'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for March 30th, 2011
By: Paul W. Thompson Mar. 30, 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:
Some news of the future was revealed in the last week or two! Most prominently, Broadway In Chicago announced its next seven-month "season," which falls very neatly into two categories: a subscription series which had all been announced previously, one by one, and some "add-on" shows (return visits of previous shows), all of which were secrets until this week. Ticket packages go on sale this Friday, April 1, 2011. No casts have been formally announced.
Sticking just to the musicals in the announcement, we see that Tony-winners "West Side Story" (July 19-August 14) and "Memphis" (November 22-December 4) will be the first to grace our city (both at the Cadillac Palace Theatre), with Christmas visits from "Donny & Marie: Christmas In Chicago" at the Ford Center For The Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (December 6-24) and Tony-winner "La Cage Aux Folles" at the Bank Of America Theatre (December 20-January 1). "Come Fly Away" at the BOAT (January 10-22, 2012) rounds out the selections. Not bad, I guess!
The off-series shows are somewhat more surprising. Our namesake show, and now the fifth-longest running production in Broadway history, "Chicago," will return yet again for a week at the Oriental (June 7-12), and then two tours which both launched here with their Broadway stars, "Mary Poppins" and "Rock Of Ages," will return for the first time since then, undoubtedly without those same stars ("MP" will be back at the Cadillac Palace from October 13-November 6, and "ROA" will grace the Oriental from November 8-13). A production of "Fiddler On The Roof" (who even knew that there WAS a tour?) will play at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (November 22-27). And "The Addams Family," which played a commercially successful and lengthy pre-Broadway tryout here just over a year ago, will return in its national tour format for December 13-January 1 at the Cadillac Palace. A lot of people may be interested to see how the show changed between here and the Big Apple, but then again, a lot of people won't. This one is making some people scratch their heads.
Broadway in Chicago Presents Its 2011-2012 Season
On a somewhat smaller scale, but just as important to the musical life of our Mosh Pit community, is Porchlight Music Theatre, which announced its 2011-2012 season as well. And it's three daring and important choices! They'll start off with the Stephen Sondheim revue, "Putting It Together," which will run September 2-October 16 at Theater Wit on Belmont Avenue, directed and choreographed by Brenda Didier. Next, and next door at Stage 773, will come Harvey Fierstein's "A Catered Affair" in its Chicago premiere, February 17-April 1, directed by Nick Bowling and starring Rebecca Finnegan (how fantastic is that?). Lastly, Jonathan Larson's "tick, tick...BOOM!" will play at Stage 773 April 27-June 10. I know where I'll be! Good job, Porchlight artistic associates. (And a P.S.: Remember their benefit concert, "Rodgers, Rodgers and Guettel," is next Monday night at Mayne Stage!)
Porchlight Music Theatre Announces its 2011-2012 Season
Local theater companies who don't specialize in musicals nevertheless do get into the game. For instance, Northlight Theatre just announced that it will include three musicals in its five-show season next year, adding "[title of show]" to the previously announced "Snapshots" (a Stephen Schwartz revue) and "Black Pearl Sings," with local favorite E. Faye Butler. "tos" is that four-person show about four people writing a show about themselves (get it?), and many local fans show be turning out for the local premiere of this off- and on-Broadway fan fave. It will run May 4-June 10, 2012, at Northlight in Skokie. Can't wait!
Northlight Theatre Presents [title of show] To Complete Season
Speaking of the northern suburbs in May of 2012, and speaking of Stephen Sondheim (when are we not?), Writers' Theatre in Glencoe has slipped "A Little Night Music" into its season next year, to run May 1-July 8, 2012 in the Tudor Court space, directed by William Brown. Can't argue with that! Remember that artistic director Michael Halberstam is currently readying Writers' "A Minister's Wife" for the Mitzi Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center.
Writers' Theatre Features NIGHT MUSIC in 2011-12 Season
Not to be outdone, the Magnificent Mile theater known as the Lookingglass Theatre Company will be presenting a new, original musical beginning June 6, 2012. It is "Eastland," about the true and tragic drowning of hundreds of people in the Chicago River in 1915, when the boat by that name suddenly capsized while moored near Clark Street and Wacker Drive. With a script by Andrew White and a score by the team of Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman, it certainly seems compelling, though comparisons to the Tony-winning "Titanic" are probably impossible to avoid. Amanda Dehnert will direct.
Lookingglass Theatre Announces Its New Season
As you can see, the future looks very bright, indeed! A little bit closer to the present, the big Marriot Theatre in Lincolnshire is mounting "42nd Street," one of the first successful screen-to-stage transfers of a musical title. It begins preview performances today, and runs through May 29, 2011. It's directed by Rachel Rockwell and choreographed by Tammy Mader, both of whom won Jeff Awards last year for work on separate musicals at another theater! Let's see if magic will happen when they unite with musical director Doug Peck on a tune-packed bit of Americana, why don't we? The production stars Tom Galantich as Julian Marsh, Kaitlyn Davidson as Peggy Sawyer, Drew Humphrey as Billy Lawlor and Cathy Lord as Dorothy Brock. Supporting them are a plethora of local comedy-tap talent, including Andrew Lupp, Nancy Voigts, Adam Pelty and Ericka Mac, with rising director Matt Raftery, Tiffany Topol and Richard Strimer among the ensemble. Can you do "42nd Street" in the round? We will soon find out!
The Marriott Theatre Presents 42ND STREET
The pre-New York production of a new musical produced in part by Whoopi Goldberg (who I saw as Pseudolus in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum" umpteen years ago) begins performances in Chicago this Friday, April 1, at the Royal George Theatre. It is "White Noise," and it is sure to be controversial. It's directed and choreographed by "Jersey Boys," "Next To Normal," "Memphis" and "The Addams Family" alumnus Sergio Trujillo (he was spotted at Sidetrack on Monday night last week, btw), and slated to run here through June 9, starring Douglas Sills (he shot to fame in Broadway's "The Scarlet Pimpernel," you remember). A musical about attractive, white supremacist pop stars? Wow.
White Noise | A Cautionary Musical
Running on Friday and Saturday nights in April (the 1st through the 23rd) at the National Pastime Theater in Buena Park (music and lyrics by local composer Leo Schwartz) is another controversial show, and, like "White Noise," it's a product of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. It's "Naughty!: The Musical World of Emmet Taylor Farkas," directed by Shifra Werch and starring Kevin M. Grubb, Alcolu Lymon, Ann McGregor and Samantha Siroky. It sounds amazing and utterly wacky--something about a funeral and a whole lot of tacky. It's explicit, irreverent and who knows what! Apparently.
A little bit further down the road this spring will be a fascinating project by the American Theater Company. It is "The Original 'Grease'," their mounting of what they say is the original script and score of the legendary stage and screen musical "Grease" as it was first mounted on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago in 1971, before extensive rewrites led to the version(s) that we now know. While some aficionados know that the song "Summer Lovin'" was originally called "Foster Beach," it comes as a surprise to many who didn't see that first production (at the long-gone Kingston Mines club) that the show originally ended with at least six of the characters as senior citizens! Well, casting is nearly complete now, for a production which will first perform April 21, running through June 5, 2011. It's directed by PJ Paparelli, choreographed by Jim Corti, and it's "rated R." Adrian Aguilar will star as Danny Zuko (he was great as the ruffian Tommy Djilas in the Marriott's recent "The Music Man"),.alongside Kelly Davis Wilson as Sandy Dumbroski, with Tony Clarno, Jessica Diaz and Peggy Roeder also among the cast of 26. This production should receive national attention, I would think!
And of course, all Mosh Pit peeps remember that "Next To Normal," the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical, finally reaches our shores for two weeks, April 26-May 8 at the Bank Of America Theatre. Multi award-winning star Alice Ripley will be at the helm, and I can't imagine knowing anybody who isn't going to be there! As an added bonus, Ripley is playing Stage 773 on her night off, Monday night, May 2, in a concert entitled, "Daily Practice: The Acoustic Sessions." She sings her favorite rock songs to keep her voice and psyche intact, you see, and so now she's letting an audience in on her regimen. And, as a double added bonus, my colleague at BroadwayWorld Chicago, M. William Panek, has arranged to get YOUR questions directly to Alice before her Chicago stint takes place! Whatever you would like to know about Alice, her career thus far, her performances, anything--just let us know, and Will will make sure that Alice answers! Pretty cool, hunh? Well, you know we aim to please here at BWW....
Click here to ASK ALICE - Alice Ripley is Taking YOUR Questions
Last but not least, there is a little bit of "Glee" news, in that two more recordings in the offing! "Glee: The Music, Volume 5" is out now (with Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow on three tracks), and "Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers," featuring Emmy winner Chris Colfer and Michigan-to-Los-Angeles-by-way-of-Chicago Darren Criss (and their all-male a capella group from the show), will be available on April 19. "Volume 5" includes Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber songs, among others, and the "Warblers" set will include the new song "Raise Your Glass," as well as "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?," "Silly Love Songs," and of course, Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream."
And now, they're all showtunes! Well, sort of. Well, we'll have to have that conversation the next time I see you. And I know I WILL see you (won't I?) under the video screens.....-PWT
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