'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for July 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:

Twin bees have landed in our midst during this hot summer weather spell. One is the spelling bee itself, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the perennially popular musical with songs by William Finn and a Tony-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin. The Bee is on the boards at the Theatre At The Center in Munster, Indiana from July 11-August 18, directed by David Perkovich and starring Jake Mahler, Cory Goodrich and Bear Bellinger as the adults, and Rose Le Tran, Nicole Miller, Frank J. Paul, Landree Fleming, Jonathan Wagner and Patrick Tierney as the kids in the titular contest. Who will win? What life lessons will be imparted? What is a phylactery? These and even more pressing questions will be answered in this audience-participation musical comedy.

http://www.theatreatthecenter.com/2013-Spelling-Bee.asp

The other bee show is "The Australian Bee Gees Show," playing at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place in a quasi-pre-Broadway tryout from July 9-August 4. In the spirit of "Rain," and no doubt hoping to be as popular and successful as "Jersey Boys," this show has been brought here and reportedly pumped up from its previous incarnation in Las Vegas. Broadway In Chicago needed something, and this is it. The group that brought us "Jive Talkin'" and "How Deep Is Your Love" is honored with its very own...something. Is it a tribute band concert? A theatrical recreation? A multi-media extravaganza? A summer diversion? A "Buddy"-style bio-musical? You be the judge.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/the-australian-bee-gees-show/6392/

Speaking of rock music in a theatrical contest, our "Million Dollar Quartet" has just passed the 2,000-performance mark here, playing since the fall of 2008. By far the longest-running Broadway show in Chicago, and prior-to-Broadway to boot (not a post-Broadway tour or sit-down), it still has more than two years to go to pass "Forever Plaid," our longest-running off-Broadway musical of all time. But it's certainly an impressive run by any standard. Have you seen it? It's in an open run at the Apollo Theater.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/million-dollar-quartet/2942/

And speaking of possibly prior-to-Broadway, "The Jungle Book" at the Goodman Theatre has announced its third one-week extension, which we are told is unprecedented for a production at the Goodman's current facility on Dearborn Street. Now playing through August 18, Mary Zimmerman and Christopher Gatelli's production will open at Huntington Theatre Company in Boston on September 7th, with the same cast and musicians. No, it didn't get rapturous reviews from everyone. But people still want to see it. As everyone predicted.

Goodman-Theatre-Extends-THE-JUNGLE-BOOK-Again-Through-August-18

Another prominent extension was announced this past week, even though the production in question hasn't even opened yet! Broadway In Chicago announced that the new production of "The Phantom Of The Opera" that will open at the Cadillac Palace Theatre on January 9, 2014, has added two additional weeks to its run, extending until March 2nd. This production, a year-old in the UK now (but not in the West End or on Broadway), features new direction, choreography, sets and lights, but the original Tony Award-winning Maria Bjornson costumes. They must be expecting a good audience turnout! And no, it has not yet been seen in the US.

PHANTOM-OF-THE-OPERA-Announces-Early-Extension

Another reinterpretation of a Harold Prince hit will occur in August at Light Opera Works, as the north shore company produces "Cabaret," directed and choreographed by Stacey Flaster. For the run of August 10-25 at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, Rudy Hogenmiller will headline as the Emcee (in his first stage appearance since being named Artistic Director of the company in 2005). Jenny Lamb will star as Sally Bowles, with David Schlumpf as Cliff Bradshaw. Roger L. Bingaman will music director a 24-piece orchestra and four-girl, onstage "Kit Kat Klub" band.

Evanstons-Light-Opera-Works-to-Present-CABARET

Coming even sooner is "Uptown Opera," an "ensemble-devised performance and song project" that took shape as "a bluegrass and rock 'n' roll opera" from the Genesis Ensemble. It will play from July 26-August 19 at the Preston Bradley Auditorium in the Uptown neighborhood. Conceived and directed by Annie Perry, with music by Phil Maniaci, it is set in 1957 and concerns the journey of two sisters from Appalachia to Uptown. The cast of four will include Claire Biggers, Ali Delianides, Dennis Frymire and Pete Navis. Hm.

Genesis-Ensemble's-UPTOWN-OPERA

Opening at the end of the summer (playing August 31-October 6) will be "Double Trouble," the Chicago premiere of a new musical by the Broadway brothers Bob Walton and Jim Walton. It's a Porchlight Music Theatre production playing at Stage 773. When this show was first announced in April, I speculated in an edition of this here Showtune Mosh Pit about my assumption that the two roles in the show would be filled by the real-life brothers Adrian Aguilar and Alexander Aguilar. (Adrian was the star of Porchlight's "Pal Joey," among others, and Alex was on Broadway in the short-lived musical "Lysistrata Jones.") As it turns out, I was right (as were many others, I'm sure). Matthew Crowle is directing and choreographing this homage to the heyday of the movie musical comedy. Here are some pics!

First-Look-at-Adrian-and-Alexander-Aguilar-in-Porchlights-DOUBLE-TROUBLE

And we learned just this week about the upcoming tour of "Elf," the Broadway musical based on the 2003 film starring Will Farrell as Buddy, the human who thinks he's one of Santa's helpers. The tour will play the Cadillac Palace Theatre from November 26-December 15, 2013. But we didn't know that there will apparently be two tours criss-crossing the country during the holiday season, one wrapping up in Washington, DC and the other ending in Miami, FL. But the very first city to see "Elf" this year is even more interesting. It's Peoria, IL, where the Matthew Sklar/Chad Beguelin, Thomas Meehan/Bob Martin musical will play on November 5th and 6th at the Peoria Civic Center. Illinois gets two chances to see it! And yes, it will play in Peoria....

ELF-National-Tour-to-Ring-in-the-Holidays

And I'd like to thank everyone who turned out for the Summer Birthday Showtune Blowout last Wednesday evening at The Call bar! We had a great time, I think. Popular Chicago musical director James Morehead was the grand prize trivia winner, with box office guru/playwright Ron Weaver the runner-up prize winner. I answered maybe half of the "Stump The Chump" trivia questions correctly, and we all had cake and some laughs. Now, it's onward to the third BroadwayWorld Chicago party of the summer, the Fall Theater Preview Party from 8:00 pm to midnight on Wednesday, August 28th. Stay tuned to the Mosh Pit for more details as they become available. But consider this your "Save-The-Date" notice, and if you have a fall show to promote, it's never too early to contact me!

BWW-Chicago-Has-Three-Big-Events-at-The-Call-This-Summer

So, keep cool, Chicago! It's midsummer, the time of all those nighttime dreams, if you can actually fall asleep! Well, between all the outdoor activities and all the indoor culture, we've got plenty to do, don't we? I'll see you soon, I hope, with a cool drink nearby. And yes, that includes occupying the spots under the video screens.....-PWT

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