'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for December 8th, 2009

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:

 

So much to talk about this week! Not the least of which is the "fall finale" of "Glee," Wednesday night at 8:00 pm on FOX-TV. All those plots about marriages and babies have been approaching key moments lately, and the Mosh Pit is abuzz with all the anticipation! On top of which is word that the episode will include cast performances of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "Don't Rain On My Parade," Mosh Pit faves from way back. Can we make it until then? Will the hype have been worth it? And what will we do without new episodes until Tuesday, April 13th, when the next new episode airs? Ah, the comedy! Ah, the drama! 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/notes/glee/cast-versions-of-and-i-am-telling-you-im-not-going-dont-rain-on-my-parade-are-fe/212525666788

The other big event of Wednesday night is the official opening to the press of "The Addams Family" at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre. What may turn out to be the biggest new musical of the Broadway season, TAF (as I am now officially dubbing it) is rumored to have improved since previews began, and certainly has time for more changes before New York. (Fans want more lines from Jackie Hoffman and more dancing from Bebe Neuwirth, for instance.) But what will the critics say? The time is here! And what about those rumors that Nathan Lane has been showing up at Sidetrack on Sundays and Mondays? Has anyone actually seen him there? 

http://www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com/index.php 

Definitely spotted at Sidetrack last night was Broadway director and sort-of-ex-Chicagoan David Cromer (he helmed the recent Broadway "Brighton Beach Memoirs" revival starring Laurie Metcalf, if you didn't know). He spent the evening directly under the main screen, chatting amiably and singing along with the crowd, surrounded by a tasteful entourage. He's in town firming up casting and other production plans for the May production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (the non-musical, I'm afraid) at Writers' Theatre, home of the current fantastic mounting of the Noel Coward evening, "Oh Coward!" Cromer guided the amazing musical "The Adding Machine" from Evanston's Next Theatre to Off-Broadway (have you heard that cast album?), and staged and starred in "Our Town" both here and the Big Apple. He's hot, and we're hoping that both towns are His Town in the future. Nice to meet you, David! 

http://www.writerstheatre.org/index_html 

The Grammy Award nominations were announced last week, and observers were shocked that "Next to Normal" was not nominated for Best Musical Show Album (Field 19, Category 80 on the complete list below). Since the reigning Tony Award champ ("Billy Elliot") didn't release a cast album in the eligibility period, it was expected that the recording from the show which won the Best Score Tony would win, or at least be nominated. However, that is not the case. The nominees are the recordings of last season's new movie-to-Broadway musicals "9 to 5" and "Shrek," the revival cast recordings of "Hair" and "West Side Story," and a Rhino Records release of "Ain't Misbehavin'" featuring "American Idol" alumni Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis. What think ye, my friends? What should win? What shouldn't? And what WILL win?? 

http://www.grammy.com/grammy_awards/52nd_show/list.aspx 

As most of the local holiday-themed shows have opened by now, we are excited by the great reviews most productions are able to post on those green room call boards! Along with the positive notices garnered by the Goodman Theatre's "A Christmas Carol," Theatre at the Center's "The Christmas Schooner," and Porchlight Music Theatre's "Miracle On 34th Street," we notice that "Souvenir," the play with music about Florence Foster Jenkins and Cosme McMoon at Northlight Theatre, is one of the non-holiday shows that has gotten a good reaction as well. If you want to think about the nature of music and the performer-audience relationship rather than turkeys, trees and shopping, they've got you covered, apparently. 

http://www.northlight.org/ 

Speaking of good reviews, and speaking of Broadway directors in Chicago, the Lyric Opera of Chicago is on something of a roll, with the Gary Griffin-helmed "The Merry Widow" receiving good reviews after its opening last Saturday and good buzz before that. Coming on the heels of another amazingly well-received 20th century European music-theatre piece, "Katya Kabanova," they must be doing something right on Wacker Drive these days. Note that "The Merry Widow" not only co-stars local theater talents like Jeff Dumas, Larry Adams and Susan Moniz, but it is performed in English, in a translation by none other than Chicago native and Broadway baby Sheldon Harnick (yes, the "Fiddler on the Roof," "She Loves Me," and Jerry Bock Harnick). I'm told that his translation was done in the 1970s, and was used by Beverly Sills and Julius Rudel in a 1978 Grammy-winning New York City Opera recording. Who knew? And where's that dividing line between various forms of musical theater? The more I find out, the less I know. 

http://www.lyricopera.org/

Unfortunately less well-reviewed, after a period of not-very-good word-of-mouth, was "Banana Shpeel," the Cirque du Soleil/David Shiner creation now through January 3rd at the Chicago Theatre. Sounds like they've got a lot of work to do if they want to make the clowning and the through-line as effective as the variety acts. They're aiming for a March opening at New York's Beacon Theater. Good luck, you guys! 

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/review.php?playID=3631 

We learned this week that a true rarity is being mounted in the far south suburbs. Now on the boards at the Illinois Theatre Center in Park Forest is "Archy and Mehitabel," also known as "Shinbone Alley," the 1950s musical by Mel Brooks ("The Producers"), Joe Darion ("Man of La Mancha") and George Klinsinger ("Tubby the Tuba") that was based on Illinois native Don Marquis' columns in the New York Evening Sun ninety years ago. You know, the ones written by the cockroach named archy, who typed on Marquis' typewriter at night and couldn't hold the shift key down. And wrote about an alley cat named mehitabel (originally voiced for records by Carol Channing). Are you with me now? And you call yourself showtune fans! (lol) All adorably hip in its day, the show runs only through December 20th. 

http://ilthctr.org/0910_Archy.htm

A show you may be more familiar with is making another appearance in Chicago in January. "Annie" will be back again, this time at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University for a week, beginning January 19th. With Martin Charnin and Liza Gennaro handling the staging, Ming Cho Lee on board with set designs and William Berloni responsible for Sandy the dog, this one looks like a first class tour (and by all appearances it's been on the road successfully since 2005). Let's hope it's a good one, so that the next generation of "little girls" falls appropriately in love with musical theater.

http://www.annieontour.com/ 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a new singer has put showtunes on the pop charts again, and that is always a good thing. And she doesn't sing just the music of Broadway, the West End and movies, but a cross section of music, mirroring her popularity among several type of audiences and population demographics. This can only be good, I'm thinking.

Of course, I am talking about reality show and internet sensation Susan Boyle, who set all sorts of music sales records last week when her debut album, "I Dreamed a Dream," (named for a showtune!) was released. Though the album is mostly classic rock and sacred warhorses, perhaps Boyle will include a few showtune selections on each and every subsequent product release. Maybe she would have sold just as many hundreds of thousands of copies singing the phonebook. But, really, can anybody begrudge her for whatever success may come her way? You go, girl! 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026P3G12?ie=UTF8&tag=cameraplanetc-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0026P3G12 

Many of Chicago's smaller theater companies, pops choirs and artist collectives are hosting holiday parties, benefit performances and special cabaret nights this month. Visit the website for almost any group you like to support, and there is probably some special event at which you can drop a few bucks and get back some music and some seasonal cheer. Topping it all off in terms of classiness, though, is probably Northlight Theatre in Skokie, which is offering E. Faye Butler and Her Trio at 8:00 pm on New Year's Eve. Butler, of course, is the seven-time Jeff Award-winning star of Court Theatre's "Caroline, or Change," the Goodman Theatre's "Ain't Misbehavin'" and so many more. I'm telling you, she really could sing the phone book, though apparently she will be performing the Great American Songbook. She is a local, and should be a national, treasure. 

http://www.northlight.org/pages/new_years_eve/120.php

So, with dire warnings of a blizzard in the offing, I will leave you to make your plans for this week's showtune experiences. And this weekend, I'll see you under the video screens.....Happy Holidays!--PWT

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