'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for August 26, 2015
By: Paul W. Thompson Aug. 26, 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:
Well, peeps, the lead story of this week's Mosh Pit got bumped down a notch, as I have some first-hand journalism to do. If you know me personally, or follow my personal page or business page on Facebook, you know that I was recently hired part-time on the Music Program faculty at The Second City Training Center. I was there this morning for a faculty meeting. And as I left the Piper's Alley complex in Old Town just after 12:30 pm today, a guy on the sidewalk pointed at the roof above the North Avenue marquee and said to me, "Um, that building's on fire." I looked up, and saw dark smoke pouring into the sky above the multi-building complex that hosts the Training Center, The Second City's mainstage and e.t.c. performance spaces, the UP Comedy Club, several restaurants, a gym and a parking structure. Folks had begun exiting the building. As I crossed Wells Street, many folks were already photographing the fire, and I distinctly heard a man on his cell phone calling 911. Within five minutes, fire trucks arrived on the scene. The building was fully evacuated.
Reports now tell us that the fire began in a restaurant in an older building in between the historic mainstage building and the offices, classrooms and training theaters in the Piper's Alley itself, a mall of sorts that once also housed a multi-screen cinema. Several folks (firefighters and a restaurant employee) were injured while the fire burned for three hours. Offices were damaged, but other damage seems to be minor (if being a building with a damaged roof and other fire damage [water, smoke, debris] is minor). As I visited the area after 7:00 pm this evening, I was delighted to see the North Avenue marquee (see my photo from this evening) illuminated! The gym was open and humming, even behind police tape. Performances, classes and food service may return to some sort of normal soon (let's hope). But at least no one was severely injured. You just never know what's going to happen out there, peeps. What a crazy day. Take care.
Moving on....
Last week, the Jeff Awards Committee announced its nominations for the Equity wing Jeff Awards! And the Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora made hay while the sun shined (shone?), nabbing the most nominations of any theater company on the list (16). The theatre's productions of "Les Miserables" and "Tommy" both received six nominations, and its "Mary Poppins" received four. How did other musical houses fare? The Drury Lane Theatre got 13 noms, including five for "Billy Elliot" and three apiece for "Camelot" and "West Side Story." And the Marriott Theatre got 12 nominations, including five for "The King And I" and three for "City Of Angels." Among Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 12 nominations were 4 for "Sense And Sensibility." Porchlight Music Theatre was nominated 11 times for its all-Sondheim season, with five for "Sondheim On Sondheim" and three each for "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum" and "Sweeney Todd." Mercury Theater Chicago received 9 nominations, with 6 for "Ring Of Fire" (a co-production with Theatre At The Center) and 3 for "The Addams Family." That makes 14 productions with at least three nominations. Wow!
What other productions were named in top categories? Well, The Second City's "Panic On Cloud 9" and Black Ensemble Theater's "Men Of Soul" joined "Sondheim On Sondheim" and "Ring Of Fire" in the Production - Revue category. "A Q Brothers' Christmas Carol" at CST was nominated in Best Ensemble (the only musical on that list) and New Work - Musical (joining "Sense And Sensibility" and Northlight Theatre's "Shining Lives"). Anthony Crivello was nominated as Actor In A Principal Role - Musical for "Louis & Keely 'Live' At The Sahara" (Hackfeld LLC at the Royal George Theatre) and Shoshana Bean was nominated for Actress In A Principal Role - Musical for "Beaches" at the Drury Lane (produced in association with Jennifer Mahoney-Prezioso).
That is a super amazing list of great musical theater, you guys! I hope you have enjoyed seeing these productions. I've written about every one of them in this column, and have certainly enjoyed doing so. I can't wait to see who is honored by the Jeff Committee with awards during the October 5th ceremony. You can't wait, either. Can't wait!
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Is it fall in Illinois? Well, not yet! And it's still a week and half until Labor Day, which is the latest it can ever be (September 7th). Still, a lot of local theater companies are putting out the publicity about their fall productions and upcoming seasons. Will it promise to be yet another Super September? Let's take a look see, shall we?
Tomorrow, August 27, will be the first performance in Chicago of "Glory Days," the ill-fated musical that ran on Broadway for one performance in the spring of 2008. Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner's show about high school will be directed by Matt Dominguez and presented by the new Refuge Theatre Project in Room 300 of Collaboraction Theatre's space in Bucktown's Flatiron Arts Building. Hunter Lindner, Roy Brown, Billy Rude and Brad Atkinson star. Through September 20.
GLORY-DAYS-to-Make-Chicago-Premiere-This-August
While they are at it, Refuge has also announced their 2016 season at Collaboraction, to include two musicals, "High Fidelity" and "Bare." The former, which takes place in Bucktown/Wicker Park and was produced in splashy fashion in Chicago in 2009, will run from January 28-February 28 of 2016. Remember that the music is by "Next To Normal"'s Tom Kitt. And "Bare," by Jon Hartmere and the late Damon Intrabartolo, will run a year from now, August 4-September 4 of 2016. Cool.
HIGH-FIDELITY-to-Launch-Refuge-Theatre-Projects-2016-Season
As Michael Mahler's new musical "October Sky" formally opens at the Marriott Theatre tonight, the timing of writer Aaron Hunt's article for HowlRound about the new musicals scene in Chicago couldn't be more perfect. It's called "Windy City Midwifery: Birthing The New Musical In Chicago." And yes, that's a quote from me in the article. From FWD Theatre Project to the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival to Chicago Shakespeare Theater and more, Hunt covers it all. Take a peak!
http://howlround.com/windy-city-midwifery-birthing-the-new-musical-in-chicago
And what about "La Revolution Francaise," you say? Is that really happening? Yes! Mahler, a contributor of new lyrics to the recent London revival of "Miss Saigon," has translated "Miss Saigon" and "Les Miserables" writers' Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's early work from the French, and it will be workshopped, with all in attendance, at Northwestern University in September. FWD Theatre Project and Northwestern's American Musical Theatre Project are joining forces on the workshop, to be directed by David H. Bell. September 27 is the date, Evanston is the place. You'd think the eyes of the world would be fixed on us that night. Will YOU be there?
Last week I mentioned the Sondheim concert that Spider Saloff performed at Ravinia's Bennett-Gordon Hall on August 21. Well, another vintage cabaret diva is presenting an intimate Sondheim set in September of this year--Joan Curto at Davenport's. September 12, 26 and 27 are the three Cabaret dates for "Joan Curto Sings Sondheim: Everybody Says Don't." It's a return of Curto's well-received show from last March. Beckie Menzie sits at the keys, with Jim Cox on bass.
This fall, Chicago Children's Theatre will present the Chicago premiere of "The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane," from October 20-November 15 at the company's home, the Gold Coasts's Ruth Page Center For The Arts. Based on the popular children's book, the play is adapted by Dwayne Hartford, with music and co-music direction by Erik Hellman and Jessie Fisher. The latter is the Chicago actress who starred on Broadway in the Tony-winning musical "Once," returning home for this production to star alongside Kelvin Roston, Jr., Patrick Budde and Melanie Brezill. Stuart Carden directs.
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Producer, writer, actor, pianist and sui generis performing arts professional Hershey Felder has announced a four-show season of new works at the Royal George Theatre on Halsted Street. Of interest to Mosh Pit peeps will be "Baritones Unbound," starring Broadway's Marc Kudisch and opera stars Mark Delavan and Nathan Gunn. All three men have performed in Chicago before, but never all together. This is a holiday show, slated for December 11, 2015-January 3, 2016. And Felder himself will star in a new edition of his patented composer ruminations when he becomes Irving Berlin, "America's Composer," beginning next April 7. Will the "George Gershwin Alone" magic strike again? Maybe, and maybe not, but Felder loves Chicago and we apparently love him back.
Hershey-Felder-Plans-Full-Season-of-Shows-at-Royal-George-Theatre
Now in preparation for its production of "Spamalot," running September 17-October 18, and acknowledging the holiday remount of "A Christmas Story," set as it is in Indiana, the Theatre At The Center in Munster has announced its 2016 season. After the play "The 39 Steps" will come the Chicago area premiere in any form of the hit Gershwin musical "Nice Work If You Can Get It," the 2012 Broadway show with book by Joe DiPietro that won Tony Awards for supporting performers Judy Kaye and Michael McGrath (May 5-June 5). Bill Pullinsi and Jeff Award nominee Danny Herman will co-direct. The other musicals on tap for TATC will include "Pump Boys And Dinettes" in September of 2016 and "Annie Warbucks," a surprise on the list, for the holidays, 2016. Linda Fortunato will direct and choreograph that sequel.
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And next summer will bring the Chicago proper premiere of the off-Broadway musical "Bat Boy," with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe. Scott Weinstein will direct it for the Griffin Theatre, as he did for its well-received production of "Titanic" last fall. "Bat Boy" will conclude the company's 2015-16 season in June and July of next year, at The Den Theatre, like Davenport's on Milwaukee Avenue. Ethan Deppe will music direct.
http://griffintheatre.com/box-office/subscriptions/
Well, as folks ponder the relative merits of the national tour of "Dirty Dancing" once again, and hope that The Second City is relatively unaffected by today's events, I bid you adieu for this week. Keep on keeping on, you guys, doing that amazing work you do, and being entertained by those amazing folks on stage. I'll see you soon, and I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT
PHOTO CREDIT: Paul W. Thompson
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