'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for January 21st, 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

by Paul W. Thompson

Overheard last weekend under the showtune video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:

It's mid-January, and you know that that means? Our three most important suburban Equity musical houses are opening their mid-winter shows, that's what! First out of the starting gate is the Paramount Theatre's production of "Tommy," which opened to stupendous reviews over the weekend and runs through February 15 in the heart of downtown Aurora. The granddaddy of the rock opera genre, dating from 1969 but one of the darlings of the 1993 Tony Awards, the show that's mostly by Pete Townsend is directed here by Jim Corti and music directed by Tom Vendafreddo. Choreography is by the ballet world's Brock Clawson. Devin DeSantis stars as the titular Tommy, wandering senselessly through post-war Britain (literally) and putting his stamp on classic songs from The Who. Looking for the world that also created Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Rolling Stones? Care to ROCK IT OUT? Head to Aurora, and you will find what you seek, and in spades.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/the-whos-tommy/7505/

In previews now, and officially opening tomorrow night at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, is the very well-known "West Side Story," given its first local staging (pictured) since the Broadway revival that was the last directorial work of original bookwriter Arthur Laurents. Rachel Rockwell directs and Rhett Guter choreographs here (he also plays Riff), with music direction by Roberta Duchak, orchestration reduction by Carey Deadman and music supervision by Ben Johnson. Jim DeSelm, Christina Nieves and Michelle Aravana star, with the ballet world's Lucas Segovia as Bernardo. Also in the cast are folks like Lillian Castillo, Roger Mueller and Adrian Aguilar. Hotness ensues. (Through March 22, the birthday of lyricist Stephen Sondheim).

BWW-TV-Watch-Scenes-from-Drury-Lane-Theatres-WEST-SIDE-STORY

Up north, Lincolnshire's Marriott Theatre is readying "La Cage Aux Folles," the Jerry Herman show that has won the Tony for Best Musical as well as winning twice for Best Revival of a Musical. It begins previews January 28, opening February 4 for a run that also concludes March 22, 2015. Joe Leonardo directs, with choreography by Melissa Zaremba and musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson. It will be interesting to see how this show plays with Albin and Georges played by actors who seem a little older than are usually cast (the beloved Gene Weygandt and David Hess, respectively). Brian Bohr is their son, Jean-Michel, with Elizabeth Telford as Anne (on his arm).

The-Marriott-Theatre-to-Present-LA-CAGE-AUX-FOLLES

On the touring front, "Stomp" is here this week (January 20-25) at the Bank Of America Theatre. Rhythm is music, and it's in a theater, so musical theater...

http://broadwayinchicago.com/show/stomp/

Mosh Pit peeps may be a little more excited by last week's news that the national tour of the Tony-winning Best Musical of 2014, "A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder," will begin its national tour here with us, at that same Bank Of America Theatre, for two weeks this fall (September 29-October 11, 2015). A sort of nouveau English operetta (i.e. Gilbert and Sullivan), but with a very American musical theater pedigree, you should see it. Four Tonys. See it!

http://broadwayinchicago.com/show/gentlemans-guide-love-murder/

Speaking of new shows to fill our theaters in future years, two different readings of new shows have happened this week. The FWD Theatre Project held its first staged reading, "The Black And White Ball," by Stephen Cole and Todd Ellison, and the Off The Porch series from Porchlight Music Theatre has been working on "The Gatecrashers Of Procter Academy," by Laura Holtz and Joe Shadid. Elsewhere, the Underscore Theatre Company's Chicago Musical Theatre Festival is currently taking applications for its second annual event of new works, to take place between July 8th and August 2nd at the Den Theatre. Applications are due February 15th. What are you waiting for?

http://www.cmtf.org/

Speaking of the Den Theatre and new musicals, "Plastic Revolution" from The New Colony is running there now, through February 22. It's a revamped version of the company's 2009 show "Tupperware." How new is it? Not sure yet!

http://thenewcolony.org/view/plastic_revolution#sthash.6sCXOy0B.dpbs

After a seven month run on the west coast, the new show "Louis And Keely: 'Live' At The Sahara" is set to open at our Royal George Theatre after beginning previews on March 27. Film director Taylor Hackford is behind it as writer, director and producer. Also producing is Hershey Felder ("George Gershwin Alone"). Also writing is co-star Vanessa Claire Stewart, in the role of Keely Smith. And starring as Louis Prima, one of the great jazz performers of the last century, will be Tony Award-winner Anthony Crivello ("Kiss Of The Spider Woman," the other darling of the 1993 Tony Awards). See how it all fits together here at the Mosh Pit? Ooo, Anthony Crivello!

Anthony-Crivello-and-Vanessa-Stewart-to-Lead-LOUIS-AND-KEELY-at-Royal-George-Theatre

It's not new, but it's big. It's "Titanic," in fact, and, unlike the recent scaled-down production by the Griffin Theatre, this one has a HUGE cast! Well, if 39 performers counts as huge. Oh, wait, it does! So yeah. It's the 73rd annual edition of the Dolphin Show at Northwestern University, the largest student-produced musical theater series in the United States, and this year's show runs January 23-31 at Cahn Auditorium. Directed by Brendan Flynn and choreographed by Jacinda Ratcliffe, it's musical directed by Jason Shiuan and Andrea Swanson. Max Rein, Sean Gundersen, Maisie Rose, Alex Christ and Alex Bird star. So yeah. Godspeed, "Titanic!"

https://dolphinshow.squarespace.com/

And did you hear? "Grease" is the word! Well, it's the show, anyway. It's the show that will be performed live on the FOX-TV network in exactly one year and ten days from now. "Grease: Live" will be the talk of the Mosh Pit on January 31, 2016, and will star dancer and singer Julianne Hough as Sandy Dumbrowski and actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens as Betty Rizzo. I guess Hudgens plans to be done with the upcoming Broadway revival of "Gigi" by then. Wonder who the male stars will be? And you can tell it's not NBC (the home of "The Sound Of Music Live!" and "Peter Pan Live!") because FOX is using a colon and not using an exclamation point in order to add the word "live" to what otherwise is the name of the musical being adapted for television. Got it?

Julianne-Hough-and-Vanessa-Hudgens-To-Star-in-GREASE-LIVE-on-FOX

So that's it for this week! I hope you're having a good January, because it will be over before you know it. And then we are in the home stretch, baby! Once the Super Bowl passes, baseball is just around the corner. Those six months out of every year have turned into seven, and that is fine with Chicagoans. In the meantime, get out there and see some theater! And I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT

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