'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for July 27th, 2011
By: Paul W. Thompson Jul. 27, 2011
THE LATEST IN UNAUTHORIZED GOSSIP AND BUZZ
FROM THE HEART OF CHICAGO'S SHOWTUNE VIDEO BARS,
AND MUSICAL THEATER NEWS FROM CHICAGO TO BROADWAY
by Paul W. Thompson
Overheard last weekend under the showtune
video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:
While we're all basking in the glow of long Chicago runs of sizzling, outdoorsy summer shows like "West Side Story," "The Original Grease" and "Beauty And The Beast," many residents of the Mosh Pit have been living the life of Summer Stock! And other beasts of the summer theater variety. And that's the topic of this week's column. Let's take a quick look at theaters within a few hours drive of Chicago, and at the musical productions they've been putting up (or will be) for their summer residents, weekenders and the like. Then we'll have a quick thought about a nearby city that may be forgotten by local theatergoers and performers, due to a little border issue. To wit:
The Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois (near Galena in the northwest corner of the state) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer. Artistic director and Chicagoan Jim Beaudry has already marked the occasion with productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard," off-Broadway's "Flight Of The Lawnchair Man" and Cy Coleman's sassy "Sweet Charity," and the comedy "Red Herring" just ended its non-musical turn on the boards there. Opening this weekend is "Children Of Eden," Stephen Schwartz and John Caird's biblical musical. "The Spitfire Grill" and "'Til Death Do Us Part: Late Night Catechism 3" will round out the season by Labor Day. Seems like a pretty balanced season, no?
Up in Wisconsin, the Heartland Festival at the University of Wisconsin--Platteville presented "Grease" and "The Music Man" this summer, in addition to something called "Murder Rides Again." The second half of the summer will feature a residency by the Missoula (Montana) Children's Theatre, with "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs" and "King Arthur's Quest." Interesting.
The Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson is a dinner theater that actually operates year round, but the shows that bookend the summer this year sure sound like summer stock classics: "A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline" and "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers." However, the show that is playing the bulk of the summer there (a two hour drive from Chicago, between Lake Geneva and Madison) is the new musical "David," July 7-August 21. Many in the cast seem to have Nashville connections.
It's not a theater at all, but more of a concert venue. However, Music By The Lake at the Ferro Pavillion in Williams Bay, Wisconsin (near Lake Geneva) is putting on its much-anticipated production of "Brigadoon," for this weekend only. Amy Hutchison directs. I know there are a lot of Chicagoans in it, only I can't find a cast list anywhere. Help!
Music by the Lake - The Ferro Pavilion
West of Madison, one finds the justly fabled American Players Theatre, in the town of Spring Green, Wisconsin. The theater, renowned for its productions of theatrical classics like this summer's "The Taming Of The Shrew" and "Blithe Spirit;" has but one musical offering on the boards this year, and in its smaller, new indoor venue, the Touchstone Theatre. However, the work in question is an intimate, chamber, holiday musical, "The Gift Of The Magi," by James DeVita and Josh Schmidt, and it's not even on the schedule for ticket sales yet! Ugh for that.....
Home | American Players Theatre
Way up in northern Wisconsin, in Hazelhurst, just south of Minocqua (which even I've heard of) is the Northern Lights Playhouse, which is offering a smattering of musicals and non this year. "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" and "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" are sharing the season listing with two comedies and something called "8-Track," which must be a jukebox musical revue of '70s hits.
NORTHERN LIGHTS PLAYHOUSE - Home
In fabled Door County, Wisconsin, the American Folklore Theatre's twist on summer stock is that all their offerings are newly composed shows. This year's crop are called "Bing! The Cherry Musical," "Guys And Does" and "Lumberjacks In Love." The theater is in Peninsula State Park. This could be interesting....
Door County's American Folklore Theatre | Musical Theatre Under The Stars
And near Green Bay, the University of Wisconsin--Marinette's Theatre On The Bay is mounting "Chicago," this weekend and next, in the Herbert L. Williams Theatre.
Theatre on the Bay - University of Wisconsin-Marinette
So that's it for our Wisconsin tour. Over in Michigan, the storied Barn Theatre in Augusta has two big titles coming up in August, "Cinderella" by Rodgers and Hammerstein and the afore-mentioned "Sunset Boulevard," to star Emmy winner Kim Zimmer, Reva from the soap opera "Guiding Light." Now that is very interesting.... "Chicago" and "Man Of La Mancha" have already gone.
Saugatuck's Red Barn Playhouse will also host "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," for the last three weekends in August.
And Saugatuck's Mason Street Warehouse, having already hosted "Chicago" this summer, has the unique choice "Five Guys Named Moe" up currently, July 22-August 7. You don't see this title much anymore.
The nearby Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Holland began the summer with the apparently popular "Children Of Eden" (June 17-August 12) and is also (fascinatingly) mounting the Olivier Award-winning "Return To The Forbidden Planet" (July 8-August 11). They've got non-musicals and children's shows as well.
Northern Indiana's Wagon Wheel Theatre (in nearby Warsaw) is currently featuring "Big River" (July 20-30), and "Always, Patsy Cline" will take center stage August 17-27. In between is the popular non-musical that seems like a musical, "Lend Me A Tenor" (August 3-13).
Wagon Wheel Theatre's Home Page
That's it for Indiana. Back here in Illinois, the Little Theatre On The Square in downstate Sullivan (between Decatur and Effingham) has long been known for its summer musical offerings. This year, "The Producers" has just closed, but "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is set to open this week and run through August 14.
The Little Theatre On The Square
In Carbondale, the McLeod Summer Playhouse featured "A Chorus Line" and "The Sound Of Music" this year, and now features the All Southern High School Theater Project in "Peter Pan" this weekend.
And no survey of summer stock musical theater in this area would be complete without a brief but important foray into Missouri to the Muny in St. Louis. It's outdoors, it features Broadway names, and it's enormous. Already this year, "Legally Blonde," "Kiss Me, Kate," "The Little Mermaid" and "Singin' In The Rain" have passed by, and playing this week is "Little Shop Of Horrors," with Rob McClure and Alli Mauzey, with the legendary Ken Page as the voice of Audrey II. Coming up are "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" with James Clow and Jenny Powers," and "Bye, Bye, Birdie" with Lara Teeter, Andrea Burns and Lewis J. Stadlen. Oh, and there are 9,000 seats (that's it, pictured at the start of this article).
There's at least one theater in Chicago that has a summertime feel, to be sure--Theater On The Lake at the foot of Fullerton Street, right there on the beach. This week, the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble will remount last September's successful production of "Big River" there, and next week Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre will remount "Sweet And Hot: The Songs Of Harold Arlen," which ran in Rogers Park a year ago. This is a nice vote of confidence by the Chicago Park District powers that be.
Chicago Park District: Theater on the Lake
Last but not least, many of you may know that I visited a great theater town last week. Nope, I don't mean New York, though I did visit there. I'm referring to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, not that far from Chicago at all. Along with New York, London and Chicago, Toronto is generally regarded as one of the four top theater cities in the English-speaking world (sorry, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Johannesburg, Edinburgh and, oh, Boston!).
Now, I'm not sure where exactly the top four fall amongst themselves, though. I can tell you this--for the moment, at least, Chicago has nothing to worry about! I should have gone to Toronto years ago, as I let that international border deter me. And it's lovely, really lovely. Really.
But, I've now been to all four of the top four theater cities, and I'm proud to be a Chicagoan. Proud as can be. And I'm sure you would agree. Do visit the others, and tell me what you think, ok? The more the merrier, true! But at the end of the week, where do you want to end up? Whose theaters do you want to visit, work for or financially support? Who's got big theaters, small theaters, musicals, plays, children's shows, actors, directors and everyone? Adventurous new work and multiple productions of the existing repertory? Tell me about it, won't you? Let's compare and contrast these theater towns, and the ways that Chicago can be even better--and let's do it when I see you next, under the video screens.....-PWT
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