A year-long wish of mine was granted this past weekend, and in the most thrilling of ways. Throughout the month of November, the fiftieth anniversary of “Siskel & Ebert” has been celebrated at the Chicago Cultural Center with special free programming held in its Claudia Cassidy Theatre. Most of them have been screenings of films beloved by the critics, followed by a conversation with key people involved in the show.
What made the “Siskel & Ebert” anniversary event held last Saturday, November 22nd, particularly special was the fact that it was a live performance. Local actors Stephan Winchell and Zack Mast appeared on the Claudia Cassidy stage as the landmark critic duo in a new show devised by Paul Durica’s public history project, Pocket Guide to Hell. Seated in chairs that would’ve felt right at home in Siskel and Ebert’s balcony, the critics watched filmed reenactments of various key moments from the evolution of their show as it gradually became a cultural phenomenon. They then discussed and debated the contents of the footage, as they would the merits of the films they reviewed on their show. An amusing running gag centered on Ebert’s insistence that his name should’ve been placed first in the title of their show, considering that he won a Pulitzer Prize, leading Siskel to flip a coin (as he did in real life) to ensure that his name would remain before his co-host’s.
It was last July when I initially saw the actors inhabit these roles in Katlin Schneider’s play, “Siskel/Ebert,” at Chicago’s Bughouse Theater. Watching the show was akin to getting as close as I ever could to observing Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert debate the merits of cinematic works in person. There was no question in my mind that the actors’ performances deserved two very enthusiastic thumbs way up. Winchell was spot-on and very funny as Siskel, while Mast captured Ebert’s look, mannerisms and cadence so impeccably, it was downright eerie. The episode they lovingly and ingeniously reenacted was from June 1987, where the sparring colleagues famously argued about “Full Metal Jacket” and “Benji the Hunted,” complete with hysterical recreations of the selected movie clips. Siskel’s widow, Marlene Iglitzen, was in attendance, and the show got her seal of approval as well. From that moment on, I was determined to have Roger’s widow—my former boss and dear friend, Chaz Ebert—see the show as well.
When I learned that Winchell and Mast were reprising their roles for the fiftieth anniversary festivities, I knew it would be a show I could not miss. In attendance for the sold out performance were numerous Windy City legends who had key roles in Siskel and Ebert’s legacy, including Marlene Iglitzen and Chaz Ebert; the show’s invaluable producer Thea Flaum; Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, assistant director of the show in its iteration entitled “Sneak Previews”; and former Chicago Sun-Times film critic and columnist Richard Roeper, who was selected as Ebert’s co-host following Siskel’s passing in 1999. This distinguished group participated in a lively onstage panel discussion moderated by veteran Chicago newspaperman Rick Kogan following the performance, though it was earlier in the evening when Chaz audibly gave her review of the show. As soon as Mast turned toward the audience, his resemblance to her late husband was so uncanny that it caused Chaz to exclaim, “Oh my god!” Later in the show, when the actors had an animated argument onstage in character, it was so evocative of Siskel and Ebert’s unmatched banter that it garnered applause from the crowd.
Produced by Durica and Meredith Milliron, the show featured live performances from Jeffrey Thomas and his band of the various theme songs utilized by Siskel and Ebert, culminating in the “Sneak Previews” theme for which a band member heroically replicated the wall-to-wall whistling. Rachel Wilson and Tim Sozoko appeared in the reenactment footage as Thea Flaum and David Letterman, respectively, while Kenya Merritt, acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, kicked off the event by reading statements from her as well as the city’s mayor Brandon Johnson.
“By reviewing films through accessible, authentic conversation, they transformed the way the world engages with cinema,” Merritt said of Siskel and Ebert. “As we celebrate their 50-year legacy, we also honor the generations of filmmakers, critics, and audiences they inspired. Their influence continues to shape how we uplift storytelling and creative innovation here in Chicago.”
As Roeper noted during the post-show panel, Siskel and Ebert’s spirit can be found in every person you see engaging in impassioned conversation about the film they’ve just seen. The thumbprint of their influence can be found everywhere from Letterboxd and the Criterion Closet to even a show like ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” which Roeper said was conceived as a sports-focused equivalent of “Siskel & Ebert.” Chaz hinted onstage that the critics’ legacy is the subject for several projects currently in development, including a documentary and narrative film—the details about both are confidential—and a stage production that is actively in development by her daughter, Sonia Evans. Whether or not Winchell and Mast will be involved in any of these future projects, they have set an enormously high bar for any performer seeking to capture the essence of these fiercely opinionated icons.
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