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Chicago Tribune
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Girls & Boys' by Griffin Theatre is a devastating solo memory play
As I walked out of Griffin Theatre's extraordinary production of 'Girls & Boys,' in that dazed state that sets in after a show really messes with your head, two thoughts immediately ran through my mind. First: Cynthia Marker just gave a hell of a solo performance — one of the best I've seen in a long time. Second: how on earth am I going to convey the impact of this play without spoiling too much of the plot? I'll give the latter my best attempt. In this one-woman play, British writer Dennis Kelly (a Tony Award winner for the book of 'Matilda the Musical') manages a tricky balancing act, tackling an extremely dark subject in almost surgical detail while softening its harshest blows for the audience and maintaining some sense of hope in humanity. Oh, and the show is also hilarious. Griffin's Midwest premiere of this 2018 play is directed by Robin Witt, who excels at the helm of intimate dramas, as recently demonstrated by the moving two-handers 'A Case for the Existence of God' and 'A Slow Air' at Steep Theatre. Her knack for shaping exquisitely paced, quietly devastating emotional arcs works equally well in 'Girls & Boys.' With a skilled writer and a sensitive director in her corner, Marker holds the audience in rapt attention for 100 minutes straight in the role of the unnamed narrator, a quick-witted, irreverent Londoner from a working-class background. She launches her opening monologue with a bit worthy of a stand-up comedy set, recalling how she first met her future husband while waiting to board a JetBlue flight in Naples, Italy. As he sarcastically dashes the hopes of two gorgeous models trying to flirt their way ahead in the tense queue, this previously unremarkable man starts looking like a Greek god to our narrator. The attraction proves to be mutual, and Marker's character rhapsodizes about their passionate physicality and seemingly perfect compatibility in the early stages of their relationship. Suddenly, a sound cue and a shift from white to blue lighting indicate a leap in time, and this woman begins to relive a mundane interaction with her two young children, Leanne and Danny, while speaking to thin air and miming her motherly motions. Although we don't initially understand the purpose of this disorienting scene, in which the narrator no longer addresses the audience but instead seems wrapped up in her own memories, it does begin to make sense of the striking scenic design by Sotirios Livaditis. The set's ground level consists of a simple couch, throw rug, end tables and lamps in grays and off-whites — an ensemble that is mirrored by blue furniture suspended from the ceiling and strewn with children's toys and two stuffed animals. The overhead set pieces light up during the blue-tinged memory sequences, with lighting designer Brandon Wardell and sound designer Thomas Dixon working in tandem with Livaditis to toggle back and forth in time as the play inches toward revealing how the narrator's own life was turned upside down. When the action flips back to the brightly lit, right-side-up look, Marker's character recounts how her husband, a successful entrepreneur, cheered her on as she pursued a new career in documentary filmmaking. In another comedic moment, she tells the story of her first job interview in the industry, which pitted her against a horde of posh young people who could afford to pad their resumes with unpaid work experience. But with a combination of grit and humor, she gets her foot in the door and works her way up. A happy marriage, a fulfilling job and soon, a growing family — her adult life seems off to a promising start. Of course, that's not where the story ends. I won't reveal more here, but the script drops enough hints of the horrors to come that when the crisis finally arrives, the narrator acknowledges that the audience probably knows where it's going. Then, she gives the gentlest, most generous trigger warning imaginable. When the story gets difficult, she tells us, remember two things: this did not happen to you, and it is not happening now. But in this fictional world, the unspeakable did happen to her, and the narrator's reflections on violence, grief and memory are both poignant and profound. Marker never succumbs to a full breakdown in the telling, and her character has had years to process the trauma, but her pain is no less palpable for this restraint. It's a performance that will haunt me for some time, I suspect. Don't miss 'Girls & Boys' (4 stars) When: Through Aug. 16 Where: Griffin Theatre at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Tickets: $30-$43 at
The Star
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Dave Rowntree revisits Blur's early years in his photo book
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is to publish a book of photos on the early days of the Britpop icons and after much-heralded comeback gigs two years ago has not ruled out another collaboration. 'I think Blur will definitely do something else,' he said, as their great rivals Oasis prepared for the first of their own reunion gigs in Cardiff last week. Rowntree, a founding member of Blur, has put together photos of the band at the start of their career in the 1980s around a decade before Britpop exploded. No One You Know: Dave Rowntree's Early Blur Photos is due out in September. But the book nearly did not see the light of day as he only found the negatives by chance, in an old cardboard box that had been earmarked for the dump. 'In my memory, the photos would just seem like holiday snaps,' Rowntree, now 61, said in an interview in Paris. 'What the pictures show and capture really well, I think, is our excitement at doing all these things for the first time.' 'Unfashionable music' Rowntree's candid, sometimes blurry, shots are of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon and bassist Alex James, with lighting director Dave Byars. 'We were playing tiny shows to very few people. We were playing very unfashionable music in those days,' he recalled. Rowntree's photo book offers an intimate look behind the scenes of a fledgling 1990s band, before the Britpop explosion. Photo: Handout But with a recording contract, the happy-go-lucky band – cigarettes and alcohol ever present – discovered the world on their first international tour. 'An awful lot of travelling, an awful lot of sitting in dressing rooms, where you're just desperate for something to do,' Rowntree remembered with a smile. 'So, there's a lot of that, a lot of us goofing around to distract each other.' When Britpop burst onto the music scene in the early 1990s, Blur were at the vanguard, and songs such as Girls & Boys, Parklife and Song 2 defined a generation. It was not plain sailing, though, with turbulence, break-ups and reunions, the last of which came in 2023 for the album The Ballad Of Darren and two sold-out gigs at London's Wembley Stadium. In the two years since then, Rowntree – a trained lawyer who stood unsuccessfully in the 2024 general election for the Labour party – the band's future has been up in the air. Albarn, whose new album with Gorillaz is due out this year and is also reworking Mozart's The Magic Flute, has frequently said that Blur's days are over. Rowntree, however, is not so convinced it's the end of the band. 'It seems to me it's not over,' he said. 'I think I'll know when it's over but there's no plans as such. Blur doesn't really work that way. 'We don't have planning meetings and strategy. It's kind of we make it up as we go along.' 'Two-edged sword' With Oasis back on the scene recently and Pulp surprising fans with a Glastonbury festival appearance this year, Rowntree sees it less as a Britpop revival than a worrying shift in the music industry. 'It gets harder and harder to make money selling recorded music,' he said. 'Musicians have to look for other ways to earn a living. 'In my memory, the photos would just seem like holiday snaps,' says Rowntree. Photo: Dave Rowntree 'Many bands are being pushed back out on the road again. 'I think that's great because I think that's where music lives. It's in the concert hall in front of an audience. But the downside is that only really works for bands at our level – the Pulps, the Blurs, the Oasis. 'For smaller bands, they're finding it increasingly difficult.' The long-awaited return of warring Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher has seen complaints about high ticket prices and the dynamic pricing method used to maximise revenue. Yet, despite the well-documented rivalry with Oasis, Rowntree gave a guarded welcome to the Manchester rockers' return. 'It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? On the one hand, I'm really glad that they're out on tour. Think of all the economic benefits. 'It's going to be fantastic. On the other hand, it's a shame that good tickets are now so expensive.' Rowntree confided that he even bought a ticket himself but was unable to go. 'I had to give it to a friend of mine,' he said. – AFP
Metro
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Good Charlotte frontman on being ‘a little bit naïve' as rockers drop new music
Good Charlotte legend Joel Madden has opened up about still feeling 'naïve' as the band finally come back with their new song, Rejects, after almost a decade away. The rockers, currently consisting of the frontman and his twin brother, Benji Madden, Paul Thomas, Billy Martin and Dean Butterworth, have blessed us with some bangers over the years, including The Anthem, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous and, of course, Girls & Boys. However, it has been five years since they last dropped new music, with Last December in 2020, and even longer since they worked on an album – having released Generation Rx in 2018. Speaking to Metro, the 46-year-old shed light on exactly what took them so long, and what we can expect from our favorite Rejects. 'I knew we were going to make another record, I know Good Charlotte is going to make records but they've got to come when they come, they've got to be real,' he told us. 'I think we've been in this practice over the last 10 years of listening, waiting and feeling our way through it, because you can't just pump out records. Some bands can, I can't. So, I don't know when the right time to make a record is. 'I think it's when you mean it. We're at this less is more place where we go, 'No, let's just focus on the things that we f**king love, we don't need to go out and take over the world, we don't need to go out and do everything, we need to do what we feel.' 'We're honestly so happy. We're so happy to be here and we're so happy that we got to make this record, and we got to do it our own weird way. 'Rejects is a funny, cool little song that we think has everything that's unique about Good Charlotte in it, from the lyrics to the melodies to the music, it really is very good Charlotte. 'It still feels like it's new, and it's not some rehashed thing. It feels original, which is important.' Joel and Benji first formed the group with bassist Paul in the mid 90s, with Billy and Dean joining the fold shortly after – they released their self-titled debut album in 2000 but it was the 2002 follow-up, The Young and the Hopeless, that shot them to superstardom. They are set to release their eighth album, Motel Du Cap – a play on the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc venue where Joel's sister-in-law Sofia Richie got married to husband Elliot Grainge, and the group performed at their afterparty. For the eighth year, 150,000 festival goers will descend on Glasgow Green from 11-13 July to see the liked of 50 Cent, Gracie Abrams and Biffy Clyro, and you could be there! Metro has teamed up with Rockstar Energy presents TRNSMT Festival to offer four VIP tickets to one lucky winner. For a chance to win this massive music prize, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on Sunday 6 July 2025 to enter using the form below. Entrants must be 18+. Good luck! T&Cs apply*. Click here if form is not loading. * Open to legal residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 18:01 BST on 2 July 2025 and closes at 23:59 BST on 6 July 2025. The promotion is free to enter; however internet access is required. Entrant must visit and when prompted by the form, submit their name, email, telephone number, date of birth and postcode. Acceptance of the terms and conditions is necessary to enter the promotion. There will be one (1) winner. The winner will win four (4) VIP weekend tickets for TRNSMT Festival, running from 11th – 13th July 2025 at Glasgow Green, in Glasgow ('Prize'). Proof of age and photographic ID are required for entry for all guests (the guests of the winner must be at least 16 years old at the time of entry). The Prize, including entry and attendance at TRSNMT festival, is subject to and governed by the Promoter's full ticket terms and conditions. 1 prize available. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. It was this moment, and the feral reaction from fans after videos hit social media, that sparked the idea for them to get back in the studio, blessing us with their first new music in seven years. Motel Du Cap has been a year in the making and will be released on August 8 – it comes exactly 25 years after the group released their debut album – but despite the years between projects, lead single Rejects proves that the scrappy Good Charlotte spirit is still there. 'It does feel like the first record a little bit. I think it's the energy, the excitement…,' Joel explained. 'It's got so much Good Charlotte-ness to it. It's got so much personality, so many moments of that I think are unique to Good Charlotte. 'I love this band. I feel super proud to be in this band with these guys for almost 30 years. 'We all started in high school, we all come from nothing, and to see who these guys are in their everyday lives makes me extremely proud to be their friend, and to be in a band with them, because they're just good people.' The musician – who shares two children with wife Nicole Richie – also offered up some sage life advice, having fronted the group for the last 30 years. 'We have to be a little naïve in life. You have to be,' he insisted. 'You have to find those moments to be naïve, where it's okay to be naïve enough to believe that you can make a record that anyone will f**king listen to in 2025. And to be naïve enough to believe that Good Charlotte has a place in the world. 'You've got to go back to the pure idea of, I just want to make a record [that] I want to do well, I want to make a record that I love, I want to make a record that people will experience and go, 'That's a f**king good record.' 'It's kind of weird to say that's naïve, but there's something about it. It feels like young, naïve, 'I'm good enough to make a record' energy. 'This record is full of Good Charlotte, quirky personality, songs that only we could do … The music is actually some of the best music we've ever done, and the live show is better than it's ever been.' Speaking of those live shows, the group will be taking Motel Du Cap on the road around the world very soon while also putting their own GC spin on their different 'eras'. While Joel insisted that no song from their back catalog is off limits, as long as fans want to hear it, he conceded that some are harder 'work' than others. 'Some of our songs are a lot of work. Dance Floor Anthem is a lot of work, vocally. It's very high and it never stops, so you're out of breath the whole time,' he laughed. 'When I sing Dance Floor Anthem, the best part about singing that song is everyone singing in the crowd. 'It's the hardest song of the night, always, because the vocal range is so high and you never stop. You're just going, going, going. It's not that I don't enjoy singing it, but it's a physical event when you do that song, it's always f**king hard. 'There are songs that are just fun and they're easy to sing, and Rejects is really easy for me to sing. I really enjoyed playing it live, so I'm looking forward to playing that song. 'But there's a couple that, if you said, 'Would you play that song?' there's probably a couple that I would be like, 'eeeh'.' 'We sound better than we've ever sounded and the music is interesting,' he added. 'I really like it. I love this record. I think it's got a real place in the catalog. More Trending 'To be able to do that and experience that almost 30 years in… I can't explain how grateful I feel, because I think you're searching for that feeling when you make a record this late in the game. 'I don't think we're old, I think we have tons of energy, but I think sometimes you feel old when you've been in the band for 30 years, and you look around and some stuff has changed, some stuff hasn't. 'You [think], 'Well, where do I fit in in the world today?' I don't know, but I'm going to make this record that I love, and then everyone else can decide. I'm actually good with whatever everyone decides.' Good Charlotte's eighth album, Motel Du Cap, will be released on August 8. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Kelly Clarkson fans livid as she scraps opening Vegas residency show 90 minutes before start MORE: Caitlyn Jenner 'numb with shock' after death of best friend Sophia Hutchins at 29 MORE: Usher abruptly cancels 12 shows just weeks after announcing tour
Gulf Today
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Blur will return to musical oasis, says drummer Rowntree
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is to publish a book of photos on the early days of the Britpop icons and after much-heralded comeback gigs two years ago has not ruled out another collaboration. 'I think Blur will definitely do something else,' he said, as their great rivals Oasis prepare for the first of their own reunion gigs in Cardiff on Friday. Rowntree, a founding member of Blur, has put together photos of the band at the start of their career in the 1980s around a decade before Britpop exploded. 'No One You Know: Dave Rowntree's Early Blur Photos' is due out in September. But the book nearly did not see the light of day as he only found the negatives by chance, in an old cardboard box that had been earmarked for the dump. 'In my memory, the photos would just seem like holiday snaps,' Rowntree, now 61, said in an interview in Paris. 'What the pictures show and capture really well, I think, is our excitement at doing all these things for the first time.' Rowntree's candid, sometimes blurry, shots are of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon and bassist Alex James, with lighting director Dave Byars. 'We were playing tiny shows to very few people. We were playing very unfashionable music in those days,' he recalled. But with a recording contract, the happy-go-lucky band — cigarettes and drinks ever present — discovered the world on their first international tour. 'An awful lot of travelling, an awful lot of sitting in dressing rooms, where you're just desperate for something to do,' Rowntree remembered with a smile. 'So, there's a lot of that, a lot of us goofing around to distract each other.' When Britpop burst onto the music scene in the early 1990s, Blur were at the vanguard, and songs such as 'Girls & Boys', 'Parklife' and 'Song 2' defined a generation. It was not plain sailing, though, with turbulence, break-ups and reunions, the last of which came in 2023 for the album 'The Ballad of Darren' and two sold-out gigs at London's Wembley Stadium. In the two years since then, Rowntree — a trained lawyer who stood unsuccessfully in the 2024 general election for the Labour party — the band's future has been up in the air. Albarn, whose new album with Gorillaz is due out this year and is also reworking Mozart's 'The Magic Flute', has frequently said that Blur's days are over. Rowntree, however, is not so convinced it's the end of the band. 'It seems to me it's not over,' he said. 'I think I'll know when it's over but there's no plans as such. Blur doesn't really work that way. 'We don't have planning meetings and strategy. It's kind of we make it up as we go along.' With Oasis back on the scene this week and Pulp surprising fans with a Glastonbury festival appearance last weekend, Rowntree sees it less as a Britpop revival than a worrying shift in the music industry. 'It gets harder and harder to make money selling recorded music,' he said. 'Musicians have to look for other ways to earn a living. 'Many bands are being pushed back out on the road again. 'I think that's great because I think that's where music lives. It's in the concert hall in front of an audience. But the downside is that only really works for bands at our level — the Pulps, the Blurs, the Oasis. 'For smaller bands, they're finding it increasingly difficult.' The long-awaited return of warring Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher has seen complaints about high ticket prices and the dynamic pricing method used to maximise revenue. Yet, despite the well-documented rivalry with Oasis, Rowntree gave a guarded welcome to the Manchester rockers' return. 'It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? On the one hand, I'm really glad that they're out on tour. Think of all the economic benefits. Agence France-Presse
Kuwait Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Blur will return to musical oasis, says drummer Rowntree
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is to publish a book of photos on the early days of the Britpop icons and after much-heralded comeback gigs two years ago has not ruled out another collaboration. 'I think Blur will definitely do something else,' he told AFP, as their great rivals Oasis prepare for the first of their own reunion gigs in Cardiff on Friday. Rowntree, a founding member of Blur, has put together photos of the band at the start of their career in the 1980s around a decade before Britpop exploded. 'No One You Know: Dave Rowntree's Early Blur Photos' is due out in September. But the book nearly did not see the light of day as he only found the negatives by chance, in an old cardboard box that had been earmarked for the dump. 'In my memory, the photos would just seem like holiday snaps,' Rowntree, now 61, said in an interview in Paris. 'What the pictures show and capture really well, I think, is our excitement at doing all these things for the first time.' Rowntree's candid, sometimes blurry, shots are of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon and bassist Alex James, with lighting director Dave Byars. 'We were playing tiny shows to very few people. We were playing very unfashionable music in those days,' he recalled. But with a recording contract, the happy-go-lucky band - cigarettes and alcohol ever present - discovered the world on their first international tour. 'An awful lot of travelling, an awful lot of sitting in dressing rooms, where you're just desperate for something to do,' Rowntree remembered with a smile. 'So, there's a lot of that, a lot of us goofing around to distract each other.' When Britpop burst onto the music scene in the early 1990s, Blur were at the vanguard, and songs such as 'Girls & Boys', 'Parklife' and 'Song 2' defined a generation. It was not plain sailing, though, with turbulence, break-ups and reunions, the last of which came in 2023 for the album 'The Ballad of Darren' and two sold-out gigs at London's Wembley Stadium. In the two years since then, Rowntree -- a trained lawyer who stood unsuccessfully in the 2024 general election for the Labour party -- the band's future has been up in the air. Albarn, whose new album with Gorillaz is due out this year and is also reworking Mozart's 'The Magic Flute', has frequently said that Blur's days are over. Rowntree, however, is not so convinced it's the end of the band. 'It seems to me it's not over,' he said. 'I think I'll know when it's over but there's no plans as such. Blur doesn't really work that way. 'We don't have planning meetings and strategy. It's kind of we make it up as we go along.' 'Two-edged sword' With Oasis back on the scene this week and Pulp surprising fans with a Glastonbury festival appearance last weekend, Rowntree sees it less as a Britpop revival than a worrying shift in the music industry. 'It gets harder and harder to make money selling recorded music,' he said. 'Musicians have to look for other ways to earn a living. 'Many bands are being pushed back out on the road again. 'I think that's great because I think that's where music lives. It's in the concert hall in front of an audience. But the downside is that only really works for bands at our level -- the Pulps, the Blurs, the Oasis. 'For smaller bands, they're finding it increasingly difficult.' The long-awaited return of warring Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher has seen complaints about high ticket prices and the dynamic pricing method used to maximise revenue. Yet, despite the well-documented rivalry with Oasis, Rowntree gave a guarded welcome to the Manchester rockers' return. 'It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? On the one hand, I'm really glad that they're out on tour. Think of all the economic benefits. 'It's going to be fantastic. On the other hand, it's a shame that good tickets are now so expensive.' Rowntree confided that he even bought a ticket himself but is now unable to go. 'I had to give it to a friend of mine,' he said. — AFP
