The Brown Couch Theatre Company is just two years old, but already the troupe is leaving a footprint within Chicago's body politic. With each show it produces, Brown Couch selects a local non-profit organization with which to partner, donating a percentage of ticket sales to the beneficiary and promoting the organization's work. For its next show, The Twilight of the Golds, Brown Couch is sticking its toes in the GLBT community with the choice of the Gerber/Hart Library as its partner. In addition to the financial donation, Brown Couch company members will do volunteer work at Gerber/Hart. The troupe also intends to schedule a post-performance discussion involving cast members and Gerber/Hart representatives on a date TBA.
Now 12 years old, The Twilight of the Golds, by gay playwright Jonathan Tolin, concerns Suzanne and Rob, a liberal couple, who find out through a genetic test that Suzanne's unborn child will be gay, like Suzanne's brother, David. The entire family enters the debate about the prejudice and hardship a gay child might face in present society, and whether or not to abort the pregnancy. The Twilight of the Golds runs Jan. 28-Feb. 26 at the Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. Call ( 312 ) 409-2010 for info and tickets.
The man who wrote Judy Garland's signature song, 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' is 100 years old this year. Or at least Harold Arlen would be if he still were alive. One of the greatest of all popular song writers, Arlen also composed 'Get Happy,' 'One for My Baby,' 'It's Only a Paper Moon,' 'Stormy Weather' and 'The Man that Got Away' ( we all know that one, don't we? ) and scores of other tunes near and dear to saloon singers and audiences both gay and straight. Arlen's life and songs will be celebrated by Tom Wopat ( still sexy after all these years ) and Faith Prince in a one-night-only concert, Jan. 25, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. A multi-media event, the concert will include clips from The Wizard of Oz and other Arlen Hollywood scores, plus Arlen home movies and photographs. If you thought Wopat just looked good, wait until you hear him sing! Tickets are $53 in the intimate ( 850 seats ) theater. Call ( 847 ) 673-6300.
Gracious readers, Jonny has done something Jonny very rarely does: Jonny has made a mistake. In the last Stage Door Jonny of 2004, Jonny spoke of the upcoming First Folio production of The Importance of Being Earnest, and said the show would open in February and run into March. Not so, dear hearts. Earnest will open at First Folio this Friday night ( Jan. 14 ) and continue through Feb. 12. This is the first wintertime, indoors production for First Folio, in the formal library of the Peabody Mansion ( Mayslake Hall ) at Mayslake Forest Preserve, Oak Brook. Call ( 630 ) 986-8067 for details.
In a rare treat for classical music lovers, supreme virtuosos Daniel Barenboim ( piano ) and Yo-Yo Ma ( cello ) will offer a chamber music program this Sunday ( Jan. 16 ) at 3PM at Symphony Center. The two extraordinary musicians and old friends will perform works by Chopin, Debussy and Franck as part of the Sara Lee Chamber Music Series. Tickets ( if any still are available ) are $58-$170. Yes, sublimity is pricey. ( 800 ) 223-7114.
Say farewell to the Shubert Theatre. When All Shook Up completes its run on Jan. 23, the old house will close for renovations ( bigger lobby and restrooms ) , architectural restoration, new seats and a swell new paint job in the theater's historic colors. When it reopens next fall ( if the work goes according to schedule ) it will be christened the LaSalle Bank Theatre. Well, it wasn't originally named the Shubert, either; it was the Majestic Theatre until the Shuberts bought it in the 1940s.
