In Chicago last week for a Chicago Humanities Festival retrospective of his work, composer Cy Coleman revealed that the off-and-on Broadway revival of Sweet Charity is on again, with out actor Denis O'Hare signed to play the male lead opposite Marissa Tomei. A Northwestern grad and former Chicagoan, O'Hare has found cable TV fame on Oz, and won a Tony Award on Broadway for the baseball comedy Take Me Out. Accepting his Tony Award, O'Hare thanked and acknowledged his longtime partner, who moved with O'Hare from Chicago a decade ago.
GayCo is going Hollywood. Our homegrown GLBT sketch comedy troupe will give two showcase performances in LA, Sept. 29 at ImprovOlympic and Oct. 1 at Comedy Central Stage. Their hope is to pitch the show as a 30-minute gay and lesbian-themed comedy series for cable TV. GayCo has just completed a short run of their latest show, Poked, at The Second City e.t.c. as part of The Second City Unhinged series.
With GayCo testing the Southern Cal waters, the troupe's Wednesday night slot at Second City Unhinged will be filled, in part, by d.i.r.t. (daughters in revolutionary thought), written and performed by Celeste Pechous and Abby Sher. d.i.r.t. will share the stage with Dolphins of Damnation Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m., Sept. 30-Nov. 5. (312) 337-3992; $5.00
Jonny would like to add his personal congratulations to representatives of the performing arts chosen for induction in the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for 2003: dance, writer and activist Angel Abcede; theater critic, teacher, singer and news reporter (and a former editor of this paper), Albert Williams; and About Face Theatre, co-founded by Kyle Hall and Eric Rosen. Induction ceremonies and reception (free and open to public) are at the Cultural Center, 5:30 p.m., Oct. 21.
A new dance troupe, the third to call itself the Chicago Ballet, launches this weekend, with Sept. 26-28 performances at the Ruth Page Center. Under the leadership of Paul Abrahmson, the company may stand a better chance than its predecessors at achieving a sustained life. The new troupe already has a history and a following as The Moose Project, founded a decade ago by Abrahamson in Pittsburgh, and in Chicago for the last five years. Renaming the company Chicago Ballet signifies a long-term plan to broaden the scope and size of the work, which will be classical ballet influenced by modern dance and contemporary theater. The last Chicago Ballet (actually, Ballet Chicago, not precisely the same) was a classical troupe based on Ballenchine technique. The new Chicago Ballet begins with a corps of nine dancers. Call (312) 337-6543 for information.
Something for the girls (and those who appreciate them): Stockyards Theatre Project, in association with Links Hall, has announced dates for the fourth annual Women's Performance Art Festival, described as 'the purist women's performance event in Chicago.' The Oct. 24-26 Festival (at Links Hall at Sheffield and Newport) will offer more than 50 Chicago artists in original works of improv, stand-up comedy, dance, poetry, performance art, and whatever else fits under the fest's very broad umbrella of broads. A detailed performance schedule will be available Oct. 1. Call (773) 281-0824 for info.
Blind Tasting, the hit new show at Live Bait Theatre that critic Mary Shen Barnidge thinks is the cat's meow, has been extended for a third time, and now is running through Nov. 2. The very witty show (Jonny liked it, too) combines the culture of wine with romances past and present in a bittersweet comedy about second chances.
Saturday, Oct. 4, will be the seventh annual Marshall Field's Day of Music at Symphony Center, and all you classical music queens should take note. As usual, Symphony Center will throw open all its doors to the public for free, for 10 hours of non-stop musical programming, highlighted by Daniel Barenboim leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in an all-Richard Strauss concert at 2 p.m. After the concert, events continue until Midnight, among them a violin recital by Russian virtuoso Maxim Vengerov; a program of Chicago Piano Jazz with Reginald Robinson, Willie Pickens and Erwin Helfer; folk music; Chicago soul music; a singing competition for teenagers; and an evening of dancing to mambo and polka bands. Complete details are available online (www.cso.org) or at (800) 223-7114.
As has been previously announced in the Windy City Times, friends of the late actor and director Brad Nelson Winters are invited to celebrate his life next Monday, Sept. 29, at the Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by a formal celebration, followed at 8 p.m. by an informal celebration in the lobby, with food and drink.
