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HOTTEST TICKET To Master the Art sheds light on The French Chef's husband and biggest fan. It's arguable that no chef has had an impact like Julia Child, but even fans probably don't know much about Paul, her husband and biggest supporter. In To Master The Art, the Jeff-nominated 2010 TimeLine Theatre Company show now in revival at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, audiences get a glimpse of the man she married. Attached to the United States Information Agency, Paul Child —who was in Paris with the "Lost Generation" and loved taking Julia to France—fell victim to the Communist scare of the 1950s. "He went to France full of enthusiasm for what he could accomplish," observes the show's coauthor and director, William Brown, "but as the Cold War escalated, he became less and less important. Julia landed in France with no notion of who she wanted to be. But she learned to cook and found herself. They left France with two very different results." September 10 through October 6 at Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., 800-775-2000; broadwayinchicago.com PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARA GOETSCH (TO MASTER THE ART ) FROM TOP: Tina Landau, director of The Wheel; Allen with cast members— including John Malkovich—of Steppenwolf's 1979 production of Say Goodnight, Gracie; and in the 1981 Steppenwolf production of Waiting For The Parade, directed by Gary Sinise. continued from page 74 is a very tough broad who doesn't like children, who grows fond of this child at times, and also remains wary of her. That's why I love the role for Joan because it's full of contradictions; it's not a simple portrait." Just weeks before going into rehearsal, Allen and Landau both admitted that they had no idea how the show would shape up, but each felt compelled to test herself with the material. "I worked with director Ang Lee many years ago on the film The Ice Storm," relates Allen, "and I remember reading an interview in which he was asked how he chooses a project. He said, 'I choose it based on not knowing if I can accomplish it.' And part of me finds The Wheel a little scary. There's something very exciting to me about that, going into something and not really understanding it completely." And Landau? "It's completely challenging, which is why I gravitated toward it," she says. "I feel like it could be the hardest thing I've ever done. I know it needs to be approached fearlessly and with passion and wit. I just hope we make a big, glorious production." Opening September 22 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., 312335-1650; steppenwolf.org MA MISTER JULIA CHILD 76 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 074-076_MA_SC_HT_Sept_13.indd 76 8/7/13 1:47 PM