Chicago sees a Royko resurgence

Chicago columnist Mike Royko passed away in 1997, but a one-man show at Chopin Theatre plus an ongoing exhibit at the Newberry Library have brought Royko's work back to life.

Driving the news: "Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago" opened last week to good reviews . Actor and writer Mitchell Bisschop uses Royko's columns as monologues to offer a chronological look at the author's life and some of the biggest moments in modern history.

• The play spends a great deal of time focusing on Royko's early work, commenting on the Civil Rights Movement and of course, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.

Zoom out: Bisschop, who grew up in Chicago, spent time during the pandemic researching subjects for a new one-man show and fell in love with Royko's work all over again, he told an audience at the Printers Row Lit Fest last week.

• He performed the show in Los Angeles before bringing it to the Chopin Theater in Chicago.

The Newberry exhibit not only covers the life and career of Royko, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for commentary, but goes deeper into his impact on Chicago's style of journalism.

Between the lines: Royko, who is best known for his syndicated column, is also the author of several books including one of Chicago's best , "Boss."

• His nearly 8,000 columns serve as a historical archive, a glimpse into how Chicagoans were thinking about race, class, social issues, money and politics. Royko's strong acerbic wit and matter-of-fact writing punched up at the powerful, giving voice to Chicago's working class.
• His body of work is often studied in school, serving as an alternative to textbooks.

Yes, but: As Royko got older, his columns were accused of being racist and homophobic, using stereotypes and tropes instead of his trademarked insight. While he fought to include working class issues, many communities felt he demonized them or left them out of his columns entirely.

The bottom line: Royko is a local writer who deserves a resurgence, just for the simple fact that his columns bring readers back to a forgotten Chicago.

• He will always have a place in the city's history, warts and all.

If you go: The play is currently running at the Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park through Sept. 29 .