'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for April 1st, 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

by Paul W. Thompson

Overheard last weekend under the showtune video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:

A couple of musical comedy classics are about to open hereabouts, and Mosh Pit peeps are well advised to make plans now to catch them. The 1934 Cole Porter classic "Anything Goes," revived to acclaim on Broadway in 2011 (a production which toured here to acclaim as well), is being mounted in a new production at the Marriott Theatre, directed and choreographed by 15-time Jeff Award winner Marc Robin. Beginning previews on April 8, opening a week later and running through May 31 will be Stephanie Binetti as Reno Sweeney, Jameson Cooper as Billy Crocker, Summer Smart as Hope Harcourt and Ross Lehman as Moonface Martin. Also in the cast as supporting players are Patrick Martin, Gene Weygandt, Mary Ernster, John Reeger, Anne Gunn, Patrick Sarb and Mark David Kaplan. Not too shabby, Marriott! There's a singing and tapping ensemble as well. Blow, Gabriel!

Stephanie-Binetti-to-Lead-ANYTHING-GOES-at-The-Marriott-Theatre

The 1962 laugh fest "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum," the first Broadway show to feature music composed by Stephen Sondheim, will begin performances at Stage 773 on April 17, courtesy of Porchlight Music Theatre and its all-Sondheim season (runs through May 24). Leading the cast as Pseudolus will be Bill Larkin, a Jeff Award winner for Porchlight's "A Class Act." Young Miles Blim, who made such a splash as Toby in Porchlight's "Sweeney Todd" back in the fall, returns as Hero, with Sarah Lynn Robinson as his Philia. Matthew Crowle is Hysterium, Lorenzo Rush, Jr. is Marcus Lycus, Will Clinger is Senex, with Greg Zawada as Miles Gloriosus and Carol Buinis as Domina. Michael Weber directs, Brenda Didier choreographs and Linda Madonia music directs.

Sneak-Peek-at-the-Cast-of-Porchlight-Music-Theatres-A-FUNNY-THING-HAPPENED

A couple of Tony Award-winning musicals which came to New York from London's West End are making heads turn in Chicago's western environs. "Billy Elliot," Elton John's show about a boy who studies ballet in Maggie Thatcher's England, makes its highly anticipated regional debut at the Drury Lane Theatre on April 10 (running April 16-June 7), directed by Rachel Rockwell and music directed by Roberta Duchak. "Billy Elliot" won ten Tony Awards in 2009, you may recall, and had a splashy but somewhat truncated eight-month tour debut at the Oriental Theatre in 2010. Chicago natives Nicholas Dantes and Kyle Halford will share the title role at the Drury Lane, after months of work in preparation for the challenging part. Susie McMonagle, who toured with the show, is Mrs. Wilkinson here, with Ron E. Rains as Dad, Maureen Gallagher as Grandma, Liam Quealy as Tony and Rhett Guter as Older Billy. Director William Osetek has gathered quite a large cast, too. Personally, I can't wait to see what Kevin Depinet does with the scenic design.

BILLY-ELLIOT-to-Burn-the-Floor-at-Drury-Lane-Theatre

And you many have heard a little noise about a little show called "Les Miserables" lately. A production of the legendary eight-time Tony-winning show has opened at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora that is by all accounts something extraordinary, and Kevin Depinet and Jeffrey D. Kmiec's scenic design (pictured above) has gotten a fair share of the praise. So has most of the cast (especially the women), Tom Vendafreddo's orchestra, Jesse Klug's lighting and the whole grand, epic sweep of the thing. There are quibbles (or at least questions) about some of the men's casting choices, but critics are still submitting rave reviews. Another feather for the cap of director Jim Corti, for the Paramount and for collar county theater in general. If the production isn't sold out by now (it runs through April 26), you should snap up a seat ASAP. It simply can't be missed. Amazeballs.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/les-miserables/7615/

We're learning about the upcoming seasons at several important Chicago area theaters, the Paramount among them. Jim Corti's "Miracle on the Fox" will produce "Oklahoma!," "A Christmas Story," "Hairspray" and "West Side Story" next season (September through April). Nick Bowling and Amber Mak will make their Paramount directing debuts (with "A Christmas Story" and "Hairspray," respectively). Get it.

Paramount-Theatres-2015-16-Broadway-Series

Kokandy Productions, whose edition of "The Full Monty" has folks tearing their clothes off at Theater Wit through April 12 (well, it's the cast), will be presenting "A Kokandy Christmas" in December, developed by Michael Potsic and Allison Hendrix and inspired by great holiday television specials of the past. In 2016 the company will stage the Chicago premiere of "Heathers: The Musical," last season's off-Broadway hit by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe, to be directed by Hendrix and music directed by Aaron Benham. Summer 2016 will bring the two-man show "Gutenberg! The Musical" to Theater Wit, directed by John D. Glover and music directed by Kory Danielson. That show first played Chicago at the Royal George Theatre's Gallery space in 2008, directed by Alex Timbers.

HEATHERS-GUTENBERG-Musicals-to-Headline-Kokandys-2016-Season

The intrepid theater troupe known as The Hypocrites has make quite a name for itself (themselves?) with epic works of original theater ("All Our Tragic") and innovative productions of classic works of music theater (like Gilbert and Sullivan's three most popular comic operas, Kander and Ebb's "Cabaret" and the Sondheim/Lapine "Into The Woods"). Next season at The Den Theatre the company will present the Chicago regional debut of the Grammy-winning Green Day musical "American Idiot," directed by Steven Wilson, choreographed by Katie Spelman and music directed by Andra Velis Simon. The cast for the fall production will include Luke Linsteadt, Jay Cullen, Alex Madda, Becca Brown and Malic White. And in the spring of 2016, the company will present the Drama Desk-winning, off-Broadway hit musical "Adding Machine" by Chicagoans Joshua Schmidt and Jason Loewith, directed by Geoff Button. The show was developed by the late lamented Next Theatre in Evanston before making the move to the Minetta Lane Theatre in 2008, directed by Gary Griffin.

AMERICAN-IDIOT-ADDING-MACHINE-and-More-Set-for-The-Hypocrites-2015-16-Season

And Chicago Shakespeare Theater announced its upcoming season too. Of particular interest to Mosh Pit peeps will be this summer's family-friendly production of "The Little Mermaid" (the Broadway production of the Disney animated film, in a 75-minute edited version), with the Rachel Rockwell/Roberta Duchak team at the helm, and the new musical "Ride The Cyclone" this fall in the Upstairs space, directed by Rockwell and music directed by Doug Peck. Written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, this show is described as "quirky and smart, edgy and beautiful," as well as "irreverent." Interesting. In 2016, the Upstairs theater will present the world premiere of the latest hip-hop musical by GQ and JQ, an adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" called "Madsummer."

LITTLE-MERMAID-TUG-OF-WAR-Cycle-MADSUMMER-Premiere-and-More-Set

CST is currently in rehearsal a world premiere musical for its mainstage Courtyard Theater, Jane Austen's "Sense And Sensibility." (And yes, her books do seem to turn into musicals, and movies for that matter, with a high degree of regularity.) Paul Gordon (Broadway's "Jane Eyre") was commissioned by CST to write this work, which is being directed by artistic director Barbara Gaines and choreographed by Harrison McEldowney for an April 18-June 7, 2015, run. Megan McGinnis and Sharon Rietkerk star, along with Sean Allan Krill, Wayne Wilcox, Peter Saide, Michael Aaron Lindner and Paula Scrofano.

Megan-McGinnis-and-Sharon-Rietkerk-Set-to-Star-in-SENSE-AND-SENSIBILITY-Musical

Last but not least: is "The Book Of Merman" now in open run at the Apollo Theater Studio? The last announcement merely says "through spring" for the Pride Films And Plays spoof of mid-century musicals and the current "South Park"/"Avenue Q" Broadway and Chicago mashup. But the Apollo Theater website lists a closing date of May 17. So, reality. Still, for a tiny original show to gain legs like this, I'm impressed! It began as a limited run in January in Mary's Attic. Leo Schwartz, David Zak, Robert Ollis, Libby Lane, Sam Button-Harrison and Dan Gold--kudos, kids.

http://www.apollochicago.com/details.php?recordID=142

And so, the Mosh Pit ends where it began this week, with Ethel Merman. Love it. Would that we all were the Queen of the American Musical Theater. Perhaps we are closer than we usually realize in attaining that goal! Anyway, I hope to see you somewhere abouts during this nice weather spell. Have a great holiday if you're having one, and I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT

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