Displaying items by tag: Cadillac Palace Theatre

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announced that single tickets for the North American tour of the smash hit Broadway musical and global sensation, THE GREAT GATSBY, based on the beloved novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will go on sale Friday, January 23. The party to end all parties will play Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) for a limited two-week engagement, April 21 - May 3.

Set in the Roaring Twenties, the story follows eccentric and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who will stop at nothing in the pursuit of the lost love of his youth, Daisy Buchanan. Through its fascinatingly nuanced characters – driven by complex inner lives, erupting with extravagance and longing – this epic tale has always been destined to sing. Now, it comes to life across North American stages, with a grand, Tony Award-winning production design befitting the 21^st century.

Through an electrifying jazz and pop-infused score, the epic story has landed on the Broadway musical stage for the first time ever, transporting sold-out audiences to an “extravaganza that explodes with life and energy” (Entertainment Weekly). THE GREAT GATSBY is winner of the 2024 Tony Award® for Best Costume Design, winner of the 2024 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite New Musical, and winner of nine top awards for BroadwayWorld’s 2024 Theater Fan's Choice awards, including Best Musical.

“This production is a big, bold, Broadway version of The Great Gatsby. It’s thrilling to see these indelible characters and iconic moments from the novel come to life on stage.  This stage production, which honors the novel and its history while also speaking clearly to today’s audiences, is a terrific new iteration of this classic work.”  - The Estate of F. Scott Fitzgerald

THE GREAT GATSBY features music & lyrics by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Little Women) and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), a book by Jonathan Larson Grant winner Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones), and is staged by award-winning director Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and choreographer Dominique Kelley (“Mariah’s Magical Christmas Special”, “Dancing with the Stars”). 

THE GREAT GATSBY features Drama Desk Award-winning scenic & projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III (Spamalot, Tommy at The Kennedy Center), Tony Award-winning costume design by Linda Cho (Anastasia, A Gentleman’s Guide...), sound design by Tony Award winner Brian Ronan (Beautiful, The Book of Mormon), lighting design by Cory Pattak (Spamalot), and hair & wig design by Drama Desk Award winner Charles G. LaPointe (The Cher Show, Spongebob Squarepants) & Rachael Geier . Arrangements and Music Supervision are by Jason Howland, Orchestrations are by Jason Howland and Kim Scharnberg (Jekyll & Hyde), and casting is by Stephen Kopel and Jillian Cimini at C12 Casting (Gutenberg, & Juliet).

The Broadway production of THE GREAT GATSBY began previews at The Broadway Theatre on Friday, March 29, 2024, and opened on Thursday, April 25, 2024, where it continues to thrill audiences and break box office records. The Broadway production followed a record-breaking world-premiere engagement at Paper Mill Playhouse, where it was the highest grossing show in that organization’s history.

THE GREAT GATSBY made its West End debut at the London Coliseum, which began previews on April 11, 2025, officially opened on April 24, and closed on September 7. The successful Seoul production recently finished its residency at the GS Arts Center in the Gangnam District of Seoul.

One of the most popular novels of all time, The Great Gatsby is a New York Times and USA Today perennial best seller. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide since its release in 1925 and continues to sell over 500,000 per year. The novel has been translated into over 42 different languages, and has been adapted into television shows, radio plays, video games, and multiple films – including the blockbuster Baz Luhrmann feature film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The North American tour of THE GREAT GATSBY is produced by Chunsoo Shin, OD Company and NETworks Presentations.  Mark Shacket and Trinity Wheeler serve as Executive Producers for the production.  Worldwide management for THE GREAT GATSBY is handled by Foresight Theatrical.

Bios
CHUNSOO SHIN (Producer) Acclaimed Korean theatre producer, Chunsoo Shin is a 5-time winner of Korea's most prestigious theatrical award and the founder and president of OD Company, a world class theatrical production company in South Korea. Chunsoo Shin was the first musical producer to be awarded the Korean Pop Culture and Arts Prime Minister Award, Korea's most prestigious prize for popular culture and arts awarded by the government. As the first Korean producer to become a lead producer on Broadway, he has contributed in broadening the pathway for Korean producers’ international expansion throughout his producing career. Broadway:  Doctor Zhivago, Holler If Ya Hear Me. Korea: Sweeney Todd, Man of La Mancha, Jekyll & Hyde, Dreamgirls, Titanic, The Story of My Life. In development: The Lights in Firenze, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla).

OD COMPANY (Producer) is a world class global theater producing company of South Korea. Theatrical credits include: Jekyll & Hyde, Dracula, Death Note, Grease, Doctor Zhivago, Il Tenore, Titanic, Dream Girls, Holler if Ya Hear Me, Sweeny Todd, Man of La Mancha, The Story of My Life . OD Company’s production are highly acclaimed by both critics and audiences for its matchless excellence of production quality. With passion and endeavor, OD Company aims to bring the most exciting theatrical experiences, and create a channel of communication between the audience and performance art. More information at ODMusical.com

NETWORKS PRESENTATIONS (Producer) is an industry-leading producer of touring theatrical productions, committed to delivering quality entertainment to audiences worldwide for more than 25 years. Current and upcoming productions include A Beautiful Noise, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Boop! The Musical,  Buena Vista Social Club, The Great Gatsby, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Mark Twain Tonight!,  Cameron Mackintosh presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Water for Elephants and The Wiz.

MARK SHACKET (Executive Producer) is a partner at Foresight Theatrical, one of the leading general management firms on Broadway.  Mark is Executive Producer for The Great Gatsby on Broadway and the West End.  He recently managed Funny Girl with Lea Michele and New York, New York on Broadway, and served as Executive Producer for Slave Play , receiving his first Tony Award nomination, and POTUS: Or, Behind Every Dumbass Are Seven Women Keeping Him Alive.  Mark serves on the board of Broadway Cares and has raised over $2.5 million for the charity through the poker event he co-founded, Broadway Bets. 

TRINITY WHEELER (Executive Producer) has been with NETworks Presentations for over 20 years. Broadway: 1776 (dirs. Diane Paulus and Jeffrey Page), Les Misérables. National tours: The Great Gatsby, The Sound of Music (dir. Jack O’Brien), 1776, Les Misérables, Peter Pan (dir. Lonny Price), A Beautiful Noise, Hairspray, Once on This Island, Waitress, The SpongeBob Musical, Chicago, Finding Neverland, Dirty Dancing, Bullets Over Broadway, Elf the Musical, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Royal National Theatre production of Oklahoma!, The Wedding Singer, The Producers, The Wizard of Oz, The Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Young Frankenstein (dir. Susan Stroman) and Rent starring Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.

For more information, visit https://broadwaygatsby.com/
Follow THE GREAT GATSBY on Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Instagram.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 21 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 22 – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 23 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 24 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 25 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 26 – 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 28 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29 – 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 30 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 1 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 2 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 3 – 1:00 p.m.
 
TICKET INFORMATION (as of January 22, based on availability and subject to change)
Individual tickets for THE GREAT GATSBY will go on sale Friday, January 23 and range from $49.00 - $140.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Ticket price listed is when purchased in person at the box office. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the  Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway  Playhouse at Water Tower Place.
 

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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Lights come down at the top of the show. We are clearly in a rehearsal hall as the ensemble lets us know that it’s opening night of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – and they cannot be more excited to perform the material. Video and Projection Designer Andrezej Goulding helps guide the audience to the right time and place with images at the back of the stage representing Elizabethan England. Costume Designer Paloma Young dresses the actors with an impressive nod to the traditional. As they prepare for the opening number, Lighting Designer Howard Hudson zooms in on the cast with radiant color as they slowly move center stage. Fans in the audience may recognize the familiar starting notes of the song, but if not, the lyrics are likely to help fully draw you in:

“All you people can’t you see, can’t you see.
How your love’s affecting our reality.
Every time we’re down, you can make it right.
And that makes you larger than –“

William Shakespeare (Corey Mach) runs on stage to continue the song as this particular performance’s audience goes wild. &Juliet is a jukebox musical of iconic pop songs, and Max Martin (the talented creative behind Music and Lyrics) and book writer David West Read waste no time throwing us in with one of the famous throwbacks from the Backstreet Boys – “Larger than Life.” As the ensemble performed Jennifer Weber’s choreography, this audience felt one step away from jumping on their feet to dance along. The overall feel is like that of a pop concert, and the energy only heightens from there.

Directed by Luke Sheppard, & Juliet takes place on the opening night of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As the cast prepares to rehearse the ending, his wife, Anne (Teal Wicks) unravels everything with a twist. What if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo but instead, went on living? What if the famous love story actually began with Romeo’s death, and instead created an opportunity for Juliet to go out and experience life? As Shakespeare and Anne co-write (and argue over) the new story, we are invited along on the journey as Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb) sees the world through new eyes – even inviting Anne and Shakespeare to learn a little something about their relationship along the way.

To say that Sheppard’s ensemble is full of stellar performers is an understatement. Each actor carried a vocal belt that rang from the rafters as they brought the boppy score to life. Pop fans will recognize a number of the hits including “Since U Been Gone,” “I Want it That Way,” “Domino,” “Roar,” and “It’s My Life.” Particularly when combined with Weber’s choreography and the vibrant design scheme, you might just find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat – afraid you will miss something if you so much as blink.

Michael Canu and the company of the North American Tour of & JULIET.

As much as the musical feels like a pop concert with high energy and fast-paced music, you might find that a large part of what sells the show is the heart – particularly as Anne learns to find her voice alongside Juliet.  

In an effort to find agency, Anne writes herself into the story as one of Juliet’s best friends – helping her along as she gets over Romeo and finds new life in Paris, France. When Juliet finds herself in the middle of a major romantic decision, Anne sits her down and shares her own story. Her marriage to Shakespeare has never been easy, and she has to navigate the highs and lows of that every day. 

The two begin to sing Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way it Is” – which is quite the tonal shift. In contrast to the larger-than-life choreography and light show from earlier, Sheppard pairs it down – focusing on the two women simply sitting in chairs at the center of the stage. We are left with little more than the actors themselves and their stunning vocals – filled with the heartbreaking emotion of the moment. If you’re anything like this writer, you may even find yourself moved to tears – watching these two women empower each other to not only move on, but also aim for better.

Full of jaw-dropping talent and creative pizazz, & Juliet is a theatrical event that leaves you wanting more. Especially for those who grew up listening to the pop sensations of the Backstreet Boys and Brittany Spears, the musical is sure to thrust you into nostalgia.

Run Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes, with intermission

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

& Juliet runs through December 15 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre – 151 W Randolph St. See the Broadway in Chicago website for more information regarding tickets.

In the midst of the bustle and busyness of several stunning song-and-dance routines in Some Like It Hot, beautifully directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, we witness a transformation.

Of course, transformation is what this show—and the classic Billy Wilder film on which it’s based—is all about. You know the story: two jazz musicians in Prohibition-era Chicago—both of them male—are forced by dangerous circumstances to disguise themselves as women in order not to be murdered by the mob.

The transformation in question comes as the two are on the run from South-side gangsters and scurrying to save their own hides by hiding their identities—luckily while hiding in a speakeasy dressing room full of garish outfits. While Joe and Jerry—played by Matt Loehr and Tavis Kordell—evade the killers and the band plays and the choreography is nailed and the show goes on, they also transform right in front of our eyes.

Loehr’s Joe—a classic old-timey wisecracker who’d have fit right in with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in the original movie, or even in the Depression days when both shows are set—becomes Josephine, whose unnatural unease in his new ‘fit mirrors the tone of the ‘50s Hollywood production and makes him the butt of running commentary and jokes by the rest of the cast.

And Kordell’s Jerry becomes Daphne—a role which J. Harrison Ghee originated and for which they won their second Tony. Loehr and Kordell’s chemistry as a song, dance, and comedy duo is right-on from the start, with Loehr, as I said, being the goofier of the two and Kordell being the straight man with the more traditional, physical leading man looks. Then, right before our eyes, Kordell transforms into stunning Daphne.

Both of these transformations happen as smoothly as Loehr and Kordell’s terrific tap-dancing, so practiced and so part of the production that we don’t even notice. Until we do notice that Joe and Jerry are now Josephine and Daphne, and safe from danger… for a bit, anyway. But it’s that one moment—among many amazing moments in this production—that really stunned me, that really seemed magical. In fact, it was like one of those magic tricks when the magician tells the audience what they’re going to do—and then stun the audience with the magic they just supposedly explained away. The audience of Some Like It Hot knows the story that’s about to play out. They know the transformation that needs to happen. But when it does happen, it’s still surprising to see it.

While the whole show hinges on this one moment, all that comes before and after makes for a wonderful evening at a show, too. As I said, Nicholaw’s choreography is killer. The entire ensemble can dance—from railway station numbers to nightclub high-leg kicks to an uproarious piece in a hotel lobby led by Edward Juvier, the audience could hardly hold back their delighted applause until each song’s finish.

The cast of Some Like It Hot at Cadillac Palace

Tarra Conner Jones—a relative newcomer to the stage, as she spent more than two decades as a schoolteacher—commands the attention of the audience, and of the fictional ladies’ band she conducts, as Sweet Sue.

And Leandra Ellis-Gaston takes on perhaps the most daunting role in the production, playing Sugar Kane. Tasked with filling such high heels as those originally worn by Marilyn Monroe in the Wilder film, Ellis-Gaston makes Sugar her own—beautiful as a leading lady in the show and in the show’s traveling band, but also vulnerable and approachable, both qualities displayed in the tender nostalgia of “At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee.”

Some Like It Hot is an absolute joy—brimming with sharp wit, hilarious moments, and timeless charm. This production is full of tender nostalgia—with its setting in an era none of us were ever alive to know and its adoption and adaptation of a beloved cinema classic. But it’s also a very honest and modern take, using the past to address the present. It’s all of these things, it does them all well, and you can see them happen in Some Like It Hot, running now through November 3rd at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. 

It’s often quoted in reviews that we are unworthy of such beauty or splendor the arts and humanities afford us. The turn of phrase elicits images of Wayne and Garth of Wayne’s World bowing at the feet of Alice Cooper, or a dashing Bridgerton man dropping to a knee at the feet of a lithe debutante to profess his unworthiness of her affections. But in a world that increasingly takes more and more from us, we mere mortals, I challenge that we are worthy. We are worthy of beauty, of art, of the humanities. We are worthy to see the amalgamation of when talented artists bring a work of fiction to a stage, to hear clever prose intermingled with catchy musical numbers, and be visually wowed and transported out of our reality, if only for a few short hours. We are worthy of magic. And magic is precisely what Cadillac Palace Theatre is granting us in Death Becomes Her, the musical, now playing through June 2nd.

(l to r): Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton), Jennifer Simard (Helen Sharp)

Death Becomes Her, hailed as musical comedy revitalized, is a new musical adaptation based on the 1992 Universal Pictures movie of the same name. When a novelist loses her man to a movie star and former friend, she winds up in a psychiatric hospital. Years later, she returns home to confront the now-married couple, looking radiant. Her ex-husband's new wife wants to know her secret and discovers that she has been taking a mysterious, magical potion which grants eternal life to the person who drinks it. The actress follows suit but discovers that immortality has a price in this supernatural, dark comedy. Producer and writer Marco Pennette transformed the play for the theater, which is directed and choreographed by Tony-nominated Christopher Gattelli. Tony Award nominees Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty take the lead roles as Helen Sharp and Madeline Ashton, the former friends competing for the same man’s affection and finding a solution that is simply to die for. Renowned stage actor Christopher Sieber and millennial’s goddess Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child round out the cast as Dr. Ernest Menville and Viola Van Horn (que thunder and lightning). It’s a dark comedy essential to add to any playbill collection.

Christopher Sieber (Ernest Menville)

Few Broadway shows, let alone any play, have had such an illustrious reception in Chicago. The gays, the theys, girlies young and old, allies and kings all donned their best summer theatre attire to attend last night’s performance, all dutifully in their seats the moment the play started with a literal CRASH of magenta-hued thunder. Lightning struck and we were all worthy to be transported to the magical world of New York City to follow the story of best frenemies Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp. For the entire run time of 2 hours and 30 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission), Chicagoans were treated to an artistic cornucopia for the senses. The live orchestra playing catchy tunes, lavish scene and stage designs, alluring and dramatic costume designs, the illusion and fight sequencing, the lighting, the makeup, the sound, the dancing and musical arrangements, the orchestration, every single solitary artistic element left the audience spellbound and awestruck. Brought to life with the incredible talents of the four main cast members, supported by an inclusive, talented, and drop-dead gorgeous ensemble cast, Death Becomes Her is sure to be a powerhouse on the Broadway circuit for decades to come.

The cast of Death Becomes Her

In addition to the production quality and value delivered, what makes this adaptation so flawless is the story itself. The elegant-gothic motifs in Death Becomes Her are timeless and hold up in 2024 just as well as it did in 1992; beautiful women feeling the pressure of unrealistic societal beauty standards and attempting to defy the natural order of aging, friends as fierce rivals and competitors, love triangles, and the desire to remain as we are, to stop time. While Death Becomes Her might not be able to defy gravity, it does stop time for a blissfully fun three hours. And that is pretty damn magical.

Balanced with witty banter, clever one-liners, raunchy humor, and exceptionally timed comedic delivery, Death Becomes Her is exactly the realistic escapism we need in our chaotic world and one we are all supremely worthy to behold. The musical comedy is now playing at The Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W Randolph St, Chicago) through June 2nd. Get your tickets today before they magically disappear.

“The Wiz”, a retelling of the classic, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the perfect show for its time when it opened on Broadway in 1975. Despite a closing notice posted on its opening night, it went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. This was in large part due to the tenacity of its 32-year-old African American producer (more on him later).  It made household names of its stars, Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Hinton Battle replacing Comedian Stu Gilliam as the Scarecrow, Ted Ross as the cowardly lion and André De Shields as The Wizard. Written by William F. Brown with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, the show’s message of self-reliance and determination coupled with hope and empowerment was a powerful antidote to the cynicism and despair in America. The collaboration between Brown, Smalls and choreographer George Faison created an honest, heartwarmingly innocent production full of humor, excitement and most of all, heart.

Well, “The Wiz” has grown up and with it comes some growing pains.

I admire Amber Ruffin. She was a smart comedian on “The Daily Show” and a skilled comedy writer. She did an excellent job with “Some Like It Hot”.  The Wiz creates different challenges. I can understand a backstory in song, but the additional dialogue seemed to weight this production down. The pace was completely off in the first act.  I didn’t find the backstory of the Scarecrow, Tin Man or Lion very interesting or necessary.  As a child I felt the trio were characters Dorothy met along the way to the Emerald City nothing more. As I got older, I realized these characters could be seen as symbolic representations of different aspects of Dorothy’s personality. If additional material was needed I would have much rather Ruffin look forward than backwards. If these characters needed more story, I want to know where they are going, not where they’ve been. I would have liked the Wizard to be clearer in his explanation of why he was leaving OZ, seems kind of crude on his part.

There is a wealth of talent in this cast. Chicago’s own Melody A. Betts shines in the dual role of Aunt Em/Evillene. Deborah Cox as Glinda the Good Witch was another standout. I would suggest the ladies in this cast find the emotional depth rather than relying on vocal acrobatics. Runs and riffs convey vocal ability, which we know this cast has, it does not convey emotion.

I loved Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy. I’m sure with time she will understand the emotional journey Dorothy is on and her moments will come organically. Lewis has quite the voice. If Lewis learns to trust the music and lyrics, they can inform her emotional state. There were a few times, Lewis was ahead or behind the music because of her insistence on showing her musical range. Some of her vocal runs were self-serving and it took away from the emotional intensity. Sometimes it’s more powerful to whisper.

Avery Wilson has a sweet voice as The Scarecrow. I would have loved to hear him sing “I Was Born on The Day Before Yesterday” It would have given more depth to his character and I’m sure he would have risen to the task. The powers that be opted for the safe and popular “You Can’t Win”. (from the movie).

I would have loved to see more “mean” in Kyle Ramar Freeman’s lion, but his voice made up for any shortcomings. He was bold and entertaining if a bit corny, but I’ll allow it.

Phillip Johnson Richardson brought joy with his every move. It’s interesting, the character searching for a heart gave the most heartfelt performance of the evening. His “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” was a touching lament.

The costumes for this show are top-notch, although for the life of me, I don’t understand what Costume Designer Sharen Davis was going for with the Lion’s costume. Someone in the audience yelled as Glinda was exiting the stage …. “It’s the dress for me!” It was also the hair, wigs and make-up, excellent job.

The visuals did not stop there. The set, with projections by Daniel Brodie, scenic design by Hannah Beachler and lights by Ryan J. O’Gara brought this world, whether in black and white Kansas, A New Orleans style street celebration or an Afro-Centric Emerald City made to be dismantled, to life. No detail was too small. Grand set pieces moved with ease and precision. This is a big production.

As I’ve said before, this is a talented group. I was slightly underwhelmed by the tornado scene. It seemed very tame. Well done, but tame. The choreography by Jaquel Knight, a relative newcomer to the Broadway stage had some truly exciting elements to it and I see his influence growing.

This production will find the sweet spot between old and new. It will find the proper pacing and it will have an extended run in New York. How do I know? It’s gonna be a new show when it leaves Chicago.

Ease on down and see The Wiz!

Post Note:

This show has more than 50 producers, which brings me back to the 32-year-old sole producer of “The Wiz” circa 1974, In 1971, Kenneth Harper was an ex - disc jockey at WPIX radio in New York City. He came up with a concept to take the Frank L. Baum Book “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ” which then became a movie starring Judy Garland and turn it into a Top 40’s style Black musical comedy.  He noticed in the top ten songs on Billboard or Cashbox, at least 5 of them were by black artist. The Motown sound was marketable, and it was selling to Blacks as well as Whites. Kenneth Harper commissioned William F. Brown (a white guy) to adapt the “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” for an African American cast and Charlie Smalls to write the music. For the next three years Kenneth Harper shopped this concept to anyone who would listen. He finally found a buyer in 20^th Century Fox. In exchange for the all the rights of the production (film, publishing, album) they gave Kenneth Harper $650K with a 20% overcall (which he would need) After a tryout in Baltimore, “The Wiz” opened on Broadway to horrible reviews. Instead of calling it quits, Kenneth Harper did something extremely rare for the time. He used the 20% overcall and brought radio and television ads. It was not standard practice for Broadway shows to advertise on radio and TV. In New York City you couldn’t listen to the radio without hearing an ad for “The Wiz”, same with television. A week later The Wiz was selling out. They won 7 Tony awards, and the rest is history.

Kenneth Harper died January 22, 1988, at the age of 48.

It breaks my heart to imagine what could have been.

I’m donating in Kenneth Harper’s name to Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS                                            

I don’t want his memory lost; quasars come along so very rarely.

If you’d like to donate the link is below

https://donate.broadwaycares.org/give/140654/#!/donation/checkout

When: Through Dec. 10

Where: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Tickets: $55-$195 at 800-775-2000 and www.broadwayinchicago.com

Phone rings, door chimes, in comes Company! The new, gender-swapped revival, that is.

Known more for his fully scored, more epic musicals like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim packs a big punch in this unconventional little musical about the dichotomy between single and married life — and it’s as fresh and funny in the 2020s as it was when it premiered in 1970.

Company is hilarious and moving in equal measure. It’s human and messy, yet gloriously refined through Sondheim’s music, lyrics, and storytelling.

Arguably the first musical surrounding a concept instead of a plot, Company opens a Pandora’s box exploring all the trade-offs between being married and being single. The songs and scenes detail the pros and cons of both marriage and bachelorhood, with everything tied together and grounded through the character of Bobbi — played with charisma and vulernability by Britney Coleman — the lone bachelorette in a sea of partnered-up friends, who’s about to turn 35 and is still waffling over what she wants out of life.

The North American Tour of COMPANY. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

In the 1970 version, Bobby is a bachelor. In this gender-swapped revival, which premiered in London’s West End in 2018 and on Broadway in 2021, Bobbi is a bachelorette. Both versions are entertaining, enlightening, and have insightful things to say about love. While the 1970 version was, undoubtedly, ahead of its time, the revival brings a modern touch — and a slight Alice in Wonderland flair — that connects the characters to today’s audiences.

The topic of, or should I say battle between, singledom versus settling down is endlessly mineable. Bobbi likes being single because it’s carefree. But after spending time with her married friends, she wonders if she’s missing out on something. Then again, after seeing her friends’ seemingly happy relationships hit rough patches, Bobbi appreciates again the merits of being single.

There’s a song at the top of the show called “Sorry/Grateful”, sung by Bobbi's married friend Harry, explaining how he views marriage. “You’re always sorry / You’re always grateful / You’re always wondering what might have been / Then she walks in”. It’s a wistful, reflective number that speaks to the dissatisfaction we’re apt to feel no matter what side of the fence we’re on.

Derrick Davis as Larry, Judy McLane as Joanne and Britney Coleman as Bobbie in the North American Tour of COMPANY. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

The ensemble is strong in this production. The characters of Bobbi’s married friends carry the show as much as Bobbi does. Their conversations and quips about relationships show the true, full, colorful spectrum of married life. The scenes of Bobbi chatting with her friends feel like one-act plays (and, in fact, they kind of are; Sondheim took one-act plays by playwright George Furth and partnered with him to create Company) and show the upsides, downsides, and ridiculous sides to partnering up with someone for life.

Some of the better-known songs include the frantic “Getting Married Today”, sung at breakneck speed by the hilarious Matt Rodin, while experiencing cold feet before his wedding; the instantly recognizable “Ladies Who Lunch”, the 11 o’clock number made famous by Elaine Stritch in the original Broadway production and sung with conviction by the fabulous Judy McLane on this tour; “Another Hundred People”, which serves as a love letter to the chaos of social life in New York City; and “Being Alive”, where everything Bobbi has learned throughout the musical is elegantly summarized.

Don't miss this clever, unique, and truly funny production of one of Sondheim's best.

Company is playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre at 151 W Randolph St. through November 12, 2023. Tickets at the box office or at BroadwayinChicago.com.

We all know him—the Jazz King—the legend who single-handedly transformed music with a trumpet, gravelly voice, and his big dazzling smile. Louis Armstrong is the man who made us and still makes us desire a Wonderful World. As soon as I heard of the new Broadway-bound musical, "A Wonderful World," would have a short (through October 29) pre-Broadway run at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, I canceled my original plans and jumped in a cab to Randolph Street.

There, as the blue clouds fade and the curtains part, you meet Louis Armstrong’s four wives who sing and dance as they tell you about their old Satchmo. The play quickly transitions you into Louis Armstrong’s humble beginnings in the South. You travel back in time to the early 1900s in a poor neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. Armstrong sees his Jewish adoptive father, Mr. Karnofsky, with a cart full of miscellaneous items, and among them is an old trumpet. Louis begins to play and blows Karnofsky away. The show then takes you on his journey as he rises to his title as the “Jazz King.”

Before you know it, you’re whisked away into the prohibition era of the roaring 1920s in the Red Light District called “Storyville” in the heart of New Orleans. The Land of Sin is introduced to you by Armstrong’s first wife, Daisy Parker, who shows you the world of sex, booze, and jazz through dancing and singing. The costumes blew me away with glittery flapper dresses, pinstriped waistcoats, and flat caps.

You learn how Armstrong began his music career in a band called Fate Marable touring on a steamboat in the Mississippi River. At first, Armstrong’s voice was soft and not the voice we all know. This left me to wonder if they cast the wrong actor for the part. Then I quickly was surprised by a dramatic voice change and came to learn that Armstrong’s voice was damaged by his first jazz tour on the Sidney steamboat. The actor’s voice transition was remarkable. He nailed Louis’ warm raspy voice as if it was second nature to him.

The musical carries on as you watch Armstrong shuffle his way through four different wives, multiple skeezy managers, endless tours, and the challenges of racial inequality as a black man in the United States. The show takes you all over the map from New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Queens, New York, with set designs embracing all parts of the United States.

Louis’ life story gets you tangled with mobsters, behind bars in jail, and in music clubs as he plays and sings jazz music. The show captivates you as you reach a critical point in history when the Little Rock Crisis unfolds and Armstrong watches African American children be verbally and physically abused by white Americans for attending desegregated schools.

In response to the chaos, the show breaks your heart with a solemn performance of Louis singing the famous Fats Waller song, “Black and Blue.” Louis Armstrong grows angry and finds himself in a difficult place that could potentially end his career as racial tensions rise. Leaving you to wonder how he will make it through as he balances his passion for jazz and his demand for justice.

Cadillac Palace Theatre is the perfect location for this musical. The theatre opened in Chicago in 1926, just four years after Louis Armstrong moved to Chicago to play jazz music with Joe “King” Oliver. The lobby of the theatre is very rich looking with large gold mirrors and white marble. Every seat was filled in the 2,300-seated auditorium.

The stage accommodates a multi-level set with a spiral staircase and decorative wrought iron railings adorning the stairs and balconies. You seamlessly travel from place to place as the set quickly transforms into a swanky jazz club, a jail cell, the bright lights of the Windy City, and a movie set in Hollywood. The variety of stage props including suitcases, band sets, sofas, and a large office desk quickly glide on and off stage in the blink of an eye.

You feel as though you have traveled back in time and see what it was like to live in America in the 1920s and experience each decade until the early 1970s. Thanks to Toni-Leslie James, the costume design accurately changes with each decade from the dropped waistlines and feathers of the 1920s to the full skirts and sportcoats in the 1950s. It’s also worth mentioning Cookie Jordan’s phenomenal wig and hair design that flows beautifully throughout the musical.

Directed by Christopher Renshaw and conceived by Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine, "AWonderful World" is a hit musical that is an absolute must-see. The perfectly written storyline steadily moves you through Louis Armstrong’s life through song and dance as he pursues a wonderful world through blue notes, scatting, and sheer perseverance.

Out of the 26-member cast, the true star of the show, James Monroe Iglehart embodies Louis Armstrong. He nails every Louis Armstrong gesture and even has a similar smile. It’s almost as if he was resurrected and brought before our eyes with his magnetic charm, musical genius, and unforgettable voice.

This musical had the daunting task of creating music and sound that would closely resonate with the sound of Ambassador Satch’s musical perfection. I feel that it’s safe to say, that this show answered that call with a talented live jazz ensemble and Annastasia Victory’s and Michael O. Mitchell’s flawless music direction. Every cast member sang beautifully and hit every note with perfection. And as they sang they danced away in rhythmic dances around the stage.

There are a variety of dance styles like the Fox Trot and the Boogie-woogie. Each move was on point and added that razzle dazzle we all crave in a musical.
Despite some of the hardships the characters face in the musical, the show lightens it up with some comedic flare. I found myself and the crowd laughing often with some suggestive jokes and witty clap backs. At one point, Louis Armstrong’s character breaks the fourth wall and asks for the audience’s participation in singing one of his famous songs.

The opening show ended with a standing ovation and loud cheering from the crowd. Many people had Big Dipper smiles on their faces and were sharing their amazement at the performance. One crowd member, Ashley Josey said, “I literally could not stop watching. It was so inspirational.” Outside the theatre, my heart felt warm as I watched one audience member dancing and scatting his way across the crosswalk. I gotta say, I think even Pops would be proud of this wonderful, wonderful show.

‘A Wonderful World’ produced by Vanessa Williams opened on Friday, October 13th, and will run until October 29, 2023. Showtimes are 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The runtime is 2 hours and 40 minutes with a brief intermission. Tickets range from $11 to $101 depending on seats. Located at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago at 151 W Randolph Street, drinks and snacks offered at concessions and can be brought into the auditorium. There are also a few items for sale at the merch station including a mug, t-shirt, pin, and more.
Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.louisarmstrongmusical.com/

The above phrase has become a regular one spoken in my home and in the homes of friends in the village of Skokie, first as an inside joke and now as a communal mantra. A mantra of togetherness. A mantra of character. A mantra of love.

That same mantra kept playing in my mind as the Bartlett Sher-directed touring production of Bock and Harnick’s timeless Fiddler on the Roof created a village on the stage of the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Sure, the sets carried us back to turn of the century Eastern Europe. And sure, those beloved songs and that well-known story transport us to the village of Anatekva. But it’s the people who populate that shtetl — and the talented actors of this production who portray them — that bring the village to life.

From the get-go, the face and voice of the village is Yehezkel Lazarov’s Tevye. An Israeli actor and director, Lazarov brings a similar old-world grit and charm to the character that Topol did in the film version. He’s funny and personable, sure, but also tired and wistful and, perhaps, a bit broken as he lays out his life to his audience and his G-d. My favorite number from Fiddler, and the one I most connect with as a father and as someone in a profession that isn’t as profitable as those held by my peers, is “If I Were a Rich Man,” and Lazarov nails it, hitting the humorous notes and the cantorial ones, as well. But beyond his skill at singing and dancing on a Broadway stage, it’s Lazarov’s ability to flesh out Tevye and bring him to life that did it for me.

Tevye’s daughters, played by Mel Weyn (Tzeitel), Ruthy Froch (Hodel), and Natalie Powers (Chava), are the other standouts. Again, as the father and mother of daughters, my wife and I were all too familiar with the complex mix of side-eye glances, huffiness, and adoration that Tevye’s girls show him. Weyn, Froch, and Powers nail it when it comes to portraying a family. And they nail it, too, musically. Particularly when the trio takes on “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” their voices blend and their harmonies soar as if they actually are siblings singing together.

The other main roles are adequately filled, as well. Carol Beaugard, as said matchmaker Yente, is a hoot. Maite Uzal effectively plays Tevye’s foil, his acerbic, realistic, and ultimately loving wife, Golde. Jesse Weil, Ryne Nardecchia, and Joshua Logan Alexander all do well as Tevye’s daughters’ suitors.

But it’s the rest of the folks in the cast — the ensemble and the musicians — who really make the village. The bottle dance at the wedding that ends Act I is, for sure, a main highlight. But the village of folks that make up the busyness and beauty behind each of the show’s big numbers is what grabs the eyes and hearts of the audience. Whether it’s the bustling Anatekva of “Tradition,” the drunken Jews and Gentiles who come together if only for a moment in “To Life,” or the specters that haunt “Tevye’s Dream,” the ensemble shines throughout. So, too, does the orchestra, conducted and coordinated by Michael Uselmann and John Mezzio, fill the big shoes that Fiddler’s musical legacy requires. Ionut Cosarca on violin strings us along from the pit, just as and spirited Paul Morland does in his role as the titular Fiddler.

So, to see a new take on a classic this holiday season, and to see a cast of skilled creatives make the village this classic takes, head to the Cadillac Palace Theatre from now until January 6 for Fiddler on the Roof.

When Schönberg and Boublil’s Miss Saigon made its original run in the early 90s, I missed it — too far away to catch a traveling performance, and too young to have seen or even afforded to see it. And back then, I was way too young to have really understood the big, Important (with a capital I) issues the musical raised, or which were raised by its very being. Sure, I knew many of the show’s songs, from the ubiquitous double-CD soundtrack that seemed to exist in the music collection of nearly every person I knew. But like they say, that Miss Saigon was wasted on the young.

So given the chance to see the current touring production currently playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, I sat down not so young, but ready to finally see the show I thought I’d known all those years. And while it was every bit the spectacle I imagined, my experience — and the experiences our world has had — added even more substance and complexity to an already substantial and complex tale.

First, the spectacle. Many of the touring productions coming through Chicago are great but feel pared down compared to shows that would stay for extended periods. Perhaps it’s also the style of recent shows, as well, to be economical and sparse when it comes to stage design. But that’s not the case with this Miss Saigon.

The sets dazzle, with red-light signs flashing, American flags waving, Ho Chi Minh glaring, and chopper blades throbbing. The costumes, too, transport you, to brothels catering to America GIs, huts housing the Vietnamese whose land they’ve overrun, and embassy gates closed to some.

The ensemble dazzles, as well, making the cast seem even larger than it is. Whether it’s said servicemen out for a bit of R&R or the women whose lot in life is to provide it, whether it’s postwar Communist soldiers marching in file, or postwar American men looking to provide for the children fathered half a world away, the cast fills all the roles the show requires, and they fill them well.

The ensemble really earns its pay during the showstopper near the end when Red Concepcion’s pimp, The Engineer, champions that elusive “American Dream” — high-stepping and singing as The Engineer preens and prances. Concepcion’s Engineer takes on even more meaning than perhaps he would have 25 years ago, as the fast-talking, macho-walking archetype who’ll use others — particularly those less powerful than himself — is one fully come to life. So, too, do some of his lines hit hard, especially the added bit about “Cocaine, shotguns, and prayer—hallelujah!” being the American dream, of then or now. But whether portraying the awfulness of yesteryear or that which we now face, Concepcion steals the show.

That’s not to say the rest of the cast isn’t wonderful. Starting the second act, J. Daughtry’s John changes from a typical young Marine at war to a man who’s been changed by the things he saw and did while there. Leading a men’s chorus in “Bui Doi,” a song about the children fathered by American soldiers and “born in strife,” Daughtry’s voice rises above the chorus and the moving pictures of children projected behind him, reaching for the rafters even as it laments the lows of humanity’s inhumanity.

Anthony Festa, as John’s fellow Marine Chris, also subverts the macho American infantryman one would expect. Whether it’s the touching “Wedding Ceremony” he shares with Kim (hauntingly chorused by the female ensemble members into something like a hymn) or his duet with her on “Last Night of the World,” a “song played on a solo saxophone, a crazy sound, a lonely sound,” he cries “a cry that tells us love goes on and on.”

But it is Emily Bautista as Kim whose cry is the loudest, the loveliest, and goes on and on across the Cadillac’s stage. Bautista brings both vulnerability and strength to a role that in lesser hands might very well be engulfed by such a grand staging. From singing to and with Chris of the sun and moon, to telling the son she had with him that “I’d Give My Life for You,” Kim’s life is the focus, from her entrance to her exit.

And everything in between is what will surely take the breath away and break the hearts of anyone in attendance of this production of Miss Saigon, a production that not only shines a light on an unfortunate international moment of the past, but on the continued problems with humanity and inhumanity with which our world still struggles.