About this Show
Thursday, July 6 - Saturday, July 29
Thursdays at 8pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 3:30pm and 8pm
$30
Based on the Writings of Lester Bangs
Performed by Erik Jensen
Directed by Jessica Blank
Produced by ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann
Extended by popular demand. Gonzo journalist, America’s greatest rock critic and inventor of the word “punk,” legendary music writer Lester Bangs was an American icon. Outsized, manic, fucked-up and impossibly creative, Lester traveled with some of the most iconic musical figures of the 20th century- The Clash, Bob Marley, Lou Reed -peeling away the veneer between “star” and audience and revealing the “greats” as flawed and failing humans. He was at once irreligious and messianic about his hopes for the future, humanity in general, and music in particular. Music could save the world. At least that’s what you tell yourself when you start out. But when the ragged, rebel ethos of the seventies gave way to the corporate pop of the eighties, Lester lost the myth he’d built a life around, and died of a drug overdose in 1982.
This solo play by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen (award-winning writers of The Exonerated and Aftermath) adapts Lester’s own writing to chart the life, work and death of one of the 20th century’s most ground-breaking, risk-taking, pioneering voices.
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Additional Information
LookOut is Steppenwolf’s performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form. Emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends.
In our 1700 Theatre, a casual, intimate and flexible 80-seat theater located behind Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks - Steppenwolf's new destination for coffee, drinks and food.
1700 Seating
The 1700 Theatre is general admission, with an assortment of cabaret-style seating options, including high stools and low chairs clustered around tables. We do not reserve seating unless you have a mobile disability. If you have particular seating preferences, we recommend arriving a half hour before show time to reserve the seat of your choice.