'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for June 2nd, 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:

 

The Joseph Jefferson Awards are here! The 37th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards will be handed out next Monday night, June 7, 2010, at the Park West on Armitage Avenue. The ceremony is at 7:30 pm, with drinks and light buffet beforehand. There are 105 nominations in 24 categories, but for the musical categories, four productions seem to be vying for the award in every major category! In reality, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's "The Glorious Ones" has eight nominations, as does Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's production of "Chess." Circle Theatre's "The Who's Tommy" has six nods, and Quest Theatre Ensemble's "Evolution/Creation" (a new work) is up for five. Will the voters honor the same production over and over, or spread the love around? I don't know, but if the prognostications of my BroadwayWorld colleagues and I are to believed, Tom McGunn ("Tommy") and Maggie Portman ("Chess") need to clear some room in their trophy cases! Best of luck to all the nominees and nominated productions! 

Click Here for the Jeff Awards Website 

And Click Here for Jeff Predictions by the BroadwayWorld Chicago Team! 

Following in the wake of Diana Ross's appearance at the Chicago Theatre last Thursday, another larger-than-life diva (this one with bonafide showtune credentials) will blow onto State Street the night before the Jeffs, on Sunday night, June 6th. Liza Minnelli herself, accompanied by Billy Stritch, will appear and demand homage. 44 years after her first Tony Award, and 1 year since her last one, Minnelli is an unparalleled show business legend, winner of four Tonys, an Emmy, a Grammy and that  "Cabaret" Oscar, of course. She will perform "sensational American standards." You won't hear any objections on that advertising claim from me. 

Liza Minnelli In Concert at the Chicago Theatre 

And this weekend will be "operetta weekend" in Chicago, apparently! Two local companies are opening short runs for this weekend and the next. Light Opera Works in Evanston will bring George Andrew Wolff, Alicia Berneche and Broadway veteran and local favorite Dennis Kelly to the boards of Cahn Auditorium for W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's comic opera "The Yeoman Of The Guard," (running June 4-13). And, at the Athenaeum Theatre, Chamber Opera Chicago will present the English-language premiere of Ernesto Lecuona's Cuban zarzuela, "Maria La O" on June 5, 11 and 13. Catch these opera/musical hybrids while you can! 

The Yeoman Of The Guard 

Maria La O 

Playing every Tuesday night in June at Hydrate on Halsted is the Chicago Cabaret Project, in its return engagement at the Boystown establishment. The troupe will be presenting "The Really Freakin' Totally Rad Awesome Rockin' 80's Show!," hosted by Melissa Young and featuring guest artist Lez Bo-Bo the Clown. Welcome back, you guys! 

Chicago Cabaret Project 

Tony Award nominee Felicia P. Fields returns to Chicago area stages for the first time since her long stint in "The Color Purple" with "Low Down Dirty Blues," on the boards now at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie. This new revue, also starring the 72-year-old Mississippi Charles Bevel, Gregory Porter and Sandra Reaves-Phillips, is by Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman, the same team behind the successful "It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues." The show runs through July 3rd. 

Northlight Theatre 

Speaking of near-northwest suburban Skokie's musical theater scene, a different type of show opens this Saturday, playing all four Saturdays in June. It's "The Stops," at the Skokie Theatre Music Foundation on Lincoln Avenue. This Chicago area premiere of the show by Eric Lane Barnes and Drew Emery stars Kevin Bishop, Steve Kimbrough and Paul Motondo as three members of the "North American Lady Organists Guild," come to town for a "one night only" benefit for their recently outed organist mentor. They are named Ginny, Euglena and Rose, respectively. Of course they are! 

The Stops 

In more traditional musical theater fare, there's now a production of "Little Shop Of Horrors" up and running, courtesy of the La Costa Theatre Company, near the intersection of Irving Park and Elston in Chicago. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's first successful work runs now through July 11, directed by Dan Sanders-Joyce and musical directed by Ryan Brewster. 

La Costa Theatre Company 

And "Glee" is almost ready for the finale of its first full season! With one episode remaining, four CDs in release, a second and third season already on order, and a four-city live performance tour that included Chicago last week, the show has attracted legions of loyal fans--and a number of detractors, as well. Chicagoans seem to love it or hate it, with not much in between. Musically, Lea Michele as Rachel seems to be leading the pack, with showtune duets with Idina Menzel ("I Dreamed A Dream") and Kristin Chenoweth ("Maybe This Time") scoring high marks, along with her solo remake of Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain On My Parade." Fans also note that Kevin McHale (Artie) was spotted "out and about" in East Lakeview after the cast's live performance at the Rosemont Theatre last Wednesday. We're wondering if the show will be a major player in the September 2010 Emmy Awards and the February 2011 Grammy Awards. And can it possibly maintain this torrid pace of production, guest stars, ratings, track downloads and fandom for another two full years? Keep your fingers crossed....... 

FOX Broadcasting Company: Glee 

Lastly, and on a personal note, I was thrilled to discover this week that the discussion thread on http://chicago.broadwayworld.com where I post each week's new "Showtune Mosh Pit" link has reached 10,000 views! I don't know if that's a little or a lot, and there are plenty of other ways to find each article. But the thread is the easiest way to receive a notification that a new Mosh Pit column is up. And 10,000 attempts to do so since I posted the first column ten months ago seems astounding to me. We started slow, and then we started to grow! My thanks to everyone who reads the Most Pit, and everyone who's given me items to post. I couldn't (and wouldn't) do it without you! Keep those cards and letters comin'. 

Click Here for the Showtune Mosh Pit Discussion Thread! 

And so, with awards and finales and a wide variety of performance opportunities afoot, I'd say it's a pretty fun June, so far! And before you know it, I'll see you under the video screens.....--PWT

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