POLL Results: The Most Anticipated September Musical in Chicago is?....

On August 23rd, BroadwayWorld Chicago opened voting on a new poll, entitled, "What new Chicago area musical production is the one you are most eager to see next month?" And now that it IS next month, we figured we should take a look at the results!

After just over a week of voting, with more votes cast than in any other BroadwayWorld poll in the U.S. last month outside of New York, the "winner," with 34% of the votes cast, was "Sunday In The Park With George" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. Widely predicted to be the winner, the production will star Jason Danieley and Carmen Cusack, directed by Gary Griffin. The show begins previews on September 26, 2012, and runs through November 4th.

Here's their website:

http://www.chicagoshakes.com/

In a surprise to some, but not all, observes, a close second in the voting, with 30% of the votes cast, was the Chicago premiere of "A Class Act," the musical about the life of Ed Kleban, lyricist of "A Chorus Line." Starring Bill Larkin as Kleban, and directed by Stacey Flaster, the show is being produced by Porchlight Music Theatre and plays at Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Avenue, from September 1 through October 14, 2012.

And here's their website:

http://porchlightmusictheatre.org/

In a respectable third place in the poll was "Grease" at Aurora's Paramount Theatre, with 12% of the votes cast. Tying for fourth on a percentage basis were "Dreamgirls" at the Marriott Theatre and "'I Love Lucy' Live On Stage" at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

Sixth place was a tie as well, between "42nd Street" at Theatre At The Center and "The Spitfire Grill" from the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. And rounding out the ten "nominees" were "Smokey Joe's Cafe" (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre), "Xanadu" (Drury Lane Theatre) and "Woody Sez" (Northlight Theatre).

Here's the link to the Poll results:

http://chicago.broadwayworld.com/poll.cfm?pollid=192

Thanks to all who voted in our "Super September" poll, and stay tuned for more polls from BroadwayWorld Chicago!

Paul W. Thompson, a contributor to BroadwayWorld.com since 2007, is a Chicago-based singer, actor, musical director, pianist, vocal coach, composer and commentator. His career as a performer, teacher and writer is centered at Paul W. Thompson Music, located in Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building, where he teaches the great songs of Broadway to the next generation of musical theater performers. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Paul was raised in a family of professional musicians and teachers, steeped in classical, gospel, country, pop, sacred and show music. Dubbed a “thin, winsome lad” at the age of 13 by a critic for the Nashville Banner, he earned two degrees in musical theater (a B.F.A. with Honors from Baylor University and an M.M. from the University of Miami, Florida), plus an M.B.A. with Distinction from DePaul University. Paul’s memberships include Actors’ Equity Association, the American Guild of Musical Artists, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (proud voter for the Grammy Awards!), the National Association of Teachers of Singing and New York’s Drama League. Moving easily between the worlds of classical music, religious music, classic pop and musical theater, Paul has appeared onstage or in the orchestra pit in concerts, musicals, operettas and operas in 30 states and in Europe, in a career spanning more than 35 years. His Chicagoland stage credits include “Forever Plaid” at the Royal George Theater and twenty mainstage productions at Light Opera Works. Paul joined the Chicago Symphony Chorus in 1995 (he was Tenor I Section Leader for four years and sings on two Grammy-winning recordings), and is one of Chicago’s foremost liturgical singers, marking 20 years as a member of the choir at St. James Cathedral (Episcopal) in 2011.He has composed and arranged a number of anthems, hymns and songs for worship and concert use, and collaborates on the creation of new works of musical theater. Paul can be found on Monday nights watching showtune videos at the world-famous Sidetrack nightclub, the inspiration for his weekly column, “The Showtune Mosh Pit.” His proudest achievement is that he has seen the original Broadway production of every Tony Award-winning Best Musical since “Cats.” No, really. Since “Cats!”

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