'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for November 19th, 2014

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:

We are in full-on Christmas mode around the Mosh Pit! What with the supercold temps and all... And the fact that theatrical programming seems to skip, just like store candy shelves, directly from Halloween to Christmas, with poor Thanksgiving squeezed out. Ah, well. This isn't anything new, is it?! And so, the Season is upon us.

The big news this week is that the pre-New York tryout of this year's incarnation of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" begins performances at the Chicago Theatre tomorrow night, running only through November 29. The show played the Cadillac Palace in 2012, and this production is more than likely the same sort of thing. Matt August and Bob Richard's direction and choreography no doubt follow closely on those created by Jack O'Brien and John DeLuca to put the classic 1960s children's television special live on stage. Broadway's Shuler Hensley (Jud in "Oklahoma!" and the creature in "Young Frankenstein") is The Grinch this time.

http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/dr-seuss-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-the-musical

There is no better example of holiday programming than the season announcement a few weeks ago by Fox Valley Repertory out at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. Before this year's holiday show, the revue "Christmas On Broadway" could even open, the company announced its 2015 schedule, which winds up with the revue "A Christmas Survival Guide." In between these two entertainments, resort patrons can see the musical comedy thriller "No Way To Treat A Lady" (January-March), the play "Unnecessary Farce" by Chicago actor and writer Paul Slade Smith (March-May), "The Bikinis" ("a musical heat wave of the 1960s") (June-August) and the romantic comedy "Maybe Baby, It's You." By the way, "Christmas On Broadway" runs November 13-December 31, 2014, directed by Kyle Donahue and starring Nancy Kolton, Ryan Naimy, Jake Stempel and Erica Stephan, with a children's chorus.

NO-WAY-TO-TREAT-A-LADY-BIKINIS-CHRISTMAS-SURVIVAL-GUIDE-and-More-Set

At the eastern end of our catchment area, Munster, Indiana's Theatre At The Center is featuring the Chicagoland premiere of a Christmas show with a high pedigree, compower Larry Grossman and lyricist Carol Hall's "A Christmas Memory," based on a Truman Capote story and with a book by Duane Poole. Three of our most experienced actors, Iris Lieberman and the wife-and-husband team of Paula Scrofano and John Reeger, star in this tale of Christmas in the Alabama depression, with Geoff Rice, Robin DaSilva and the young actors Luke Michael Klein and Madison Kertel. It's getting good notices, and runs through December 14, directed by William Pullinsi. The cast is pictured above, in a photo by Bridget Earnshaw.

First-Look-at-A-CHRISTMAS-MEMORY-at-Theatre-at-the-Center

Another area premiere of a holiday show is Provision Theater Company's "Christmas On The Air," beginning previews November 26, opening on the 29th and running through December 28 on the Near South Side. Directed by Timothy Gregory and music directed by Elliot Delman, the show stars Tom McElroy, Laurie Empen, Patrick Tierney, Elizabeth Telford, Veronica Garza and JorDan Taylor in this tale of the goings-on at an annual Christmas radio broadcast by a wife-and-husband team.

Provision-Theater-Company-to-Premiere-CHRISTMAS-ON-THE-AIR

All this talk of a holiday musical set in a radio station brings to mind the granddaddy of the genre, "It's A Wonderful Life." Since 2002, American Blues Theater has presented their version of the classic Frank Capra-Jimmy Stewart film, "It's A Wonderful Life Live In Chicago!" which for this year will star Kevin R. Kelly, John Mohrlein, Michael Mahler, Dara Cameron and Gwendolyn Whiteside, with James Joseph, Ian Paul Custer and Shawn Goudie. The show, with a lot of music, plays November 23-December 28 at the Greenhouse Theater Center on Lincoln Avenue.

American-Blues-Theater-Presents-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-LIFE-LIVE-IN-CHICAGO

Joe Landry's "It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" will play for the third straight year at the Oil Lamp Theater in Glenview, directed by Keith Gerth. This year's incarnation is from November 13-December 21. I'm not sure how much music is involved.

http://www.oillamptheater.org/current_season.php

That same script, with original music and arrangements by Kevin Connors, will play in a production by the BrightSide Theatre in Naperville from November 28-December 14. Jeffrey Cass directs a cast featuring Linda Lee Cunnningham, Tin Penavic, David Raymond, Daniella Rukin and Andrew Stachurski.

http://brightsidetheatre.com/?page_id=1541

You may gather that many theater companies produce the same holiday show each year. And you would be correct. The House Theatre Of Chicago's annual "ballet-free" production of "The Nutcracker" runs November 6-December 28 this year (it's fifth), at the Chopin Theatre on Division Street. With book by Jake Minton and Phillip Klapperich, music by Kevin O'Donnell and lyrics by Minton, it's directed and choreographed by Tommy Rapley and stars Ericka Ratcliff, Paul Fagen, Karl Potthoff, Shaun Baer, Michael E. Smith, Krystal Worrell and Andrew Lund, with Jaclyn Hennell as Clara. It's set in modern day--no twinkling fairies, per se. But there ARE rats.

http://thehousetheatre.com/playsandevents/nutcracker2

And Stage 773's holiday show is back. It's called "It's A Wonderful Santaland Miracle Nut Cracking Christmas Story...Jews Welcome!" (Got that?) Directed by Brian Posen, this show runs November 14-December 28, choreographed by Carisa Barreca and music directed by Jack Short. The cast includes Caitlin Cavannaugh, Nick Curatolo, Dylan Guzman, David Kaplinsky, Sheena Laird, James McGuire, Amanda McWorter, Kristen Rau, Mollie Rehner, Kellen Robinson, Ana Santini and Michael Silver. The press release calls it an "extravagant cavalcade." Ok then!

First-Look-at-Stage-773s-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-SANTALAND-MIRACLE-NUT-CRACKING-CHRISTMAS-STORY-JEWS-WELCOME!

Of course, some theaters take the other holiday route. Instead of a show with an overt holiday theme, they program shows that folks in a mood to have a good time, especially those with children in tow, would warm to. You know, the old "family-friendly" type. Well, Aurora's Paramount Theatre is mounting such a musical, with "Mary Poppins" set to run November 26-January 4 (a long run for that theater), directed and choreographed by Rachel Rockwell. Tom Vendafreddo music directs a cast headed by Emily Rohm and Matt Crowle as Mary and Bert. Michael Aaron Lindner and Cory Goodrich are Mr. and Mrs. Banks, with Charlie Babbo and Jake Helm alternating as Michael and Eloise Lushina and Peyton Shaffer alternating as Jane. There's an ensemble of nineteen.

Rachel-Rockwell-to-Direct-MARY-POPPINS-at-Auroras-Paramount-Theatre

And for those who prefer their holiday, family-friendly and flying-protagonist musicals from the comfort of home, NBC has "Peter Pan Live!" There has certainly been an uptick of publicity lately for this television "event," including commercials, a cast album of the production, news of lyric changes and additional Jule Styne songs being added, new photos, behind-the-scenes videos, etc. Allison Williams and Christopher Walken star in the roles made famous by Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard on Broadway and television in the 1950s. Broadway veterans like Kelli O'Hara, Taylor Louderman and Christian Borle (with Minnie Driver as the narrator) will attempt to recreate the ratings, if not the magic, of last year's "The Sound Of Music Live!" with Carrie Underwood. Thursday, December 4th is the date. And mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 26th as well, for the special, "The Making Of 'Peter Pan Live!'." Peter won't grow up, but his audience does, and so he comes back, like "Annie," to capture the next generation of playgoers and showtune enthusiasts.

A-Brand-New-Family-Classic-PETER-PAN-LIVE-Promo-With-Williams-Walken

And so, with an eye on the thermometer, I submit this latest edition in the ongoing chronicle of happenings relevant to Chicago's musical theater community. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you take your part! Until I see you in a theater somewhere, I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT

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