Hey Nonny to reprise show about closing of Arlington High School
Why did Arlington High School close in 1984? And what made that closing so painful? And controversial? Those questions will be answered through music, drama and lots of wigs, when Hey Nonny reprises its “Death of the Cardinals” show on Jan. 21-22.
The show was researched and written by Hey Nonny co-owner Chip Brooks, as part of Hey Nonny’s series of shows on Arlington Heights history.
“People, especially Arlington High grads, loved the show when we did it in September,” Brooks said. “They felt like we got to the heart of the issue but in a very entertaining way.”
The show consists of snippets from 30 public meetings that occurred over the course of 200 years that, in Brooks’ telling, led to the closing of Arlington High. One culprit in the story is the creation of township-based high schools, a concept pioneered in Illinois in the late 1800s.
“The seeds for Arlington High were sown beginning in 1914, even though the school didn’t open until 1924,” said Brooks. “There was even more litigation around the birth of the school than there was about its end, and there was plenty then.”
The show is anchored by a virtuoso 7-piece band, featuring Chicago saxophone ace Neal Carson, who also arranged for the show’s music. The band members and Brooks also play the characters in the public meeting skits that carry the story. Adding to the fun are a number of wigs worn by the band members in the meeting segments.
“Our band members really get into playing their historical roles — and the wigs added a good bit of silliness to what are some otherwise serious moments.”
Musical numbers in the show focus on songs popular at the time of the various events portrayed. Pianist/singer Meghan Stagl steals the show in a thrillingly comic version of the 1866 hit “You Naughty, Naughty Men.” Guitarist Derek Dare hams it up for Irving Berlin’s “Everybody’s Doin’ It Now” (1911). But the show nails the key early ’80s moments with versions of John Lennon’s “Nobody Told Me” and “Starting Over,” Journey’s “Who’'s Crying Now?,” and “Feeling Stronger Every Day” from the band Chicago.
Now in its sixth year of operation, Hey Nonny is a highly regarded music venue and bistro that sits at the center of Arlington Heights’ thriving downtown, and Brooks and Hey Nonny have developed a series of musical shows about Arlington Heights history.
The first covered the founding of Arlington Heights; the second told the history of the Cellar teen club, which brought the greatest rock stars of the late ’60s (the Who, Cream, Van Morrison) to Arlington Heights.
“I didn’t grow up in Arlington Heights, but in my 37 years in this town, I’ve heard a lot about the pain of Arlington High closing,” said Brooks. “So, I really wanted to try to figure out what happened — what went wrong.”
Naturally, the post-war baby boom plays a big role. Arlington High was the only high school in District 214 for 34 years. Then, between 1957 and 1973, the district added seven more high schools to handle the rapidly growing student population.
But then the student population declined as fast as it had risen, and schools had to be closed. Brooks’ research shows plenty of bad faith, screwups, and manipulation in the 1983 decision to close Arlington High, but also issues with township high schools like Arlington.
Farmers campaigned against the school, lawsuits were filed repeatedly, many ending in the Illinois Supreme Court, and the General Assembly repeatedly passed laws to try to kill Arlington High before it was ever built. This history, along with more lawsuits, all came crashing down with the 1984 closing of Arlington High.
Tickets for “Death of the Cardinals — the Closing of Arlington High School” can be found at www.heynonny.com.
The show will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 21-22, at Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail Ave. in Arlington Heights. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Hey Nonny is a bistro and music venue located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights. The bistro, helmed by Chef Noe, serves an array of fresh seasonal Midwestern comfort-food-with-a-twist and a seasonally changing menu.
The music venue is one of the best new “listening rooms” in the country, and hosts live music six days a week, featuring the best Chicago and touring acts playing jazz, blues, country, folk, and rock.