SUBURBAN ‘ WOMANCE’
TV show’s stars both hail from Highland Park
Rachel Brosnahan laughed when asked if growing up in Highland Park had helped “a nice Irish- American girl like you” channel the title character in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” the series that premieres Wednesday on Amazon Prime Video.
“When I read the script, it seemed so familiar to me. I think that was a huge part of having grown up in Highland Park. I had been so welcomed into the Jewish culture and community. I certainly went to many, many seders, bat mitzvahs and bar mitzvahs. I could probably bar mitzvah you at this point,” the actress kidded this reporter.
In the late 1950s, Miriam “Midge” Maisel ( Brosnahan) is a happy upper- middleclass Jewish housewife living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. When her husband unexpectedly leaves her, she discovers she has an innate gift as a stand- up comic — definitely a rarity for a woman in 1958.
Even though she grew up in Highland Park and frequently made trips downtown, Chicago’s world of improv comedy was not on the budding actress’ radar. “To prepare for this role I tapped intomy true research nerd self— and loved transporting myself into this comedy world of the 1950s on New York’s Lower East Side.
“I studied tapes of Lenny Bruce and especially Jean Carroll, a female comic from that era that not everybody knows about. She was amazing, a true pioneer for women who were stand- up comics,” said the actress, who added that watching old routines of Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller and even Don Rickles from that period was also a big help to her.
The series zeroes in on the role of women in that era. “If we’ve done our job correctly with this show, a modern audience will recognize how much has changed, but ironically how much has not changed. The series mirrors battles we’re still fighting today, like the question of what it means to be a woman.”
The other lead female character on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which Amazon has already reupped for a second season, is a comedy club manager portrayed by Alex Borstein, who also has Highland Park roots. Though she moved to Los Angeles when young, Borstein was born at Highland Park Hospital. She and Brosnahan had never met, but while shooting the series developed what Borstein calls a “womance,” her female take on “two dudes being pals and having a bromance.”
As for Chicago, Borstein admitted, “I do miss the place. Over the years, I’ve always tried to come back at least once a year to see a Bears game,” said the lifelong fan. Now that she lives in Barcelona, that is a bit more difficult. However, no matter the Bears’ challenges, Borstein remains loyal. “I go back to thinking about how I got hooked on them thanks to Walter Payton and Gale Sayers. I’ll always have an affinity for that team.”
A ‘ Thrill’ tomake movie in Chicago
Before he was propelled into the national consciousness in “20th Century Women,” the acclaimed 2016 film starring Annette Bening, Rogers Park native Lucas Jade Zumann worked closer to home making “Thrill Ride.”
Shot in Chicago and northwest suburban Woodstock, the fantasy adventure film “actually was only the second movie I had made,” said the teenager, back home and taking a break from filming the second season of the “Anne With an E” Netflix series in Canada.
In “Thrill Ride,” being released this week, Zumann plays Henry, who finds the original blueprints to the Happy-Land Amusement Park, built by Al Capone in the 1930s. Legend had it, the famed gangster buried a large fortune in the park— somewhere at the end of a hidden ride that no one had discovered until Henry’s seemingly fortuitous find.
“The whole thing has a very ‘ Night at the Museum’ feel to it,” said Zumann, noting how impressed he was that the low- budget independent film “really looked so good. … The funny thing: The sets they built— which were so amazing— were at Chicago Studio City, where I made my first film, the horror sequel ‘ Sinister 2.’ ”
The idea for the movie came from the mind of young Mason Parrish, the son of the film’s Chicago writer- director Chris Parrish and co- producer Ilisa Parrish. After he came up with the basic premise for “Thrill Ride,” Mason and his dad began swapping concepts on how the project could come to fruition.
Sadly, Mason died in 2011 from a rare form of pediatric brain cancer. “Once I heard all about Mason and how he had so deeply inspired the making of this film, it became a privilege to be on the set and be part of the whole production,” said Zumann.
Proceeds from the film will go to the Mason Parrish Foundation.
The theatrical premiere of “Thrill Ride” takes place Thursday at the Classic Cinemas in Woodstock. Beginning Friday, the movie will be shown at the Classic Cinemas in Elk Grove Village and Naperville. It also is now available for pre- orders on Amazon and iTunes.