Saturday Sundae

Hey folks! Its Saturday Sundae! This will be a weekly update or a whole bunch of opportunities for us black/brown folks to revel in our beatiful culture and celebrate our ancestry.

This week, my source for most of the listings is the Chicago Reader. If you ain't know, the Reader as its called, is a great source to get a heads up on the arts scene in Chicago. Its a great FREE weekly paper that you can get in those periodical dispensors downtown and sometimes in the front of most bookstores. Check it out! (There is also an online version, link provided above)



On to the Saturday Sundae...

First Scoop:

Dance Africa: A West African Odyssey
Presented by the Dusable Museum of African American History
October 31, 2008

Purchase tickets at Harris Theater Online or call 312.334.777
Also, recieve a one year subscription to Time Out Chicago (events guide) with the purchase of a ticket...how sweet!

Second Scoop:

The Aztec World
Presented at the Field Museum of Natural History
October 26, 2008- April 9, 2009

Art and artifacts from the Aztec Empire, including ceramics, jewelry, and works in stone.


Cherry on Top:

The Other Cinderella
Presented by the Black Ensemble Theater
Through December 27, 2008

She's an abused orphan from the projects, in this inspirational musical version of the fairy tale...

Black Ensemble Theater
4520 N. Beacon
773.769.4451

Enjoy! Yum...Any suggestions for next week's Saturday Sundae? Lemme know!

John Legend and Raphael Saddiq Add 2nd Show! Tix On Sale Tomorrow

November 21, 2008

The Chicago Theater

Buy Tix for Second Show! They go on sale tomorrow at 11am. I am sure that this concert will be hot. Two true artists hit the stage. Between John's new single 'Green Light' and Raphael's 'Love that Girl', you cannot miss this event!

Upcoming Concerts

Check out the line-up of R&B/Soul acts on Tickemaster.com's Upcoming Concerts list....it includes: John Legend, Al Green, Kenny and Chante Moore, Anthony Hamilton and many others! Get your tickets early folks! Here.

Maxwell Live '08

I am a "neo-soul" concert freak as you will come to know. I had the pleasure of attending the Maxwell Live '08 Tour this past Saturday, October 18th. It was phenomenal!

I have come to admire artists who only need a stage and one outfit to perform. They can turn the house out without back-up dancers, mechanical moving platforms, and harnesses that allow them to descend from the roof (no shade to Ms. Beyonce's first solo tour a few years back)...lol.

The Maxwell Live '08 concert was held at the Chicago Theater which was turned into a mini Chocolate City as you can imagine. That was my first time in the venue. It was huge.

Maxwell hit the stage after being opened my Jazmine Sullivan. I really admired the stage setup which payed homage to the big band scene of the 20s and 30s. The theme was formal. His male back-up singers donned tuxes and bow ties. The lone female singer wore a full length flowy gown and gave a Billie Holiday vibe.

The star himself hit the stage wearing a gray suit, bowtie undone. And the boy had moves. Not too choreographed, but sexy nonetheless. He squatted, did semi-splits and used the microphone stand in very seductive ways to convey the words of his sensual songs.

The concert lasted about an hour and a half. He kinda went through the songs fast...back-to-back. But it was great. The entire venue ended up standing up at the beginning of each song with excitement...one of those "That's mah song!" moments. I think I had about a dozen of those outbursts. The concert ended twice! That's right, he gave two encores as the crowd cheered and screamed until he reappeared on the stage.

It was a great evening.

Noah's Arc Movie, 'Jumping the Broom' Coming to Chicago Next Friday!

Alas, all Noah's Arc fans can celebrate! Jumping the Broom will be playing at the Century Center Cinema in Chicago! Click on that link to check out the showtimes and purchase advanced tickets...as you know, ALL of the Kids will be there, so be an early bird! The film is in select theaters around the country starting next Friday.

In Chicago:

Century Centre Cinema

2828 N. Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60657

I personally own both box sets of the first and second seasons of Noah's Arc. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the show, its about the equivalent of 'Sex and the City' for white women or 'The L Word' for lesbians. Therefore, it has a cult following though LOGO, MTV's gay cable channel, cancelled it despite its popularity that led it to become the flagship show of the channel. Some cite racism as the reason...I dunno...but I wouldn't rule it out!

Hope to see you there! We finally get to find out what happens with Noah and Wade!

Also, feel free to check out Blackplanet.com's article on the movie and feature on famous gay African Americans...here.

The 44th Chicago International Film Festival

October 16-29, 2008

This year's Chicago International Film Festival will feature 175 movies from 47 countries. I found it interesting and helpful that the schedule even features a section called "Black Perspectives". These films showcase the experiences of people of African descent. Check out the schedule for these flims here.

My Must-See List:

Kassim
Dir: Kief Davidson (USA)

Kidnapped by rebel soldiers at the age of six. A war-hardened veteran by 12. A boxing champion at 15. Kassim "The Dream" Ouma's extraordinary journey from Ugandan child soldier to world-class athlete is a tale of survival and Determination taht turns tragedy into inspiration.
87 min.
Fri 10/24 @ 5:50pm
Sat 10/25 @ 2:pm

Of Boys and Men
Dir: Carl Seaton (USA)

When the matriarch (Angela Bassett) of a Chicago family dies suddenly in a car accident, no one takes it harder than her husband, Holden (Robert Townsend), and her youngest son, Z. With distraught Holden struggling to confront his shortcomings as a family man, and Z drawing the attention of a local hustler (Faizon Love), each must make an emotional journey toward true manhood.
90 min.
Tues 10/21 @ 8:30pm
Sat 10/25 @ 7:20pm

We are here!

Stay tuned to Brown Around Town: Chicago for weekly updates about cultural events in the city! Most of the postings will feature events that speak from the Black/Brown perspective and affirms our creativity and beauty!

I will offer the occasional review of an event or venue...As well, please make suggestions of events that should be highlighted on this page.

This blog will be the ultimate resource for the posting of Black/Brown cultural happenings around the city!