'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for September 22nd, 2010
By: Paul W. Thompson Sep. 22, 2010
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:
What a big week for showtunes in Chicago--musical theater is everywhere! There is so much going on, as you know. What a Super September we are having! So, let's get to it.
On Thursday, "An Evening With Sutton Foster" will mark the Chicago solo debut of (as she is being billed) "Broadway's Leading Lady." Now, a few months ago I referred to her as "legendary," and received some push-back for it. Yes, I realize she is in her early 30s. However, if her understudy to Tony-winning leading lady story from "Thoroughly Modern Millie" weren't enough, she went on to create major roles in four more new Broadway musicals before a decade had gone by. And next spring, she will tackle the ghosts of both Ethel Merman (dead) and Patti LuPone (alive) when she takes on "Anything Goes" in New York. If she's not legendary, there's no way that she can avoid future legendariness. And we have her now, for four shows this weekend, courtesy of Broadway In Chicago. I KNOW you are going!
Sutton Foster.com - The Official Site of Sutton Foster
Ms. Foster (ok, "Sutton") is appearing as the premiere attraction of the Broadway Playhouse, the new name of the newly renovated Drury Lane Water Tower Place Theatre on Chestnut Street, behind and to the left of the vertical Michigan Avenue shopping mall of the same name. As of Tuesday, the theater's new doorway was still cloaked in a tarp of some kind, awaiting what I take to be its unveiling on Thursday (see photograph). But the box office opened on Monday. And the Playhouse is promised to be lovely and contemporary. After hosting well-remembered recent productions of "Grand Hotel," "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and "Xanadu," let's hope the space does well in this incarnation. The most exciting production announced for the venue is a three-month early spring run of the revised version of Studs Terkel's "Working," with new material by Lin-Manuel Miranda ("In The Heights"). Fascinating!
Theatre History of Each of the Broadway in Chicago Theatres
Broadway In Chicago already unveiled a new theatrical feature inside Water Tower Place's front lobby this Monday--the first customer-operated Ticketmaster kiosk in the country! As you can see from the accompanying photo, it looks like an ATM, and is located on the back side of the information desk in the middle of the front entrance to the mall. The machine lets you choose an upcoming Broadway In Chicago performance, and after you pay with a credit card, it prints your ticket(s)! Simple as that. Of course, only BIC shows are for sale there, and there are other ways to buy tickets. But now we have one more way! That has to be good.
Broadway in Chicago's Home Page
And one of those shows is the world premiere of the national tour of "Rock Of Ages!" The long-awaited roll-out of the off-Broadway to Broadway success story based on the arena rock hits of Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Poison, Twisted Sister and other hair-band acts of the 1980s is here now, for two weeks only. Constantine Maroulis ("American Idol") recreates his Tony-nominated role as Drew, who moves from South Detroit to Los Angeles, so he can sing "I Wanna Rock," and have a shot at fame while doing it! A lot of Most Pit peeps are heading down to the Bank of America Theater before October 3, 2010, to catch the "mind-blowing, face-melting" love story. Remember, this is the show that made "Don't Stop Believin'" a showtune, long before "Glee" did!
But speaking of "Glee," the first episode of the second season of our favorite TV show aired Tuesday night at 7:00 on FOX-TV. I think that is its timeslot until January, when it will move back to Wednesdays. So, what did you think? I'm not giving any spoilers here, for those of you with VCR, TiVo or Hulu capacity, but I can say that the show continues its mix of high school soap opera high-jinx, social issue discussions, pop and Broadway music, musical guest stars and more. Whether you are a Gleek, a Gleevite or a Gleer, you're back in business!
And there are local theater companies mounting premieres this week as well. The biggest is the Goodman Theatre's new production of Leonard Bernstein's legendary "Candide," with a new book by director Mary Zimmerman. It's been up to music director Doug Peck to fit Bernstein's score (the many versions that already exist, that is) with Zimmerman's script, or vice versa. Have they succeeded? Early word of mouth from previews is unclear. But years from now, you will want to say that you saw it. Trust me!! You have until October 31 to see it, before the show travels to Washington, DC for the holidays. Larry Yando and Hollis Resnik are the main Chicago acting names in the cast.
Up in the northern suburbs this week, Glencoe's Writers' Theatre is also putting up show that originally starred Barbara Cook (how coincidental, right?). Bock and Harnick's "She Loves Me" will star Jessie Mueller in Cook's role of Amalia, with Heidi Kettenring as Ilona. Rod Thomas and James Rank are the leading men in their lives, with Kevin Gudahl and Ross Lehman as the more mature men they know. The show will run until November 21, unless it is extended, of course. It's directed by Michael Halberstam, with musical direction by Ben Johnson. Who loves "Ice Cream?"
Speaking of the northern suburbs, that production of "A Chorus Line" at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire has gotten nearly universal rave reviews! As hard as it may seem to put such a proscenium show into a square playing area, this show uses the stage as if it were a rehearsal room, and the transition is complete. I haven't seen it, but these reviews sure make it sound extraordinary! Moment after moment, actor after actor, song after song, the longest running American musical to hit Broadway still reportedly packs quite a wallop. Have you seen it? Have you seen it like this?
A Chorus Line - Play Detail - Theatre In Chicago.com
And speaking of the western suburbs, casting has been announced for a newly-revised version of the film-to-stage musical "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" at the Drury Lane Theatre out in Oakbrook Terrace. Broadway's Steve Blanchard (he played Beauty's Beast for more performances than any other actor in the Disney tuner there) headlines as Adam, with a host of Chicago actors as the other brothers and their prospective wives. Chicagoan Abby Mueller will co-star as Milly. And nine-time Jeff Award nominee Tammy Mader will have her work cut out for her, choreographing a show so well remembered in its screen incarnation as Michael Kidd's best work. See her results from October 20--December 19.
Drury Lane Theatre Presents SEVEN BRIDES...
We've seen a lot of productions of "Cabaret" in the last few years. Whether it's the political climate, or the desire to produce a Kander and Ebb show while "Chicago" is still hot on Broadway, I'm not sure. But this fall will see a "Cabaret" from The Theatre School of DePaul University (from September 29--October 10), at the Merle Reskin Theatre in the Loop. Old-timers will remember this venue as the Blackstone Theatre, one of Chicago's leading touring houses in the 1970s, along with the Shubert (now the Bank of America) and the now-shuttered Arie Crown Theater inside the easternmost McCormick Place building. When I first visited Chicago in the spring of 1978, national companies of "A Chorus Line" and "Chicago" were both playing here, one at the Shubert and one at the Blackstone. I can't remember which was which, though the Blackstone might have hosted "Chicago." Does anyone remember for sure?
The Theatre School :: Performances :: Cabaret
The Amazing History of the Merle Reskin Theatre
Speaking of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," wags are beginning to notice that there sure have been a lot of local productions of this tuner lately as well! There's one now at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in northwest suburban Arlington Heights (it opens this weekend and runs through November 6). The little show with the Tony-winning book has been everywhere lately.
This spring's New York performance, "Sondheim: The Birthday Concert," which took place March 15 and 16 in Avery Fisher Hall, will be broadcast on PBS-TV on Wednesday, November 24, on "Great Performances." Let's hope that WTTW Channel 11 carries the broadcast! Featuring two dozen musical theater stars, many original cast members of Sondheim's Broadway musicals, this video may prove to be a vitally important historical record in our field. Let's hope we all get copies of the performances (to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray November 16 by Image Entertainment), and that they are wonderful, and that we can see them, again and again!
'Sondheim: The Birthday Concert' PBS Special Gets Nov. 16 Release
And, last but not least, comes Patti! The long-awaited autobiography (is it a tell-all?), "A Memoir," by the legendary Patti LuPone is now available. Who's read it? I mean, really. Why isn't my phone rattling off the hook by now with news of the scandalous and/or insightful stories contained herein? Love her or hate her, those of us who live in the Mosh Pit can't ignore her. And now we know what she thinks. She is Patti, and she is one of the reigning stage divas of our time. She performed in three different events in Chicago, just this year (does she love us, too?)! Read it and tell us all what Patti has to say. I'm sure it's amazing.
And there it is. "The Showtune Mosh Pit," online edition. Will I see you this week in a live edition? You know where to hang out, I'm sure. I look forward to seeing you there, and hearing about all the shows and music you experience this week. I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT
Photo Credit: Paul W. Thompson
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