'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for December 18th, 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:

We're looking ahead in the Mosh Pit this week!

And the first thing we see is the opening of Light Opera Works' holiday production of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun," which begins this Saturday and runs through New Year's Eve (Dec. 21-31) at Evanston's Cahn Auditorium. Colette Todd stars as the real-life star of the "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" shows, with friend-of-the-Mosh-Pit James Rank as Frank Butler. Both are Light Opera Works veterans, as are Jim Heatherly and Jenny Lamb (Charlie Davenport and Dolly Tate). Rudy Hogenmiller directs and choreographs the 1946 Ethel Merman tuner, with music direction by Roger L. Bingaman. There's no business like show business, you know. It's wonderful, so they say. You get the sun in the morning and the moon at night, and you might get lost in his arms--even though you can't get a man with a gun. Ah, life lessons from Golden Age musical theater!

http://lightoperaworks.org/

The Paramount Theatre in Aurora is following its very well-received production of "Miss Saigon" with "42nd Street," running January 15-February 9 at the remarkable, renovated movie palace "on the island" in downtown Aurora. Rachel Rockwell directs and choreographs. And yes, there's a full orchestra there, too. Come and meet those dancin' feet!

http://paramountaurora.com/events/42nd-street/

Hot on the heels of the universal rave reviews that this year's production of "The Christmas Schooner" has received, Mercury Theatre Chicago announced its 2014 season, which of course will end with another reprise of John Reeger and Julie Shannon's heartwarming tale, based on the true story of Chicago's beloved "Christmas tree ship." Starting off the season on Southport will be a guest production, Stephen Sondheim's much-loved "Into The Woods." (Can you wait another year until the Meryl Streep-starring film version is released?) The Mercury's production will be supplied by The Hypocrites, whose production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" is still packing them into the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre through December 29. ITW by The Hypocrites will be in residence at the Mercury from February 6 through March 30. Between it and the return visit of the "Schooner," the Mercury will mount the first local Equity productions of two 21st century Broadway titles, "Avenue Q" (April through June) and "The Addams Family" (September through November). "Avenue Q," you'll remember, was co-written by Robert Lopez, as was the Walt Disney animated film "Frozen," whose power ballad "Let It Go" wowed the crowd at Sidetrack this past Monday night. See how I did that?

INTO-THE-WOODS-AVENUE-Q-and-More-Set-for-Mercury-Theater-Chicago

In the western suburbs, the Drury Lane Theatre's Oakbrook production of "Hello, Dolly!" is still goin' strong (through January 5, 2014), starring Karen Ziemba as one of the two matchmakers to arise from hit Broadway musicals of the early 1960s. (Yente is the other--weird coincidence, right?) Rachel Rockwell directed and choreographed this production as well. Catch it, won't you? Before the parade passes YOU by?

http://drurylaneoakbrook.com/live-theatre/13-14-season/

And next up at the Drury Lane (January 16-March 16, 2014) is "Young Frankenstein," in what I believe is the Chicago regional premiere of this Mel Brooks title. (The national tour played here four years ago.) William Osetek (direction) and Tammy Mader (choreography) will helm the 2007 Broadway title, slated to star Devin DeSantis, Jeff Dumas and Johanna Mckenzie Miller, along with Scott Calcagno, Jeff Parker, Allison Sill, Travis Taylor and Paula Scrofano (as the infamous Frau Blucher), with an ensemble of fifteen. This one will definitely be interesting to see. What hump?

Devin-DeSantis-to-Star-in-Drury-Lane-Theatres-YOUNG-FRANKENSTEIN

Looking a little further ahead, the theatrical song cycle with lyrics by Mark Campbell called "Songs From An Unmade Bed" will be presented by Pride Films And Plays at the Apollo Theater Studio, March 29-April 27. Derek Van Barham directs, with music direction by Robert Ollis. No cast is announced yet, but this will be the show's professional Chicago premiere. And the composer of the music? There are 18 of them--one per song. Interesting idea!

Pride-Films-and-Plays-to-Present-SONGS-FROM-AN-UNMADE-BED

Lost Note Theater Company will present a staged concert production of the 1961 Bob Merrill musical "Carnival" from March 22-29, in Strawdog Theatre Company's Hugen Hall on North Broadway. Stephen Murray will direct, with music direction by Charlotte Rivard-Hoster. In the cast will be Jeffrey Gitelle, Rachel Klippel, Paul G. Miller, Amanda Newman, Annie Passanisi, Brian Rooney and Ed Rutherford. And no. the song "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" is NOT from the show. It is from the movie "Lili," which tells the same tale. The musical's version of the music-box-ish tune is "Love Makes The World Go 'Round."

Lost-Note-Theater-Presents-Staged-Concert-of-CARNIVAL

And tickets are now available for a number of spring offerings from Broadway In Chicago, including "Motown" (aka "Motown: The Musical"), whose original Broadway cast recording is currently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album (along with the Broadway cast albums for "Kinky Boots" and "Matilda"). "Wicked" ends its record-breaking fall run here this Sunday at the Oriental Theatre, and "Motown" runs at the same Randolph Street venue April 22-July 13, 2014. Between now and then, Broadway In Chicago will be treating us to tours of "Ghost" (January 7-19 at the Oriental), "Chicago" (February 25-March 2 at the Bank Of America Theatre), "Heartbeat Of Home" (March 4-16 at the Oriental), "Rock Of Ages" (March 11-16 at the BOAT), "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (March 18-30 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) and "Peter And The Starcatcher" (April 2-13 at the BOAT), plus the eagerly-awaited new production of "The Phantom Of The Opera" (January 9-March 2 at the Cadillac Palace). Have your tickets yet?

http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/showtag=motown14

And have you voted for the BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards yet? There are at least four very tight races among the 36 categories, last I checked. You can only vote once, but if your friends haven't voted yet, you can get them in on the fun! And I'm sure you have Wednesday evening, January 8, 2014, on your calendar, right? That's the night of the BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards Celebration, at The Call Bar in Andersonville (21+). We'll be there from 8:00 to midnight, giving out the certificates, hearing from winners and nominees and having a great showtune time. I hope you can make it! It's a great midwinter break. I promise you.

/chicago/board/readmessage.php?thread=1065281

So that's it! Next week is Santa's big scene. Will I see you at a holiday performance before then? I'm pretty sure I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT

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