Paul Amandes: Local Wonder Boy
There are Renaissance men and Renaissance women and sometimes there are Renaissance kids, those wild, scrappy phenoms who come out of the womb with such a panoply of talent their path to success is inevitable.
That would be my brother, Paul Amandes. Musician, writer, singer, comedian, teacher, he embodies that person who not only entertains but has found a way to inspire others to learn more about the craft itself, about what it is they do that’s entertaining. He teaches theater at Columbia College in Chicago and is one of those beloved professors kids huddle around and want involved in their projects. He makes them the best they can be then trumps them, raising the bar always higher. I’m in awe of his ability to be both a heady technician and a lunatic performer who fears nothing…a potent mix that has brought him much respect and a wide fan base. He has a long history in Chicago, performing often with our brother, Tom Amandes, in projects that cover the gamut from the rough and rowdy Irish band, The Rogues, to performances of Shakespeare in the park. And on top of that, he can make you laugh until you pee. That funny.
There are choices every artist makes about where they’ll plant their feet, where they’ll find their way towards whatever it is they want to discover on their creative path and Paul made Chicago that place for himself. The city feeds him; the people, the artists he’s known and nurtured over the years, are all a part of the tapestry he’s woven in the lifetime he’s lived there. And he’s as much a part of the tapestry of Chicago theater and music as those things are a part of him. He loves this place, he loves the people, and he loves what he does. And they love him back. It all just goes together.
He’s now in the midst of a personal triumph: after years of workshopping his ideas, both in Nebraska and Chicago, fine-tuning the music and intriguing backers and performers, he has mounted Local Wonders, an original play with songs based on the 2004 book “Local Wonders; Seasons in the Bohemian Alps” by poet Ted Kooser, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2005 and former Poet Laureate of the United States. Adapted by Paul and Virginia Smith, it explores not only Kooser’s work but his struggle with with cancer and it’s enjoying a month long run at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 West Chicago Avenue in the city.
I have not been able to get to Chicago to see the show but friend and writer Cris Carroll has and she just posted a beautifully written piece about it at her blog. I’m linking it here for your information. Actually, you should get to know Cris’s writing as well so this is a two-bird situation I’m happy to pass on. Cafe Imagine: Local Wonders.
If you’re going to be in Chicago between now and January 9th, get down there: Local Wonders: Brown Bag Tickets. You’ll enjoy seeing a local wonder make good in his own town.
Performance photos/CD cover courtesy of Local Wonders
Photo of Cris Carroll with her permission.
December 17th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
As you know, I tend to drop out of the sky and revisit old haunts and old friends. One day, my expectations of continuing a years-interrupted conversation may not be met and it will only be my fault. But dropping into Chicago specifically to see this play and old friends was more than I expected.
It was quite the trip to see Paul’s artistry matured when I could simultaneously see him as a jr. high quipping in your living room.
Inspired me to order a few books and I bought the Local Wonders cd so I will have memory touchstones on demand. I’d encourage anyone who can’t get to the play to go to the Local Wonders website, listen to a few snippets of song and decide if it’s worth supporting.
I made the trip all-friends. Had your cd, Jamie’s cd and now Paul’s too to play at will as I pushed my rental car tentatively around the Chicago freeway mazes. Are they always under construction?
Have time, will travel. Hope that I may travel south some time in near future. Meanwhile, these posts will have to do.
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LDW Reply:
December 18th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Cris – I had no idea it had been that long since you’d seen Paul do his thing! He MUST have seemed matured and seasoned after so many years! I know this has been a huge accomplishment for him, years in the making, and I’m so happy it’s going well and people like you are getting out there to see it. I wish I could but it’s running at a time and in a place that makes that impossible at the moment. Good that there’s quite a network of family, friends and fans to offer support – and audiences – in my stead. May you travel south sometime, certainly. Until then, we write.
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