” Cummings made dance that combined the visual imagery of photography and the kinetic energy of movement to explore the emotional details of daily rituals, as well as the intimacy of Black home life. Cummings is considered a foundational figure in dance for her ability to bridge postmodern dance experimentation and Black dance traditions. FREE daily from 10 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. through July 27 at The Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
What the Cubs Bullpen Needs
John: What are the needs of the Chicago Cubs going into the July 31 trade deadline? The White Sox are sellers, but the Cubs are buyers. According to SI.com, they need bullpen help and a righthander who happens to be a third baseman.
As far as the Cubs players unofficially on the trading block, there are pitchers Jordan Wicks and Jack Neely; catcher Moises Ballesteros and former Dodger Justin Turner, the designated hitter who has also played third base and the infield.
A possibility for the Cubs is Cleveland Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez. He was standing around 309 and 13 homers and 30 RBIs. Also, Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley, who is hitting 275, 12 homers and 42 RBIs. There’s another part to this Cubs deal. There was talk according to Ken Rosenthal from Athletic.com and Fox
Sports that the Cubs might consider trading one of their prospects for All-Star Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller, whose record is 3 and 10 with an ERA of 3.64. Guys, what other trades do you have in mind?
William: Maybe the guy from the Dodgers.
If anything, I think the White Sox should be getting a pitcher after what happened July 2 when they just handed the game over to the Dodgers with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 9th.
Russell: The Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, Mets, San Fran and maybe the Padres will be buyers. The Cubs really need pitchers because they are giving up a lot of runs. In the American League, Yankees, Houston, maybe Toronto and Detroit, which is a surprise team. As of July 5, they led the American League Central by 13 games.
Sellers? The White Sox, for one. Center fielder Luis Robert Jr., they can get rid of him.
Allen: The Cubs bullpen has shown inconsistency and they need to find more reliable arms to solidify their endings. Their key pitchers are Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. Oakland A's relief pitcher Ma-
Pete Fairbanks are good choices.
John: I think I will go with third baseman Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians. I am not counting on them doing anything this year. Maybe third baseman Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves. Trading within your own division, I think, is sacrilegious. Maybe not even with the White Sox.
William: I would agree with Allen and Russell on the Cubs because it kind of looks like a roller coaster with the pitching. Usually the games they end up losing were because the pitching wasn’t that great, so the Cubs should get a pitcher from a really good team. The teams that have the best bullpens are the ones that are going to be most likely to make it to the World Series.
Russell: The Atlanta Braves might be sellers. The Cubs
really need pitchers because Steele is out for the season since having elbow surgery in April.
Allen: The Cubs are actively seeking starting pitchers to strengthen their rotation.
John: If the Cubs acquire Mitch Keller, it could be like Rick Sutcliffe in 1984. When he was with the Cleveland Indians, (now the Guardians) he was 4 and 5; when he was traded to the Cubs, he was 16-1 and won the National League Cy Young Award. The Cubs cannot stay pat. With Steele out into next fall, that hurts the bullpen significantly. If they stay pat, that could be the difference between getting to the playoffs and watching them on TV.
Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
(clockwise) Russell Adams, A. Allen, William Plowman and John Hagan chat about the world of sports.
son Miller and Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
JAMES GUNN, DAVID CORENSWET AND RACHEL BROSNAHAN ON 'SUPERMAN'
by Angus McGrath
Since his first appearance in Action Comics in 1938, Superman has undeniably become one of the greatest cultural icons of the 20th century. Cemented in cinema by Christopher Reeve in 1978’s "Superman," a smash hit and the most expensive film ever made at that point, the Man of Steel has never strayed far from our cultural consciousness.
But with his nigh-unbeatable powers, can-do optimism and underwear on the outside, is he too hard to relate to? Can the average person of today see themselves in a nearcentury-old urtext of super-heroism?
James Gunn, writer and director of the new Superman, thinks so. “Some people say Superman is old-fashioned, but I think that’s part of his charm,” he says. “He’s a very straight-ahead guy, simple but not stupid, who believes everybody’s good. What makes him so interesting is seeing him contrasted with today’s world.”
Gunn thrived in the world of Marvel movies, transforming obscure space adventurers the Guardians of the Galaxy
Top: David Corenswet as Superman in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Superman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Below: Director James Gunn and David Corenswet on the set (Jessica Miglio photo).
into a household name. He has now turned his sights to that other comic powerhouse, DC, helming their newly rebooted DC Extended Universe (or DCEU), and kicking things off with his take on the Kryptonian legend.
Inspired by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s 2005-2008 comic "All-Star Superman," super-geek Gunn “wanted to harken back” to 1950s sci-fi elements: “robots and giant monsters and alternate universes”.
The film draws on Gunn’s talent for crazy, colourful ensembles, while also striking a contemporary chord: superheroes are shown to be commonplace, corporatized and finding their place in a tech-heavy world. This modern backdrop adds more complexity to the balancing act that Superman already faces, juggling heroics and alien origins with his multi-faceted human life as a Kansas farm boy turned big-city journalist.
“I wanted to see these elements that are very common to Superman comics but grounded with real human relationships,” says Gunn.
Donning the iconic primary-colored suit for the first time, David Corenswet has the characteristic chiselled jaw and effortlessly slick black hair. He too was drawn to what Superman says about humankind.
“He’s a protector,” he enthuses. “The impetus behind the 'All-Star Superman' comic was seeing a man dressed as Superman who wasn’t standing proud with his chest puffed, but who was sitting on a curb hunched over and unassuming. That really appealed to me: he’s the ultimate hero who just wants to be a regular guy.”
Although Superman symbolizes “truth, justice and the American way,” his shortcomings and the actual effort involved in striving for goodness are what make this alien, ironically, such a human character – whether he’s going incognito as Clark Kent or protecting the planet.
“Even as Superman, he wants to be the guy that people can ask for help,” Corenswet says, “whether that’s saving the world or directions to the library. That’s what spoke to me.”
Superman will see the hero facing off against his greatest foe, Lex Luthor (played with a tech-bro spin by Nicholas Hoult), while the film’s personal perspective puts just as much energy into Superman’s love interest – newspaper dynamo Lois Lane.
We meet Lois and Clark in the early, vulnerable stage of their relationship, and Lois – who is fully clued into her partner’s alter ego – can’t help but be the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist she is, unflinchingly interviewing Superman about his heroism’s hard-hitting side-effects. Brought to life by Rachel Brosnahan ("The Marvelous Mrs Maisel"), the actor asserts that her character is equally heroic.
“A character like Lois has stood the test of time because it’s always aspirational to see someone go to the literal ends of the earth for something they believe in,” Brosnahan says. “Her passion is one of the things that makes her love story with Clark and Superman one of the greatest of
all time, because they’re polar opposites, but they’re both superhuman in their own way.
“Superman sees the beauty in humans first, trusting everyone, but by nature, Lois is always 10 steps ahead, questioning everything. They’ve got a lot to bump up against with each other, but they’re also soulmates who are ultimately interested in truth and justice.”
Those original, epochal themes of Superman have driven Gunn to find a fresh yet classic path within this super world (our caped hero even has a super-dog, Krypto). “Every artist comes to Superman with their own stuff, and one of the fun things about an iconic character like this is being him through the lens of different artists,” he says. “I like all these different Supermans, but I think for us it’s a matter of creating a very grounded Superman.”
Corenswet wholeheartedly agrees, describing Gunn’s mission as “trying to make a Superman that honors the great legacy of all the different artists,” while also “trying to introduce Superman to people who have never seen a Superman movie, or read a Superman comic, and don’t think it’s a space for them.”
And so, as in any great, never-ending comic-book saga, Superman will return to defend Earth again – as long as he’s still emblazoned on the minds and merch of his faithful followers. “When you see somebody wearing a Superman shirt,” Corenswet says, “you know that symbolizes the best of us, and what we strive to be in our best moments.”
Courtesy of The Big Issue Australia / INSP.ngo
Left: David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Center: David Corenswet as Superman. Right: (L to R) Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe, Mikeaela Hoover as
as
and
SUPERMAN WASN’T ALWAYS SO SQUEAKY CLEAN – IN EARLY COMICS HE WAS A RADICAL VIGILANTE
by John Caro
Superman was the very first superhero. He debuted in Action Comics issue #1, which was released in June 1938. Over time, the character has been assigned multiple nicknames: “The Man of Steel”, “The Man of Tomorrow” and “The Big Blue Boy Scout”. However, in his first appearance in ravaged Depression-era America, the byline used to announce Superman’s debut was: “The Champion of the Oppressed”.
Created by the sons of Jewish immigrants, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Superman is an example of youthful male wish fulfilment: an all-powerful figure dressed like a circus strong man, who uses brawn to right wrongs. However, Siegel and Shuster’s initial version of the character was a more flawed character.
Appearing in a 1933 fanzine, Siegel’s prose story "The Reign of the Superman" with accompanying illustrations by Shuster featured a reckless scientist whose hubris is punished when he creates the telepathic “super man” by experimenting on a drifter plucked from the poverty lines. Echoing Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein," the creator is dispatched by his creation.
Siegel and Shuster had some early success selling stories to National Allied Publications, the forerunner of DC Comics. At this time, comic books were mainly collections of newspaper cartoons – the “funnies” – pasted together to create more portable anthologies. They featured the escapades of characters like Popeye and Little Orphan Annie.
Inspired by the heroic tales of derring-do of pulp fiction adventurers such as Johnston McCulley’s "Zorro" (1919) and Philip Wylie’s 1930 science fiction novel "Gladiator," Siegel and Shuster further developed their Superman character. They transformed him into a hero and added the now-familiar cape and “S” logo.
Having no luck selling their superhero to the newspapers, they eventually sold the rights to Superman to DC Comics, where Superman achieved huge success. Within a year, there was a syndicated newspaper strip and a spin-off Superman comic book featuring the first superhero with their own exclusive title. Along with extensive merchandising, there was a 1940 radio show, followed by an animation series in 1941, with the inevitable live action serial in 1948.
In this early example of a property crossing multiple media platforms, Superman’s apparent appeal lay with the fantastical aspects, as he battled mad scientists, criminal masterminds and giant dinosaurs.
But in the early issues, Superman’s enemies were noticeably more earthbound and reflected the concerns of an audience reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. In an early story, "War in San Monte," Superman confronts a corrupt Washington lobbyist, Alex Greer, who is bribing a greedy senator. It transpires that Greer represents an arms dealer who is profiteering by manipulating both sides in an overseas war.
In a later tale, "Superman Battles Death Underground," our hero challenges the owner of a dangerous mine who is cutting corners with safety precautions.
In 1932 Siegel’s father, a tailor, died following the attempted robbery of the family shop – so it is no surprise that Superman had a low tolerance for crime and its causes. In the story "Superman in the Slums," dated January 1939, the social commentary is plain. When teenager Frankie Marello is sentenced to reform school, Superman acknowledges the impact of the boy’s social environment:
"It’s these slums – your poor living conditions – if there was only some way I could remedy it!"
His solution is to raze the dilapidated buildings to the ground, forcing the authorities to replace them with modern cheap-rental apartments. In creating new construction work, here is Superman’s extreme version of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.
In the 1998 forward to "Superman: The Action Comics Archives Volume 2," former DC Comics editor Paul Kupperberg comments this is a Superman “who fought (mainly) guys in suits out to screw over the little guy.” The form that the fight took is of interest, for this Superman has no time for niceties or due process, as he gleefully intimidates and bullies anyone who gets in his way.
A man caught beating his wife is thrown into a wall and warned that there is plenty more where that came from. The corrupt lobbyist is dangled over power cables until he reveals who he is working for. Any police officers that attempt to obstruct Superman’s personal quest for justice are brushed aside with annoyance.
REFINING SUPERMAN
Through his appearances on mainstream radio and cinema, Superman softened and became more patient. In popular culture, concerns about the Depression and social injustice shifted to efforts to encourage a national consensus as the United States moved to a war footing in the early 1940s.
Post-war, there were occasional returns to the more radical interpretations of Superman, but generally it is the clean cut, fantastical Big Blue Boy Scout perception of the character that has dominated.
The new Superman film maintains that image. In the trailer, actor David Corenswet’s Superman tackles various super-villains and a destructive Kaiju (a Godzilla-like skyscraper-sized monster) – although there is the suggestion that behind them all is the corrupt industrialist, Lex Luthor.
Fittingly, it is in the pages of comic books that a more progressive, militant representation of Superman has emerged. In 2024 DC rebooted its familiar superheroes with its new grittier “Absolute” universe.
Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval’s "Absolute Superman" comic (2024) emphasises the character’s status as an isolated blue-collar immigrant from the doomed planet of Krypton. This is a youthful, less seasoned Superman who is quick to anger and less likely to pull his punches. Their interpretation is closer to Superman’s early vigilante roots, including a storyline where he liberates the workers in a Brazilian mine from the clutches of exploitative big business.
Perhaps – in the comic books at least – the Champion of the Oppressed has finally returned.
John Caro is Principal Lecturer, Film and Media at the University of Portsmouth. Courtesy of The Conversation.
Billy Branch releases single, honored for ‘Blues in the Schools’ & more
by Suzanne Hanney
Billy Branch’s "Begging For Change" is an anthem the world has been waiting for.
The single premiered on opening night of the 41st Chicago Blues Festival at the Ramova Theater and is the debut track from Rosa's Lounge Records, the new label of the Chicago venue where Branch and The Sons of Blues first took the stage in 1984. Its first release, which will be August 1 and 2 at Rosa’s, 3420 W. Armitage Ave., binds an iconic blues artist with an iconic venue in a track that is poignant, hard-hitting and of-the-moment. Advance tickets are recommended. There will be a livestream at www.rosaslounge.com
Co-written and produced by Larry Batiste of Oakland, CA, “Begging for Change” features Shemekia Copeland on lead vocals and co-writer Ronnie Baker Brooks on a lyrical guitar solo.
The premiere of "Begging For Change" by Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues brought an immediate standing ovation to the international audience at the Blues Festival. Branch's harp and Baker's guitar were fiery and arousing. The backup singers conveyed the message of hope with raw urgency and Mae Koen delivered Shemekia's solo with a commanding presence, reverence and conviction. Branch included The Chicago West Community Music Center Choir of more than a dozen children ages 11 to 21 years old under the musical direction of Howard Sandifer.
Branch was also honored in May with one of 25 Taproot Fellowships from the Allliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA). Funded by the Mellon Foundation, the fellowships honor U.S.-based traditional artists who embody ancestral knowledge and who act as community leaders, healers, and agents of cultural continuity and social change. Honorees included an Iroquois bead worker from Wisconsin, a Gullah Geechee chef and culture bearer from South Carolina, a Vietnamese traditional musician from California, an Appalachian luthier from Virginia, a Ukrainian folklorist/singer, and more.
Each Fellow receives $50,000 in unrestricted funding and an additional $10,000 to allocate toward a person or initiative in their community.
“This fellowship is an honor that provides the means for me to expand my Blues in Schools Program, which I started nearly 50 years ago,” Branch said. “It’s a big part of the legacy of my life’s work. In addition to my touring, recording and producing, I instruct both young and adult students around the world. My students learn music theory, Blues history, performance techniques and instrument skills. They learn the Blues is the soundtrack of American history, and that the Blues gave birth to jazz, rock, R&B, pop, hip-hop, gospel and country music.”
Branch takes his role as the Ambassador of the Chicago Blues seriously. He’s an Emmy Award winner, a 3-time Grammy Award® nominee, and a retired Grammy® governor. He’s won multiple Blues Music Awards, Living Blues Critics’ Awards and a Keeping the Blues Alive Award for the Blues in Schools program. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame Museum in Memphis and his work is also in the Grammy Museum’s Woody Guthrie “Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom” installation. Branch is on the boards of both the Blues Foundation and the Little Walter Foundation. One of the last living bluesmen mentored by original blues giants like Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, James Cotton and Bo Diddley, he has recorded with such luminaries as Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Johnny Winter, Lou Rawls, Taj Mahal, Keb’Mo, Kingfish, Shemekia Copeland, and Bobby Rush.
TOP: Billy Branch performs at Blues Fest with the West Side Community Choir (Alan Frohlichstein photo). BELOW: Branch teaches the Blues through his "Blues in the Schools" program (courtesy photo).
