'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for October 22nd, 2014
By: Paul W. Thompson Oct. 22, 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
Overheard last weekend under the showtune video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:
It's mid-October, peeps! And even though it's been pretty dry in these parts, it is a bit nippy some nights. All the more reason to investigate some of the Halloween offerings that Chicago's theater community is cooking up for you! I'm not talking about the haunted houses, though many of them hire professional actors to do the haunted. Rather, I'm talking about spooky or gory offerings upon our legit stages. To wit...
"Evil Dead" has departed our shores for other climes on its national tour, but our locally grown show, "Musical Of The Living Dead," is back for its fifth and promised final time, produced by the Cowardly Scarecrow Theatre Company at Stage 773. With music by Mary Spray and book, lyrics and direction by Marc Lewallen and Brad Younts, the show also has a "Splatter Zone," just like "Evil Dead" did. I guess that's the thing, then! The show plays October 9-November 8. So there's that!
Cowardly-Scarecrow-Theatre-Companys-MUSICAL-OF-THE-LIVING-DEAD
A world premiere musical is playing on Friday nights only at The Call in Andersonville, the site of our annual BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards Celebration each January. A production of New American Folk Theatre, "Witches Among Us" plays October 3-November 7, with music and lyrics by Scott Free and book by Rick Karlin. It's a parody of 1960s popular culture, it's also an allegory for the Stonewall Riots of 1969. It's directed by Anthony Whitaker, and stars Caitlin Jackson, Matt Huston, Sarah Blevins, Kirk Jackson, Christopher Selefski, Julia Chereson, Max Hinders, Joshua Wheeler, Jamal Howard, Jordan Grzybowski, Steve Cox, Mario Mazzati, Taryn Wood, Katy Fatteleh and Anthony Powell.
NAFT-to-Present-World-Premiere-Musical-WITCHES-AMONG-US
Hell In A Handbag Productions is bringing a staged reading of a new musical parody to life on October 28th and 29th. It's "Bewildered!" and yes, it's a satirical look at the "Bewitched" TV series through the eyes of misunderstood nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz. Ron Weaver has written the book and lyrics, and the music is by the young team of Zach Wright and Joseph Brewer. All the fun will be had at the Berger Park Coach House in Rogers Park, site for Handbag's production of "The Birds." Ed Jones stars as Samantha, with Caitlin Rose as Gladys and David Cerda as Endora (of course). Christopher Pazdernik directs.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/858360
The Chicago Cabaret Project is offering a holiday-themed concert called "Rocky Horror And A Little Bit More," with selections from "The Rocky Horror Show" included. It takes place at the Back Room on Rush Street on Saturday night, October 25 at 7:00 pm.
And of course there's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," the full formal name of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's gore-fest with songs that is in production now through November 9 from Porchlight Music Theatre. Like "Musical Of The Living Dead," it's at Stage 773. David Girolmo and Rebecca Finnegan star, of course.
sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street
Slighly less gory, but even better received by the critics, is the Bailiwick Chicago production of Michael John LaChiusa's "The Wild Party," upstairs at the Biograph Theatre. It closes November 1, so you better hurry! Danni Smith and Matt Keffer star.
http://www.theatreinchicago.com/the-wild-party/7247/
At Theater Wit, the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble production of Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry's tragic "Parade" is open now, to positive notices. That is especially true of the singing, music directed by Matt Deitchman. Director Linda Fortunato has assembled a cast of 15, headed by Jim DeSelm as the ill-fated Leo Frank and Sarah Bockel as Lucille.
http://www.theatreinchicago.com/parade/7195/
Porchlight Music Theatre's "Porchlight Revisits..." series presents "Bells Are Ringing" on October 28 and 29 at Stage 773. The Jule Styne tuner that won Judy Holiday a Tony over Julie Andrews' Eliza Doolittle is the first in this year's concert series, which will also include Cy Coleman's "City Of Angels" in March and Jerry Herman's "Mack And Mabel" in May. "Bells" is a little funny for Halloween week, but I guess we need some counter-programming!
http://porchlightmusictheatre.org/porchlight-revisits/
That other Holiday, Jennifer Holliday will be coming to town soon, in a mini-tour of "The Color Purple" that is only playing Chcago, Detroit and Dallas. The Tony winner will play Sophia, and sing the blusy song, "Hell, No." The performances are at the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place, on November 15 and 16. Didn't a tour play a short stint there a couple of years ago, you ask? Yes, the Gary Griffin-directed national tour played a week there in 2009. Otherwise, the theater has been mostly in mothballs. Interesting.
Jennifer-Holliday-to-Star-in-Three-City-Tour-of-THE-COLOR-PURPLE
Another Tony winner, composer Duncan Sheik ("Spring Awakening") will be in concert as a singer-songwriter at City Winery on Randolph Street on October 30th. Wonder if he'll play any songs from his London musical "American Psycho," still awaiting its New York debut. Hm.
Tony-Winner-Duncan-Sheik-Coming-to-City-Winery-Chicago
And the Chicago theater community lost another artistic voice last week with the death of actor-turned-director Matthew Gunnels, after a long and courageous bout with cancer. Associated with Porchlight Music Theatre, Emerald City Theatre Company and Hell In A Handbag Productions, he directed the Circle Theatre production of "Reefer Madness" that won four BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards in 2012. And he was an assistant director for the long-running production of "Avenue Q," which closes this Sunday at the Mercury Theater Chicago. It's been a rough year, folks. But we do what we can do, and we keep on keeping on, especially when others cannot.
In that light, I was privileged to catch a cabaret show, consisting of selections from the musical theatre song-cycle "Edges," on Monday night at Davenport's. Lucky you, for they're doing the show again this Friday, the 24th. And behold, the young will constantly replenish the talent pool, or something like that. A quartet of young and talented Chicago singer-actors, accompanied by Ilana Atkins on piano, performed 13 songs, or about half of those associated with "Edges," a collegiate work by the songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. If those names are familiar, they are the writers behind Broadway's "A Christmas Story: The Musical" and the off-Broadway "Dogpatch," and they wrote some songs for the TV series "Smash." Their writing talent was apparent from the very beginning of the evening this past Monday.
Music director Christopher Logan would have had every reason to be out of sorts, as he had just closed a show as a cast member of Theo Ubique's "A Kurt Weill Cabaret" just one day earlier. And yet, he was as fresh and engaged as a marriage-hungry daisy, spitting out high notes like a champ during the impressive opening number ("Become") and setting the standard for the rest of the cast. Stephanie Souza (last seen in the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's "Myths And Hymns" and Kokandy Productions' "The Sweet Smell Of Success") displayed chops I didn't know she had, and showed a depth of dramatic chutzpah that really worked for her on "Perfect." (Her comedy during "Man Of My Dreams" worked too.) Lanky Taylor Okey (Will Bloom in Jedlicka Performing Arts Center's regional premiere of "Big Fish") was charismatic and likeable, and his voice can command a room with both soft and loud tones ("I Once Knew"). Director Samantha Hohenshil (she's got experience with these theater composer cabaret pieces with Jason Robert Brown's "Songs For A New World" under her belt) can knock it out of the park with the best of them, and without opening night jitters will be fine during the more nuanced sections of "Lying There." Her "Ready To Be Loved" was lovely.
All in all, "Edges" at Davenport's was a musically energizing and dramatically compelling collection of cabaret songs, performed by a young and well-trained cast of working Chicagoland musical theater professionals. The fact that I can write that sentence at all is reason to rejoice, and that I can write it as frequently as I do is a blessing. If you like compelling new musical theater material, or you're looking to cast a fresh face in your life or work (not to mention your life's work), I certainly recommend it. Enjoy an hour with the future of the art form. It's good for the soul.
samantha-hohenshil-christopher-logan-stephanie-souza-rasmann-taylor-okey
So that's the Mosh Pit for this week, peeps! I'll be back next week with news about prominent openings, a season announcement, a theatrical video and some upcoming special theatrical events. I hope to see you reading the column! And of course, I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT
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