'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for November 13th, 2013
By: Paul W. Thompson Nov. 13, 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
Overheard last weekend under the showtune
video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:
The BroadwayWorld Chicago Award nominations are out! Voting began yesterday evening for the fourth annual BCAs, with 180 nominations in 36 categories, covering Equity and non-Equity, plays, musicals, revues, theater for young audiences and special events, produced locally or as part of a tour. And the voting is off to a quick start!
The Bohemian Theatre Ensemble leads the way, with a whopping 15 nominations overall, including 10 for its summer production of "Kiss of the Spider Woman." Chicago Shakespeare Theater is next overall, with 12 nods, spread out over an impressive 7 different productions, including "Othello: The Remix," "Henry VIII," "The School for Lies" and its Shakespeare in the Parks production of "The Comedy of Errors," nominated as Best Theatrical Event.
Our 180 nominees are drawn from 58 different theater companies and 85 different productions. Many theater companies are being nominated for the first time this year. Following BoHo's "Kiss" on this list of most-nominated production, the Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company's production of "The Glass Menagerie" is nominated 7 times overall, and the Williams Street Repertory in north suburban Crystal Lake is nominated 6 times for its recent production of "Sweeney Todd." The American Blues Theater receives 9 nominations, including 5 for "Hank Williams: Lost Highway," and Porchlight Music Theatre appears 9 times as well, including 4 times each for "Pal Joey" and "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill." Mercury Theater Chicago is receiving 8 nominations, including 5 for "The Color Purple."
Join your friends in online voting via BroadwayWorld's unique voting software. You can track how your favorite nominees are doing in real time. Voting will be open from now until New Year's Eve, December 31, 2013, but you can only vote once. There's plenty of time to get everyone you know involved with the voting! And be sure to join us at The Call in Andersonville on January 8, 2014 for the BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards Celebration!
BroadwayWorld-Chicago-Award-Nominations-for-2013-Announced
Speaking of award winners, Tony Award winner Levi Kreis will be making a rare legitimate stage appearance this weekend, when the "Million Dollar Quartet" alum joins the About Face Theatre for its new Out Front Series of reading and workshops. Kreis will be in a two-hander (with Kristina Valada-Viers) called "Billie And Billy," by Paul Oakley Stovall, with music by Brad Simmons. The readings will be Saturday and Sunday evening, November 16-17, at American Theater Company on Byron Street.
Tony-Winner-Levi-Kreis-to-Appear-in-About-Face-Theatres-BILLIE-AND-BILLY
Stovall was at Sidetrack briefly this past Monday, long enough to see the promotional appearance by "We Three Lizas," the About Face holiday offering from last year that is coming back for year two, revised and for a longer run. Danielle Plisz and Bethany Thomas each performed a number from the show for the Showtune crowd, backed up by Andrew Swan and James Nedrud. "We Three Lizas," with book and lyrics by Scott Bradley and music and additional lyrics by Alan Schmuckler, will play from November 27-January 5 at Stage 773. Scott Ferguson directs, with music direction by Aaron Benham.
New-Promo-Shots-for-About-Face's-WE-THREE-LIZAS
And so, it seems to be the season for the roll-out of said holiday offerings. And this year, Broadway In Chicago is bringing us two, one based on a popular contemporary film and the other on a classic television special. One's geared for adults and the other for children, but, like so much else from now until New Year's, they will work for kids of all ages.
"Elf," the Broadway musical based on the 2003 Will Farrell film, will play its first ever Chicago run as part of a tour stopping at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from November 26-December 15. The book is by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, the score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. I believe Will Blum will star at the titular human-cum-elf.
http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/showtag=elf13
Playing an even longer run at BIC's Broadway Playhouse will be the collaboration by Chicago's Emerald City Theater and Milwaukee's First Stage. It's "Rudolph: The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical," running from November 14 (that's tomorrow) through December 29. Robert Penola has adapted the script, first produced in Milwaukee last year, and the original Johnny Marks songs are arranged and orchestrated by Timothy Splain. Rudolph, Clarice, Herbie, the Bumble, Yukon Cornelius and more will be here, doing their legendary thing, er, things. People my age may actually weep for joy during the entire experience.
http://www.emeraldcitytheatre.com/shows_1314_rudolph_bic.php
Speaking of children's shows, musicals and reindeer, there's an original one on the horizon! The Li'l Buds Theatre is presenting an original musical for families by J. Preddie Predmore and Jenny Lamb, a show called "Those Silly Reindeer!" Its run is slated for December 13-29 at the Rivendell Theater on Ridge Avenue, directed by Predmore and choreographed by Maggie Portman. Lamb will serve as musical director, with a cast including Elliot Burton, Brandon Lewis, J. Preddie Predmore, Brittany Bradshaw, Madeline Reece, Merlinda Akindele, Ashley Franklin and Sarah Johnson.
Lil-Buds-Theatre-to-Present-THOSE-SILLY-REINDEER
And the holiday behemoth is back of course, beginning later this week. Of course, I'm talking about the Goodman Theatre's 36th annual presentation of "A Christmas Carol." Larry Yando, rested up from playing Shere Khan in "The Jungle Book" at the Goodman as well as in Boston, will play Scrooge for the sixth time. The script will be directed by Henry Wishcamper, featuring some new effects and the timeless Dickens tale. I'm not sure if it's a musical or not, but it runs from November 16-December 28 anyway....
Larry-Yando-to-Star-in-Goodman-Theatres-A-CHRISTMAS-CAROL
The annual counter-balance to the downtown and mature Goodman production is the suburban, family-friendly production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrrace. Playing this year November 21-December 21 and directed by Scott Calcagno will be an hour-long version of the story, with a cast of 14. Bradley Armacost stars as Scrooge, with Gary Alexander, McKinley Carter, Derek Hasenstab, Megan Long, Liam Quealy, Lee Slobotkin, Andrew Weir, Gary Carlson, Ashlee Edgemon, Nikki Hren, Frances Limoncelli and Tina Maloney, with Jake Helm and Quinn Sitt alternating as Tiny Tim.
Drury-Lane-Childrens-Theatre-to-Stage-A-CHRISTMAS-CAROL
One of Chicago's most unusual holiday theatrical traditions (since 2007) is "A Klingon Christmas Carol," the story told and translated into the Star Trek universe's Klingon language and culture. And the production promises new sets and costumes this year, all under the direction of Christopher Kidder-Mostrom. The show runs at the Raven Theatre from November 30-December 29. And the theater warns that the entire run may sell out!
A-KLINGON-CHRISTMAS-CAROL-Returns-Reimagined-to-Raven-Theatre
Last but not least for this week, I've got to tell the Mosh Pit peeps about the Music On Stage production of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," running at Cutting Hall in Palatine November 16-December 1 only. The Broadway adaptation of the popular film classic has a book by David Ives and Paul Blake, and is staged here by Frank Roberts, with musical direction by Ann Stewart. David Geinosky and Tony Calzaretta star as the guys pursuing the sisters, played by Jenny Kuffel and Peggy Lyons. I know they were looking for additional men who sing and tap. I hope they found enough! Of course, can you ever have enough of men who sing and tap???
So the nominations are out, and the Christmas shows are trodding the boards. I think I need a drink...of eggnog or boiled custard, I'm sure. Do they have those on Showtune nights? At any rate, I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT
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