Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
If you closed your eyes and just listened to the voice, it was easy enough to imagine that you were at an Elvis Presley concert Saturday night at the Rosemont Theatre. Heck, even after you opened your eyes, the simulation by Presley stylist Trent Carlini was so good that it was difficult not to get caught up in the hysteria that permeated the concert.
Claudia Skylar and James Mastro never went out on your typical date. Colleagues at the same architecture firm about 20 years ago, they would take their sandwiches to the lunch room and discuss order and chaos in the universe.
“You must be in touch with your emotions if you expect to touch others,” a teacher says early on in “Fame–the Musical.” Too bad the writers of the play didn’t follow this advice. The play, which opened Tuesday night at the Chicago Theatre, wasn’t much of an improvement from the production that rolled into town last year. Full of cliches and stereotypes, the musical lacked memorable, well, music.
The February issue of More contains a hilarious account of one woman’s revenge against a younger man who dumped her. “Romantic rejection is a staggering blow,” writes Benita Gold. “It rattles the self-esteem and can drive one to do strange and otherwise unthinkable things. Perhaps this explains why I pretended to my ex-boyfriend that I was dating Peter Jennings.”
Back in 1977, Pat Ranallo was psyched. He was 23 and about to take a cruise to the West Indies. He and his friend thought they would bask in the sun, meet some women and enjoy their vacation.