'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for January 19th, 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:

It's a big week in Chi-town, as three national tours hit our stages for some mid-winter revelry! Playing this week at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University is the tour of "Annie" that has been on the road for several years now, looking very much like the original Tony-winning production that helped bring America out of its Watergate and inflationary woes of the mid-1970s. If ever we were in need of "Annie" to do the same for the country again, it seems like now's the time, right? And if you have any little ones at home, for whom "Wicked" seemed a little too grown up, well, this is bound to be perfect. 

http://annieontour.com/ 

Also playing this week only is the contemporary model for all the "songbook" musicals we're seeing and hearing about lately, "Mamma Mia!," in another visit to our area. Only this time, the ABBA hits "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All" will be belted out at the Rosemont Theatre, just off the Blue Line train on the way to O'Hare. Porchlight Music Theatre veteran Michael Aaron Lindner plays Harry Bright in this tour, one of the three possible suitors for a second chance with the Donna Sheridan of Michelle Dawson, who originated the role of Evelyn Nesbit in the original Chicago company of "Ragtime" in 1998.

http://www.mamma-mia.com/ustour/chicago.asp 

The third tour materializing here this week is playing for two weeks at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, on its way to a rumored Broadway engagement. It is "Dreamgirls," in a new production directed and choregraphed by Robert Longbottom, which premiered at the Apollo Theater in Harlem last fall and includes former Chicagoan Chester Gregory in the cast as James "Thunder" Early. After three Broadway credits, including several years as Seaweed in "Hairspray," Gregory can certainly say that his BFA from Columbia College Chicago was worth it! "American Idol" alumna Syesha Mercado plays Deena Jones, and Indianapolis native Moya Angela takes on the role of Effie Melody White. Wonder if Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson will show up to offer her support? 

http://www.dreamgirlsonstage.com/ 

You may remember that Chester Gregory got his professional start at the Black Ensemble Theater here, playing the title character in "The Jackie Wilson Story" to great acclaim. We note that there are two more weekends left of BET's current musical, a jukebox show called "The Message Is In The Music: (God Is A Black Man Named Ricky)" that features the music of the Drifters, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, among others. Rick Stone stars, as God. 

http://blackensembletheater.org/ 

It's exciting to note that rehearsals have started here for the big spring opening of "Billy Elliot," the ten time Tony-winning musical that is this spring's biggest Showtune news in Chicago. The show has only three previous companies (London, New York and Australia--now closed), which certainly speaks to our cache as a theater town. We were glad to learn this week that Emily Skinner will star as Mrs. Wilkinson here, appearing in the show alongside other Broadway veterans as well as Chicago performers like Susie McMonagle, Patrick Mulvey, Samuel Pergande and Blake Hammond. With music by Elton John, "Billy Elliot" will begin previews on March 18, 2010 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, and officially open on April 11th. Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio, Cesar Corrales and John Peter (J.P.) Viernes are the four young actors alternating in the title role of the boy who dances his way out of his poverty-stricken, provincial childhood. Get your tickets now! (Note that this is supposed to be the "national tour" of the show, but all fingers are crossed that, like "Wicked," it will stay longer--much longer.) 

http://www.billyelliotthemusical.com/ 

The impending opening of "Billy Elliot" here, combined with the recent short run of "In The Heights," reminds the Mosh Pit that all of the shows currently running in New York that opened there prior to the 2008-09 season have now been seen in Chicago. So far, so good. However, there are four shows still running from last season that we haven't seen yet. Those missing musicals are "Next To Normal," "Rock Of Ages" and the revivals of "Hair" and "West Side Story." When will these take to the road, making Chicago one of their first stops? Broadway In Chicago, do you pay attention to the wishes of the Mosh Pit?? We want to know! 

http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/ 

At least they are bringing us Patti and Mandy, right? Tickets went on sale last week for the March 2-7 run of "An Evening With Patti LuPone And Mandy Patinkin" at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. This not the first time that the pair of theatrical legends have performed in concert together, and it probably won't be the last. But it may be last time here. And, though LuPone loves performing at the Ravinia Festival, when is the last time she performed in the Loop? Has she ever? I can't remember. Anyone? Anyone? 

http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/shows_dyn.php?cmd=display_current&display_showtag=PattiMandy2010 

Chicagoan Michael Ingersoll isn't wasting any time getting back in front of audiences after performing as Nick Massi in the entire run of the just-closed "Jersey Boys" at the Bank of America Theatre. He got his JB buddies back together, along with his wife, actress Angela Ingersoll, and the Ted Hogarth Orchestra, and they rocked the Paramount Theatre in Aurora last Saturday night. Upcoming dates at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights are already sold out, and he is looking to add other dates in the future. He is apparently a shooting star on the rise! 

http://www.michaelingersolllive.com/ 

A different kind of national tour will be playing at the Centre East Theater in Skokie this coming weekend, January 21st-24th. The Washington, DC based Capitol Steps are bringing a version of their current show, "Obama Mia!," using their unique vantage point as former and/or current congressional aides to poke musical and comedic fun at the national political scene. Who's into current events? 

http://www.northshorecenter.org/calendar2.cfm?event_id=1340 

The Chicago Cabaret Project is still humming along on Tuesday nights at 9:00 at Hydrate in Lakeview. What was announced last summer as a limited engagement has apparently become permanent! "Cabaret Diva" Melissa Young joins the group for their January shows, along with Rus Rainier as Carol Channing. And check out their online highlights reel featuring Honey West and Rebecca Finnegan! 

http://www.chicagocabaretproject.com/ 

Up at Northwestern University in the adjacent suburb of Evanston, the student-produced "Dolphin Show" series is bringing the rarely-produced Tony-winning musical "Parade" to the proscenium stage of Cahn Auditorium for the next two weekends. Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry's story of Leo Frank and the 1913 Atlanta murder of little Mary Phagan doesn't lose a bit of its relevance in contemporary times, I'm afraid. I'm sure it's worth a ride on the Purple Line to catch a look-see.

http://www.pickstaiger.org/concerts/details/319-the-68th-annual-dolphin-show-parade 

And in television news, many of us watched Spike Lee's film of the Broadway musical "Passing Strange" on PBS last week, featuring Tony winner (best book) Stew and his soon-to-be-in-"Shrek" co-star Daniel Breaker. Some of us weren't quite sure what we were watching, were we? But bridging the gap between rock concert and musical theater performance is never easy. The broadcast is available on DVD now, joining the previously-released Broadway original cast album and the now-published book and lyrics in helping keep this show alive and accessible. 

http://www.negroproblem.com/passing/ 

And last, but not least, back to "Glee!" On Sunday night, the FOX-TV series won the Golden Globe award for best comedy or musical series, beating "30 Rock", among others. How's that for credibility? And there are so many rumors of guest stars on upcoming episodes--Jonathan Groff, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, Gavin Creel-- name the star, we've heard a rumor. Oh, and Adam Lambert too, who (btw) was spotted at Roscoe's on Halsted Street last Tuesday night. The show's CDs and downloads continue to dominate the charts here and abroad, and comparisons of the songs used in the show to the original versions can cause heated Mosh Pit discussions!  There's sheet music available, too. And the show is holding highly-publicized auditions for future cast members. How long can the hype and hysteria last? And who ever thought we would see a Golden Age for the high school swing choir? 

http://www.fox.com/glee/ 

No winter doldrums here!  Just enough Showtune news and activity to keep you warm and cozy until your next audition or curtain time. Glad to oblige! And I want to hear all about what you've been up to, when I see you next, under the video screens.....--PWT

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