'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for June 24th, 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:

Two fantastic musical productions opened to critics' eyes and pens last week, and the Mosh Pit is the better for it! I'm sure you've heard about "On Your Feet!," the musical journey and life story of Latin pop superstar Gloria Estefan and her husband, writer and producer Emilio Estefan. This high-profile pre-Broadway tryout at the Oriental Theatre only has two more weeks left, before the production congas back to New York for fine tuning. With previews beginning October 5, 2015 at the Marquis Theatre, that's only three months of down-time. That's a lot longer than shows had to travel from New Haven to Times Square in the 1940s, but hey, scenery is heavier these days.... But do they even need that much time? There is so much good word of mouth about this show, what's a tweak between friends? People are loving this thing.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/on-your-feet/7219/

Less talked about but even more positively received has been the first big local production of "City Of Angels" in a long time, as Cy Coleman's Tony-winning show has gotten a bang-up presentation at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Running through August 2nd at the famous theater in the "round," this production of the film noir/hot jazz homage is directed by Nick Bowling, and stars Rod Thomas and Kevin Earley (pictured above) as writer Stine and his popular alter ego, detective Stone. Coleman was a jazz pianist before he was a Broadway tunesmith, by the way, and this show revels in that relationship.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/city-of-angels/7763/

The third exciting event on last week's performance schedule was that time Bette Midler was playing the United Center on the same day that the Chicago Blackhawks had to celebrate a Stanley Cup victory at Soldier Field. I'm not sure whether there really was cause and effect here, but (akin to writer John O'Hara's comment about the death of George Gershwin) I can choose to believe it if I want to. Making Midler's Chicago tour stop even more compelling is the fact that the pre-Broadway tryout of "Beaches" has been in rehearsal at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, preparing to begin performances this very night, June 24 (running through August 16th). And I heard that Bette looked and sounded spectacular, showing the world what real stardom is all about.

http://drurylane.com/live-theatre/now-playing/

We found out about the local concert appearance of another musical theater star when Kristin Chenoweth announced her upcoming engagement at the Chicago Theatre. The "Wicked," "Glee" and "On The Twentieth Century" star will be in our midst on Saturday, October 24. We are reminded that Chenoweth's fellow "Wicked" and "Glee" star, "Frozen" icon Idina Menzel, will be in town on August 16, performing outdoors at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park. The cold never bothered her, anyway. Wonder about heat. So there's that.

http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/events/2015/october/kristin-chenoweth

http://www.chicago-theater.com/theaters/jay-pritzker-pavilion/idina-menzel

Pritzker is the site of the Grant Park Music Festival of course, but is also one of the sites of the Chicago Park District's Movies In The Parks series. There are hundreds of movies on the list, being shown all over town, all summer long. I see "Into The Woods" and the 2014 version of "Annie" on the list multiple times, and in a seeming nod to the Pride Parade, "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" at Osterman Beach this coming Friday night, June 26. "The Wiz" will be at Lindblom Park on July 17, and the aforementioned "Frozen" is at Buttercup Park on July 18 and Chippewa Park on August 3. You can catch "Dreamgirls" at Sherman Park on July 30, "Hairspray" at Minuteman Park on August 5, "Sister Act" August 7 at Williams Park and "Mamma Mia!" August 10 at Frank J. Wilson Park. "Grease" has three showings in August, and "The Wizard Of Oz" will play in Oz Park on August 23. So yeah!

http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/movies/

Speaking of newish Broadway musicals which begin with "Bea," there is the Carole King bio-musical "Beautiful," for which Evanston native Jessie Mueller won the 2014 Tony Award for best actress in a musical. When the show comes to our shores for the first time, in its first class national touring guise, who will be playing the role of Carole herself? None other than Jessie's older sister Abby Mueller, that's who! She nabbed the role in the tour by auditioning for it, and of course, she has been in the Broadway cast of "Kinky Boots" for the last year, so it's not like she isn't a great performer in her own right. And we already know she looks and sounds like Carole King, so it's a great fit! I am reminded of the production of "Guys And Dolls" at the Marriott Theatre in 2011, where Jessie played Miss Adelaide and Abby played Sarah Brown. Pretty remarkable stuff, actually. Welcome Abby back to a Chicago stage for 12 weeks, when "Beautiful" plays the Oriental Theatre from December 1, 2015-February 21, 2016.

Abby-Mueller-Sister-of-Tony-Winner-Jessie-Mueller-Will-Hit-the-Road-in-BEAUTIFUL

Also for the holidays this year will be a stage version of the beloved children's television classic, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," adapted by Eric Schaeffer and directed by Ernie Nolan for his Emerald City Theatre. Broadway In Chicago will be presenting the show at the Broadway Playhouse from November 14th-January 3rd. If you are my age, or younger, you will love it.

Emerald-City-Theatre-to-Bring-A-CHARLIE-BROWN-CHRISTMAS-to-Broadway-Playhouse

But we have to get there first! It's only just now officially the summer, as last Sunday's solstice indicated. Well, before summer officially comes to a close three months from now, we have all kinds of great musical theater coming our way, including Chicago premieres of New York stage works. In August, we will have what seems to be the Chicago premiere of the show that won Hugh Jackman a Tony Award, "The Boy From Oz." The musical biography of Australian songwriter-performer Peter Allen, it will be presented at Stage 773 by Pride Films And Plays from August 6-30. Chris Logan will play Allen himself, with Nancy Hays as his mother-in-law Judy Garland (you knew that, right?) and Michelle Lauto as Liza Minnelli. Also starring will be Luke Meierdiercks, Michelle McKenzie-Voigt and Garrett Hershey. David Zak will direct, with choreography by Cameron Turner and music direction by Robert Ollis.

Pride-Films-Plays-Sets-THE-BOY-FROM-OZ-Cast

From August 27-September 20 will we have the Chicago premiere of the 2008 one-performance Broadway musical "Glory Days," by Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner, at the Collaboraction Theatre's space (room 300) in the Flatiron Arts Building in Wicker Park. Directed by Matt Dominguez, it will be a production by the relatively new Refuge Theatre Project. The cast of four will consist of Hunter Lindner, Roy Brown, Will Wilhelm and Brad Atkinson.

GLORY-DAYS-to-Make-Chicago-Premiere-This-August

And Circle Theatre will rejoin the community of active theatre producers once again with the Midwest premiere of the off-Broadway hit "Triassic Parq," to play in the tiny Heartland Studio Theatre in Rogers Park from September 17-October 4. Nicholas Reinhart and Tommy Bullington will co-direct, with Justin Harner as music director. The cast will include Parker Guidry, Erin Daly, Neala Barron, Jacob Richard Axelson, Marissa Druzbanski, Patrick Stengel and Caitlin Boho. The timely topic? Dinosaurs. Welcome back, Circlers!

Circle-Theatre-Sets-Cast-Creative-Team-of-TRIASSIC-PARQ

So, that's pretty cool, right? You know you like it! And I hope to see you in one of these theaters pretty soon. Some of them have air conditioners! And I'll see you under the video screens too, right?.....-PWT

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