'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for June 3rd, 2015
By: Paul W. Thompson Jun. 03, 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
Overheard last weekend under the showtune video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:
You're joining me for our Tony Awards viewing party, right? The 2015 BroadwayWorld Chicago Tony Awards Viewing Party takes place this Sunday night, during the, uh, Tony Awards broadcast on CBS. The Call Bar, 1547 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, will start showing showtune videos at 5:00 pm, and the broadcast itself is from 7:00-10:00. And Ashley Morgan and I have 20 pairs of tickets to Chicago area theater productions to give away! It's "Chicago At The Tonys!" Trivia during the commercial breaks, and whoever answers first, gets to pick from an impressive list of theaters who have generously donated prizes. We have musicals, plays, classics, new works, big theaters, storefronts, city and suburbs all represented. If you are 21+, come to The Call and have fun with us! You know you want to. Don't watch Chita, Kristin and Kelli all alone!....
The next night is Chicago's very own Non-Equity Jeff Awards show at the Park West, Monday, June 8, with the ceremony kicking off at 7:30 pm. Bailiwick Chicago's production of Michael John LaChiusa's "The Wild Party" has the most nominations, with 9, but two musicals have 6 nominations and three have 5. Will I see you there? Competition is tight. And everybody will be there!
http://www.jeffawards.org/home/index.cfm
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre is one of our most-lauded non-Equity companies, of course, with 15 nominations for its productions at the Jeffs this year, and a boatload of BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards to boot. The company is especially known for revues, and is responsible for the only two productions nominated in that category at the Jeffs this year, "Always...Patsy Cline" and "A Kurt Weill Cabaret." Well, the company is set to begin performances of "A Marvin Hamlisch Songbook" tomorrow night, its latest in a string of composer-themed original revues at its No Exit Café home. A youngish creative team is helming this one, with Jeff-winning actor Courtney Crouse directing, acclaimed performer Chris Logan choreographing, and current triple Jeff Award nominee Aaron Benham providing the arrangements and music direction. Come witness the dramatic tension between the 1970s and now. Come revel in the music of a man who really was a genius, presented in a new way. The press opening is Saturday.
A-MARVIN-HAMLISCH-SONGBOOK-Begins-6-4-at-Theo-Ubique
Just yesterday, Theo officially announced what was the worst-kept secret in town--its 2015-16 season. It all starts off in September, with a ubiquitous show in the UK but a rare one on these shores, "Blood Brothers." Christina Hall, the Jeff-nominated star of "Always...Patsy Cline," will star at Mrs. Johnstone, directed by Fred Anzevino and choreographed by Maggie Portman, music directed by Jeremy Ramey. For the holidays, the same creative team will mount "My Way...A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra." The spring slot will be a highly anticipated production of "Rent," directed by the hot Scott Weinstein and choreographed by Daniel Spaguolo. And a year from now, the composing team of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse will be saluted, by a creative team to be announced. But I bet Jeremy Ramey will be involved, as he was just named the company's Resident Music Director. Similar permanent posts were announced for Scenic Designer Adam Veness and Costume Designer Bill Morey.
Theo-Ubique-Sets-2015-16-Season-RENT-BLOOD-BROTHERS-More
The Next Colony theater company announced its summer "Side Stage" season, and there's a "sneak peek" at a new musical on the docket, directed by the aforementioned Scott Weinstein. It's called "It's Good For The Heart," with music, lyrics and book by John Keating. A woman returns to her hometown to learn the truth about her own past. Get the downlow on July 10 and 11 at The Den Theatre on Milwaukee Avenue.
The-New-Colony-Sets-Summer-SIDE-STAGE-Lineup
Speaking of new musicals, and speaking of The Den Theatre, the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival has announced the casts and creative teams for the THIRTEEN new musicals the festival will present this year. Interestingly, "It's Good For The Heart" is not a festival offering, though it's in the same venue during the festival's timeslot there, June 30-July 19. But you really owe it to yourself to read the list of all the casts and creative teams that Underscore Theatre Company has put together for this second annual festival. Who knew there were this many people in Chicago? "American Smoothie" and "Recurring John" are mentored productions. Independent productions listed are "Dirty Girl," "Fanatical," "Marble, GA," "Nine Lives," "One Thousand Words," "Passing By," "Plath/Hughes," "prOne," "Seagulls," "How To Run For Mayor" and part 1 of "Slide." Amazeballs.
2nd-Annual-CHICAGO-MUSICAL-THEATRE-FESTIVAL-to-Kick-Off-6-30-at-The-Den-Theatre
One of the chief components of a new musical is the music, made up most traditionally of songs. And the Johnny Mercer Foundation is presenting its annual summer Songwriters Project at Northwestern University, in conjunction with the school's American Musical Theatre Project. Craig Carnelia, Lari White and Andrew Lippa will once again serve as master teachers for the 15 participating writers. The "Songwriters In Concert" showcase concert this year takes place on Saturday, June 27, at the Josephine Louis Theater on the Evanston campus. Alumni of the program include the award-winning musical theater teams of Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and Joe Kinosian & Kellen Blair.
10th-Anniversary-Johnny-Mercer-Foundation-Songwriters-Project-Set-for-Northwestern
Another annual summer tradition in these here parts is the Chicago Park District's Theater On The Lake. However, the theater itself, on the lakefront at Fullerton Avenue, is closed this summer due to construction that will transform it into a year-round facility. In the meantime, shows are being relocated to other Park District buildings. And the remount of the just-shuttered "Murder Ballad," in its Chicago premiere by Bailiwick Chicago, will take place from June 17-28 at the Berger Park Cultural Center in Edgewater, pretty much on the lake itself. This is your second chance, peeps!
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/theater-on-the-lake-schedule/
As hoped for, "Ring Of Fire" has indeed received the fabled Chicago extension, and will run all summer long, through August 30, 2015. The Mercury Theater Chicago remount of last year's revisal-style production at Munster's Theatre At The Center originally opened April 30 and was scheduled only through June 28. Double the run, hunh? Four months is very impressive, indeed. Not as long as "Avenue Q" last year, but it's not as well known in theatrical circles. Johnny Cash is, one assumes, well known to the average human. The theater is reporting sales records for this one. Well played, Mercury.
Mercury-Theater-Chicago-Extends-RING-OF-FIRE-THE-MUSIC-OF-JOHNNY-CASH
If there was ever a musical that sounds like summer, it's "The Bikinis." Created by James Hindman and Ray Roderick, the show follows a girl group from the late 1950s to the late 70s, celebrating a whole generation of American pop music. Jeff Award winner Colette Todd, star of "Big Fish" at Theatre At The Center, will be joined in the cast of this Fox Valley Repertory production by Kyrie Anderson, Kristine Burdi and Alexandra Gonzalez, directed and choreographed by Kyle Donahue. Performances take place June 11-August 16 at the Pheasant Run Resort in west suburban St. Charles.
Fox-Valley-Rep-to-Present-THE-BIKINIS-Musical
And a creative cabaret show featuring many hotly talented performers is set for the evenings of Monday, June 22 and 29, at the new Uptown Underground space in Uptown. It's "No One Here But Us Witches," as the young generation of Chicago divas Danni Smith, Harmony France, Amanda Horvath and Missy Aguilar join in an unlikely but wholly understandable meeting of Elphaba, Maleficent, Ursula and Glinda (and more). Directed by Geoffrey Bleeker and with music direction by the aforementioned Aaron Benham, the show is at 8:00 pm. I guess that's the witching hour when talent like this is assembled!
NO-ONE-HERE-BUT-US-WITCHES-Musical-Cabaret-Set-for-6-22-29-at-Uptown-Underground
So that's what's bubbling in the Mosh Pit this week! I'll see you at the Tony Party on Sunday, and at the Jeffs on Monday. And I'll see you under the video screens several times this week, won't I? It's summer, isn't it?.....-PWT
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