Here are some pieces I’m proud of that aren’t reviews, rants or random youtube video postings.
Interviews:
A quick chat with Jim Caruso, of ‘Jim Caruso’s Cast Party’
April 7, 2011
Jim Caruso is what you’d call a “born entertainer.” While he made his Broadway debut singing and dancing alongside his good friend Liza Minnelli in Liza’s At The Palace! in 2008, the singer/dancer/host/entertainer perhaps is best known for is his nightclub work. Read more >
Chicago Theatre Addict featured in Sun-Times’ ‘Our Town’ blog
April 5, 2011
The fabulous Sarah Terez Rosenblum interviewed me for her blog, Our Town, which is part of Chicago Sun-Times online. If you want to learn how a prostitute formed my early love of theatre, among other unseemly such and such, read on >
A conversation with Jessica Redish, founding artistic director of The Music Theatre Company
March 1, 2011
Jessica Redish loves musical theatre. When talking about the art form, her speech speeds up to the point the mind reels — and I love it. Because, I, too, am a fan of the showtunes. But for Redish, it’s not just about the music — oh no. “It’s cathartic,” she says. “Musical theatre offers this unique synthesis of text, music and dramatic moment — and the result is nothing short of thrilling!” This is probably the reason Redish founded The Music Theatre Company — a new artistic group devoted to producing musical theatre in the Highland Park area.
Read more >
Tooting his own horn: an interview with Chicago musician and music arranger Carey Deadman
Jan. 3, 2011
It’s been a busy holiday break for Chicago-based musician Carey Deadman. While most of us were stuffing ourselves silly with cookies and reruns of “A Christmas Story,” he spent the break fixing musical arrangements for Drury Lane Oakbrook’s latest show, Spamalot, which recently began performances. And while doing that, he’s been trekking to the Cadillac Palace Theatre each night to play lead trumpet in the pit at the Chicago stop of the first national tour of Wicked. Read more >
Haters, back off: Chicago Theatre Addict speaks with the gal behind YouTube sensation, ‘Miranda Sings’
Nov. 16, 2010
Pretend you’ve made some silly YouTube videos that you posted as an inside joke for your friends. For months, these videos got a few hits, maybe 100 at the most. And then one morning you discover one of your videos has topped 70,000 plays. Overnight. That’s exactly what happened to Colleen Ballinger about a year and a half ago, when her videos of Miranda, a highly unique character she created to humor some friends, started to go viral.
Read more >
The birds behind Two Birds Casting: an interview with Erica Sartini and Hannah Fenlon
Nov. 2, 2010
A mutual question drew Two Birds Casting co-founders Erica Sartini and Hannah Fenlon together: why isn’t there a professional casting resource to support Chicago’s storefront theatres? Read more >
Exploring the femicide crisis in Juárez, Mexico: an interview with playwright Dana Lynn Formby
Oct. 21, 2010
Up-and-coming playwright Dana Lynn Formby is never not writing. In fact, following this interview (which traveled from an Argo Tea in the loop to a local bar in our Edgewater neighborhood) she had to rush home to put the final touches on a screenplay draft due the next day. Her brain is like a story-generating wirbelsturm. Read more >
‘Musical wunderkind’: a lunch date with Doug Peck, Chicago theatre music director
Aug. 11, 2010
At a relatively young age, Doug Peck has made quite a name for himself in the Chicago theatre scene over the past half decade. He’s served as musical director for Goodman Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Drury Lake Oakbrook, Court Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and Northlight Theatre — to name just a few. Read more >
An interview with Emily Skinner — Mrs. Wilkinson in ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’
March 12, 2010
Skinner, who is currently deep in technical rehearsals for Billy Elliot (the show begins previews in a little under a week), graciously took time yesterday during her dinner break to speak with me about her role in the show, the rehearsal process and her diverse career. Read more >
Features:
Best of Chicago Theatre: CBS Chicago contacted me in Fall 2010 to write some pieces on the “best of Chicago Theatre.”
My jaw-dropping visit to the Uptown Theatre
Diva Friday series: My semi-regular series celebrating the women of musical theatre.
*LIVE BLOGGING* @ ‘Shrek the Musical’
Chicago Theatre Addict 