'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for July 8th, 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:

As we said goodbye and bon voyage to the pre-Broadway tryout of "On Your Feet!" last week, the hopefully pre-Broadway tryout of "Beaches" opened to critics at the Drury Lane Theatre in suburban Oakbrook Terrace. And what was the consensus reaction? It sounds like a solid "possible," a supportive "maybe" from scribes' corner, as "Million Dollar Quartet" director Eric Schaeffer's production of Iris Rainer Dart's novel-to-life reached another milestone on its path to showtune immortality. If not a home run, it sounds as if the show is actually stronger in the second act than the first, a rare and not bad thing. If they can get the engines firing sooner, then composer David Austin's tunes just might make an appearance on the Main Stem. And what of local actors like Travis Taylor (pictured), Nancy Voigts, Kelly Anne Clark and Jim DeSelm? Will they stay with the production if/when it progresses beyond Dupage County (closes August 16th)? Well, wouldn't it be nice?

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/beaches/7807/

The most recent Chicago tryout to take the Tony Award for Best Musical was the 2013 winner, "Kinky Boots." And the national tour of that Cyndi Lauper/Harvey Fierstein musical about acceptance and equality is back for a three week stand at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, with its first performance last night (through July 26). They're gonna raise you up!

http://broadwayinchicago.com/show/kinky-boots/

After "Beaches," the next pre-Broadway tryout to land here will be "Gotta Dance." And the production announced its stars last week, beginning to prepare for it run from December 13, 2015 through January 10, 2016 at our Bank Of America Theatre. Andre De Shields, Haven Burton, Georgia Engel, Lillias White, Lori Tan Chinn, Stefanie Powers and Nancy Ticotin will star, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell (he did the same honors for "Kinky Boots," you recall). The show is based on a 2007 documentary film about an NBA senior dance team, and was the show that the late Marvin Hamlisch was working on at the dance of his death. Matthew Sklar and Nell Benjamin took over for him, working with book writers Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin. Ok, team, show us what you've got!

Andre-De-Shields-Haven-Burton-Lillias-White-More-Will-Lead-Broadway-Bound-Musical-GOTTA-DANCE

As it is now midsummer, the race for the children's theater dollar is in full swing. Broadway In Chicago's entry in what is officially known as Theatre for Young Audiences is the transfer from Lincoln Park to the Broadway Playhouse of Emerald City Theatre's "Fancy Nancy," which starts on July 11 and runs through August 23.

http://emeraldcitytheatre.com/shows_1415_fancynancy_bic.php

Chicago Shakespeare Theater figured out a while back that a children's musical would play like gangbusters on Navy Pier in the summertime. This year's entry into that timeslot is a short version of the Walt Disney Broadway musical version of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's "The Little Mermaid," which began performances July 3 and runs through August 16. It's directed and choreographed by Rachel Rockwell, with her favorite music director Roberta Duchak heading up a team including conductor Valerie Maze and orchestral reducer Doug Peck. Rachel Eskenazi-Gold stars as Ariel, with Rebecca Finnegan as Ursula and Brandon Springman as Prince Eric. Joseph Anthony Byrd is Sebastian, Matthew R. Jones is King Triton and Mark David Kaplan is Grimsby, heading up a large supporting cast.

https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/mermaid

And at Lincolnshire's Marriott Theatre, "Pinocchio" is playing from July 11 through August 2, in a version with book, music and lyrics by Marc Robin, with additional material by Rachel Rockwell. The veteran Dominic Missimi is directing, with music director Tom Vendafreddo and choreographer Amanda Tanguay making their Marriott debuts. Starring as the wooden puppet-boy is Andrew Spatafora, with Jarrod Zimmerman as Gepetto, George Keating as Hoppper, and Liam Quealy as Lampwick. Also along for the journey are Dara Cameron, Laura Savage, Devin DeSantis and Jeff Max.

Watch-Highlights-from-The-Marriott-Theatre-for-Young-Audiences-PINOCCHIO

Also in Lake County is a little venue called the Ravinia Festival. If you missed Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in two sold-out concerts of American Songbook standards late last month, and the remarkable Bobby McFerrin conducting highlights from "Porgy and Bess" on July 8th, you can visit movie magic there with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra accompanying "Fantasia" on July 12, or Ted Sperling conducting Danny Elfman's frequently whimsical music for the films of Tim Burton on July 14 (I'll be one of the choral singers). And if you miss Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's tribute revue, "A Marvin Hamlisch Songbook," which closes on July 12, you can catch Ravinia's "A Marvin Hamlisch Celebration" on July 26, with pianist Kevin Cole, soprano Sylvia McNair and West End stage star Maria Friedman (!) joining the CSO, conducted by David Alan Miller in what's shaping up to be a remarkable concert.

http://ravinia.org/

Don't think I've forgotten Ravinia's downtown rival, the Grant Park Music Festival! Well, wouldn't you know it that Grant Park's big ode to one Stephen Sondheim is this coming weekend, July 10 and 11. Legendary musical director Paul Gemignani will conduct the Grant Park Orchestra in a quite unusual program of Sondheim, including the opening number from "Pacific Overtures," the Oscar-winning "Sooner Or Later" from "Dick Tracy" and four orchestral suites of music from specific shows, including the premiere of a suite from "A Little Night Music." The conductor's son, Broadway performer Alexander Gemignani, will be on hand (he has appeared in four Sondheim musicals in New York, and his mother is the soprano Carolann Page). Also performing for Chicago will be Broadway performer Elizabeth Stanley, currently in the cast of Leonard Bernstein's "On The Town."

http://www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/2015-season/a-sondheim-celebration

Unfortunately, I won't be there. On those same two nights (July 10 and 11), I will be onstage at the Acorn Theatre in Three Oaks, Michigan (90 minutes from the Loop), as musical director and accompanist for a concert of music from both "Les Miserables" and "The Phantom Of The Opera." Longtime Chicagoan and now Arizona resident Darrell Rowader stars as Jean Valjean, and a Romanian resident of South Bend, Indiana, Emanuel-Cristian Caraman, stars as the Phantom. Others in the cast include Warren Moulton as Javert and Andre, Rachel Holzhausen as Cosette and Christine, John Concepcion as Marius and Lefevre, Kaileen Miller as Eponine and Carlotta, Martha Cares as Fantine and Meg, Matthew Daniel as Thenardier and Firmin, Sara Dailey as Mme. Thenardier and Billy Dawson as Raoul. You really do want to see this concert!

http://www.acorntheater.com

Sadly, word came last week from director Jessica Redish via e-mail and social media that the Highland Park company she founded five years ago, The Music Theatre Company, had ceased operation near the end of June. Emerging to fill a void left when Apple Tree Theatre folded in the same town, TMTC mounted three major revival productions, "Merrily We Roll Along" (with Jessie Mueller and her brother Andrew in the cast), "Pippin" and "The Pajama Game," along with a whole host of staged and in-development new musicals (one by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan). The company also produced a 48-hour musicals series of works written and rehearsed quickly, and an exploration of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" for an audience at the Ravinia Festival this past winter. Covering showtune news will certainly be less interesting without this unique company in our midst. One hopes that it isn't true, and that the artists involved somehow continue to produce challenging work. Maybe at least one of these options, if not both, can be true.

http://themusictheatrecompany.org/index.php/about-us

At any rate, the Mosh Pit scene is complete at least for this week. How are you doing, peeps? Cold enough for you? Ah, well. Come in from the cold summer and see some theater, why don't you? And afterwards, and between, I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT

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