Category: Think Fast

Think Fast:

  

da3bfdbbd2d196d4 Rumor has it that Showtime and Steven Spielberg are considering creating a show about putting on a Broadway production.

 

nun

 

Facebook has added Latin to list of available languages.

 

 

Playwrights Bruce Norris, Tarell Alvin McCraney and David Adjmi are the first recipients of the Steinberg Playwright Awards. The awards were established in 2008 by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust to recognize up-and-coming playwrights at various stages of their early careers whose professional works show great promise. The playwrights’ Chicago connections include:

  • Bruce Norris’s works: The Infidel (2000), Purple Heart (2002), We All Went Down to Amsterdam (2003), The Pain and the Itch (2004), and The Unmentionables (2006) all had their premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre. His newest play, titled A Parallelogram will premiere at Steppenwolf in July 2010. His work has also been produced at Lookingglass Theatre, and he has received two Jeff Awards for Best New Work
  • Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays will be produced this year at Steppenwolf Theatre.
October 7, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast: Cheyenne Jackson, Red Orchid Theatre, Barbara Gaines, and Superior Donuts

logo Good news for Old Town’s A Red Orchid Theatre: tickets for their current production Mistakes Were Made (our review here), by Craig Wright, have been selling like hot cakes – so much so that they’ve added an extra Wednesday night performance for all of October.  Be sure to check it out before it closes on October 31st.  Mistakes Were Made stars Michael Shannon, and is directed by Dexter Bullard.   (h/t Chris Jones)

shakespeare

 

Check out the interview with Chicago Shakes artistic director (and founder) Barbara Gaines regarding her direction of the company’s current production, Richard III. Well worth the read.

 

superiordonuts The Daily Beast has posted a rave review of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts, which played last year to positive reviews at Steppenwolf. An excerpt:

Letts and his cast can breathe deeply today. While a far less ambitious play than August, with its three-story set and sprawling cast, Superior Donuts is no less successful for what it aims to be: a tender, funny, and often tragic valentine to Letts’ Chicago in a time of intense cultural change. Fans of August won’t find that play’s heavy, gut-wrenching revelations here, but Donuts was always intended to be a smaller, lighter effort, as delightful and sweet as a doughnut itself. The play, which Letts began writing even before August, earned positive reviews when it first opened in Chicago with the same cast in July 2008, and after a year of Letts’ tweaks and rewrites, it may be even better….

Read the entire review here.

Per Perez Hilton:

cheyenn Tina Fey’s brilliant comedy, 30 Rock, may be getting the one thing it’s severely lacking – a hot piece of eye candy!

Rumors are circulating that Broadway hottie, openly gay and successful actor Cheyenne Jackson, will allegedly be joining the cast in a semi or possibly a completely permanent capacity.

For those of you who don’t live and die by the goings on of the Great White Way, Cheyenne has been in productions like Xanadu and All Shook Up!. 

More here.

October 1, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast – Arts Alliance Awards, Adam Guettel, and uncomfortable seats

artsallianceawards Arts Alliance Awards

Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Merchandise Mart
Chicago, IL
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

 

 

Among other awards, the event will honor Pamela B. Strobel (Arts Advocate Award), Homer Hans Bryant (Arts Legend Award) and Dance for Life (Special Recognition Award).

 
September 1, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast: “High Fidelity”, Jude Law in “Hamlet”, oyster-eating at the theatre, “Spiderman” schadenfreude, etc.

 
081709_judehamletsignage
  • Another big Hollywood name has (once again) caught the Broadway bug: Jude Law is set to star in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet on September 12th, running through December 6th.  Jude Law previously received a Tony Award nomination for the 1995 play Indiscretions. More info here.
  • Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre, which dates back to 1662.  The excavations are part of an 8-million-euro project to reinstate the theatre on its original site. The school’s director, Patrick Sutton, said the excavations had uncovered part of the theatre’s original walls as well as stage timbers. Among the artifacts found were an actress’s ceramic wig curler, clay pipes, a broken wine bottle and oyster shells. “Oysters were obviously the popcorn of the day,” he suggested. More here.
  • Rumors started among the Broadway fanatics (okay, I guess you can count me in as a member) last week that the musical-in-the-works, Spiderman, the Musical, must be in trouble when it was announced that the multi-million dollar renovation of the Hilton Theater had been halted.  It was called a "cash-flow problem", which is corporate for, "we’re not putting up another cent." Accordingly, Broadway producer Kevin Davenport’s theatre blog “The Producer’s Perspective” has a snarky well-deserved post titled “Schadenfreude for Spider-Man?”. 
August 18, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast – Jerry Springer, theatre ticket refunds?, Tim Gunn, and Writers’ Theatre London tour

  • Is it a good idea for theatres to offer your ticket money back if you did not enjoy the play (as the Goodman Theatre did in El Grito del Bronx)? Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones thinks not.
springer-in-chicago-the-musical
heidi-and-tim
  • Starting this Thursday, August 20th, The Coach House (950 W. Wolfram – map) will kick off its weekly “Project Runway” viewing parties with the hit show’s new season premier.  Come play drinking games with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn with many of the bar’s drinking specials. (maybe a shot every time Tim Gunn says “Talk to me”? or “Work, work, work!”??).
  • Writers’ Theatre is offering a London Theatre tour, December 30th thru January 6th, which will be led by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and former chief theatre critic of the Chicago Tribune Richard Christiansen.  Enjoy some of the world’s greatest theatre; visit with some of the world’s greatest actors; experience insider encouters with local theatrical leaders; fine dining, fascinating conversation, exhilarating drama!   For more info, contact Rachel Weinstein at 847-242-6005.  Space is limited, so act fast. 
August 16, 2009 | 1 Comment More

Think Fast: Cleveland Playhouse, All State Arena, Harlem Summer Shakespeare, Lincoln Park Arts Festival

 

  • midsummer_harlem New York City’s critically acclaimed Pulse Ensemble Theatre, now celebrating its 20th season, will present its 5th season of Harlem Summer Shakespeare with free performances of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, beginning on August 6th. The company will perform in various venues all over Harlem during the month of August. More here.
  • cleveland-playhouse In a win-win arts management deal, the highly-regarded Cleveland Play House and the Cleveland Clinic have signed a purchase agreement, swapping the sale of the complex to the Clinic with a 2-year leaseback, allowing The Play House to continue to produce a full array of theatre and arts education programming at its current location until May 2011.  The Play House will then be joining Cleveland State University and PlayhouseSquare Foundation in reconfiguring the Allen Theatre as a multi-stage venue to serve as the primary home for The Play House and CSU’s Program of Dramatic Arts. The grand opening is scheduled for September 2011.  More here and here.

Lincoln Park Arts & Music Festival

  • Chicago’s outdoor event season will heat up a few degrees this summer with the debut of the inaugural Lincoln Park Arts & Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday, August 8-9. Food, arts & crafts and an eclectic music lineup on two stages will be highlights of this Lincoln Park/DePaul neighborhood fest.
    Among the nearly 20 acts set to perform on the festival’s two music stages are: legendary pop rockers 10,000 Maniacs; critically acclaimed British rocker Graham Parker; singer/songwriter/guitarist John West (former lead singer for Danish prog-rockers Royal Hunt); lauded singer/songwriter Alexa Wilkinson; and the Paris Delane Trio (headed by Delane, a member of Chicago’s eclectic Sonia Dada). On Racine between Fullerton & Webster. (map)

SONIA DADA LIVE IN SANTA MONICA,CA…………..

July 27, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast: Susan Boyle, Paula Abdul and a crazy wedding

Boyle-new-look

  • Look out America: Susan Boyle, the “Britain’s Got Talent” phenomenon, is coming to America on a media blitz, replete with a new look. (photo courtesy of CNN)
  • Horrors of horrors – Paula Abdul may be leaving “American Lame Idol”.
  • Yes it’s true: Kelly Hildebrandt just married Kelly Hildebrandt – couple with exactly the same name tie the knot!!   Ahhhhhh…..
hildebrandts 
July 20, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast: Project Runway, Footloose, The Color Purple, kids hate shots

  • A study by the National Center for Policy Analysis finds that children are overwhelmingly against children’s health services (especially shots….).
July 19, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast: Michael McKean, Jonas Brothers, CSO and ‘Peter Pan the Musical’

  • This is great news: Michael McKean – who did such a brilliant job in Steppenwolf’s world-premier of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts – will reprise his role as donut shop owner on Broadway, set to open October 1st.  More here, here and here.mckean-superior-donuts
  • What’s the impetus behind CSO’s artistic decline at Ravinia?  The Sun-Times says the choice of maestros at the podium is to blame.

I’m not sure the little boy behind me was impressed, though. He whispered (in English) in those hissing tones that bring to mind an angry radiator throughout the first act. In the second, he snored, but most gently. For that I was grateful.
  • Speaking of Peter Pan, it’s been announced that the multi-media-heavy extravaganza production will launch its theatre tour across the pond here in Chicago, May 2010.  In a tent!  Read the entire story at Chris Jones’ Theater Loop blog.  (Aside: no word on how profitable the show will be, though I heard Blago said that it’s “F*cking Golden!”)

July 9, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think fast: Using social media to generate audiences and market your theatre production, Antiques Roadshow, Ravinia hot dog hawkers

 

With companies like Ning making it so easy to build your own network, shows like Rock of Ages, Shrek, and Altar Boyz, which is one of my productions, have been able to create the ultimate niche social network for their ultimate fans. By doing so, they can identify their most powerful ambassadors and communicate with them constantly.

The niche network strategy only works with shows (or products) that have customer bases that are naturally drawn to social media. In other words, you won’t see a revival of Hamlet creating ToBeOrNotToBeFans.com; there’s nothing more depressing than a playground with no one on the swings. The umbrella niche of all of these micro-networks are sites like BroadwaySpace.com, which serves as a funnel for Broadway fans.
  • PBS’s Antiques Roadshow (count me in as a fan) has announced their first $1-million appraisal – four pieces of Chinese carved jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795).  It was conservatively praise at $1.07 million.
  • Ravinia Festival’s backstage blog highlights the fact that July is National Hot Dog Month.  And in honor of this, the park will feature hot dog hawkers for select performances.  Be sure to check out the rest of their blog while you’re at it!
July 7, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think fast: Little Mermaid, David Mamet, Joan D’Arc

 

  • Broadway’s Little Mermaid will close on August 30th, after 685 performances. A national touring company has been assembled, with Chicago being one of its stops (produced by Broadway in Chicago).
  • Gary, IN has requested that Michael Jackson be buried in his hometown, with the preferred burial site near a proposed Jackson family museum and performing arts center.
  • 17 years after it was written, Chicago native David Mamet’s play Oleanna will finally open on Broadway on October 11th.
July 1, 2009 | 0 Comments More
Page 1 of 3123