'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for April 17th, 2013

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:

What a quick turnaround of national tours at the Cadillac Palace Theatre! No sooner did the curtain come down Sunday on "Catch Me If You Can," than it rose again last night on "American Idiot," or so it seems that the magic is just about instantaneous. The third Chicago visit of the Grammy Award-winning Green Day musical about three friends negotiating Bush-era America is in town for this week only, so if you're of a mind to see it, better get a move on! Having been introduced to some of the cast on Monday night, I can tell you that they are young and enthusiastic! And why not? This national tour is rumored to be shaping up once again to be an international tour, and how exciting is that for performers this full of life? Break a leg, you guys! And remember how much fun you had that week in Chicago.

http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/Idiot13

In terms of locally produced shows, we have three important productions starting performances this week. Circle Theatre is bringing us the Chicago premiere of Maury Yeston's "Death Takes A Holiday" (he also composed the Tony-winning "Nine" and "Titanic," you know), with book by two legendary bookwriters, Peter Stone and Thomas Meehan. There is a preview this Saturday night, April 20, plus next Tuesday and Wednesday, and regular performances begin April 25 (through May 26) at Stage 773. Elizabeth Margolius directs, with choreography by Kristen Jacobson and musical direction by Jon Landvick.

http://www.circle-theatre.org/new/

Also beginning previews on the very same day, and opening on April 26 (closing on the same May 26) and performing under the very same roof as "Death Takes A Holiday" (the venue being Stage 773, that is ) is "Pal Joey," in a significant production from Porchlight Music Theatre. Adrian Aguilar stars as the title heel, with Susie McMonagle and Sharriese Hamilton as two of the many women in his life. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's best-known musical will be staged in its original version (not the ill-fated 2008 Broadway revival version) by Michael Weber, with choreography by Brenda Didier and musical direction by Doug Peck (who is in between "Sweet Charity" at Writers' Theatre and "The Jungle Book" at the Goodman Theatre). "Pal Joey" takes place in Chicago, by the way, and we do love the show here. And it has so many great hit songs!

http://porchlightmusictheatre.org/pal-joey/

The other Broadway musical that gets alphabetized in the "Pa" section is "The Pajama Game," the 1954 hit by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross that not only started their notoriously brief-but-successful Broadway career, but figures prominently in the careers of George Abbott, Hal Prince, John Raitt, Carol Haney and Shirley MacLaine. Jess McLeod is directing, and Jessica Redish is choreographing, the production at The Music Theatre Company in Highland Park, which begins performances tomorrow, April 18, and runs through May 19, musical directed by Matt Deitchman. David Sajewich, Sarah Bockel and Dana Tretta star. And yes, it IS about pajamas. Hey there!

http://www.themusictheatrecompany.org/PJ

So, is it me, or is this weekend an amazing display of exactly what Chicago's musical theater scene can do? I mean, there is something like the "history of musicals on Broadway" being performed here, right now! If I were teaching such a class somewhere (hint, hint), then crafting the curriculum for this semester would have been a snap. We have "Pal Joey" (1940) by Porchlight Music Theatre, "South Pacific" (1949) at the Marriott Theatre, "The Pajama Game" (1954) at The Music Theatre Company, "Oliver!" (1963) at the Drury Lane Theatre, "Barnum" (1980) at the Mercury Theater, "Aspects Of Love" (1990) by Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, Theo's transfer of "Smokey Joe's Café" (1995) at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, and "Spamalot" (2005) at the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center, not to mention three commercial productions that echo those seen on Broadway, "Million Dollar Quartet" (2010) at the Apollo Theater, "American Idiot" (2010) at the Cadillac Palace Theatre and "The Book Of Mormon" (2011) at the Bank Of America Theatre. AND the future Broadway production of "Big Fish," (2013) which opens to critics this Friday at the Oriental Theatre. I dare to say that there is not another city anywhere in the world that has this many professional productions of musicals from the standard repertory of the past all onstage at the same time. You certainly can't see any of these shows (except for T-BOM) in New York right now. And of course, we have plenty of homegrown, original works as well. Only in Chicago. What a feast!

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/nowplayingrs.php

It's not a musical per se, but will interest some. I'm talking about "The Pianist Of Willesden Lane," the new play with classical music starring Mona Golabek, written and produced by Hershey Felder at the Royal George Theatre. A story of wartime Europe and how a young girl would up in London, following her dream of becoming a classical pianist even as the horror of the Holocaust unfold, it's the real-life story of Golabek's mother, Lisa Jura. Felder ("George Gershwin Alone," etc.) is expanding his realm of shows about classical music to this, in which he does not appear. Previews of the show, seen previously in Boston and Los Angeles, begin this Friday, and the show runs through May 12, 2013.

Hershey-Felders-THE-PIANIST-OF-WILLESDEN-LANE

As the Marriott and the Drury Lane have just opened mainstage musicals ("South Pacific" and "Oliver!," respectively, and both to great reviews), it's time for us to check back in with the powerful suburban musical theater houses to see about their musicals geared toward younger audiences. And so, the Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre has brought us "Alice In Wonderland" (running March 14-May 18), with a cast that includes Emily Rohm as Lewis Carroll's title rabbit chaser, and Bernie Yvon as that White Rabbit. Other in the cast include Johanna Mckenzie Miller, Sophie Grimm, Holly Stauder, Lara Filip, Rob Rahn, Brian Bohr, and Scott Calcagno as the Mad Hatter. Matt Raftery directed and choreographed.

http://marriotttheatre.com/ALICE

Playing April 24-June 1 at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook is the Theater for Young Audiences version of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens's "Seussical," starring George Keating as the Cat In The Hat. Michael Aaron Lindner is Horton, with Dara Cameron as Gertrude and Keeley Vasquez as Maysie, all under the direction and choreography of Rachel Rockwell. Others in the cast include Summer Naomi Smart, Lisa Estridge, Rebecca Pink, Devin DeSantis, Scott Alan Jones, Joey Stone, Peyton Shaffer and Emily Leahy.

Drury-Lane-Theatre-Presents-SEUSSICAL

Broadway raconteur and musician Seth Rudetsky will be performing two shows this weekend up in Milwaukee at the Marcus Center For The Performing Arts. He'll be there April 18-19 with "Seth's Big Fat Broadway Show," in which the SiriusXM radio host will lead the audience through some of his famous "deconstructions" of Broadway recordings, including Patti versus Madonna on "Evita" and much, much more, courtesy of his private audio and video collection. Is he some sort of showtune geek/nerd? Does he really know what he's talking about? Is he hilarious? Yes.

http://www.marcuscenter.org/Seth-Rudetsky-Big-Fat-Broadway.html

And lastly (and I hope it's not too late to call for an appointment), there are free medical screenings for professional singers available this Saturday, April 20, at the Illinois Eye And Ear Infirmary on Taylor Street, courtesy of MusiCares and The Chicago Institute For Voice Care (part of the University Of Illinois at Chicago College Of Medicine). Dr. H. Steven Sims, a well-known figure in the field of care of the professional voice, is offering this service as part of this week's World Voice Day. But you've got to call ahead for an appointment, and be able to document a five-year history of using your voice professionally. It's videostroboscopy. What's not to love?

http://chicagovoicedoc.com/worlvoiceday2013.pdf

So that's your public service announcement for the day. Well, for the week! Thanks as always for being a part of the Mosh Pit, peeps, and I'll see you soon, under the video screens.....I hope! Viva Chicago Theater!-PWT

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