I really wanted to see the Adirondack Chair Circle at Steppenwolf, but because I was away most of October, the only time I could go was on Halloween night 😂. I got two tickets, hoping that somebody would accompany me – the play sounded so interesting – but unfortunately, that night was off limits for everyone for this or that reason. I decided that my money is going to support Steppenwolf anyway, and went alone.

I regretted my decision to go until the intermission, and let me tell you why. Firstly, that was my first day off after I returned from Europe, and the week was full to the brim with events, new work, new people, and I also had a gigantic backlog related to Prairie and PG DATA. And I was going to be in Milwaukee on Sunday, so that was the only day I could catch up on things. That being said, I left the house not too late, but very close to it :). And it was a Halloween night!

That’s my sixth year in Rogers Park, but I guess it was the first time I was out on that night, and it was Saturday, and the weather was nice! All these conditions together made it an absolutely surreal experience. There were adults in costumes everywhere, and most of the costumes were quite provocative. The Red Line train was hopelessly delayed. I saw the lights at Howard, but nothing was moving. Finally, when the train reached Jarvix, it was packed with all the weird creatures you can and can’t imagine! You only had a choice between bunny ears or bull horns, between silver helmets and golden capes, but there was not a single car without “dark forces”.

I was late. Maybe the first time in my life, I was late to the theater, and the usher let me sit outside and watch the play on the screen until there was an appropriate moment. I was miserable. I thought I should get up and leave, especially because it was difficult to understand the words – the camera was somewhere on top, and if I had been on time, I would have had a first-row seat. Finally, she let me in, but told me not to go down to my seat, but to the seat in the middle she pointed me to. I was still upset about missing the beginning and about my seating, and for the twentieth time thought I should have stayed at home. During the intermission, I was able to get ot my seat, and everything changed! Finally, I was absorbed into the story of the controversy of book banning in the school libraries. Everyone was great, but especially the Crow – a stunning performance by David Darrow. And once again, there was a discussion planned after the performance, but I didn’t feel I could last for another forty minutes, so I left (still regretting that I can’t go without any sleep at all!)

All the photos and videos are from the Steppenwolf website. I know that photos do not tell much for a play like that, but at least something.