Getting Cultured

I think people like to visit me because I'm always willing to do things that they wouldn't normally do. A few weekends ago, a friend of mine from high school visited Chicago for the first time and I made sure that she saw all the key things: the skyline, the bean, the Art Institute of Chicago, deep dish pizza, Lake Shore Trail, etc.

Since it's getting colder and there are less outdoor concerts and free events, I wanted to do something interesting for Saturday evening. I found some cheap tickets to local theater and invited a few of our other friends from high school that live in the area to see Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at a small theater.

Previously, some of my friends (these same friends) that I have dragged out to theater has been met with mixed results. We once saw Hamlet in a small, unairconditioned theater in the summer time where King Claudius forgot all of his lines. We also saw a terrible Arthur Miller play about the relationship between Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe that I cannot even remember what is was called. So my friends were willing, but skeptical.

Let me tell you: the Rivendell Theater in Edgewater delivered! It was a tiny little theater with only 6 actors in the play and a theater that only fit around 20-30 people, but it was fantastic. I was previously familiar with the story, but I hadn't read it. Seeing the play made me want to read the novel. It's now on my list!

The skyline from Adler Planetarium

As I've mentioned, I'm always interested in checking out new things. For my birthday, my friend gave me a few options of fun things to choose from, and I chose murder mystery dinner theater. I almost forgot what date it was because I didn't write down the exact date, but luckily we made it.

Last year, I bought some masks from the Mardi Gras Museum in Mobile, Alabama, and they came in handy! The theme was a masquerade ball. I told Kristen that we could totally dress up and get into the spirit. Luckily she's totally on board with my suggestions and we totally jumped into simple costumes that were made by the masks.

The show was fun, albeit a little chaotic and some of the people at our table were a little frustrating, but overall, we had a really great time! I think I'd be into more murder mystery dinner theater, but we might have to choose a weekend night next time! We're getting old for the late nights.