The North Shore Weekend, October 7th, 2023

“Art cannot be criticized because every mistake is a new creation.”

CALL OF THE WAVES

Singer and songwriter Tom Fuller debuts a new album of songs at an intimate concert at the Gorton Center on October 20. pg8

INSIDE NEWS

Amy Fields of Lake Forest is getting ready for this month's Betty Bash, a fundraiser for Mothers Trust Foundation pg12

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

A critically acclaimed interpretation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is coming to The Joffrey Ballet next week pg18

MATERIAL PURSUITS

Check out Atelier Jolie, a new purpose-driven fashion brand from Angelina Jolie, in this weekend's must-haves p21

-Mr. Brainwash

“HE SAVED MY LIFE”

Peripheral Neuropathy is the pain, discomfort and numbness caused by nerve damage of the peripheral nervous system. Linda explained that daily tasks like opening doors and using the bathroom were overwhelmingly painful. “How can you live for the next 30 years when you don’t even want to get out of bed to do simple things?”

Linda hasn’t worn socks in five years and was wearing shoes two sizes too big so that nothing would ‘touch’ her feet. She was experiencing the burning, numbness, tingling, and sharp pains that those suffering from neuropathy often describe.

Highland Park resident Linda S. had been experiencing the painful side effects of Peripheral Neuropathy, “my feet and legs were extremely painful and my doctor told me there was nothing they could do. That I would have to take Gabapentin for the rest of my life.”

Then she met Dr. Su.

“The way that I would describe it, it’s equivalent to walking on glass.”

Unfortunately Linda’s story is all too familiar for the over 3 million people suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy.

If you are unfortunate enough to be facing the same disheartening prognosis, you’re not sleeping at night because of the burning in your feet. You have difficulty walking, shopping, or doing any activity for more than 30 minutes because of the pain. You’re struggling with balance and living in fear that you might fall. Your doctor told you to ‘just live with the pain’ and you’re taking medications that aren’t working or have terrible side effects.

Fortunately, four months ago Linda read an article about a new type of clinic in Northfield that works with difficult to treat cases such as Peripheral Neuropathy sufferers, without invasive surgeries and medications.

Dr. Kuan Su, DACM, L.Ac., Dipl.OM founder of Acupuncture North Clinic is using the time-tested science of Acupuncture and technology originally developed by NASA that assists in increasing the blood flow and expediting recovery and healing to treat this debilitating disease.

“Now when I go to bed at night I don’t have those shooting pains. I don’t have that burning sensation. I don’t have pain coming up my legs,” Linda enthusiastically describes life after receiving treatment with Dr. Su. “I can wear socks and shoes!”

Dr. Su has been helping the senior community for over 10 years using innovative integrative medicine. Specializing in chronic pain cases, specifically those that have been deemed ‘hopeless’ or ‘untreatable’, he consistently generates unparalleled results.

Now Linda and her sister operate a successful dog walking business, sometimes covering up to 5 miles a day.

“It’s life altering. As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Su saved my life!”

Dr. Su has been helping the senior community for over 10 years using innovative integrative medicine.

Specializing in chronic pain cases, specifically those that have been deemed ‘hopeless’ or ‘untreatable’, he consistently generates unparalleled results.

What was once a missing link in senior healthcare is now easily accessible to the residents of Northfield and the surrounding Northshore area. If you missed too many tee times because of pain or you’ve passed on too many games of pickleball because you’re afraid of falling, it is time to call Kuan at Acupuncture North Clinic.

Dr. Su is now accepting a limited number of new patients. In an effort to protect his patients, both current and future, he has made the difficult decision to limit the number of patients seen in his clinic. Only 10 new neuropathy patients will be accepted before the end of October 2023.

It’s time you let your golden years BE GOLDEN!

THIS

At Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, we’re working to solve tomorrow’s challenges today.

Individually and collectively, our faculty, researchers, students and partners are committed to bringing next-generation health care to the people and communities that we serve.

rosalindfranklin.edu

is what we’re made for.

Penthouse Interior

Expansive Terraces

NEWS

10 it's a wrap

The Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society puts its 19th Biennial Showhouse in the books

12 a mother's heart

Amy Fields reflects on her work with the Mothers Trust Foundation and this year's Betty Bash on October 14

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

16 not so quiet quitting

Former drummer Freda Love Smith of Evanston will read from her new memoir later this month at SPACE

18 gothic masterpiece Liam Scarlett’s interpreta-

tion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein makes its Chicago premiere at The Joffrey Ballet on October 12

20 fair play

Critic Rex Reed gives this ambitious, yet disturbing, film about corporate treachery a three-star review

21 material pursuits

Helmut Newton's Bentley, a diver's watch to die for, and Angelina Jolie's new brand top this weekend's want list

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

22 sunday breakfast

Avid cyclist Bruce Boyd of Highland Park is on a roll as an altruistic, communityfirst citizen

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Mitch Hurst, Bill McLean, Anne Marie Scheidler

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Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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EDITORIAL@NSWEEKEND.COM

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Tom Fuller didn’t know where he was. A native of the west suburbs and a resident of Geneva at the time, the singer and songwriter was filming a music video for his song “OnePlusOne” when he turned to the producer and asked, “Where am I?”

Turns out, Fuller was in Lake Bluff.

Coming from Geneva, he hadn’t been informed of the location of the shoot, which commenced after dark, but he had a sense of feeling, of being near the water. A boatman’s call. It wouldn’t be long before he bought a lot along the lake in Lake Forest and resettled.

“It was 2 a.m. and we walked to the lake, and I could hear the waves and I told the director, ‘I’m supposed to live here’,” Fuller says. “I got these intuitive vibes that I never question. Within a week I was obsessed with scouring Lake Forest, and I found a vacant, two-acre parcel with a beach.”

Fuller built a beach house and bonded with his new Lake Forest neighbors. Having grown up in Hinsdale, Fuller says living in Lake Forest is bit like Hinsdale with a beach.

“It’s just a whole new world up here on Lake Michigan, really an eye opener,” he says. “People from the west or south suburbs don’t have a clue what it’s really like. It’s just wonderful.”

For the uninitiated, Tom Fuller is something of a music legend. Known less in the United States than in Europe, he has recorded songs that have charted on Billboard and toured with Little Feet, Soul Asylum, Blues Traveler, and Robin Trower. With his heart and home now in Lake Forest, Fuller will be performing a live show at the Gorton Center on October 20.

Fuller first picked up a guitar when he was 9 or 10. His parents listened to WLS radio, the iconic Chicago pop music radio station back in the day. The Beatles caught his ear, and he enlisted an elderly gentleman to teach him how to play it.

“Here’s this 9-year-old who doesn’t know anything about music and Ernie, this 99-year-old guy would spend 20 minutes playing the guitar and I just sat there and didn’t have a clue,” Fuller says. “He taught me how to play ‘Greensleeves’, a world-renowned tune, and it was cool but not really what I wanted to do.”

What Fuller really wanted to do was rock out. First, though, there was the little matter of making some money. With 100 bucks, the minimum to incorporate a small business in Illinois, Fuller started a marketing company that would eventually grow to earn revenues of $30 million per year.

“I was doing the corporate CEO thing and traveling the world, primarily in Asia, and a decade into doing that, I started hearing these melodies and these tunes in my head and they wouldn’t go away,” he says. “I hadn’t played the guitar in many years, but I picked it up again.”

Fuller credits much of his success, both as a CEO and now a musician, to spirituality. It also helped him kick an addiction to alcohol. He hasn’t touched a drink in 25 years and based on some advice from a mentor in Nashville long ago, he quit smoking to preserve his voice.

“I wanted to live. It was all about wanting to live. I just did whatever I had to do,” he says. “I was able to take those bad feelings and put them into a song and once I did that the desire to drink was gone.”

Like so many other creative projects, Fuller’s new album was birthed during the COVID shutdown. With time on his hands, he reflected on his past catalogue and re-recorded some songs, stripping them down to their essentials. He also added some new tunes.

“One of the cool things about this house that I built is I have a sound-proof, elite studio and it’s just mind-boggling,” he says. “I had a couple of guitar guys over the other night that I’m going to perform with just to see it and they were blown away.”

Fuller is thrilled to be playing the new tunes, and some old ones, at the Gorton Center in October. You can sense in his voice he’s caught a local vibe from his new, adopted community in Lake Forest.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Gorton Center for having me. After COVID I got a thing inside of me that I want to come out of my shell; I want to embrace my new community,” Fuller says. “I’m sticking my neck out because I never really played in hometowns before, but I’m playing at the Gorton Center, and I can’t believe it.”

Tom Fuller plays the Gorton Center on October 20. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tomfuller.rocks.

Singer/songwriter Tom Fuller of Lake Forest will play an intimate show at the Gorton Center on October 20.

IT’S A WRAP

The Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society reflects on the success of this year’s event.

The Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago proudly reports the triumphant culmination of its 19th Biennial Showhouse, held from May 5 to June 4. This year's Showhouse once again demonstrated the organization's commitment to fundraising to support the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.

This year’s Showhouse featured a stunning home designed in 1969 by William Frazier. The home is set on beautifully landscaped nine acres in Lake Forest, Illinois, with five acres designated as a conservation area.

The home features a 16-room main house, a seven-room coach house, and a gentleman's outbuilding. A total of 34 interior designers and eight landscape designers lent their creative expertise to transform these spaces into captivating works of art that resonated with visitors from across the Chicago area and nationally.

During its opening days, the Showhouse kicked off with an amazing opening night Preview Party generously catered by the jdR family of companies and saw a remarkable turnout of over 650 guests.

Ashley Whittaker and Timothy Whealon,

who graciously served as Honorary Chairs of the Showhouse, were featured in a keynote lecture and luncheon attended by over 350 guests. The lecture also provided all guests with a copy of the book Charm School: The Schumacher Guide to Traditional Decorating for Today

The Showhouse doors remained open for a span of four weeks, welcoming a staggering 8,000 guests through its carefully curated interiors and landscapes. The event's resounding success culminated in raising a gross total of over $800,000, a testament to the unwavering

support from attendees and sponsors alike.

With this year's achievements, the Lake Forest Showhouse solidified its status as one of the premier Showhouses in the country, a source of pride for all involved.

Funds raised will be directed towards Infant Welfare Society (IWS) Family Health. This clinic provides health care services and education to medically underserved and vulnerable families. The mission of IWS Family Health is to provide a continuum of integrated, quality, and preventative health services to children and their families, enabling them to lead healthy and productive lives.

In the spirit of solidarity and shared purpose, the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago extends its heartfelt gratitude to all supporters, attendees, designers, sponsors, and volunteers who made the 2023 Biennial Showhouse an unparalleled success.

For those eager to be part of this legacy and contribute to its noble mission, information on the next Showhouse can be found on the organization’s official website, lakeforestshowhouse.com, or by following @lfshowhouse on Instagram.

TSAO BY THE NUMBERS:

$125 Million of Financial Aid Awards granted each year by the TSAO Member Schools

2000+ Classes offered 100% of TSAO grads attend 4 year colleges

5:1 Average student to faculty ratio

86 Countries represented by our collective student body

A MOTHER’S HEART

Amy Fields helps Mothers Trust Foundation celebrate 25 years of meeting the critical needs of children and families in Lake County at this year’s Betty Bash on October 14.

BY ANN MARIE SCHEIDLER ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

“You see things differently when you become a mom, don’t you?” asks Lake Forest’s Amy Fields, the mother to 6-and-a-half-year-old daughter Sammy. “The idea of being a mom and not being able to give your child the basic things like formula, food, diapers, or clean clothing—it must be crushing. How is she supposed to go about her day wondering how she will provide those things for her child?”

Fields grew up on the North Shore doing philanthropy work for multiple organizations and has long had a soft spot for children’s charities—working with pediatric oncology patients and giving her time locally to Fill-A-Heart-4Kids. So, when Fields’ husband Dan introduced her to Paula Turelli, the executive director of Mothers Trust Foundation, she immediately connected with their mission.

“I love how Mothers Trust Foundation makes sure that a mom can give her child what he or she needs to be successful,” Fields says. “Whether it’s a car seat that’s not expired, eye exams not covered by insurance, a jersey to play on a local team, or even a week at summer camp. The happiness this can bring to a child, a mom—it ripples through an entire family. I also applaud with how swiftly Mothers Trust acts on their requests. Some emergencies—like a family’s power being turned off—can be taken care of before a child even knows about it. That is priceless.”

At its core, Mothers Trust Foundation fills in the financial gaps for children from birth to age 21, in turn providing hope, building confidence, and making a positive difference in young people’s lives. “We are very good stewards of the money we receive,” says Turelli. “We take the trust people have in us very seriously.”

To this end, each Wednesday morning at 9:30, a group of Mothers Trust Foundation volunteers

and staff gather on a Zoom call and in person in their office at Gorton Community Center to review grant requests and vote on whether or not a grant should be made. Grant requests are submitted to Mothers Trust Foundation by social workers and school counselors throughout Lake County on behalf of the children they’re representing.

“We would love for more people to join our meetings—it’s just one hour each week and Zoom has made it very easy for people to come in and out of those calls as they have time,” Turelli says. “We discuss each and every grant request we receive to make sure that what we’re doing is within our guidelines and sustainable going forward.”

When a grant is approved, the check is cut within 24-48 hours. Grant requests range from something as small as the fee to go on a school field trip to something as significant as money to cover rent and utilities. MTF also has special rules in their bylaws so that they can issue grants in emergency situations.

According to Mothers Trust Foundation’s reports, of the families served:

• Nearly all of the families live at or below the poverty level

• 77 percent have a single mother or

grandparent head of household

• 8 percent are homeless

• 21 percent have a child or parent who is disabled

Since its inception, Mothers Trust Foundation has assisted more than 44,000 children with nearly $5 million in grants.

This year, at the Mothers Trust Foundation’s annual fundraiser—the Betty Bash on Saturday, October 14 at Fields MINI of Glencoe—they will mark its 25-year milestone of meeting the critical needs of low-income children and families in Lake County when no one else can.

“With it being Betty’s 25th Bash, this silver celebration will be extra sparkly,” says Christine Goshgarian, a devoted Mothers Trust volunteer for more than 20 years. “We have some fabulous vacation homes to bid on, a surprise raffle you won’t want to miss, a live auction that will include delicious dinner locations, and a paddle raise. It will be a night of amazing fun, laughter, and support for a mission to help those who truly need it. I would love to see more new faces join us and help us spread the word about Mothers Trust.”

Event co-chair and Mothers Trust

Foundation Board Member Heidi Prom echoes Goshgarian’s sentiments. “I’m in awe that we can provide help for the basic needs we take for granted,” she says. “And we can do this with no red tape and get right to the source without any barrier. Our team is so dedicated to doing the right thing and filling the needs that make a difference in the lives of who we serve. We are most grateful to the Fields Family who feel called to be part of our mission to help the community.”

Fields Auto Group is the Silver Lining Title Sponsor for this year’s event. “We are thrilled that our family can be a part of this event this year,” Fields says. “Philanthropy is a huge priority for our family and every Fields Auto Group team member. I believe it’s our responsibility to help our fellow mothers. We have to continue to make resources like Mothers Trust Foundation available for moms who are working so hard to give their children a better life. We are honored to be partnering with a charity that has made such a significant impact for the past 25 years in our community and beyond.”

To learn more about Mothers Trust Foundation or to buy your ticket to The Betty Bash, visit motherstrustfoundation.org.

"Some emergencies— like a family’s power being turned off—can be taken care of before a child even knows about it. That is priceless."

NOT SO QUIET QUITTING

BY GREGG SHAPIRO THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

For many people, the name Freda Love Smith conjures the sound of music. Drumming, in particular. Before she retired, the Evanston resident was a drummer in several bands, including Blake Babies, The Mysteries of Life, Antenna, Some Girls, and Sunshine Boys to mention a few. Smith wrote about that part of her life in her marvelous 2015 memoir Red Velvet Underground. The subject of music also features prominently in her equally awesome new book, I Quit Everything (Agate, 2023). Subtitled, “How One Woman’s Addiction to Quitting Helped Her Confront Bad Habits and Embrace Midlife,” the book includes sections on alcohol, sugar, cannabis, caffeine, and social media, and is equal parts confessional and self-help guide. Smith’s honest and open voice guides readers through her experiences while generously providing hard-won wisdom. Freda, who will read from her new book October 22 at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Avenue, in Evanston, was kind enough to make time for an interview shortly before the book’s release.

Your new book I Quit Everything is your second. Did you know after the first book that you had another in you?

I knew I wanted to write more books, and even before Red Velvet Underground came out I was experimenting with another food-related project. That fizzled, and then a surprising thing happened, which was the resurrection of my drumming career with Chicago band Sunshine Boys—suddenly I had a whole other, all-consuming artistic outlet. I kept writing during that time, but I wrote slower and less. The narrative of I Quit

Everything ends with my retirement from drumming, but the process of writing the book actually began with that retirement. At one of my final musical performances, I read an early draft of the social media chapter, marking my transition from one type of creative work to another.

In the book you write about completing your MFA in Creative Nonfiction. Did any part of this book begin while you were working on your MFA?

Writing this book interrupted the project I’d been working on for my MFA. My thesis was a biography of Angela DeAngelis, a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army and an instrumental player

in the kidnapping and indoctrination of Patty Hearst. Angela went to college in my hometown, Bloomington, Indiana. I have a contract for that book, and I still absolutely intend to write it, although it seems to be morphing into a novel. The idea to write I Quit Everything popped into my head, and it wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it. It’s a very short book, and it didn’t take long; it just came pouring out of me. I’d already lived through all the quitting that the book documents, and had kept a detailed journal throughout, so it was just a matter of finding points of connection, doing some research, and assembling a loose structure.

I Quit Everything is separated into seven sections, five of which have addictivesubstance-titles, with each one containing brief essays. Did the essays or the section themes come first in your creative process?

I mostly started with the themes. One advantage I had in figuring out the structure was that the book documents an experiment that spanned about eight months, so there was an intrinsic chronology I could rely on: first I quit this, then that, then that. Within this framework I certainly take liberties, but

at least there is a basic timeline to contain the chaos!

I Quit Everything is a book full of books with quotes from and references to Sugar Blues, The Doors of Perception, and The Botany of Desire, to name a few. Do you feel, as a writer, that you have a responsibility to recommend books to your readers?

I am grateful when writers recommend books to me and I love when one piece of writing points me to another, so it’s natural to want to pay it forward. I Quit Everything does end up being partly about books—I write about how books saved me during COVID, and about how a bookstore job helped me escape the academic job I was eager to quit. And although the book is a deeply personal memoir, documenting my struggles with addiction and withdrawal and midlife, I wanted it to be more than just my story. I wanted to fold in the stories and observations and research of others to give the book more texture and substance. In addition to quoting writers, you also quote musicians, including Jonathan Richman. Would it be fair to say you consider Richman as an influence?

Yes, for sure! Jonathan Richman has been a force in my life since I first heard his solo albums in the eighties, which inspired me to seek out his earlier work with the Modern Lovers, one of my favorite bands of all time. Few songwriters are as singular—he steers clear of cliché, irony, and cultural pressure to conform to any current trends. He makes sincerity seem like the most punk thing ever. Would you agree that the looseness you write about in the “I’m Loose” essay seems to have been replaced by a kind of cultural tightness? If so, do you see that as a positive or negative?

This is amazing timing! I was just talking about “looseness” today with a former student of mine. She’s in her twenties, and at a recent family event her aunt (a Gen-X’er like me, in her fifties) went on a rant about how kids these days are too uptight, how we all used to drive drunk, and it was fine! I don’t advocate a return to rampant drunk driving, but believe me, I understand the sentiment, absolutely.

I love the way you write about actors and films. For people familiar with you as a musician in bands including Blake Babies,

Evanston resident and acclaimed drummer Freda Love Smith reflects on music, midlife, and her new book.

Freda Love Smith

Mysteries of Life, and Some Girls, to name a few, do you think they’ll be surprised to learn about movie star dreams?

I think they’ll be surprised, yes. I always felt most comfortable hiding back behind the drum set and became very shy when I had a microphone in front of my face. Did being a musician and playing for audiences fulfill that longing for you?

It absolutely did and gave me a more comfortable way to be an artist and performer; one better suited to my disposition.

I loved the Sugar section, as that is also my addiction. I totally related to Cap’n Crunch’s violent mouth shredding, which is why I preferred the now defunct Quisp— same manufacturer, same taste, but gentler on the gums. Are you concerned about a backlash from Big Cereal?

First of all, I’d like a time machine so I can go back and pour myself a big bowl of Quisp—how did I never know about Quisp?

I feel cheated. I have often felt the same way about quaaludes. Totally missed out, born just a little too late. Anyway, it’s unlikely Big Cereal will find me much of a threat; I think their power is even greater than it was when I was a kid. I recently read that they continue to reformulate those cereals to make them more appealing and—to borrow a cute

adjective from the British—“moreish.”

On a more serious note, the Social Media section of the book becomes a eulogy for your friend Faith Kleppinger. Did you know when writing that section that that’s what it would be or was it something that developed organically?

That came straight out of the journal that I was keeping at the time, writing about my quitting process and about the major events of my life. I loved her so much, and that loss permeated everything at the time. What would it mean to you if I Quit Everything became recommended reading for people in the recovery community?

I feel big love for the recovery community and have been thrilled to glimpse the ways in which that world is opening up, diversifying, allowing in myriad voices and approaches. I appreciate the nuance in language like “soberish,” “sober curious,” and “California sober.” It feels to me like there is more space for people to decide what they want their sobriety to look like; not everyone fits every program. It would mean the world to me if I Quit Everything were to help anyone to break a destructive habit, to take a good honest look within, and decide what they can and can’t afford to mess with, and to trust themselves to make the right choices.

You grew up not far from Bloomington, Indiana, which is known as a college town. You also lived in Boston, a city well-known for its colleges. You currently live in Evanston, which is home to Northwestern University. Would you say that that was a conscious decision on your part to live in these types of places?

I can even add one to the list—for four years I lived in Nottingham in the UK, home to two major universities. I do love college towns and feel very comfortable in the milieu of academia. My mom worked at Indiana University as the editor of the alumni magazine, and I’ve worked on and off in a variety of teaching and administrative jobs at universities since my young adulthood. My partner Jake is a professor at Northwestern. To quote Mellencamp, I’ll probably die in a college town. In the book you also mention the 2022 shooting that took place during the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. In what ways, if any, did that impact the way you felt about living on the North Shore? That was devastating. Of course, it shook me to my core, but it was far worse for

those who lost loved ones, and for everyone in Highland Park. If we tended to feel that we on the North Shore were safe from this kind of senseless violence, we won’t ever be able to feel that way again. And the Fourth of July feels permanently altered; more complicated, more emotional.

GOTHIC MASTERPIECE

The Joffrey Ballet kicks off its 2023-24 season with the Chicago premiere of Liam Scarlett’s critically acclaimed interpretation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

When Mary Shelley published her novel about a young scientist named Victor Frankenstein in 1818, she had been traveling through Europe hearing stories about alchemists conducting bizarre science experiments. It is believed her work, titled Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, was the product of a contest with future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron to see who could write the best horror story.

It has since become a pop culture classic, with subsequent adaptations to numerous mediums and pop culture tropes that have stood the test of time.

And on October 12, The Joffrey Ballet will open its 68th season with the highly anticipated Chicago premiere of Liam Scarlett's critically acclaimed interpretation of this gothic masterpiece.

Set in the dawn of modern science, Scarlett's production of the 19th-century science fiction novel is a visceral, profoundly emotional tale of life, death, love, and identity.

With an original sweeping score by Lowell Liebermann and immersed within the striking stage design by world-renowned artist of premiere ballets and operas John Macfarlane, this ambitious production of Frankenstein at the historic Lyric Opera House features sensational choreography, costumes, and special effects.

One of the most innovative works of dance today, this must-see Chicago premiere runs for ten performances only through October 22.

Frankenstein is a captivating journey through scientist Victor Frankenstein's ambitious plan to animate a patchwork of lifeless body parts, setting in motion a detrimental chain of fateful events.

John Mcfarlane's cinematic design transports audiences to Shelley's era with stunning period-piece costumes set in a dramatically lit, circular anatomy theater, combined with electrifying pyrotechnics and expertly rendered special effects makeup that transform previous notions of horror into an allegory of the human condition.

Scarlett's virtuosic choreography and Liebermann's theatrical score come together to capture the existential conditions of a burgeoning modern society, with its associated feelings of otherness and desire for acceptance in a rapidly changing world.

“The Chicago premiere of Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein is storytelling at the grandest scale, but with delicate emotion rendered in fine detail,” says The Mary B.

Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. “Frankenstein suggests that otherness—and subsequent acceptance of the darkest parts of ourselves—is part of the human experience. We honor the memory of Scarlett, whose artistry in reimagining of Shelley's epic story takes form through the movement of the Joffrey’s electrifying dancers, a pulsating original score, and a fascinating set design.”

Frankenstein is a co-production of London's Royal Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. Scarlett's production received its premiere to critical acclaim at the Royal Opera House in 2016, followed by its North

American premiere in 2017. The Chicago premiere next week features live music performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.

“As we embark on our 68th season at the Joffrey, we are propelled by an unyielding commitment to artistic exploration. Under the visionary leadership of Ashley Wheater, we have the privilege of sharing Liam Scarlett's masterwork of Frankenstein with Chicago,” adds President and CEO Greg Cameron. “Today, this creative ambition extends past the stage into all aspects of our organization. From nurturing the next generation of dancers in the Joffrey Academy, sharing dance throughout Chicago's 77 neighborhoods with our Community Engagement programs, to our newly renovated facilities fostering a thriving environment across all of our departments, the Joffrey’s impact in the arts resonates within every corner of our city."

Frankenstein will run for 10 performances Thursday through Sunday, October 12 to 22. Single tickets start at $36 and are available for purchase at Lyric Opera Box Office, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive, in Chicago. For times and more information, call 312-386-8905 or visit joffrey.org.

LEFT: Jose Pablo Castro Cuevas and Amanda Assucena appear in an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at The Joffrey Ballet.

BELOW: Stefan Goncalvez and Jose Pablo Castro Cuevas give masterful performances in the Chicago premiere of Liam Scarlett’s critically acclaimed interpretation. Photography courtesy of Todd Rosenberg

BY REX REED

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

RUNNING TIME: 113 MINUTES

RATING: 3 stars

FAIR PLAY

This dark tale of modern corporate treachery has admirable qualities but is not an entertaining experience.

A love and revenge drama set in the cutthroat world of high finance, Fair Play is a powerful and disturbing debut film by writer-director Chloe Domont that is being labeled "a Wall Street for the #Me Too era."

The film stars Phoebe Dynevor from TV's Bridgerton series and Aiden Ehrenreeich (Solo: A Star Wars Story)—two appealing dynamos who, after this, are guaranteed major screen time in terms of future stardom.

They play Emily and Luke, a couple who are forced to keep their romance a secret because they both work for a major stock market investment corporation called One Crest Capital where personal relationships among competitive employees are forbidden. In the merciless milieu of hedge fund managers, it's every man for himself and Emily and Luke are low on the totem pole of longevity and job security.

But they are madly in love, share a small apartment, and plan to marry. Enough sex

scenes follow to seal the success of that future marriage—until one thing happens that challenges everything they vow and changes the trajectory of their future. A coveted position as portfolio manager suddenly opens and although Luke had coveted the job, it's Emily who gets it.

Despite Luke's pretense that he's proud of her, his hidden resentment builds and the relationship suffers. In essence, she is now his superior. Worse still, she's making more money and has more power to make decisions that affect him. This is the business world of high finance where women have struggled for years to achieve equal status, but with typical alpha male vanity, he resents her efforts to help him get a promotion of his own and every move she makes advances his humiliation.

Tensions build. Dangers accelerate. Small misunderstandings take on big hurdles. Their relationship weakens. Their sex life dissipates to the point where all interest dies.

There's a lot of technical discourse about data analysis, industry performance, computer vision teams, consensus revenue, global economy, annualized returns, passive equity strategies, and related subjects Ms. Domont explores with fury and passion. Her ease and skill for finance jargon are so natural that respect and awe for her highwire act become inevitable. And she knows how to milk maximum assets from her amazing co-stars as well as Eddie Marsan as their vicious, conniving boss.

The cast is riveting and the insights into the poisonous priorities of people who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing at all paint a picture of modern corporate treachery.

But as much as I admired the whole thing, this movie left a nasty taste in my mouth. The dramatic stakes are well served, but Fair Play is anything but fair, and it ends with the cruelest feminist violence imaginable. Thoughtful, but hardly what I'd call entertainment.

MATERIAL PURSUITS

This weekend’s curated luxury trends

HELMUT NEWTON’S BENTLEY

In 1964, when the late Helmut Newton decided that he “had to own a Bentley,” the critically acclaimed German/Australian fashion photographer, walked in to a Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealership in Paris with a budget of 10,000 francs. But the car he’d end up falling in love with—a silver and blue, 1956 Bentley S-Type Continental Sports Saloon once owned by Madame Peugeot herself—was priced at more than double that amount. According to Newton’s autobiography, he received an agency check in that amount (around 23,000 francs) about a month later for a job he had done and “hotfooted it” over to the salesman. “He looked at me like I was crazy, but I had the car and drove it home in a state of complete euphoria." This month, some lucky buyer will get to experience that same joy as the Bentley Newton owned between 1964 and 1972 goes up for auction at Bonham’s. The vehicle features coachwork by H J Mulliner, an engine rebuilt in 2011, and numerous upgrades throughout its storied history. It’s also one of only 26 left-hand drive Mulliner-bodied S-Type two-door saloons. Bonham’s estimate this beauty will sell for at least $1 million. Find out more at cars.bonhams.com

FIFTY FATHOMS UNDER THE SEA

When Blancpain unveiled its Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch in 1953, there was nothing else quite like it. Fast forward 70 years later and underwater diving has been transformed by modern technology with divers now able to spend hours under the sea. Enter an exquisite new timepiece from Blancpain marking the 70th anniversary of its iconic Fifty Fathoms. Issued in a 555-piece limited edition, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 is presented in a box inspired by a historic camera housing, echoing Blancpain's ocean protection initiatives and the Swiss brand’s underwater legacy. Among its many state-of-the-art mechanisms, this anniversary model features a twotone NATO strap with the color code of the original timepiece, made from fishing nets recovered from the oceans. This limited edition timepiece is priced around $32,000. Find out more at blancpain.com/en/fifty-fathoms-70th-anniversary-act-3.

Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie has announced the launch of her purpose-driven fashion brand, Atelier Jolie. “I am building a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers, and artisans from around the world,” says Jolie. “We will use only leftover, quality vintage material and deadstock. You will be able to repair or upcycle pieces from your closet that you wish to revive, perfecting fit, breathing new life into what could have been thrown away, and creating quality heirloom garments with personal meaning.” Jolie and Chloé, led by Gabriela Hearst, have announced they are working on a capsule collection together. Atelierjolie.com

ATELIER JOLIE

UNIFYING FORCE

Bruce Boyd’s love for the outdoors nearly matches his passion to unite communities through philanthropy.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Fresh out of college at age 22, Bruce Boyd lived and work in Spain for six months.

“I made great friends in that country,” he recalls.

He also made office partitions as a factory worker in that country.

Now 66 years old and a longtime resident of Highland Park, Boyd—an ex-lawyer like his wife, Beth—would go stir-crazy if he had to spend more than a minute in a cooped up, indoor setting replete with barriers that isolate employees.

Exhibit A: Boyd is the executive director of the Morrison Family Foundation, which supports champions of environmental justice who ensure everyone, regardless of race, identity, or community, has the opportunity to experience the mental and physical health benefits of being outdoors.

“The more time kids spend outside, the healthier they are, and research backs that up,” says Boyd, who was a principal and managing director at Arabella Advisors, an award-winning consulting firm that enables clients across the philanthropic sector to tackle society’s biggest challenges more efficiently, effectively, and equitably.

“The Morrison Family Foundation,” he adds, “offers programs to kids who lack opportunities to experience the joys of being outdoors and engaging with others outside.”

Exhibit B: Boyd served as senior manager of The Nature Conservancy. Its vision is a world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill needs and enrich lives. Boyd led the conservancy’s Illinois Program, the Upper Mississippi River Project, and the four-continent Great Rivers Partnership.

Exhibits C, D, and E: He bikes nearly 200 miles every summer to Galena, with Beth (a designer and an accomplished competitive racer) and six to eight of their friends; his favorite seat in the world is on an Adirondack chair, alongside Beth, in the couple’s lawn-less, nature-centric yard, where they sip cocktails and view birds, butterflies, bees, moths, foxes, and deer; and he gives maple syrup to friends after drawing sap (“It take 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup,” he says) from his trees in February and March.

Boyd also finds time to serve on the board of the Lake County Community Foundation, work with the Empowerment Collective—an

organization that supports and empowers women in Nepal and India—and volunteer as an instructor who teaches Spanish to English speakers at the Highwood Public Library and Community Center.

was a teacher in the city. My dad’s family was community-minded.”

One of his Cabrini-Green tutees emerged as a state trooper, and another wound up as a construction worker. The third became a

The HPCF established the Highland Park Shooting Response Fund and the Together Highland Park Unidos Committee to manage the donor distribution process. A total of $5.8 million was raised, with $5.2 million allocated to individual claimants and $580,000 to community organizations that provided mental health and other services for impacted community members.

Boyd contacted Kenneth Feinberg before he went to work with Kessler. Feinberg had served as the special master of the U.S. government’s September 11th Compensation Fund.

“We sought Ken’s help,” Boyd says. “Eric and I were administrators. And Betsy was our fearless leader.”

Boyd, the teen, was a leader—a varsity soccer captain specifically—in his senior season at New Trier East HS and served in the same capacity as a senior at Middlebury College in Vermont. But basketball was his main sport during his middle school years because American Youth Soccer Association (AYSO) teams didn’t exist back then.

He dribbled a basketball, as a shooting guard, for a team named the Sabres for three

One of the team’s coaches?

Bruce’s father.

“I loved sports when I was young, and I loved that my dad, a successful businessman, found the time to coach me,” says Boyd, who’s still an avid soccer fan.

Bruce’s future wife, Michigander Beth, was a lawyer on the other side of a deposition in one of his cases when they first met in 1987 in New York City. Bruce had graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political science from Middlebury, before earning his law degree from the University of Chicago. He also studied business at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Bruce and Beth got married in 1989 and raised a son, Tyler, and a daughter, Jessie, in a house two blocks from where they live today in Highland Park (“Our adult house,” Mr. Boyd says). Both played soccer as youngsters. Tyler now lives in Missouri, and Jessie calls Denver

Bruce stepped away from the courtroom for good in his early 30s.

Beth—who owned Highwood-based Gallery A+D, by Wiley Designs, LLC for about three years—is president of the board of trustees at Ragdale, the nonprofit artists’ residency program and community in Lake Forest.

“Beth and I are recovering lawyers,” Bruce cracks.

I care about people, the environment, anything that promotes good, sound living, and giving opportunities to those who don’t have them. If there’s a way to help strengthen a community, I’ll get behind it.

This newer construction (2021) third floor condo in the Mid, a boutique elevator building, offers beautiful finishes and an elegant open floor plan. This 2 bedroom/2 bathroom corner unit includes a private balcony and roof top deck with city views. The entire unit boasts engineered wood floors. The living room has a wall of windows out to the balcony and opens to the kitchen. Shades can be controlled by app. Stunning finishes in the kitchen with Bosch stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, stainless steel deep sink, soft-close cabinets, under cabinet lighting, and breakfast bar seating. Tall ceilings and recessed lighting throughout. In unit washer and dryer and nest thermostat. One parking spot included in heated, indoor garage, along with bike storage. Easy access to highway and transportation.

Third Floor, Two Bedroom and Two Bathroom Condo

2423 W. Fullerton Avenue #3G

Logan Square

Chicago

$499,000