Friday (March 5) was the first time I’d caught “The Interview Show” at the Hideout, which is pretty much what you would expect from the name: a talk show taking place right there on the Hideout stage. Mark Bazer’s the host, and on Friday he did a nice job keeping the conversation flowing. The guests on Friday included Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, who’s the Democratic nominee for Cook County Board president. It seemed a little surreal seeing one of Chicago’s leading political candidates this year getting up onto the Hideout stage, but then, a lot of slightly surreal things happen at the Hideout.
The show on Friday also included a funny intro bit featuring Justin Kaufmann, a couple of shows by the Changes, a monologue by actor James Anthony Zoccoli and interviews with author Josh Karp and actors John Mahoney and Robert Belushi (both are appearing in A Life at Northlight Theatre in Skokie). In all, an interesting selection of people and some good conversations.