Saying Goodbye

I can only imagine what it's like for an actor, director, or stage hand to say goodbye to a show they've worked so hard on. Where you've made friends, gotten comfortable, and put so much of yourself into a role. From all the tears I often see at closings (either in person or on YouTube clips), I think I might have somewhat of an idea.

The last show that I was super attached to was (of course) American Idiot. Even though it wasn't closing, the last time I saw the show I sobbed through the last 20 minutes. Saying goodbye is hard when you love something so much.

Somehow over this year I've become extremely attached to Chicago at the Cumberland County Playhouse. I think it started last year when they released the shows for 2011. I had always wanted to see Chicago and the fact that CCP was putting on the production played a major role in my buying season tickets this year.

Of course, it didn't hurt matters any that I got to know the director of this production of Chicago. John Fionte helped me out in my blogging endeavors by letting me interview him, sending me pictures of some of the set pieces, and sending me the cast list. Also, the YouTube page of CCP posted some great videos interviewing the cast and previewing the music before the show every opened. I blogged about those HERE and HERE. And then of course I saw the show. I posted about seeing it the first time. But then I saw it three other times.

Last night was closing and the last night that I saw the show. There have been some cast changes along the way. The original Billy Flynn, Britt Hancock, left to go on tour with Young Frankenstein. After he left, Jason Ross took over the role of Billy. Last night was the first time I'd seen Jason play the role. Mr. Ross was, of course, wonderful. He always is.

But the most amazing thing about closing night of Chicago was the emotion and excitement that I saw. The audience was fantastic. They were yelling, screaming (okay, I might have been doing a little of that myself) and cheering all through the show. The actors were giving 200%, and you could tell they were giving it everything they had plus, just because it was closing.

Sometimes taking a risk is a good thing. Chicago was a risk for the Playhouse. It's out of their typical "comfort zone." But it was by far one of the best productions I've seen there and from what I saw from the audience, it was appreciated and totally worth the risk.

Saying goodbye to Chicago, for me, was kind of sad. It's like I've lost a child, or a pet. I've been thinking about, blogging about, and seeing Chicago for nearly a year now. Heck, that's longer than my last relationship! But, I know that the Playhouse must move on, open new shows and continue to give us wonderful works of art.

Closing Curtain at Chicago: Picture courtesy of Kyle Guth

As a last note, I hope that the Cumberland County Playhouse continues to take risks. Because if they can pull off such a wonderful production of Chicago, I think almost anything is possible.

Chicago!

Joann Coleman as Velma Kelly

Last night was the opening night for Chicago at the Cumberland County Playhouse. If it hasn't been obvious from the multiple times I've posted about the show, I've been super excited about this production since I first heard that it was going to grace the mainstage at CCP.

Chicago is dark, edgy, and pushing the envelope for the traditionally family oriented theatre that is the Cumberland County Playhouse. But in my honest opinion, Chicago is just what the Playhouse needs to bring in a younger crowd and those who wouldn't normally attend a theatrical performance of any kind. Not to mention it is a fantastic show in and of itself.

One of my favorite things about this production was the lighting. Lighting was used over and over again to set the stage, the mood, the emotions of different aspects of the show. While I tend to like glitter and glitz in the literal sense, the lighting is what gave the show its sparkle. The set was simple, for the most part, but very effective in it uses. In combination with the lighting of the show, it was like walking into a seedy 1920s dive bar. Basically, it was perfect.

The costume designs were amazing. I know that it was very important to the powers that be at CCP to keep the show as conservative as possible in the costuming (one of the issues when you are running a "family" theatre). But in all honesty, they costumes were what I expected. They weren't nearly as conservative as I expected that they would be, but by no means were they inappropriate (mind you, I wouldn't take a very young child to this show...but I wouldn't have done that no matter who was doing the production; it's an adult show). I love that every single person in the cast had a different costume. It always amazes me how they can look the same, but totally different at the same time.

Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart were played by Joann Coleman and Ali Gritz, respectively. Both were amazing (as I knew they would be, since I saw them in Little Shop of Horrors). My biggest problem with the two of them was that when they were both on stage at the same time I had major issues determining who I should be watching! Coleman's disgruntled, turned desperate Velma was amazing. Her voice alone is worth going to see the show, and add in her fantastic acting and ability to command the stage and you had a perfectly cast lead role. Gritz played Roxie as innocence and sexuality all rolled into one. One second she was scared innocent, the next second she was immature and entitled. There were times when she would walk out on stage and I would stop watching whatever else was going on, simply to see what her next facial expression would be.

Daniel Black played the lovable "Mr. Cellophane," Amos Hart. Black had the amazing ability to make you relate to his character in any role he plays. This was no different. You can't help but feel pity and embarrassment for Amos Hart as he is played by his wife and her lawyer simply to bend him to their needs.

Slick lawyer, Billy Flynn was played by Britt Hancock. He had some of the best performances in the show, including "All I Care About" and "Razzle Dazzle." Hancock has the ability to make you love the character, even though you know that he's only doing the things he does for the love of the money and fame. Should you hate the character? Sure. But you can't. I was right when I said that he'd be the perfect Billy Flynn. He was.

The supporting cast, both male and female, were amazing. I've come to expect nothing less from the Cumberland County Playhouse. Choreography was by Leila Nelson and was beautiful. There were times when the choreography got across the edgy bits of the show that couldn't be spoken in words. With the talent of the dancers to go with the choreography, it made for several amazing ensemble performances, one of which was "We Both Reached For The Gun," which was the best number in the entire show, hands down.  

                      

There were so many other amazing performers in the show that I wish I could list them all individually. Just know that this show is more than worth seeing. I'll be seeing it again tomorrow, and I have no doubt several other times between now and when it's run ends on October 7th. My advice: click HERE and get tickets now. You won't regret it.



Chicago-Music Preview

Chicago opens tomorrow night at the Cumberland County Playhouse. I won't be seeing it until Saturday night, but I hope they "break a leg" on opening night and I have no doubt that they will. In preparation for Chicago's opening, the Cumberland County Playhouse has been posting You Tube videos of different things. I've already reposted some of them, but this one is fairly new. It is one of the practice sessions for the "pit."

It is amazing because every performance at the Playhouse has live music. Smaller theaters tend to part with live musicians in favor of tracts to save money. But not the Playhouse. Even in their times of financial crisis, they still have live music. I think that is noble and wonderful. Because truth of the matter is that live music is just better in a theatre performance. Period.

So, enjoy this video clip of the musicians performing the Entreact from Chicago. And remember it opens Thursday, July 21st. Get your tickets HERE.

Chicago Video Interviews

The Cumberland County Playhouse now has a YouTube channel. They've recently posted interviews with both the lead male and lead female cast members of the upcoming production of Chicago.

I've posted both videos below. Don't forget that Chicago opens this Thursday, July 21st. You can get your tickets HERE, follow them on facebook HERE, and on Twitter HERE.

Chicago Set Preview

A little sneak peek at the set? Absolutely!

Less than a week until opening night. Be sure and get your tickets to see Chicago at the Cumberland County Playhouse. It opens July 21st and runs through October 7th.

You can purchase tickets by clicking HERE or by calling 931-484-5000 

You can also follow the official blog of the Cumberland County Playhouse, or find them on Twitter ( @CCPlayhouse ).

Once again, thank to John Fionte, director of Chicago, for emailing me these pictures. I can't wait to see the finished production!

Interview with John Fionte

I was blessed enough to get to do an interview with the director of Chicago, which is opening at the Cumberland County Playhouse on July 21st. John Fionte is a very busy man right now, directing Chicago, acting in Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, and directing Little Shop of Horrors. I'm almost positive he's doing ten million other things at the Playhouse as well, but I don't know exactly what those things are. However, rest assured that I was lucky that John had the time to answer these questions for me. :)

*For the rest of this post, anything in BOLD is John Fionte. Anything in regular script is me.


Cara, thanks so much for your energy, enthusiasm and support of "Chicago!" And thanks for your blog, in general... It's always refreshing to discover someone who devotes so much energy to something purely out of love for the art form. And that helps jaded old pros like me remember that we can actually affect others with our work! :)

1. So far, how has the community been reacting to the news that Chicago is coming to the Playhouse?

The buzz that I've heard has been almost overwhelmingly positive... from virtually all demographics. There seems to be a great deal of excitement about the show. If I were to guess why, the reason's probably two-fold: one, the title has HUGE cachet, especially since the movie was released in 2002 (and the show's been running forever in NYC); and two, it's new to our audience, and has an aura of excitement (dare I say edginess?) about it. While I won't pretend that every single person I've spoken to is enthusiastic about it - and it's certainly NOT for everyone (it's edgy, it's sexy, and it has mature themes, situations and language) - anticipation seems very high.

2. I've never seen Chicago (other than the movie) before. What types of things have you changed from the Broadway version?

Well, I've made far fewer changes to the play than the movie did! Actually, I think I've been pretty faithful to the spirit of the original production (which I was fortunate enough to see, WAY back in the day). As a director, I always try to focus on the story that's being told... and I hope that I've made the plot and the characters' journeys central to the production. As much as I enjoyed the film, I felt that it sometimes sacrificed story for the sake of spectacle. In the Playhouse production, I want to give equal weight to both of those elements.

3. Can you give me any info on the set design? I'm anxious to see what ideas you've come up with.

I'll see if I can break away from rehearsal in the next couple of days and snap some photos of the set as it's being finished up. In the meantime, I'll hit some of the main points of the design (and the design process). In some ways, the Chicago set is the exact opposite of my design for A Little Night Music. That set was very specific in terms of its location (Sweden) and its time period (the creative team agreed on 1908), so the backdrop was based on a photograph of an actual birch forest in Sweden, the lines of the set were unmistakably Art Nouveau, and the paint style was based on art styles appropriate to the period, like impressionism. Additionally, the set was in almost constant motion, with set changes being as carefully choreographed as dance numbers, in order to provide a counterpoint to the show's many scenes of Bergman-esque stillness,

My set for Chicago, on the the other hand, is deliberately neutral in its lines and is for the most part, static. There aren't a lot of "set changes," and different locations are suggested by lights, or the addition of simple pieces of furniture, or sometimes just by the way the actors are placed on the stage. The script often specifies the location of a scene as "limbo," so I didn't want to get too literal. Chicago's songs and scenes are in constant motion, so I felt a stationary setting would better suit that visual style.

That being said, I don't want to imply that the set ISN'T impressive! It's huge, has lots of levels, lots of lights... and a deep, richly textured paint treatment (black pearl with gold accents). It's slick, stylish and glitzy... just like the show itself.

4. Costumes. What can you give me about costumes? The time period is very distinct. Please tell me there are a lot of sequins and sparkle.

I can certainly promise lots of sparkle, though I can't promise that it all comes from sequins! Neither the original Broadway production nor its subsequent revivals were particularly bound by period details... I'd say they were more period-influenced than period-specific. That's the case with the Playhouse production, as well. There are lots of elements of the huge costume plot that are very specifically 1920s, but the overall look of the show is more contemporary. And that's a deliberate, thematic choice. As you know, the 1926 play Chicago (on which the musical was based) was inspired by actual people and events. When the musical premiered in 1975, its representation of these people, their behavior, and their reception by the public must have seemed quaint, distant and unusual to the audiences of the 70s. Flash forward to 2011, and those same behaviors (the elevation of criminals to celebrity status, the media reveling in and gleefully detailing "bad behavior") seem neither foreign nor archaic. So our design plot is a bit more neutral, in a (hopefully) subtle attempt to make the story more resonant with contemporary audiences.

5. It's less than two weeks until opening night. What types of things are you working on with the show right now? With sets? In rehearsals? In other areas?

The set is pretty much entirely built and the final paint details should be finished by the end of this week. Rebel and Renee have been sewing their fingers to the bone and their costumes are right on schedule. The show has now been completely choreographed (the primary focus of the past 7 - 10 days), and now my attention will once again turn to the book scenes and the large task of working all of the production's discrete elements into a cohesive whole. My main goal in the coming week will be to get the show functioning like a well-oiled machine, so that when the technical elements are added in the final week, they won't create any distraction or disruption at all. :)

6. Anything else you want to share with us about the show?

Chicago is a great show. It has remained wildly popular for nearly forty years and has been seen by millions of people. And that's not counting the millions more who have only seen the movie. I'm thrilled by the opportunity to help bring it to life on the Playhouse stage. And I'm very grateful for the chance to talk about it with you and share my enthusiasm with your readers.

Thanks to John for taking the time to answer my questions. You may want to check out the official blog for the Cumberland County Playhouse. It's fairly new, but I have a feeling will have some great information on it as time goes by.

Chicago is playing at the Cumberland County Playhouse from July 21th thru October 7th. You can purchase tickets online by clicking HERE, or by calling the Playhouse at 931-484-5000.

CCP's Chicago Cast List

So, I'll admit it... I have some insider knowledge on an upcoming production at the Cumberland County Playhouse. July 21st, is opening night for CCP's production of Chicago. And, man, am I excited about it! I've never seen this play, but the movie has been a favorite of mine for years. The movie had an amazing cast and I loved the story as well as the music.

When I found out that the Playhouse was going to do Chicago this year I was ecstatic. I keep wanting to see Chicago on Broadway, but no one ever seems to want to go with me. Apparently everyone's already seen it but me. Go figure.

Not long ago, John Fionte, who will be directing the production, stumbled across my blog. We got to talking about Chicago and he was kind enough to let me know when he got the show cast, so I could get a sneak peek into what's coming up. Thanks John!

Velma and Roxie. Oh, our two leading ladies. I've been told that they will be played by Joann Coleman and Ali Gritz, respectively. When I saw them in Little Shop of Horrors, cast as part of the singing trio, I loved them. I have no doubt that they have been cast well for Chicago.

Amos Hart, Roxie's husband will be played by Daniel Black. Smooth talking attorney, Billy Flynn will be played by Britt Hancock. I've seen both of them in several productions at the playhouse. Also well cast. I actually had a discussion with a friend of mine several months ago that I thought Britt Hancock would play a fantastic Billy Flynn. Who called it?? I did! :)

Rounding out the main cast are Lauren Marshall Murphy as Mamma Morton and K'ieu Quillar as Mary Sunshine. I've seen Lauren in several Playhouse productions and always enjoy her performances. Quillar is new to me. I don't believe I've ever seen her in a show before.

The rest of the cast are almost all familiar names to me, with only a few exceptions. The Merry Murderesses of the Cook County Jail are Nicole Begue-Hackman as Liz, Lindy Pendzick at Annie, Wesley Webster as June, Caitlin Schaub as Hunyak, and Jensen Crain as Mona.

The rest of the cast are as follows:

Sgt. Fogarty/Martin Harrison = Greg Pendzick

Kitty/M.C. = Regina Villaruz/Debra Graham

Fred Casely = Michael Ruff

Harry/Judge = Nathaniel Hackman

Aaron = Keith McCoy

Court Clerk = Chaz Sanders

Men's Ensemble

Nathaniel Hackman         Keith McCoy

Greg Pendzick              Austin Price

Michael Ruff                   Chaz Sanders

Derek Wagner

Women's Ensemble

Eleanor Aiken       Nicole Begue-Hackman

Jensen Crain        Erin Curry

Debra Graham       Lindy Pendzick

Caitlin Schaub      Regina Villaruz

Weslie Webster

I am betting on a top-notch production and I can't wait to see the final production. Stay tuned to this blog. I may have some other snippets of information from this production. Maybe even an interview. :)