'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for October 28th, 2015
By: Paul W. Thompson Oct. 28, 2015
THE LATEST IN UNAUTHORIZED GOSSIP AND BUZZ FROM THE HEART OF CHICAGO'S SHOWTUNE VIDEO BARS, AND MUSICAL THEATER NEWS FROM CHICAGO TO BROADWAY
Overheard last weekend under the showtune video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:
Well, no more local baseball. Well. I guess we have to content ourselves with pumpkin spice lattes, corn mazes, haunted houses and rain. And musical theater! Check out what's going on right now, peeps!
Friday night, October 30, will mark the first performance here of "Hershey Felder As Irving Berlin" at the Royal George Theatre. I think that's the show's title, though it's hard to tell. At any rate, that's what it is, so they might as well call it that! After getting great reviews in California and Arizona, producer-writer-pianist-actor Felder is bringing his theatrical embodiment of the great American songwriter to Chicago through December 6 (part of a pre-New York national tour). As always with Felder's previous pianist/actor shows, Trevor Hay directs. There is certainly a crowd for this kind of entertainment, peeps. And as Jerome Kern famously observed, "Irving Berlin IS American music." And yes.
Midwest-Premiere-of-HERSHEY-FELDER-AS-IRVING-BERLIN-Will-Begin-1030-at-Royal-George-Theatre
There's old timey movies on the big screens this weekend, you know. On Halloween (late entry to the listings), the Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park will play host to "Little Shop Of Horrors," the 1986 film version of the 1982 off-Broadway musical adaptation of the 1960 Roger Corman sci-fi camp classic. The now-beloved film, starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and Steve Martin, plays at 6:30 pm. Plant costume optional.
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/littleshopofhorrors.html
And on November 1, the 1955 film version of "Oklahoma!" (the 1943 trailblazing Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II) begins playing in movie theaters, newly restored in all its Todd-AO glory and preceded by an extended featurette featuring favorite Okie (or at least, Okie favorite daughter) Kristin Chenoweth. You remember her. She played the Chicago Theatre last weekend, backed up by local musical theater singers and joined onstage for "For Good" by our very own actress and singer-songwriter Jess Godwin. According to reports, all involved killed it. (See the picture, above and watch the video, below!)
VIDEO-Kristin-Chenoweth-Invites-Chicago-Songwriter-Onstage-for-WICKED-Performance
As for the movie about the box social, several far-flung suburban theaters have it on November 1 and 2, and the Music Box Theatre has it on Monday, the 2nd, only. For some reason, it won't reach Evanston until November 22 and 25. Hm.
OKLAHOMA-Returning-to-Theaters-for-60th-Anniversary-with-Kristin-Chenoweth-Pre-Show
You know, film versions aren't the only screen captures of Broadway musicals out there. Many stage shows have been filmed in their theatrical incarnations. And a new streaming service, BroadwayHD, aims to make some of the filmed stage productions (musicals and plays) of the past, and more of the future, available to home audiences. Announced on Monday, they've got 100 titles already lined up. It's all for $14.99 a month (unlimited titles) or $7.99 per show. Who's in?
New-Digital-Streaming-Service-BroadwayHD-to-Bring-Broadway-Theater-to-Screens
We know there are Halloween musicals, and heaven knows there are Christmas musicals, but at last there is a Thanksgiving musical! The Chicago premiere of "The Thanksgiving Circumcision" (why not) will take place at MCL Chicago on Fridays and Saturdays from November 6-28. With music by Davyd Redyyk and book and lyrics by Redyyk and Ethan Krupp, it's directed by Erin Island and choreographed by Laura Marsh. Sophia Shrand and Brendan J. Mulhern star as the young parents. The cast also includes Mike Gospel, Caroline Nash, Alex Smith and Holly Lambert, with Nick Curatolo as Rabbi Wolf and Alan Cosby as the Narrator. Ok then!
http://www.mclchicago.com/thanksgiving-circumcision.html
The Marriott Theatre will present a Theatre For Young Audiences version of Ahrens' and Flaherty's "Seussical" from November 11-December 30, and the cast was announced earlier this month. George Keating will star as the Cat In The Hat, and Michael Aaron Lindner will star as Horton, the Who-hearing Elephant. Lillian Castillo will be Gertrude McFuzz, with Alexis Rogers as Sour Kangaroo, Stephanie Binetti as Mayzie and young Ava Morse and Sage Harper sharing the role of Jojo. Rounding out the ensemble will be Johanna Mckenzie Miller, Samantha Pauly, Brandon Springman and Liam Quealy, under the direction of Rachel Rockwell, with musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson.
The-Marriott-Theatre-for-Young-Audiences-to-Present-SEUSSICAL
For those who like things on the operetta side, be aware that director-choreographer Susan Stroman ("The Producers") has a production of Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow," first seen at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, that will be remounted at Lyric Opera Of Chicago from November 14-December 13, 2015. International diva Renee Fleming will star as Hanna Glawari for most of the run, with Chicago's very own "singer of the world," Nicole Cabell, stepping in for the previously announced Elizabeth Futral for the last three performances. Thomas Hampson stars as Prince Danilo, with Heidi Stober and Michael Spyres as Valencienne and Camille. A number of Chicago stage stars are in this production as well, including Jeff Dumas, Michael Weber, Jonathan Weir, FrEd Zimmerman, McKinley Carter and Jennie Sophia. Of course, the Lyric Opera Chorus is in this show as well, and they are always Chicago stage stars of a sort! The perfomances will be in English, by the way. You really will enjoy it.
https://www.lyricopera.org/concertstickets/calendar/2015-2016/productions/lyricopera/the-merry-widow
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's successful production of "Blood Brothers" winds up November 15. And now in rehearsal is the company's next production, the Frank Sinatra revue, "My Way," running November 27, 2015-January 10, 2016. Two men and two women will take on the Chairman's oeuvre, directed by Fred Anzevino with music direction by Jeremy Ramey and choreography by Maggie Portman. Carl Herzog and Chris Logan, Kyrie Anderson and Caitlin Boho are the lucky performers. No pressure, though!
http://www.theo-u.com/my-way-a-musical-tribute-to-frank-sinatra
Looking into 2016, we reported two weeks ago on the shows that Broadway In Chicago is including as part of its next subscription series: "42nd Street," "Bullets Over Broadway," "The SpongeBob Musical," "The Sound Of Music," "Fun Home" and "Finding Neverland." But what about next year's other touring shows? Well, there are a lot, as shows like to play here, subscription or not, and we like to have them.
Once we get past the 2015 holiday season (and I'll have more on its chock-a-block bookings of Broadway tours in a future Mosh Pit), on this list for 2016 I see "Cabaret" (February 9-21 at the Bank Of America Theatre), "If/Then" (February 23-March 6 at the Oriental Theatre), a three-week engagement of "Matilda" (March 22-April 10 at the Oriental), "Riverdance" (April 5-10 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre), our namesake show, "Chicago" (May 10-15 at the Cadillac Palace), "Beauty And The Beast" (May 24-29 at the Cadillac Palace), a seven-week run of "The Book Of Mormon" (June 29-August 14 at the BOAT) and "Newsies" (July 28-August 7 at the Oriental). Got all that? Got tickets to all that? And where, oh where, is an announcement about "The Bridges Of Madison County?" ???
And the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace announced its 2016 season on Monday. Starting things off will be the previously announced "Bye, Bye, Birdie" (yes, I always put the commas in), running January 14-March 13. Newly announced for subscription purposes? Things will start off with another "pre-Broadway" musical (like this summer's "Beaches"). "Hazel," about the popular mid-century maid who appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and as embodied by Shirley Booth on television. KLea Blackhurst, who starred in "Gypsy" at the DLO in 2012, returns to the theater for this show, written by Ron Abel, Chuck Steffan and Lissa Levin, beginning performances on April 6, 2016. Other shows in the season will include the play "Deathtrap," the revue "Smokey Joe's Café" and the Gershwin 1992 Tony winner, "Crazy For You," followed in early 2017 by a revamped version of "Saturday Night Fever."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/news/ct-drury-lane
So that's what's going on, peeps. I have tried my best not to go all-out Christmassy before the calendar turns to November. So next week, I bear no responsibility for the contents of this column! Until then, get your ghoul on. Eat some candy for me. And I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT
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