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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

ACT OUT OPENING: Anything Goes at Cadillac Palace #BroadwayinChicago




ChiIL Live Shows will be there for opening night tonight and we'll have a full review up shortly.    Click here for discount tickets through Goldstar.




Anything Goes

Theatre : Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago Illinois
Dates : April 23, 2013 - May 05, 2013




"ALL ABOARD for this saucy and splendid production of Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES, winner of three 2011 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival and Choreography! One of the greatest musicals in theater history, Cole Porter's first-class musical comedy is sailing to Chicago, starring critically-acclaimed actress Rachel York as Reno Sweeney and directed and choreographed by Tony Award® winner Kathleen Marshall. The New York Times calls it "Musical-Comedy Joy" and USA Today hails it as "Glorious and Exhuberant!" When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention get tossed out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love?proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. Peppering this timeless classic are some of musical theatre's most memorable standards, including "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "You're the Top," and of course, "Anything Goes." Don't miss what the AP exclaims as, "So Delightful, So Delicious, So De-Lovely!"

Packed with memorable tunes, Cole Porter's Anything Goes has embarked on a national tour following its Tony-winning Broadway revival in 2011. The timeless tale of boy-meets-girl -- and the roller coaster ride that follows -- showcases Porter's signature wit and masterful composition with songs like "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top." The show centers on Billy Crocker (Erich Bergen), who's hopelessly in love with a wealthy heiress. When he sees her boarding a boat to London, he throws caution to the wind and becomes a stowaway. Madcap hijinks ensue when his fellow passengers, including sexy evangelist-turned-nightclub-singer Reno Sweeney (played by Broadway vet Rachel York) and second-rate gangster Moonface Martin (Fred Applegate of Sister Act and Young Frankenstein), decide to help Billy win his true love.    




SAVE THE DATE: Tixs on Sale THIS Friday OH BOY! BUDDY – THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY COMES TO CHICAGO JUNE 18 – 30





STAGE MUSICAL INCLUDES OVER TWENTY OF 
BUDDY HOLLY AND ROCK & ROLL’S 
GREATEST HITS

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 26

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that individual tickets for the musical BUDDY – THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY go on-sale to the public Friday, April 26, 2013 at 10 a.m.  Based on the life of rock legend Buddy Holly, BUDDY will play Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph) for a limited engagement June 18 – 30, 2013.

In just three short years, Buddy Holly set the music world on fire and forever changed the face and sound of rock and roll. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story charts his meteoric climb, legendary adventures and tragic fall on the fateful day the music died. Armed with a Fender Stratocaster guitar, his signature specs and a charismatic blend of rockabilly swagger, Buddy explodes onto the stage in this jukebox musical fully loaded with classics “Peggy Sue,” “Oh Boy,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Well All Right,” “Not Fade Away” and many more with an encore that will have you on your feet and dancing in the aisles.

BUDDY will be directed and choreographed by Norb Joerder with music direction by John “Jockey” Banister and creative consultation by Matt Salisbury.  Casting will be announced at a later date.

About Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story
One of the first jukebox musicals, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story has been seen by millions of fans in fifteen countries around the world, including the United States.  The musical premiered in London’s West End in October, 1989, where it ran for twelve years and over 5,000 performances, A Broadway production followed in 1990.  The score includes over twenty of rock and roll’s greatest hits by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and more.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
The performance schedule for BUDDY is as follows:
Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays at 2 & 7:30 p.m. (no matinee performance on June 19)
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays at 2 & 8 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m. (additional performance on June 23 at 7:30 p.m.)
Please note: Ticket prices and performance schedule are subject to change.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for BUDDY at the Cadillac Palace Theatre range from $22-$85.  A select number of premium seats are also available for many performances. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.  Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

THE BUNNY THE BEAR PREMIERE “IN LIKE FLYNN” MUSIC VIDEO ON VEVO (4/24)




THE BUNNY THE BEAR have teamed up with VEVO to premiere the music video for "In Like Flynn", the single from their third studio album, Stories. Based loosely on the famous Shel Silverstein tale "The Giving Tree", the video depicts the give and take relationship between a girl and her tree. Featuring master puppeteers Amber Marsh and Lolly Extract, The Bunny and The Bear marionettes are brought to life, providing visual theatrics to an already energetic, hypnotically melodic track. Watch "In Like Flynn" here and be transported into another world.
See THE BUNNY THE BEAR on their headlining tour now as they pass through over twenty-five cities in support ofStories.
CLICK HERE FOR TOUR DATES



“Mixed with an eclectic blend of top heavy guitar riffs, vocal fury, techno dance beats, and the occasional melodic mix of all these elements, Stories is the another colorful notch in The Bunny The Bear’s musical belt.” - Examiner

“Every song is ridiculously addictive.”Punk Nation
“The Bunny The Bear’s ability to mash the highs with the lows and the screams with the soft melodies is unlike anything you’ve ever heard.” - Alliance Wakeboard Magazine
For fans of: COHEED AND CAMBRIA, BRING ME THE HORIZON, CHIODOS, THE USED


TOUR DATES w/ DECEPTION OF A GHOST:
4/24- Fayetteville, NC. - The Drunk Horse Pub
4/25- Spartanburg, SC. - Ground Zero (w/ Abiotic)
4/26- Douglasville, GA. - The 7 Venue
4/29- Pensacola, FL. - The Handlebar
5/1- Fort Worth, TX. - Tomcats West
5/3- St Louis, MO. - Fubar
5/5- Des Moines, IA. - The Vaudeville Mews
5/7- Sauk Rapids, MN. - Bubbas
5/8- La Crosse, WI. - The Warehouse
5/9- Barrington, IL. - Penny Road Pub
5/10- Portage, IN. - Camelot Bowl
5/11- Kalkaska, MI. -  Kalkaska Recreation Center
5/12- Peoria, IL. - The Brass Rail
5/13- Romeo, MI. - High Octane Lounge
5/14- Toledo, OH. - Frankie's
5/16- Buffalo, NY. - Broadway Joes


 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Fu Manchu LIVE at Double Door Chicago #originalshowshots



Fu Manchu LIVE at Double Door, Chicago 4-9-13    Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiILLiveShows.com






We were stoked to catch Fu Manchu at Double Door earlier this month. 








Stoner Rock Lives.   The show was packed and it was sweet to hear them play The Action Is Go in its entirety.   





Check back like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   We'll have live show video up shortly as well.




Sunday, April 21, 2013

ACT OUT CLOSING: American Idiot #review







American Idiot is Hair for the next generation.   There's a lovable band of misfits, a tragic enlistment storyline, 






















drug use, an inditement of capitalist America, and a celebration of individuality. 



We also dug the side thread about the accidental pregnancy and the social commentary on how much having an infant changes your rock n roll lifestyle.





With a rockin' sound track of Greenday hits, Two Tony Awards, and a 2010 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, it's certainly worth catching.    Chicago's own Northwestern student, Alex Nee, stars.

There's even some fun, wire work!



Of course there are theatre fanatics out there who will only see the A list celeb Broadway shows, but we've seen some seriously sweet touring shows that just blew through town for a week or two.   The sets and costumes are still top notch and despite the fact that there aren't huge draw, famous names in the cast, there's certainly talent and charm.    The touring shows have heart, youthful energy, and the glitz and drama Broadway musicals are renowned for.

It's always a treat to see a show at the ornate Cadillac Palace.   My kids like to play rorschach test with the marble walls and find hidden creatures.   Their fav is "the elephant" at the top of the stairs to the basement in the front, left side of the lobby.




Tickets start at just $18 and half price day of show tickets, or discounts through Hot Tixs or Goldstar are often available.

So go already.


 

American Idiot
Theatre : Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago Illinois
Dates : April 16, 2013 - April 21, 2013
Winner of two Tony Awards® and a Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album, AMERICAN IDIOT features the music of Green Day with the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The book is by Armstrong and Michael Mayer and direction is by Tony Award®-winner Mayer (Spring Awakening). 

AMERICAN IDIOT is the story of three boyhood friends, each searching for meaning in a post 9/11 world. Through incredible spectacle, thrilling performances and with the hope embodied by a new generation, AMERICAN IDIOT has given audiences the time of their lives night after night since its Broadway run at the St. James Theatre and its critically acclaimed national tour, which returns to Chicago this Spring after a critically acclaimed 10-week run in the UK.

Ticket prices are $18 to $85.

Groups of 10+ on sale now! Call 312-977-1710

ACT OUT OPENING: Yellow Moon at Writers' Theatre



Writers’ Theatre presents
Yellow Moon
by David Greig
Directed by Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden,
Featuring Ashleigh LaThrop, John Lister,
Josh Salt and Karen Janes Woditsch,

April 16 – August 4, 2013


 
Featuring Ashleigh LaThrop, John Lister*, Josh Salt and Karen Janes Woditsch*
 
Scenic Designer Kevin Depinet, USA 
Costume Designer  Rachel Anne Healy, USA
Lighting Designer  Lee Fiskness
Original Music and Sound Designer Christopher Kriz, USA 
Properties Designer Nick Heggestad 
Dialect Coach Eva Breneman
Production Stage Manager Rebecca Pechter*
 
*Denotes Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

This is the ballad of Leila and Lee—a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde who learn that they aren’t alone in the world the night that they discover each other. Their wild ramble across the Scottish highlands in search of an absent father is told in a series of lyrical narratives that will immerse audiences in the action, forging a breathless drama of beauty in the darkness.

Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden (Travels With My AuntHesperia) directs this intimate bookstore production.

TICKET INFORMATION
Performances are April 16, 2013 – August 4, 2013. The press openings are Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 7:30 and Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7:30pm. Curtain times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30pm (with select Wednesday 2pm matinees – May 22 & 29, June 5, and July 3 & 24); Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00pm and 6:00pm.  Tickets are $35-$60 and are available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.
 
AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT
Writers’ Theatre is thrilled to announce the expansion of their post-show discussions. Throughout the season they will be offering post-show discussions on select Wednesday evenings following the performance in our Tudor Court space. In the Books on Vernon space they will be offering post-show discussions every other Wednesday evening.
 
Post-show discussions provide a forum for audience members to ask questions of the artists in the production and gain new insight into the work.
 
Post-show discussions for Yellow Moon are every Wednesday evening following the performance: May 8, 22; June 5, 19; and July 3, 17, 31.
 
Visit writerstheatre.org/enrichment for more information.
 
TWEET SEATS
Follow Writers' Theatre on Twitter (Twitter.com/WritersTheatre) and by 3:00pm, when available, Writers' will Tweet a code that can be used to purchase remaining seats for that day’s performance at a discount. When available, Tweet Seats may be purchased only through the Writers' Theatre website atwriterstheatre.org 

WRITERS’ PARTNERS
Writers' Theatre is pleased to welcome back BMO Harris Bank as Season Sponsor of its 2012/13 Season. The Season Sponsor is Mary Winton Green and the Major Production Sponsor for Yellow Moon is Mary Pat Studdert. The Corporate Sponsor Partner is Consolidated Electronic Wire & Cable.
 
Writers' Theatre welcomes back Winnetka’s award-winning Restaurant Michael as Restaurant Partner and Event Sponsor. Writers' Theatre patrons receive 10% off their guest check when they present their ticket stub when ordering. Just 10 minutes from the theater at 64 Green Bay Road, Restaurant Michael is the perfect fit for any dining occasion. Call 847-441-3100 to make your reservation.
 
For more information about Writers' 2012/13 Season Restaurant Partners and offer restrictions visit writerstheatre.org/visitus.

ABOUT WRITERS’ THEATRE
Over the past twenty seasons, Writers' Theatre has become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence. Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers’ Theatre has been deemed the “best drama company in the nation” by the Wall Street Journal and achieved twenty years of surplus operations. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of 35,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry. Prized for the finest interpretations of classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues, Writers’ Theatre’s acclaimed work includes Artistic Director Michael Halberstam’s world premiere in Glencoe and subsequent production of A Minister’s Wife at Lincoln Center Theater; David Cromer’s productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Picnic; and the commissioning, world premiere and New York premiere of Crime and Punishment, which has received more than 30 subsequent regional theater productions.
In July, 2011, Writers’ Theatre announced the hiring of the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by principle Jeanne Gang, FAIA to design a new home for the Theatre in downtown Glencoe which will once again allow the Theatre to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility will resonate with and complement the Theatre’s neighboring Glencoe community and will add tremendous value to Chicagoland and the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.
You can find Writers’ Theatre on Facebook or follow Writers' Theatre on Twitter at Twitter.com/WritersTheatre. For more information, visitwww.writerstheatre.org.
 
 
Title:                 Yellow Moon
Written by:        David Greig
Directed by:      Stuart Carden
                        Featuring:         Karen Janes Woditsch (Jenni/Holly), Josh Salt (Lee),
Ashleigh Lathrop (Leila) and John Lister (Billy/Frank).  
                                               
                                                Dates:              First performance: April 16, 2013

                                               Closing performance: August 4, 2013
           
            Schedule:         Tuesdays: 7:30pm
                                    Wednesdays7:30pm (2:00pm matinees May 22 & 29,
                                    June 5, and July 3 & 24)
            Thursdays & Fridays: 8:00pm 
                                                Saturdays: 4:00pm and 8:00pm
            Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm (no 6pm show May 26, June 2, 9 & 28)
           
                         Location:         Books on Vernon – 664 Vernon Ave, Glencoe
                        Prices:              Prices for all performances range from $35 - $60
                                                Purchase early for best prices   
Box Office:       The Box Office is located at 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe;
            847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org
 
 
 
Notes of Interest:
 
  • Yellow Moon was commissioned by TAG Theatre Company, produced in association with the Citizens' Theatre, and premiered at the Circle Studio of Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow, in September 2006. The play re-toured in 2007, including an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
 
  • Writer David Greig is currently writing the book for the upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical produced by Warner Bros. at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
 
·         Greig’s work has been produced recently in Chicago at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart) and Remy Bumppo Theatre (The Creditors).
 
  • Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden directs in the Writers’ bookstore space for the first time since his hit production of Travels with my Aunt (2010-11).  Like that production, Yellow Moon will transform the space into multiple locations, this time including a small village near the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh, a speeding Land Rover, a placid mountain lake and a small cabin in the Scottish Highlands.
 
  • Actors Ashleigh LaThrop and Josh Salt make their Writers’ debuts alongside Writers’ veterans John Lister (Heartbreak House, As You Like It) and Karen Janes Woditsch (Heartbreak HouseOthello, The Seagull, Butley, and Spite for Spite, among others).


CLOSING: CIMMfest, the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival #CIMMfest13




Last call for CIMMfest fun.   The four-day showcase is winding down and ends today, Sunday 4/21.   We were able to catch a video interview with German filmmaker, Julia Ostertag.   She's garnered critical acclaim for her past political punk documentary Noise and Resistance and her feature film, Saila (punk distopia from Berlin)   She brought the US premier of her latest documentary, And You Belong to CIMMfest this year. 
  
Her feature doc about Scream Club, the queer, electro hip hop girls, played Saturday night at Hideout just prior to the infamous Sister Spit.   We have screeners of all 3 films mentioned above and we'll be running our reviews of those along with our original interview.

We'll also have a photo filled feature on The Funky Meters show, with live shots from the pit at Congress Theater.

The fest was full of outstanding films, energetic concerts, visually stunning VJ/DJ sets, lively Q&A’s, daring live score performances…anything to show just what movies and music mean to each other.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, music, film, and theatre are our passions.   CIMMfest combines them all!   Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   We'll be bringing you all our fest favorites, original content, exclusive interviews, and photo filled features.   So come ChiIL out with us.

CIMMfest was imagined and brought to life by musician Josh Chicoine (Cloudbirds, The M’s) and filmmaker Ilko Davidov (BulletProof Film). Neither knew what he was getting into at the start, but hundreds of films, thousands of attendees and countless incredible experiences later, CIMMfest is a publicized, respected Chicago fixture. 

The program lineup is available at www.CIMMfest.org

“CIMMfest audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience first – and firsthand – an incredible range of movies and music.  We are thrilled to be producing our fifth festival showcasing amazing films and live performances, with much more live music alongside innovative crossover events,” said Josh Chicoine, CIMMfest Co-Director, with Ilko Davidov. “We are happy to bring satellite venues like The Hideout, The Burlington, the Music Box and the brand new Constellation to our main drag: Milwaukee Avenue from Wicker Park to Logan Square. CIMMfest is unique in that we truly aim to highlight the crossover of film and song, movies and music, past, present and future, in the best city on earth. Along with our board of directors, staff, partners, sponsors, friends and supporters, we are thrilled to be curating these amazing four days in April!”


CIMMCon
New this year is the launch of CIMMCon, a dynamic professional and entrepreneurial industry conference, presented in association with Columbia College Chicago and the Engineering and Recording Society of Chicago (EARS).  CIMMCon will offer, at no charge, compelling presentations from industry professionals, film icons, artist entrepreneurs and music makers, including Keynote Speaker Martin Atkins (Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Public image Limited, Killing Joke) renowned for his candor regarding the music business.   More information on CIMMCon programming will be announced shortly.  

COMPETITION 
For the fifth year, most films will be up for competition, with awards given to the Best Feature Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Fictional Feature, Best Short Fiction and Best Music Video. The esteemed jury consists of: award-winning documentary filmmaker Jeff Scheftel; two-time Emmy Award©-winning Executive Producer at VH1, Warren Cohen; co-founder and chief content wrangler at MusicFilmWeb.com, Andy Markowitz; Film Presence’s director of marketing, Sara Kiener; WBEZ 91.5FM arts and culture reporter, Alison CuddyChair of the Film & Video Department at Columbia College Chicago, Professor Bruce Sheridan; film critic and essayist Ignatiy Vishnevetsky; and film director and contributing editor atFilmmaker Magazine, Brandon Harris.

FESTIVAL TICKETS & VENUES 
All-Access Festival passes, priced at $79, are now available at www.CIMMfest.org.  Festival passes not only offer a substantial savings on individual tickets but provide access to four days of outstanding premiere films, concerts, Q&As, performances, after parties and more.  Single tickets are priced at $10-$12 (Some events are discounted for students with valid ID); most special events are priced at $15.  Concerts are priced per venue.  

Festival venues include: The Burlington (3425 W. Fullerton Avenue), CIMMCity Headquarters (2634 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Cole’s (2838 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Comfort Station (2579 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Congress Theater (2135 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Constellation (formerly the Viaduct, 3111 N. Western Avenue), Double Door (1572 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Elastic Arts (2830 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Green Eye (2403 W. Homer Avenue), Heaven Gallery (1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia), Logan Square Studio (2341 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Logan Theatre (2646 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Loyola University Crown Center Auditorium (1032 W. Sheridan Road), the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport Avenue), Northwestern Block Cinema (40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston), Rosa’s Lounge (3420 W. Armitage Avenue), The Society for Arts (1112 N. Milwaukee Avenue), Subterranean (2011 W. North Avenue), Township (2200 N. California Avenue), Underbar (3243 N. Western Avenue), and The Whistler (2421 N. Milwaukee Avenue). 

Corporate and Community sponsors of CIMMfest No. 5 include Columbia College Chicago, ACME Hotel, Ticketfly, ABKCO, Wicker Park Bucktown SSA #33, the Logan Theatre, the Music Box Theatre, The Society for Arts and Eagle Rock Entertainment.

A recent Driehaus Foundation Grant winner, CIMMfest is a Non-profit 501(c)3 organization.  For information on how to get involved, visit www.CIMMfest.org.

ABOUT CIMMFEST
The mission of the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival (CIMMfest) is to highlight the inseparability of film and music through the production of an annual four-day, multi-venue festival. CIMMfest is a convergence event that highlights the interconnectedness of all people shown through the lens of music and movies, on stage and on screen.  All participating films have music at their center: short and long form documentaries and narrative fiction; concert films; animation; music videos; performances; live concert events; art exhibits; and panel discussions, presented at both new and historic venues around Chicago.  CIMMfest is a platform for filmmakers and musicians, artists and producers, to present their vision and offer a connection point for people to come together for a celebration of movies, music and good times in the greatest city on earth – Chicago!  For more information, visitwww.CIMMfest.org.

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