2-27-09
Putting Things Off
They aren’t claiming finances as the reason, but American Theatre Company has postponed the local premiere of Yeast Nation (the triumph of life), the new musical by Urinetown: The Musical! creators (and former Chicago fringe theatre artists) Greg Kotis and Mark Ray Hollmann. ATC artistic director P.J. Paparelli cited the need for more development of the piece (which already showed up in October 2007 at Paparelli’s old home, Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska), and the company now plans to unveil the show as the season opener for ATC’s 25th anniversary in September. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s glam-rock gender-bender, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which was seen in a late-night run at the Theatre Building in 2005, takes over the Yeast Nation slot so the latter can ferment a bit longer. (C’mon, you knew that was coming!)
Meantime, the Neo-Futurists put the kibosh on their planned 20th anniversary show, TML20, which was to close out their prime-time season. Jonathan Mastro, the curator for the event, ran into a conflict—he’s playing Simon Stimson, the alcoholic choirmaster, in the Barrow Street engagement of David Cromer’s acclaimed production of Our Town, which just opened last night. Nobody else in the large but extremely overextended family of Neos past and present was ready to fill those demanding shoes. (Kotis has a musical to work on, after all!) The company now plans a special one-night event in honor of their anniversary, which will probably take place in the fall.
Is the Morse Theatre already in trouble, after opening only four months ago? Chicago Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich reported on Feb.13 that there is a dispute between Morse manager Andy McGhee and a silent investor who helped underwrite the $6 million-plus restoration costs for the old Morse Avenue nickelodeon, which has been converted into a nifty music venue and a restaurant, the Century Public House. 49th Ward alderman Joe Moore sent an e-mail to constituents on Feb. 16, saying that he has been involved in helping the parties negotiate and that he is “optimistic a satisfactory resolution of the dispute can be achieved.” The Morse already had to bounce back from an arson attack in August, which caused about $500,000 in damages and delayed the opening until October.
Meantime, another internecine battle is being waged between Jam Theatricals producers Jerry Mickelson and Steve Traxler. According to a Feb. 11 item by Trib reporter Ameet Sachdev, Mickelson has sued Traxler, claiming that the latter had promised to buy his stake in the company for about $3.75 million. Jam Theatricals, which is separate from Mickelson’s concert-producing behemoth, Jam Productions, recently produced the Broadway run of August: Osage County.
But it’s not all dissent, chaos and changing schedules this month. As always, there are plenty of people to congratulate. First, former Next artistic director Jason Loewith has been named the first executive director for the National New Play Network. Loewith, whose musical adaptation of Elmer Rice’s The Adding Machine with composer Joshua Schmidt became an off-Broadway hit last year, takes the helm at the NNPN as it enters its second decade—previously volunteer staff did all the heavy lifting. The organization is an alliance of 24 theatres, including local representative Prop Thtr, that is dedicated to developing new work and providing continued life through touring productions to member theatres and other companies focused on contemporary plays. Loewith will run the NNPN out of his newish home in Washington, D.C.
Chicago actor and filmmaker Ben Byer lost his years-long struggle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) last summer, but not before he completed his award-winning documentary Indestructible. Byer will be honored posthumously for his film by the Chicago Muscular Dystrophy Association on Saturday, March 7 with the inaugural “Ben Byer ALS Awareness Award,” which will be given annually to someone making a difference in the fight against ALS. Byer’s family, including his sister, Rebeccah Rush, who served as a producer on the film, will accept the award in his memory at the annual benefit for ALS research, “A Toast to Life,” from 6-10 p.m. at Enclave, 220 W. Chicago Ave. For tickets ($75 in advance, $100 at the door), visit www.mdatoasttolife.com or e-mail Sarah Madden at smadden@mdausa.org.
Eclipse Theatre Company honors their longtime champion, casting director Jane Alderman, with the inaugural “Eclipse Corona Award.” (No, it’s not a bottle of beer with a lime slice!) Alderman was an early board member of the company, and was recently called out by Chicago magazine as one of 26 “action heroes” who help keep filmmaking alive here. The Eclipse ceremony, which benefits the company’s upcoming season, takes place on Sunday, March 8, at noon at Rockit Bar and Grill, 22 W. Hubbard, and includes a brunch buffet and readings by ensemble members of playwrights under consideration for the 2010 season. Tickets are $80, and can be purchased online at www.eclipsetheatre.com or by calling 773/325-9655.
Congrats also to Ned Mochel, nominee for a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award in fight choreography for his work on John Kolvenbach’s On an Average Day with VS. Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab. He better have a speech ready: Mochel is the only nominee in the category. But as our friend and fight choreography aficionado Mary Shen Barnidge points out, “They could have gone the ‘special award’ route but instead kept the category open. So future generations have no way of knowing that Ned didn’t defeat DOZENS of contenders for his prize.” Hey, we’ll never tell—though we are undeniably amused that the fight choreography category won’t even put up a whisper of a struggle for Ned. The ceremony is on March 16.
Emerging playwright Madelyn Sergel, whose play Another Piece of Cake premiered with Lake Forest’s Citadel Theatre last spring, will be traveling to the great metropolis of Omaha, Nebraska at the end of May. Her play, Special Needs, has been recognized by the Great Plains Theatre Conference. Theresa Rebeck is the conference’s guest of honor. Sergel also says that her previously announced plans to open a storefront theatre in Waukegan “have been put on indefinite hold because of this kooky economy.” Perfectly understandable.
If you want to hang out with a more urban theatre company—in fact, UrbanTheatre Company—check out their “Wii Bowling Tournament and Benefit” tomorrow night, 5-8 p.m. at Holy Family Lutheran School, 3415 W. Arthington St., which raises money for The Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The company opens Wysteria Edwards’ drama Broken Thread, about a missing child, in March. For tournament info, call 312/239-8783 or e-mail UrbanTheatreCompany@gmail.com.
Finally, as a sort of addendum to the article on international theatre that ran last issue, we’d like to call your attention to Remy Bumppo’s world premiere of American Ethnic, featuring slam poets Idris Goodwin, Usman Ally and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai. The multicultural and immigrant experience takes center stage in this show, directed by Nick Sandys, and presented as part of the company’s thinkTank series, which focuses on current sociopolitical issues. Ally is a Pakistani national who was raised in Africa, Zen-Yie Tsai is a Chicago-born Brooklyn resident of Chinese Taiwanese ancestry, and Goodwin is an African American award-winning hip hop playwright and recording artist. Anyone who still wonders what “real America” looks like should check it out at the Greenhouse, March 12-April 5. For information, visit www.remybumppo.org.
Don’t be obstructionist—send all your scintillating news items to kerryreid@comcast.net.