Archive for February, 2009
Boho Theatre’s "More Than Skin Deep" fundraiser
| »» | Don’t miss the Boho Benefit!! I’m told that there are only a few tickets left for Boho’s big fundraiser, “More Than Skin Deep”, which is being held February 16th in Bohemian Theatre‘s performance space, the Heartland Studio in Rogers Park. Knowing this incredibly gifted theatre company, I’m betting that there will be lots of great food, great booze, and definitely great performances. Tickets are only $25 (2 for $40). Even if you can’t make it to the shindig, you can still participate in the raffle for rooftop Cubs tickets, Boho subscriptions, artwork, and much more. Don’t miss out! Click here for more info. Click here to buy raffle tickets! |
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Chicago Theater: "Xanadu" Reviews
The hit Broadway-musical Xanadu joyously roller-skated its way onto Michigan Avenue last night at Drury Lane Water Tower.
Here’s a collection of Xanadu theater reviews:
* UPDATED * UPDATED * UPDATED * UPDATED * UPDATED * UPDATED * UPDATED *
Christopher Piatt (TimeOut Chicago)
You don’t have to be gay to dig Xanadu; you need to be gay enough. …(Book writer Douglas Carter) Beane‘s challenge was to stitch the virile, throbbing unapologetically awesome space-pop of Electric Light Orchestra into a credible evening. The resulting airheaded, upbeat rock follies…has a deliriously screwball quality that channels the lush, berserk American entertainment of the 1930s.
Of the cast, haunted slumlord Larry Marshall adds an appealing noir quality. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Stanley, the pop-princess chorine who skates and tells jokes, is the star of the goddamn universe. (Entire review here)
Rating: ««««« out of 6
Chris Jones (Tribune)
…A shrewdly good time, if you have a few pre-show drinks…
Yes, “Xanadu” knows it’s based on one of the worst movies ever made. It makes fun of jukebox musicals even as it takes its place among them. And with a comparable chutzpah to that which once catapulted Olivia Newton-John to incomprehensible global stardom, “Xanadu” manages to poke fun at the creative bankruptcy of the endless recycling of movies and nostalgia while doing precisely that itself. No armor is more protective than self-awareness.
Rating: ★★★ Read entire review.
Hedy Weiss (Sun-Times)
Talent and fluff clash, but goofy grins prevail.
Let it never be said that playwright Douglas Carter Beane doesn’t possess a gleefully self-mocking sense of his own work. During the course of “Xanadu,” which received its high-energy, high-volume, post-Broadway debut here Wednesday at the winningly intimate Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, he offers a fine assessment of the show. As one character exclaims: “This is like children’s theater for 40-year-old gay people.”
Rating: Somewhat Recommended Read entire review.
Tom Williams (ChicagoCritic.com)
Let me start my stating that I hate disco music from the 1980’s and I think the Xanadu film may be the worst film of all-time or high on that list. Those biases have colored my take on Xanadu, the musical now at Drury Lane Water Tower Place produced by Broadway in Chicago. To me, there was nothing very cute or funny in this show. It tries too hard to be campy and satirical with dated 80’s referenced jokes. Filled with ELO tunes, leg warmers, roller skating, and a fake Australian accent, Xanadu came off as crass exploitive fluff that I found derivative.
As a consumer advocate, however, let me state that the audience at the opening night performance found the show to be a hilarious romp filed with bouncy, had-clapping songs filled with 80’s nostalgia. It is a feel-good show long on escapist entertainment and short on plot.
Rating: Somewhat Recommended Read entire review.
Fabrizio Almeida (NewCity)
I don’t know that the stage show offers any experience, let alone anything that might even qualify this as a fun and fabulous guilty pleasure. Clearly, the biggest problem is with Christopher Ashley’s direction. You can’t force camp, and yet every half-assed joke and lame visual pun has been overly telegraphed and repeated to the point of ineffectiveness. I did laugh a few times: Elizabeth Stanley’s breathy delivery of some stupid lines; the thick Australian accent. But overall I found the ninety-minute intermission-less stage experience tedious, dull and uninspired…………
…….clearly, this is a big misstep for Broadway in Chicago, and I don’t see ”Xanadu” running long or appealing to many theatergoers. Because if this camp-loving, ELO-listening, gay roller-skating lover of “Starlight Express” thought it was crap, what hope is there for you to like it?
Rating: Not Recommended Read entire review.
Xanadu is fun for 5-year kids to 95-year old disco queens!
Theater tidbits: Village Players and Beverly Theatre Guild
| »» | Staff change – Liz Johnson has replaced Marketing Manager Christopher Pazdernik at Village Players. “I have very much enjoyed my 14 months working at Village Players — it is a time I cherish highly and will always remember fondly”, says Pazderik, who added “I am very excited to turn this position over to Liz…. “ |
| »» | Opening this Friday (Friday, Feb. 6th), the Beverly Theatre Guild presents “The Full Monty”, by Terrance McNally (book) and David Yazbek (music/lyrics). Directed by Glenn Hering, Full Monty runs through February 8th, performed at Morgan Park Academy’s Baer Theatre. Call 773-BIG-TIXS for info. Click here for tickets. |
Theatre Thursday – "Fires in the Mirror" at 16th Street Theater
Thursday, February 5
Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith
6420 16th Street, Berwyn
Come to 16th Street before the show to enjoy dinner catered by the popular Wishbone Restaurant featuring their healthy, southern-style comfort food. Then stay for the provocative Pulitzer Prize-nominated Fires in the Mirror, followed by a post-show dialogue with members of the cast and director.
Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Blacks vs. Jews. Four actresses embody 26 different perspectives in this stunning exploration of the events and emotions surrounding the 1991 racially-charged riots. “The most compelling and sophisticated view of urban racial and class conflict that one could hope to encounter.” –New York Times.
Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.
Show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25
For reservations call 708.795.6704 x105 and mention “Theater Thursdays.”
Sunday Night Sondheim: Audra McDonald medley
One of my all-time favorite Broadway singers, Audra McDonald, performs a medley of the Stephen Sondheim songs: “What Can You Lose?” (from the movie Dick Tracy) and “Not A Day Goes By” (from Merrily We Roll Along)
Performed in honor of Stephen Sondheim’s 75th Birthday on July 8, 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, the concert – entitled Children Will Listen – benefited the ASCAP Foundation.
Olivia Newton-John: "Xanadu" interview
This past Friday, the Sun-Times featured Misha Davenport’s interview with pop culture’s film icon Olivia Newton-John. I really loved hearing her take on reasons why Xanadu the movie could be so god-awfully bad while Xanadu the musical could be so successful. The entire interview is here, but here’s a few out-takes to pique your interest:
| Misha: | You spent so much of the film on roller skates. Still roller skating? |
| Olivia: | Let’s just say I haven’t been on roller skates since the ’80s. |
| Misha: | The film had a great soundtrack and terrific cast, including Gene Kelly, Michael Beck and yourself. What went wrong? |
| Olivia: | I think the big problem was the script. It just kept changing with constant rewrites, which is not a good sign in hindsight. More of the answer here. |
| Misha: | What does it feel like to have been part of “Grease” and “Xanadu,” two iconic film musicals? |
| Olivia: | I am blessed to have been part of both projects. Obviosly “Grease” changed my life and that film seems to find a new audience every year. ….. And having the chance to dance with both John Travolta and Gene Kelly, what more could a girl ask for?? (more here) |
Fun stuff, right? I remember owning the album with “Have You Never Been Mellow”, and played it over and over. Though not in the original movie, they’ve inserted this same song into the stage version, which is a great idea. Read the entire interview!
