'Hizzoner' a Must See for Daley Lovers, Haters and Demystifiers Like Me

Go see this play.

Richard J. Daley: Most people either loved him or hated him, but very few people really knew him. Even if you already find yourself in one camp or the other, or if like me who weren't living in Chicago at the time of Daley the First and would like to understand the man behind the myth a little better, I recommend Neil Giuntoli's "Hizzoner."

The play walks us through Daley's life in city hall as he flashes back on the day of his death, seated in his doctor's waiting room. The performance explores Daley's love of his city, family, church and friends, and the conflicts that come with them.

Chicago Tribune art critic Chris Jones:

Giuntoli's performance as Daley truly is a sight to behold....he clearly understands that the key to Daley was not about power but insecurity, not about control but his terror at the lack of it, not about egocentrism but about a peculiarly selfless love of a city.

Chicago Magazine's Anne Spiselman:

"Daley was a neighborhood kind of guy," Giuntoli says. "He lived in the same bungalow his entire life and was baptized and eulogized in the same church. To him, Chicago was 'my city.'" Giuntoli concluded that Daley's insistence on treating the city as his personal fiefdom was the key to his success -- and failure. "Daley said you could have power or money but not both, and he picked power. But he faced two situations he could not control -- the race riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., followed by the anti-Vietnam war protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention."

Giuntoli's dead-on portrayal of Daley is mesmerizing, and is well supported by two other tragic characters: Whit Spurgeon as Chicago's #2, Alderman Tom Keane, and William Bullion as Daley aide and protege Matt Danaher.



The script has some weaker moments (Daley's interactions with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jane Byrne are of historical interest but distract from the plot), and Daley's machinations against Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. get short shrift, but these minor weaknesses are overcome by Giuntoli's incredible performance.

In the end, we are reminded that a man's greatest strength is often his greatest weakness, and even the greatest men are fraught with human frailty and mortal in the end.

At $25 a ticket (2 for 1 for union members on Thursdays), it's worth every penny. And, with alcohol served at the show and Chief O'Neill's Pub right across the street, it makes a great and nostalgic night out.