'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for September 12th, 2012

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:

The 1970s are alive and well in Chicagoland’s theaters! And a big hit (in Chicago and on Broadway) during that decade was “Grease,” a show that was originally written and set here, premiered here, and then went on to be altered and embraced, and further altered and even more strongly embraced, before that decade was over. After several more decades of changes (and never being far from our audiences here), Jim Jacobs and WarRen Casey’s ode to their high school days at the Northwest Side’s Taft High is back in a big way, at the enormous Paramount Theatre in Aurora. The show opens this weekend, after three previews today and tomorrow, and runs through October 7, 2012, only. That’s the bad thing about shows at the Paramount--they just don’t hang around that long! But the good news is that’s everything there is big--the cast, the orchestra and the opulence. New Jersey’s Michael Unger (a former Chicagoan) directs, with choreography by Dana Salimando. Reprising their pairing from Paramount’s “Hair,” Skylar Adams and Adrian Aguilar head the cast of 24. First Folio Theatre’s Michael O’Keefe conducts.

http://paramountaurora.com/events/grease/

“Godspell” is being resurrected, er, revived, too, by the Brown Paper Box Co., beginning September 20 and running through that same October 7th. It will be in Wicker Park/Bucktown, in the Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building. M. William Panek directs, with choreography by the very busy dancer Daniel Spagnuolo and music direction by Katie Colby. Stephen Schwartz’s musical about Jesus and his followers stars Andrew Lund, Jake Mahler, Jeanne T. Arrigo, Pavi Proczko and more. They beseech us to hear them.

http://www.brownpaperbox.org/

Not to be left out, the other 1971 New York musical about Jesus and his followers (both of which were revived on Broadway this past season, by the way) is also coming to a local stage this month. Of course, I’m talking about Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar,” courtesy of the Big Noise Theatre Company, heading to the Prairie Lakes Theatre in Northwest Suburban Des Plaines (it’s playing weekends from September 28-October 21). Jonathan Lee Cunningham stars as JCSuperstar himself, with Roy Brown, Lauren Paris, Mike Weaver, Tommy Bullington and a full cast conducted by Robert Deason. The director? Well, her work on the Theatre At The Center production of this very same show in 2010 won two BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards. She is the very busy Stacey Flaster, who just directed Jonathan Lee Cunningham in TATC’s “Little Shop Of Horrors.” Small world, isn’t it? Everything’s alright!

Big-Noise-Theatre-Company-Presents-JESUS-CHRIST-SUPERSTAR

Not opening until October 12th, and playing five times only at the Mayne Stage in Rogers Park, is another 1970s rock musical, “The Rocky Horror Show.” While the venue is billing it (somewhat awkwardly, confusingly but predictably) as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show Live,” the theater company in question, Awkward Pause Theatre, gets it right on their website. Michael Buonincontro is once again (for the third time, I think) playing Dr. Frankenfurter, with Corey Mills as Brad and Erin O’Shea as Janet. Chris Weise directs, with music direction by Jason Krumwiede. This is a late night production, at 10 pm, 11 pm or midnight, depending on the date.

http://www.maynestage.com/Rocky-Horror.aspx

http://www.awkwardpausetheatre.com/index.html

While “Xanadu” wasn’t written in the 70s (either for the screen or in its stage incarnation), it IS set then (isn’t it?). And the Drama Desk Award-winning, Outer Critics Circle Award-winning stage musical is now playing at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, and it looks amazing! (I saw some of the production photos yesterday, and fans of the 2009 production at Water Tower Place will NOT be disappointed!)  Rachel Rockwell is directing a cast which includes the handsome Chris Critelli as Sonny, the beautiful Gina Milo as Clio/Kira, with Gene Weygandt, Tammy Mader, Nancy Voigts, Christine Sherrill, Gary Carlson and more. The music, you may remember, is drawn from the catalogs of Jeff Lynne  (Electric Light Orchestra) and John Farrar (responsible for many of the hits of “Grease” and “Xanadu” movie star, Olivia Newton-John). And there are headbands! What’s not to love? (Through October 28.)

http://www.drurylaneoakbrook.com/live_theatre/now_playing.php

The aforementioned Theatre At The Center has a Super September entry of its own, and it’s not from the 70s! It is “42nd Street,” the 1980 Broadway musical based on the 1933 Hollywood film about Depression-era Broadway musicals. And it begins performances tomorrow, September 13, 2012, running until October 21. William Pullinsi directs what is being billed as “the biggest production to ever be presented on Theatre At The Center’s stage.” Linda Fortunato choreographs Larry Adams, Paula Scrofano, Nicole Miller, Nathan Mittleman, Dale Benson and more in the Harry Warren/Al Dubin tuner. Prepare to be thrilled.

Theatre-at-the-Center-Presents-42ND-STREET

A musical on the opposite end of the scale spectrum from “42nd Street” is “The Last Five Years,” the two-hander multi-tuner song cycle from Jason Robert Brown that depicts the rise and fall of a love affair during the specified time period. The twist is that Jamie shows us the relationship in normal theatrical time, whereas Catherine lives it in reverse order. This experiment in storytelling caught on among the adventurous a decade ago, and it’s now on display two nights a week at Stage 773, brought to us by a new company, Another Production Company. Dominique Reid and Rob Riddle play the lovers in question, co-directed by co-producers Raymond K. Cleveland and Toma Tavares Langston. Catch it through October 5.

Here's my review

The Theatre School of DePaul University is presenting an even more recent, and perhaps even more experimental musical, the multiple Tony Award winner “Spring Awakening,” by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater. The production will preview on September 26 and 27, and run September 28-October 7, in the Merle Reskin Theatre on E. Balbo Street in the South Loop (the former Blackstone Theatre). Damon Kiely directs, with musical direction by Mark Elliott.

the_theatre_school_presents_spring_awakening

Light Opera Works has put out two announcements about its upcoming activities. “Operetta’s Greatest Hits,” the company’s fall concert event at the Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, will star Alicia Berneche, Natalie Ford, Matthew Geibel, James Rank, Colette Todd and George Andrew Wolff in selections from works by Johann Strauss, Franz Lehar, Sigmund Romberg and others. Rudy Hogenmiller directs, and Marta Johnson conducts. And Midwest New Musicals, the writing workshop the company sponsors, has announced its 2012-2013 performance schedule of concert readings, “Words And Music.” The third Monday evening of each month from October through April (skipping January) will see a new work come to life at the Light Opera Works Second Stage facility, 1420 Maple Street in Evanston. The musicals being developed are: “Now and Then A Hero,” “Wanting Miss Julie,” “The Last Story Teller,” “The Mind Is Buddha,” “Circus Boys” and “Treasure Island.” Awesome.

http://www.light-opera-works.org/OperettaHits.html

Midwest-New-Musicals-Announces-2012-13-Season

And there are two exciting events coming up from Porchlight Music Theatre, now presenting the Chicago premiere of “A Class Act,” the musical about lyricist and composer Ed Kleban. The original Broadway star and the co-author of “A Class Act,” Lonny Price, will be in Chicago the weekend of September 22-23. As a member of the original Broadway cast of “Merrily We Roll Along,” he will present a “Stephen Sondheim Master Class” on Saturday, September 22 (2:30-5:30 pm) at the Greenhouse Theater Center on Lincoln Avenue. Twelve students will be selected to participate, and adults and students can attend and learn ($25 and $15, respectively). The next day, Sunday, September 23, Price will host “Unordinary Sunday: A Sondheim Cabaret” at 7:30 pm at Theater Wit on Belmont Avenue. Tickets are $22. Chicago pianist and musical director Linda Madonia (formerly Linda Slein) will accompany on both days. And we are told that these are the first events of their kind that Lonny Price has been involved in here. Awesome!

http://porchlightmusictheatre.org/special-events/

So that’s it for now! The 70s are back, Super September rolls on, and newer works continue to delight and challenge us. What’s not to love, Mosh Peep peeps? Take in a little musical theater this week, I dare you! And pretty soon, I know I'll see you under the video screens.....—PWT

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