'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for February 17th, 2010
By: Paul W. Thompson Feb. 17, 2010
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:
As winter sports distractions fill the airwaves, we note that there is still plenty of musical theater afoot! Not the least of which is the debut this week of Sara Gettelfinger as Cruella de Vil in "The 101 Dalmatians Musical" at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Running through February 28, the musical is reputedly both family friendly and full of arena rock tunes. We are dying to find out what people think of this production. Tell your friends, tell your enemies. Tell me!
The 101 Dalmatians Musical 2010 Tickets
Next at the Palace, under the auspices of Broadway In Chicago, of course, is "An Evening With Patti LuPone And Mandy Patinkin," running March 2-7. Surely this is an evening not to be missed, right, peeps? I mean, come on. Even if you don't like them, the bragging rights alone will be worth a near fortune! And I have priced a lot of bragging rights, believe you me. Are there any tickets left?
An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin
All this is really just build-up for what BIC is hoping will be the big event of the spring, the current Tony Award champ "Billy Elliot" in an open-ended run at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre. Beginning performances March 18th in the former home of the blockbuster, "Wicked," all observers (especially businesses eyeing empty spaces in the new Block 37 building across Randolph Street) want to know if Billy can bring in the audiences that Elphie and Galinda did. That's a tough act to follow, and anything less may be seen as failure. But the Elton John tuner did win 10 Tony Awards (versus Wicked's 3), so you tell me what the worry is about? And I don't know of a single person who has seen it in New York who has not loved it! Well, there IS the economy. Ironically, a bad economy is a key story element of "Billy Elliot!" So, there may be good timing here after all.....Time will tell.
Billy Elliot the Musical 2010 (Chicago) Tickets
And so, speculation turns to the short run Broadway tours that will hit Chicago next season. And they are......we have no idea, though we sure are speculating, aren't we? And isn't it about time for an announcement? We know that "Shrek," "The Lion King" and "Wicked" are set for longer runs in the second half of 2010, but what about newer productions like "Next To Normal," "West Side Story," "Hair," "Rock Of Ages," or the long-rumored tours of "The Little Mermaid" and "Brigadoon?" Where is "Minsky's?" Gods of the Nederlander Organization, grant to Broadway In Chicago the permission to tell the Mosh Pit what's in store!!!
Broadway in Chicago Show and Theatre Tickets
There actually was big news about next fall, not from BIC but from the Goodman Theatre. In their now traditional fall musical slot, the Goodman will be presenting a major revival (or is it a reimagining?) of "Candide," directed by award-winning Chicago director and MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient Mary Zimmerman. This will be important national theater news later this year, so I urge you to line up for tickets as soon as you can. It begins in September of 2010, "in the Albert," as they say.
Apparently the production will include elements of Hugh Wheeler's 1973 book for the 1956 Leonard Bernstein musical, as well as "new adaptations from Voltaire by Mary Zimmerman." So, it will be yet another version of this work for scholars to track through the ages, and (as is common with the Goodman) you can bet they are hoping to "take it on the road." I've lost count of many lyricists "Candide" has, but it's an impressive list. Yeah, you need to be there. Casting is not yet announced.
Goodman Theatre : Subscriptions
In other Elton John news, we are reminded that Chicago will actually see all three of his major stage works in 2010 (will he come to Sidetrack to celebrate?). In addition to "Billy Elliot" and "The Lion King," "Aida" (the show for which Sir Elton won the Tony for Best Score, along with Sir Tim [Rice]) will be presented this summer by Bailiwick Chicago at the American Theatre Company's space on Byron Street, directed by Scott Ferguson. There's a casting call for dancers this coming Sunday, btw.
Bailiwick Chicago - AIDA Dance Call
Tim Rice's post-ALW career is receiving a mini-festival as well, with "Aida" preceeded by "Chess," his collaboration with the ABBA boys that did so well in London and so poorly in New York. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre is heavy into rehearsals for the March 7th opening at the No Exit Café on Glenwood. The last time I passed by, the company was rehearsing in full view of passersby, as the window curtains were (temporarily) gone. I didn't know whether to wave, hide or join in the staging. It all felt so environmental. Is voyeurism the same as intimacy? What's that song title, "I Know Him So Well?"
The Marriott Theatre up in Lincolnshire has two productions on our gossip screen this week. (Gossip screen?) The highly anticipated unveiling of Ross Lehman in "Fiddler On The Roof" happens this week, with the official opening next week. Running through April 25th, it's directed by David H. Bell.
And the cast of the Marriott's Theatre for Young Audiences production of "Sleeping Beauty" reads like a who's who of local musical theater talent. This is Marc Robin's version of the timeless tale, directed and choreographed by tri-hyphenate Matt Raftery. Any show with Heidi Kettenring, Johanna McKenzie Miller, Jessie Mueller, Bernie Yvon, Ryan Reilly, Andrew Keltz, Tammy Mader and, oh yes, Susan Moniz in it can't be all bad, right? I can't begin to tell you how much all these guys work, all over town. Well, you probably know that, right? The show runs March 3rd through April 25th.
Marriott Theatre's Sleeping Beauty
And two more local college productions have caught our collective eye. Hot on the heels of Columbia College Chicago, which is now halfway through its two week run of "The Wild Party," the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University's CCPA (Chicago College of Performing Arts, I think) will be staging "Sweet Charity" April 29-May 2 in its O'Malley Theatre in downtown Chiacgo. Direction is by Luis Perez, with musical direction by Bonnie Shadrake.
And last but not least, Northwestern University's production of "The Who's Tommy" (I call it "Tommy," since I'm pretty sure The Who isn't going to be in it) opens this Thursday, February 18, and runs weekends through March 7 at the Josephine Lewis Theater in Evanston. Presented by the Theatre and Interpretation Center, it is receiving a "rock-concert staging" by Geoff Button.
February 2010 Theater/Dance CalendarNorthwestern University Newscenter
And there you have it. Yet another edition of "The Showtune Mosh Pit" that doesn't mention "Glee." We'll get back to it, I promise!!! Before you know it. And in the meantime, I'll see you under the video screens.....--PWT
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