Gift Idea: Award Winning: The Pied Piper of South Shore, Toys and Tragedy in Chcago, Caryn Amster

I wrote in an earlier post about Caryn Lazar Amster's amazing true crime book The Pied Piper of South Shore: Toys and Tragedy in Chicago.

I could go on and on how wonderful this important and nail-biting book is, winner of a true crime award. I could tell you how important a historical work it is documenting Ms. Lazar's personal tragedy, and the tragedy of the impact of the crime on the surrounding business community where my Grandfather owned a Real Estate Office At the time of the murder.

I could tell you about what happened after I wrote the Original Post, meeting her with my father and brother, talking to her about shopping at their store and their customer Mandy Patinkin who I had always thought was familiar since being a fan of Sunday in The Park With George.

I could tell you about the book's incredible value as a primary source for those studying merchandising, the history of the City of Chicago,the history of Chicago's neighborhoods, or anything to do with the movement of people and race in the 1930's through the 1960's.



But instead I'll just be brief and tell young buy one of the most surprising true dramatic stories by an Author you never heard of you are likely to find. A tale told in a clear, taut well researched way without hyperbole or hysterics.

Amster manages to tell the story of this tragedy without making it into something it
was not, while seeing the damage caused by a cascading series of circumstances for what it was. A tragedy in an era of tragedies that helped shaped the hard times that followed.

I will also say that what I told her the day we met. We moved to a new neighborhood the previous August. Had we not, because of the proximity of the date of the murder with the birthday of one of the kids in my family, we all could have been in the store when that gunman walked in. I know what my brother 9 and I 10 would have done. We'd been playing Batman and Robin for years. We would have rushed him without thinking twice just like we rushed the bad guy cowboys every summer at the amusement park in Eagle River getting us and who knows who else killed in the process.

But we moved and so didn't get the birthday card for a free toy at Wee Toys for that birthday. So, I guess I do find this story pretty personally interesting. Nut you won't need
that to enjoy this book. Besides, I can't help thinking it's natural forth big screen.

Oh, Amazon.com carries it. You can click the link in the book title above or enter the title in the Amazon search box on your right.


Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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Don't Miss the Gaelic Park Players Production of The Patrick Pearse Motel by Hugh Leonard: April 9 - 11, 16 - 18, 23 - 25, 2010

Don't Miss The Gaelic Park Players Production of The Patrick Pearse Motel by Irish playwright Hugh Leonard: April 9 - 11, 16 - 18, 23 - 25, 2010

There are few South Side actors whose work I recommend unreservedly, but this production includes one of them in the likes of Marty Donovan who I have had the pleasure of working with onstage myself and witnessing his raw talent, attention to his craft, his ready wit, his incredible imagination, humor and all around ability to move an audience to laugh, cry and cheer.

In the context of a Hugh Leonard play, his efforts are not to be missed. While you may be more familiar with Leonard's Da or A Life, I urge you to take a chance to see this production of The Patrick Pearse Motel while you can, and to get seats while you can. Opening night offers two for one tickets a rare theater buy.

Here's what the company says about the play and the production:

The Patrick Pearse Motel  by Hugh Leonard

An upwardly mobile couple living in an upscale Dublin suburb, and their business partners are showing what real patriotism is all about-selling it in the form of hotels. Each room in the Patrick Pearse Motel is decorated with a portrait of a national hero. Unbeknown to her doting husband, the lady of the house is plotting a tryst with an old flame, a television commentator famed for his rudeness. Soon the stage is filled with mistaken identities, dropped trousers, a flimsy negligee and false accusations. On a rainy night at The Patrick Pearse Motel, the characters crisscross paths, threaten one another with a shillelagh and hide in convenient closets. An hysterical bedroom farce that will have you wondering how will all of this turn out and who will get out alive?

The Patrick Pearse Motel
Director-Tom Kearney
Assistant Director-Georgina Chapman

Cast:
Dermod -Marty Donovan
Grainne-Kathy Holahan
Fintan-Stephen Heffernan
Niamh-Mary Kate Brophy
Miss Manning-Taryn Mckenna
James Usheen-Mick Kenna
Hoolihan-Barney Farrelly

Show Dates are:
Fridays April 9th, 16th and 23rd at 8:00pm
Saturdays April 10th, 17th and 24th at 8:00pm
Sundays April 11th, 18th and 25 at 3:00pm

Tickets:
PLEASE NOTE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE GAELIC PARK OFFICE

$12.00 Theater Performance only
$25.00 Dinner & Theater (Sundays Only)
Opening Night - Buy 1 Get 1 Free!!
Reservations are a must for Dinner & Theater
Tickets are non-refundable

For tickets and dinner reservations please call:

The Gaelic Park Players
Chicago Gaelic Park
6119 W. 147th Street
Oak Forest, IL 60452

708-687-9323


View Larger Map

This is a Facebook Event. If you are a Facebook member you can go here for more information:

If you do see the show, be sure to tell them at the box office you heard about it here!

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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See "Bah Humbug" an Original Musical Version of "A Christmas Carol" Nov 29th and 30th

Event Info

See "Bah Humbug" an Original Musical Version of "A Christmas Carol" Nov 29th and 30th
Only two performances!

Since I won't be able to see Bah Humbug, I got a chance to see one of its tech rehearsals this week instead. From what I saw, the show looks to be an exciting and fun musical rendition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol that will be fun for adults and children alike.

Staying very close to the text of the original novel, Playwright Susan Pagel's script provides an entertaining holiday trip through the trials of Miser Ebenezer Scrooge as he is confronted with his dislike of Christmas by Ghosts and Spirits of the Past, Present and Future.

I have often avoided productions of this show because I have never seen one that was not to me a re-hash of the same old story. But this production is enhanced by singing, dancing, and on-stage fiddling that makes it what could be a family favorite if discovered by a larger producer.

This is a last minute post, but if you want a fun thing to do Thanksgiving weekend, this benefit for Theater on the Move, is just what Santa ordered.

I won't try to Boss you around by saying who, it's tacky to review a show that isn't up, but this Scrooge goes through a transcendent change you won't soon forget.

Sunday, November 29, 2008 at 8:00pm
Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 3:00pm

Location:
Morgan Park Academy Arts Center
Street:
2153 W 111th Street
Chicago, IL 60643

CTA Bus: CTA Route 112
CTA Rail: Red Line to Bus 112 or Orange line to 49, 49a, and 112 EB
Metra: A few blocks west of the Metra Rock Island Beverly Branch

Reservations for open seating: 773-239-2399


Here is some more information about the show and the history of the group producing it. Thanks to the Theater on the Move publicity people for providing it:

Theater On The Move, a subsidiary of Better Entertainment Enterprises, (BEE) will be celebrating it’s 25th anniversary providing entertainment in the Southwest area with it’s musical production of “Bah Humbug!, Dickens’ Christmas Carol with Song & Prose,” at the Morgan Park Academy on November 29th and 30th. The musical tells the story of Scrooge and the four spirits who visit him on Christmas Eve, forcing him to become a more kind and charitable person, keeping the spirit of Christmas in his heart throughout the calendar year. Cast members ranging in age from 2 to 97 will present this family entertainment which was written an adapted from Dickens story by Artistic Director, Susan Pagels ( West Beverly) with musical direction by Catherine Kogut-Simon (Matteson).

Better Entertainment Enterprises (BEE) was founded in 1977 and incorporated not-for-profit in 1978. BEE operated as a touring company until 1984 when a performance and training center (Bethel Performing Art Center) was established in Evergreen Park. The space was a derelict four room parochial school building, about to be demolished, when BEE took it over. Untold hours of volunteer labor and contributions brought it up to fire code and made it a cozy black box theater. After 10 years of continuous productions, BEE found it was bursting at the seams and with the kind support from its members and numerous area businesses moved to a much larger space in Merrionette Park.

The ink was not dry on the lease when pipes bursts in the building, flooding the basement and causing several weeks delay in construction. Despite this obstacle, volunteers worked day and night to create a 300 seat dinner-theater with food services provided by their top supporter, Papa Joe’s restaurant in Oak Lawn. BEE, operated successfully for several years as Struggles Dinner Playhouse until once again, BEE incurred a name change, and became, “Theater On The Move”, traveling to spaces in Crestwood, Alsip, Blue Island and for the past few years Morgan Park Academy’s stage. Since its inception, BEE has provided an opportunity for people in the Chicago metropolitan area to partake in live theater programs.

The Company has produced over two hundred full-scale comedies, dramas and musicals. Two original education children’s productions were performed for over six hundred Chicago and suburban public schools and the theater also sponsored two citywide talent competitions and workshops in the theater arts to local Girl Scout Troops. During it’s twenty-five years of operation, it has trained over 1000 area children with varying abilities and diverse backgrounds, many of whom have gone on to perform professionally and even on Broadway stages.

In addition to seeking the truly talented artist, youths that are emotionally, physically and socially disadvantaged have been given the opportunity to work in a theater environment by BEE. Students from the Pride Alternative School in Oak Lawn and Aunt Martha’s in Chicago are among the groups that have been targeted in the past. Senior citizens have also been welcomed members of many casts and stage crews. Through their training with BEE, these members gained a sense of fulfillment and the confidence to perform in other theaters in the Chicago area.

BEE’s current production “Bah Humbug” has been performed for more than 15 of its 25 years and features veteran performer John B. Boss (Oak Lawn) as the miserly old Scrooge. Playing the spirits are Jack Simon (Matteson) as Marley, Becca Thoss (Orland Pk) and Kaitlyn Frieling (Palos Heights) as Christmas Past, Peter James Foote (Beverly) as Christmas Present and Simon doubling as the Ghost of Christmas Future. Scrooge’s clerk Bob Cratchit is played by Ron Buscemi (Evergreen Park) with Kathy Murzyn (Marquette Manor ) as Mrs. Cratchit and Olivia Aleman (Oak Lawn) and Adrian Arriaga (Chicago) sharing the role of Tiny Tim. Also featured in the cast are Leo Fagan (Chicago Lawn) and Patricia Henaghan (Olympia Fields) as Mr. & Mrs. Fezziwig. The story line is narrated by Susan Pagels (West Beverly ).

Other members of the 57 person cast include: Ashley Mannion, Rachel Olson, Meghan Cronin, Meghan Hurkes, Jenna Hurkes,Callie Pieczara, Emily Killeen, Jackie Haas, (Oak Lawn): Danielle Hamzik (Bridgeview),Alice & Randy Trull (Hickory Hills), Abbey Norton ( Tinley Park), Sarah Conway, Peter Donald Foote (Scrooge as a boy) (Beverly), Nancy Balouris, Ray & Mary Anne Zygmuntovic, John Marozas, Mary Kenealy, Cathy Earle, (Chicago Ridge), Destiny Frejek, Charles Jackson, Gabrielle Berrien, Yvonne & Shesheta McNutt, Brett Arceneaux, Alexander Arnold, Daphne Ziqui, Vanessa Brown, (Chicago) : Christina Jesik, Erin Kelly, Lauren Luchsinger, Scott Sowinski (Mount Greenwood) and Mary , Lauren & Jimmy O’Neal, Jennifer, Jessica, & Michelle Spreadbury, Lauren Merriweather, Katie Scheidt (Oak Forest).

Show times are 8:00PM on Saturday , November 29th and 3:00PM on Sunday November 30th at the Morgan Park Academy, 2153 W 111th Street.

Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $13 for Senior and children 12 and under. Tickets can be reserved by calling 773-239-2399. Kick off your Holiday Season with this much loved classic and help BEE celebrate their 25th Anniversary.

Hope you can make it! Happy Thanksgiving!

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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Five Chicago Sports Fans Climbed a Mountain

Five Chicago sports fans were climbing a mountain one
day. Each was a fan of a different Chicago sports team
and each proclaimed to be the most loyal to there team.
As they climbed higher, they argued as to which one
was the most loyal of them all.

They continued fighting till they reached the top.
The Blackhawk's fan hurled himself off the mountain,
shouting, 'This is for the Hawks' as he fell to his doom.

Not wanting to be outdone the Bulls fan threw himself
off the edge shouting "this is for the greatest team of
the 90's"

Next the Bears fan jumped & said"This is for DA COACH'
the two remaining fans looked at each other in stunned
silence.

After a minute the Sox fan Bellowed..."THIS IS FOR THE
SOUTH SIDE!!!"

THEN HE PUSHED THE CUBS FAN OFF THE MOUNTAIN!!


Hee hee hee. You can tell I'm a South-sider can't you?

My thanks to Andy for this one. No editing needed.


Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos

Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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The Producers by Up & Coming Theater October 10 - 19, 2008

In keeping with the Peter Files Comedy Blog's effort's to support area theatre, here is some information on a great production. Based on the cased and crew in this production it should be a laugh riot. Don't miss one of the funniest plays now off-Broadway.

Up & Coming Theatre

in Partnership with

Community Education District 214

Proudly Presents our Fall 2008 Show

Showtimes:

• Friday, October 10 - 7:30 pm • Saturday, October 11 - 7:30 pm • Sunday, October 12 - 2:30 pm

• Thursday, October 16 - 7:30 pm • Friday, October 17 - 7:30 pm

• Saturday, October 18 - 7:30 pm • Sunday, October 19 - 2:30 pm

Theater:

Forest View Theater (Map)
2121 S. Goebbert Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Tickets:

• Call 847-718-7702 Monday - Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Advance - $15 ($12 with Gold Card)
• Door - $18

Cast:

• Anthony Berg - Franz Liebkind

• Laura Berger - Usherette

• Barry Blodgett - Various

• John B. Boss - Roger De Bris

• Erika Bradbury - Tap Dancer

• Jodi Buczek - Tap Dancer

• Elaine Castro - Ensemble Dancer

• Michael DeFrang - Stormtrooper/Set Designer

• Nicole Giannelli - Tap Dancer

• Samantha Giovannetti - Tap Dancer

• Nicholas Hamel - Max Bialystock

• Toni Higgins - Hold Me Touch Me

• Mia Hirschel - Lick Me Bite Me

• Shannon Langland - Follies Girl

• Will Loftus - Carmen Ghia

• Sara Malloy - Ulla

• Peter Masterton - Jack/Accountant

• Dan Naylor - Choreographer

• Gary Peterson - Mr. Marx/Indian

• Katy Smith - Shirley Markowitz

• Bob Spidale - Leo Bloom

Staff (Not on Poster):

• Technical Director - Vlad Novikov

• Stage Manager - Dani Klosowski

• Scenic Designer - Bob Hamel

• Lighting Designer - Chelsea Lynn

• Sound Designer - Tom Scanlon

• Accompanist - Kelli Shibuya

• Production Assistant - Lindsey Weiss

Up & Coming Theater has available staff positions some which have pay and all of which gives practical and educational experience:

Available Staff Positions:

• Master Builder/Set Carpenter
• Lighting Board Operator & Spot Operators
• Properties Coordinator
• Hair/Wigs & Makeup

Please send resume or letter of interest indicating position desired to UACTheatre@aol.com or to P.O. Box 473, Arlington Heights, IL 60006.


And for those of you who know John Boss, who plays Roger De Bries, one of the more flamboyant characters in the show, he has supplied this photo!

You can tell from this costume of Roger De Bris, that this will be a lavish production!

Looks like I am finally back to regular posting. Sorry for the delay, my health has been off. Hope you have been using the time to explore the archives.



Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

P.S. The Producers of the Producers should contact me with errors or omissions, requests for a review of the show or offers of comps at thepeterfilesblog at gmail dot com Thanks!

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Learning from Kids: Things that Really Happened and Then Some

Things learned from real children - mostly boys:

1. A king size water bed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.
5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on when using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.
8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9. A six-year old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.
10. Certain Lego pieces will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.
11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12. Super glue is forever.
13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15. VCRs do not eject "PB &J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
20. The fire department in our town has a 5-minute response time.
21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24. If you absolutely MUST know what that odor is, try looking under the radiator covers for last year's easter eggs. Hopefully they will only be one year old.
25. Get you kids in the habit of hiding only plastic easter eggs for their easter egg hunts. The decorated ones make a bad mess. The raw eggs make a bad, disgusting and smelly mess that never goes away if there is the slightest gap in your floorboards. Your only alternative: Move.
26. Now that glass soda bottles seem to be making a return: never, ever, under any circumstances, store unopened glass soda bottles in the car near any of your children's feet. Unless your spouse is a lawyer.
27. A four-year-old child can resort to hiding his favorite toy at the top of a 40-foot tree over a glass strewn alley if pressed. Do not yell at him while he is at the top of the tree.
28. When in *nice* restaurants watch your children like hawks if you see them touch things like salt and pepper shakers, mustard and ketchup bottles.
28. The sound of a 7-year-old girl who has gotten ketchup all over her white easter dress after her brother played with the top does not bear describing.
29. If you hear the sounds "white whale, white whale" coming from your pool or the lake you are staying near, it is already too late, your children's butts have already been exposed to the sun for anyone nearby to see.
30. When changing a child's diaper at a very large public venue, such as a concert at Grant Park in Chicago, it is helpful if your picnic blanket is not at the top of the largest hill in view. That way if your little girl gets away from you sans clothes, the chances that she will run to the top of the hill spinning like Maria Von Trapp for the entire Midwest to admire during the quietest part of Peter and the Wolf, will be substantially reduced. Duct tape helps too.
31. It may take more than one police search of your house to find a child asleep in a clothes basket in a bedroom closet.
32. Even the second time she disappears, and that's the first place everyone looked.
33. Two adults are not enough to capture a child hiding under a baby grand piano.
34. The travel time before it is impractical to drive a child hidden in their friend's car so that the parents are forced to let them stay overnight at their friends is one hour. Fortunately, the time a child can stay quiet in the back-back seat of a station wagon is usually less than 10 minutes.
35. War between kid brothers usually stops just before an actual serious injury involving death occurs. Numerous trips to the hospital for stitches are normal and should be considered usual growing up pains.
36. If during the summer, a sister turns her brother's hair bright orange, he is entitled to put a screen over her while she sunbathes asleep to give her a checkered tan - once. This will remind her not to fall asleep sunbathing which is dangerous anyway.
37. It does not matter how slowly or gently you loft it, a softball thrown with enough umph to reach the 2nd floor back porch, has enough umph, to float ever so gently through the plate glass window of the 2nd floor back porch door.
38. When handing your son a brand new generator saying "don't drop this, it's expensive", its a good idea to be sure he is not watching the neighbor girl walk by in short shorts or it will wind up broken on the ground when he drops it.
39. If you work at summer camp and sleep on a metal cot, avoid running the electric wires for your alarm clock under the sharp round feet of your bed lest "Sparky" become your new camp nickname. (The mattress pads were rubber thank God.)
40. When rolling the world's largest snowball off the flat roof of your school onto the first person who opens the side door, its a good idea to have a spotter so that you don't drop it on the principal.
41. The demonstration of Mike's Civil War Fort would have been perfect. The buildings were perfect reconstructions, he had even mixed his own black powder and poured it through and between the non-flammable buildings to show how one of the forts would have been torched. As the fire went through building to building his one mistake became evidently clear. His non-flammable materials were plastic straws. As billowing clouds of black smoke poured out of the school windows we out out the three foot flames in seconds, but by then 2 companies of fire trucks were on the way. The smoke filling the second floor of our school. We were dismissed for the day. Mike was a hero. Not for nothing did Mike have the reputation of being the smartest boy in school. Seen as an honest mistake, he didn't even get in trouble since the teacher let him start the fire. Brilliant.
42. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.
43. 90% of the Women who read this will start checking the tightness of ketchup containers wherever they go.

My thanks to AMR for sending this to me. You can be a contributor too. Just send me an email at thepeterfilesblog at gmail dot com or put your joke in a comment and I can include it in a post of its own. Just tell me how you would like to be recognized, or not. In this post I was responsible for number 23 on plus a few more. So I know those really happened. The rest, well they certainly had the ring of truth, now didn't they?

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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Beverly Theatre Guild's Moon Over Buffalo, Collins, Massaro, Nearly Kill Audience with Laughter

I don't often engage in post production reviews, but in the case of the Beverly Theatre Guild's one weekend production of Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo, the production was so fine, the acting so outrageous and sublime, that for the benefit of future audiences in the area who often have only a one or two weekend run to see a BTG show, I felt that it was worth the effort to tell you what a marvelous gut-wrenching laugh riot you probably missed this weekend at Chicago's Beverly Art Center at 111th and South Western Avenue.

I've taken the liberty of reproducing parts of the program so that if you recognize the names of these actors in listings of productions in local papers in the future you know that you should make the effort to toddle on down to the theater to see them in action.

There wasn't a single performance that wasn't worth seeing in this extremely well directed production by director Tobi Lowrance with assistance from Assistant Director Francesca Scalzi who took a great script updated it with a combination of new and veteran actors and crafted a fast-moving and emotionally moving comedy and farce of high order.

Moon Over Buffalo, the story of 1950's couple George and Chalotte Hay, the touring repertory family company stars of the style of the Lunts, the Barrymores, or the Zimablists, who displaced by film and television, find the profitablility of the road touring companies drying up and their way of life dissapearing. They are facing the possibility of fiancial and relationship ruin when they get a phone call suggesting that film director Frank Capra will be in the Matinee audience of the day's show to see if George is fit to take over the lead of his new film, just as he has lost two of his own essential players.

The BTG's production was a door-slaming, sword-fighting, knee-to-groin below the belt guffaw generator of the highest or lowest order, depending on how you look at it. Joe Collins as George and Meg Massaro as Charlotte under the direction of Lowrance and Scalzi make us wonder sometimes if the War of the Roses was kid stuff as Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner did not play people who had the whole repetoire of classic theatre to fight, kick, scratch, curse and make asses of themselves with.

Both actors tender the performances of their lives with split-second timing, perfect delivery, no fear of looking foolish in either of them, both hungerly seeking the comic truth in each and every moment of the show, yet at the same time, they show that the other side of hate is deep and abiding love, not indifference, and the changes both George and Charlotte go through during the course of the show, as they beat by beat avoid the easy way out of each line or moment in the show, and provide the audience with richness and emotional truth instead in a way that is stunningly honest and laughingly true.

Massaro and Collins are perfectly matched. Massaro's antics reminded me of Carol Burnett with a kind of subtle restraint while prancing across the stage in antics of anger, hostility and rapturous joy, that make her highs more realistic and just as funny as Burnett.

Collins, known widely as the voice of WBBM's traffic reports, and a community theatre veteran, gives what is perhaps the best and most challenging performance of his life. An expert in physical and character comedy, Collins is forced to add the romance of Romeo, the pathos of lear, the errors of Falstaff, and the drunken blindness of Stanley and Merrythought.

As George plunges though the stormy seas of this farce, swooping up and down, driven by the winds of fate, opportunity, his own stupidity, and the heights of fortune and misfortune, instead of a farcicle charade of a man, Collins gives us a man complete, torn by the pain he has brought to those he loves, wracked and ruined by remorse, blindly attempting to get on with it anyway, until at last our everyman falls, the great fall and lands as low as any man can, worse yet, in front of an icon of his dreams, the key to his future. Neitzsche or Kafka could not have planned it so well.

At this point in the show, many actors, would allow the script in hand to carry him on, riding on it to safely breezing through to the end; but Collins takes emotional risks in keeping with his growing maturity as an actor, baring his emotions in a way that gives Massaro room to do the same. So at the end of the farce, instead of a lighthearted wrapping up of ends a la Charley's Aunt, we have the two confronting the pain and trauma they have endured in their lives together and grow, together, changed by the ordeal they have suffered, to become someone new while remaining to themselves true.

Breathtaking and moving. I wish you could have been there. Watch for the cast in other productions.



Their daughter Roz, played by Lisa Marie Marciano and her estranged ex-boxfriend Paul played by Lorenzo Blackett are forcefully thrust together by the circumstances of the day in which Roz had only intended to introduce her new fiance Howard, played by David Korzatkowski to her parents, but is sucked back in to the chaos of the day by the disappearance of the production's Ingenue Eileen, played by Tiffani M. Moore. Marciano and Blackett are wonderfully cast and provide both a dramatic and, it must be said, very steamy, dramatic tension, that adds to the sweetness of the farce. Korzatkowski and Moore both bring and empty headed playfulness to their roles that crank up the tension, humor, and guffaws at just the right time. Like Collins,Massaro, Marciano and Blackett, Korzatkowski has an incredible sense of physical comedy, perhaps equal to that of Joe Collins who's own mastery of the physical comedic art form stops the show at three or four points, minimum.

In fact, it should be noted, that in the performance that I saw, Collins was so funny, that his last antic at the end of a scene in Act II, caused a second wave of laughter to start well after the blackout, as the audience re-visualized what they had seen him do just before the lights went out. Something I have never seen in 45 years of theater. A new spontaneous wave of laughter spreading through the audience while sitting in the darkness, starting a good 15 seconds after the lights went out, without a smart alec comment to trigger it. Unbelievable. Joe was just THAT funny.

Rick Baker was also excellent and very believable as Richard, the love-struck friend who wishes to steal Charlotte away from George and their near poverty and terrible traveling conditions. Presaging the aging baby-boom romanic love interest, Baker is suave, debonair, and quite convincing a someone who George could perceive as a threat to take away the woman he truly loves, Charlotte because of a moments weakness.

In every farce of this caliber there has to be a foil that comes in and out delivering sharp lines to skewer the leads. In this show it is Ethel, Charlotte's mother and the bane of George's existence played by South Side theater veteran Jan Dignan. Saying just how long Dignan has been treading he boards out here with her sister Choch would be telling. But this is truly one of her best performances and she plays the part of the wiley, cantankerous mother and seamstress with joy, verve and cunning nastiness and with a great deal of depth. One of her best performances as well and I have seen many of them.

So why did I love this show so much. I've given you a good deal of plot, but nothing that would make you laugh I think. That's because a great deal of the humor comes directly from the acting and directing in the show. It has to stand as one of the funniest shows I have ever seen (that of course I have not been in myself...).

I laughed hard and long and so did the rest of the audience. There were constant surprises. Hardly a line went wrong. The timing and tension required to keep the show moving was constantly upheld. Nary a line was swallowed. The pacing was fabulous and the cast seemed to know JUST How long to hold for a laugh to allow the audience to laugh.

And the show moved fast. A credit to the actors and directors. With intermissions the show ran well under two hours. It easily could have run 20 minutes longer with a less experienced cast. Lowrance and Scalzi seemed to have an instinct for getting the best out of their cast, using their strenghts to their best advantage.



Moore for example, the ingenue with something extra, who causes a huge fuss between George and jealous Charlotte, plays the wide-eyed innocent with aplomb until the time comes to reveal that she has more underneath than some had suspected and she gets exactly what she wants. Played to a t.

Blackett's performance as the frenetic manager and lover, and a much more determined lover than able manager, is a perfect foil to George as George freaks out, (Woody Allen on steroids without the accent), In his unique non-George way Blackett panics about whole groups of issues, but not when it comes to Roz. His changes when it comes to Roz are as surprising and funny, as they are tempting and disturbing to Roz's confidence in her engagement. Paul is after all, looking for an engagement of another kindl For a moment we think we are about to see another show altoghether when a plot element breaks the two apart before anything really good happens. Whew! It had been getting hot in there.

Marciano's conflicts as the daughter in search of normality, trying to break away from the perpetual craziness of her parent's life is also compelling, except, when disaster strikes, she is sucked back into it all to easily.

Credit must go of course to the writer of this gem, Ken Ludwig, who captured so well the essence of the times and the desires of those who wished to grasp fame and maintain their life on stage before it melted away.

So, were this show to go another weekend, which it cannot, sadly, I would have soundly recommended it. Instead, the best I can do is say, remember the actors, and the directors, and the group, the Beverly Theatre Guild, one of Chicago's oldest community theater groups.

Next Season BTG Plans to produce:
The Irish drama Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel, October 24-26, 2008
The Musical The Full Monty by Terrance McNally and David Yazbek, February 6-9,2009
The Comedy Twentieth Century by Ken Ludwig, May 8-10th, 2009

You can print the form on this page to order season tickets and save $12 or more on ticket prices.




Hot Trash From the Audience: There was speculation about how full the monty would be for the full monty, and a few jokes in the audience about whether we would want to see some of our friend's montied at all. I assured those I sat with that I was not intending to audition as I wanted to help BTG build an audience rather than send them running to the exits, possibly scarred for life. More on that when they get closer to the production next year.


I am tired after being wired from the excitement of a great production so I hope the cast and you will forgive any typos herein. As always if you have a theatre production in the Chicago/NW Indiana Region to Promote send me the information well in advance to "Thepeteterfilesblog" At "Gmail" Dot "Com" and I will be happy to post what I can.

It helps a lot if you give me something in ready to post format. If you have pictures, especially at a website that I can link to, give me the links, or send me the photos as attachments and I will be glad to post what I can. As time has passed I do get quite a bit of response from actors knowing quite a few of them myself.

Finally, congratulations to the whole cast and crew of Moon over Buffalo. While I spent more time on Collins and Massaro, a production this complex does not succeed without incredible coordination and effort both onstage and backstage, a true ensemble effort. A.D. Scalzi was also the Stage Manager for the show, something she has a gift for. The show has a nightmarish number of entrances and exits, yet she looked calm and collected before the performance. The tech for the show was also perfect and the sets by Emil Zbella were also superb (as always Emil).

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Satire, Commentary and Videos
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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The Beverly Hills University Club Scholarship Foundation Announces Auditions For Volk & Clair's Once on This Island 1/22/08

The Beverly Hills University Club Scholarship Foundation Announces Auditions For Volk & Clair's Once on This Island Beginning Tuesday, January 22, 2009:

The timeless fable of love conquering death from the Broadway writing team that brought you Titanic and Seussical the Musical

Directed by Cassie Dawe
Musical Direction by Peg Mooney
Executive Producers Jaime Volk and Joseph Clair

Audition Information:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 7:30  and Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:30 pm

(last new audition at 9:00 pm)

Callbacks
Sunday, January 27, 2008 4:30 pm

Audition & Callback Location: Trinity Methodist Church
99th & Winchester in Chicago
(1/2 mile east of Western Ave.)

Seeking: Actors, singers, dancers, age 18 and older from any ethnic background to fill a cast of up to 40 people with 10 principal roles (5 male/5 female) Newcomers are always welcome to audition. A photo and resume is not required though previous experience will be an advantage.

Also seeking assistance with backstage crew, set design and building, makeup, props, costumes, program ad sales, and many other background help areas.

SHOW DATES: April 3 –6, 2008 at the New Beverly Art Center, 111th & South Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60643

Please prepare a song from the show, or bring your own music for a song of your choice (musical theater style). Dress comfortably as there will be a dance audition. Those auditioning will read from the script, so prepared readings are not required.

For more information: call 312.735.6588

About the BHUCSF
The Beverly Hills University Club was started in 1924 to provide “good fellowship among members” and social activities continue to be an enjoyable part of the club, but in 1932 a more important goal was established: “To provide as many college scholarships as possible for deserving high school graduates in the Ridge District”. The bulk of the money for these scholarships comes from the Broadway Musical we produce each year, a tradition since 1956.

Many area residents have given time to this cause—several have been members for over 35 years, and even a few who have belonged for over 50 years. Today BHUC is a club of more than 100 members who work together to produce one musical per year to raise money for local area college scholarships.

You do not have to be a member to audition, though over the years many of those cast in BHUC productions have become members and even have gone on to co-produce the annual show themselves!

The Peter Files Blog of Comedy is glad to support the Arts by listing Free notices of area auditions and productions. Please submit such materials as far as possible in advance to Thepeterfilesblog at gmail dot com

While Chicago area listings are preferred, free posting of audition notices from out of area productions will be considered due to the wide readership of this blog, including heavy readership on the East and West Coast, Europe and further abroad. Production photos are also welcome. As with any individual blog, the easier it is for me to package your material into a post, the more likely and more timely the information can be posted.

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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2ND AUDITIONS FOR SINGING MALES, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, IN FRANKFORT ILLINOIS - Corrected Directions

Corrected Information 12/29/2007

2nd Auditions
Seeking Men with STRONG SINGING VOICES For Principal Roles

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR


The Rock Opera

By Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber


Auditions on Monday, January 7, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.

Performances on the weekend of March 7, 2008

For more information call:

(708) 478-0006
or
(815) 469-0539


Co-produced by the Leo School of Theater and
Living Hope Lutheran Church

21301 Pfeiffer Road
Frankfort, Illinois
(Go south from Route 30 onto Pfeifer Road, Living Hope Lutheran Church is just past the Frankfort Library on your immediate left.)

A Stage Performance Directed by noted South Side Director and Producer Brian Leo.

“The goal of this production is to impact lives not just entertain… We’re going to stick closer to the Gospels than most productions have in the past."


Click here for a google map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=Living+Hope+Lutheran+Church,+21301+Frankfort,+IL,&ie=UTF8&ll=41.504889,-87.829288&spn=0.004909,0.010042&t=h&z=17&iwloc=A&om=1

I have to note that I have worked with this excellent director on a number of occaisions and can highly recommend to experience. Rarely have I come arcross someone so good at interpretive work with the text of scripts. If he says that he is going to bring the script closer to the gospels, this will really be a show worth seeing and participating in. His sense of drama, tension and truth in drama on stage is spellbinding.

Peter, Chief Editor, Theater Critic and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=11032660

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How to Prepare for an Audition – Imperfect Notes for the Beginner Scribbled Quickly From My Own Experience

How to Prepare for an Audition – Imperfect Notes for the Beginner Scribbled Quickly From My Own Experience

It is generally agreed by professionals like myself that Panic is the first step to a great audition. True, this is counter-intuitive. You do not want your high level of panic to show at the audition, but a high level of panic right up to the point that you get into the car on the way to the audition itself can be a most helpful motivator.

Note the importance of losing your panic before getting into a car on the way to the audition itself, in fact before driving any auto vehicle at any time prior to the audition. In fact, where available, taking public transportation to an audition can help relieve pre-audition stress. Call 836-7000 for directions in the Chicago Region for CTA, Pace and Metre. Beverly Art Center, for example is served by all three!

I have noted that severe auto accidents often undermine the confidence of those auditioning and directors alike with worries of self-termination prior to the actual performance date and quite talented people are sometimes over looked at auditions for this reason.

“Kumquats! I’d cast him, but in the Scottish play he almost got his arm cut off
and he didn’t even have a sword, in Sweeny Todd he managed to slide down the Barber Chair Head first and we’re doing Pirates of Penzance here, no, I can’t risk it. And he’s a great Tenor. If I could just suspend him in a box above the stage. Hmmn, Maybe….
From such maybes have come some of he stages greatest on stage fiascos.
Note: Gender and Facts changed above in the interests of fairness and to protect my life.

Getting the script is the next big step. Once you have it, often available from the producer for community theater productions for a deposit, you can figure out, within reason, if there are any parts in the show for you at all.

I am not going to try to define “within reason” here. So often directors are stuck in “Auditions" with the "this is all I get to work with?" situation such that you may get to play 40 years older or younger than your actual ace, especially in a musical, if you have the notes. More likely, the director will look for a ringer, but the bigger the cast, the better your chances, especially when multiple shows are casting at the same time. I still don’t know why production companies do this, but often in an area production companies will create chaos by holding auditions within days of each other. This always works to the actor’s advantage and never to the producer’s as this allows actors to pick and choose between offered parts and this messes up the "pretty pictures" producers made on the stage when casting.

Having a realistic idea of what you are really likely to be cast for will help you a lot. The best way to get this sense of reality is to work with a really good friend, an acting teacher of vocal coach who will be honest with you. Brital honest is critically important. Not the kind you see in the American Idol pre-shows.

All my friends say I'm really a great singer so I thought I would screech my way through The Facts of Life Theme Sng on National Television.

That kind of honesty you don't need unless its backed up by an agent.

Acting is a skill, practice and exposure to people who are really good at it will really help you, IF, you pay attention to them without being a pest. I have learned far more from the people I have worked with over the years than from any book.

If you are preparing for a musical, you need to prepare a song in your vocal range and be ready to sing it in time to the music. The music director may change the time of the music to see if you handle it well or poorly and can work with an orchestra that may get away from him.

But first things first, if you are a low alto, don’t audition for a high soprano part just because you have always wanted to play that part. The music director will strongly resist having the song done an octave lower except in very exceptional chances.

How do you find out your vocal range? The musical director at a community theater audition will help you a little. But for lead roles you usually need to have been working with a vocal coach.

Vocal coaches do not have to be hugely expensive. But $20-$30 a half hour, every week is not out of line on the south side. Ask the good singers who they use. They probably have the best coaches. Try to get an appointment. If you know nothing about sight reading music they may reject you, then ask for a reference for a real beginner who will tolerate this, or ask for “emergency help” for one audition and they may, may take pity on you.

Above all else a vocal coach should start by:

Teaching you how to protect your voice;

Teaching you how to breath correctly;

Teaching you about your range and what songs are in it;

If your vocal coach does not start with the first two immediatly, especially in winter, ask why not and be prepared to fire them right away if it is not a very good answer. Finding your range might come first, but protecting your voice is paramount, you can ruin it through improper vocal training and if your vocal coach does not know how to protect against this you need to move on, immediately.

Analyze the scrip to try to figure out what scenes the director might choose for auditions and learn these first, but try to become really familiar with as much of the script as possible. Look for scenes where a lot of the characters are on stage at once. The cast parades: the director needs to see how the whole cast looks together. If you are a shorter person in one of these, wear a hat and heels as you go up. If tall, flats and no hat. Little things help. Dpn't do dumb showy things to get attention, trust me, I've tried, they don't work.

Look for little intense scenes between the characters you think you want to play and the main characters they compete against, who is often but not always the same gender. To borrow from Michael Shurtlief’s excellent book “The Audition” (buy in paperback, its cheap) always ask in any scene, ask “What is your character fighting for?” Then fight for it. Hard. Even if you've gotten the what the character should be fighting for wrong, if nothing else it makes for a fiesty scene and proves you won’t be boring on stage if you get the part. Directors often like surprising and feisty interpretations of work that are seriously done. It means the actor has done some serious thinking about the work and might be fun to work with, a serious plus in most directors worth working with. Yes, Virgina, there are a very few directors not worth working with. If you are lucky and are in the scene with someone very good, your fighting for method will give them something to play off of. Listen to what they are sending you and build off it, incorporate it, the emotions, etc, and bring the level of tension and stakes of the scent up, not down.

Working really well with someone, anyone in a scene can help you get the part. Your goal is always to get some part, not a specific part. Besides, you never know who the director has really picked for the lead, it is often not obvious. I've been in shoes where the director picked a young woman as the lead but only read her in minor parts, but with every other potential member of the cast. He knew how good she was already, not everyone else. He learned a lot by how people worked with her compared to the "obvious" lead candidates and the resulting cast complely surprised everyonel. The director cast those who worked well with everyone, especially his lead. Of course, most directors are not this devious.

So don't agonise too much how you are doing in any one audition, or lie and die on any one audition. Its just not healthy. As time goes on, the right parts will come to you with experience. Especially as you build a reputation for reliability and stability from show to show which are very important.

That’s all I have time for now. OH. Ues.

Remember not to panic IN the audition. The producers want you to succeed and you to show yourself off at your most calm and professional best. They want to see what you can really do and are hoping that YOU will be the surprise star that they are looking for. And you just might be. And don’t forget to have a little fun, your audition audience may be larger than some of the real audiences you get, sorry to say. And, more receptive, because they are sweating as much as you are. That is, if the producers let the others see you. That's an issue in and of itself.

Break a leg!

Hope you liked this one!

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
http://www.blogger.com/

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Upcoming South Side Theater Events Courtesy of the Orland Park Theater Troupe, Village of Orland Park

I got the following information from Fran at the Orland Park Park District who publishes a regular theater newsletter which I have abstracted here. I use the term abstracted lightly here; this is nearly here entire newsletter. Fran, if this use is not O.K. just email me at ThePeterFilesBlog AT Gmail Dot Com and I will pull this post forthwith.

If you find this information useful, I suggest that you subscribe directly to Fran's newsletter by writing to rpintern@orland-park.il.us attention FRAN and asking to subscribe. MANY KUDOS to FRAN for this difficult undertaking.

Here's from her latest newletter:

The Orland Park Theatre Troupe will be finishing out its’ 2006/2007 season with our yearly musical, Grease in April and Break A Leg in June. Our 2007 / 2008 season will begin with Revenge Of The Wiz in October and our Holiday production in December is yet to be determined. Grease, as you all know, will be open to everyone of high school age and up. Break A Leg is open to all, age 12 and up and Revenge Of The Wiz is an adult age production. We’re excited about our season and look forward to another very successful year! Thanks to all who have been involved this year, whether on stage or behind the scenes; your participation is invaluable and what continues to make the OPTT such a success!

On to upcoming shows! Northwest Indiana’s South Shore Brass Band with the Memorial Opera House Carolers performs this weekend in A Very Brassy Christmas Concert! Don’t forget Curtain Call’s Fiddler On The Roof in January. Those tickets continue selling fast but check out their online ticket reservations website below!

Don’t miss auditions for the OPTT’s production of Grease, BTG’s Jesus Christ, Superstar, and Oak Lawn ’s Thoroughly Modern Millie! Read all the details below! Living Hope Lutheran Church and The Leo School of Theatre in Frankfort are still in need of participants for Jesus Christ, Superstar! If interested, please contact them at 815-464-0101 to see what roles may still be open!

Also, the Beverly Arts Center is currently looking to fill six theater related positions. If anyone is interested, go to their website @ www.beverlyartcenter.org to see what’s happening there!

If you would like to submit information regarding theater issues to be included in the Theatre Happenings E-column, please feel free to do so by noon each Tuesday, at: rpintern@orland-park.il.us, Subject: FRANN. Remember, all the information must be included; name of organization, name of show, when it is showing, where it is showing- including the address, the times of the performances and the box office number. If all of the information is not there, I cannot post it.

Here is their list of current auditions and shows.

MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE
A VERY BRASSY CHRISTMAS – STARRING: NORTHWEST INDIANA’S SOUTH SHORE BRASS BAND & THE MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE CAROLERS!
WHEN: Friday, December 21st
WHERE: Memorial Opera House @ 104 Indiana Avenue , Valparaiso , Indiana
TIMES: 7:30pm
TICKETS: $10.00 Adults / $8.00 Students & Seniors
BOX OFFICE: 219-548-9137



BEVERLY THEATRE GUILD
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR - AUDITIONS
WHEN: January 3rd, 5th & Callbacks on January 6th if needed.
WHERE: Salem United Church of Christ @ 9717 S. Kostner Ave , Oak Lawn
TIMES: Thursday 7:15 – 9pm / Saturday 1:15-5pm
SHOW DATES: March 14th, 15th & 16th
SHOW LOCATION: Beverly Arts Center @ 2407 W. 111th Street , Chicago
TICKETS: $20.00 Adults / $19.00 Senior (62+) & Students (with current ID) / $18 Military~Retired or Active / $18 Group Sales ~20 or more
BOX OFFICE: 773-445-3838 or www.beverlyartcenter.org



CURTAIN CALL COMMUNITY THEATER
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
WHEN: January 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th
WHERE: Lincolnway East High School , 201 Colorado Avenue , Frankfort
TIMES: Thursday, Friday & Saturday @ 7:30pm / Sunday @ 2:00pm
TICKETS: $18.00 Adults / $16.00 Seniors & Students
BOX OFFICE: 708-699-2228 – Tickets available for purchase through their online box office at: www.ccctheatre.com



OAK LAWN COMMUNITY THEATER
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE - AUDITIONS
WHEN: January 6th & 7th with tentative callbacks on the 8th
WHERE: Oakview Recreation Center @ 4625 W. 110th Street , Oak Lawn
TIMES: Sunday, 1/6 @ 1-5pm / Monday, 1/7 @ 7:30-10:00pm
SHOW DATES: March 6th, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th & 16th
SHOW LOCATION: Oakview Recreation Center @ 4625 W. 110th Street , Oak Lawn
TICKETS: $19.00 Adults / $18.00 Students & Seniors
BOX OFFICE: 708-857-2200



ORLAND PARK THEATRE TROUPE
GREASE! - AUDITIONS
WHEN: January 20th & 21st (22nd – Callbacks if necessary)
WHERE: Old Village Hall @ 14413 Beacon, Orland Park , IL
TIMES: Sunday, the 20th ~ 1 – 6pm / Monday 21st ~ 7 – 10pm /
Tuesday, the 22nd ~ Callbacks if necessary 7:00pm
SHOW DATES: April 25th, 26th & 27th
SHOW LOCATION: Carl Sandburg Performing Arts Center @ 13100 LaGrange Rd.
SHOW TIMES: Friday & Saturday @ 7:00pm / Sunday @ 2:00pm
TICKETS: $17.00 Adults / $15.00 Seniors & Students / $13.00 Children to age 12
BOX OFFICE: 708-403-7275
Must sing 16 measures of a prepared piece of music from the show, be prepared to learn a brief dance and read from script.



ORLAND PARK COMEDY IMPROV
COMEDY IMPROV
WHEN: Friday’s, January 25th, February 22nd & March 28th
WHERE: Old Village Hall @ 14413 Beacon, Orland Park , IL
TIMES: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
TICKETS: $5.00 at the door
BOX OFFICE: 708-403-7275

I hope you found these helpful. Now if I only had information on what the BHUC was up to this spring!

Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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Beverly Theater Guild Hosts Jesus Christ Superstar Auditions on January 3rd and 5th, 2008

Earlier this week I reported on Director Brian Leo's production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

I just received details on the Beverly Theatre Guild's, a respected South Side theatre company that I have been regularly a member of, production of, you guessed it Jesus Christ Superstar!

See the Flyer Below for Details: Auditions are just before Brian Leo's, January 3rd and 5th 2008th.

Performances are at Beverly Art Center 111th Street and Western Avenue in Chicago.

Can't tell you how to decide between the two groups. I do not know the director A.J. Wester or Musical Director Allison Hendrix, but that means nothing since I have been out of the Musical Theatre sceen for awhile. Perhaps knowing them, or geography will help you decide.

I am always bothered when two groups in the same region pick the same show, but sometimes that can't be helped, great minds do think alike. 

I do have a great amount of respect for both BTG and Brian Leo. It should be noted that Brian has worked many times for BTG as a Director and an Actor, and truth in advertising, has cast me in a number of productions.

 So I leave it in your hands. Note that audition dates (His 2nd auditions are on January 7th) allow an actor to audition for both and he has choice parts available too. On the other hand, his rehearsals and performances will be in Frankfort.

Break a leg to all who audition to either one, its a super show! 

If you don't audition for either production please mark the performance dates, which are different, in your engagement calendars. 

I will try to find the Beverly Hills University Clubs' Scholarship Foundation auditions soon too. Will have to dig those up as well.

Note to producers: I saw this notice in my in-box today. I got 50 theater related queries in my blog this week. They could have come to this notice.

Peter, Chief Editor, Theater Watcher and Spelling Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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Jeff Foxworthy and Me on Chicago

This starts as another forwarded email from my friend Debbie Z. but I can't help adding a few of my own.

Jeff Foxworthy is known as a Redneck Comedian, but as anyone knows, comedians have to travel all over the country going from place to place with their act. In doing so they must form impressions of the towns they visit, and of course a big Theater and Comedy town is Chicago.

Normally, I would hesitate about quoting more than a few lines from anyone's act, but it is clear that these lines have already been heavily circulated, and, civic pride, being from Chicago, suggests that I should use them as an advertisement for Jeff and his work. So, if you like his jokes, see Jeff the next time he comes to your town, or use the Amazon search box to look for his books and CD's and buy one!

This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Chicago

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Chicago.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Chicago.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Chicago .

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Chicago

If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend, you live in Chicago.

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago .

If you have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again, you live in Chicago.

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you
live in Chicago.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live
in Chicago.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Chicago.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Chicago.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Chicago.

If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you live in Chicago.

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward this post to all your Chicago friends & others, you live or have lived in Chicago.

For a Southerner, Jeff has observed an awful lot of true things about Chicago, though certain of them (Halloween Snowsuits) may be just as valid in Minnesota or (speed driving) Detroit.

How Peter's Comments On Chicago

If you can tell which side of town you are on by the color of the baseball shirts you see on the street, you know you are in Chicago (Black and White = White Sox = South Side, Blue and Red = Cubs = North Side).

If you hear people in bars who really believe the Cubs will win the World Series this year as early as April 1st, you know that you are in Chicago.

If you hear people, including non-Catholics, describe where they live by what parish they live in, you know that you are in Chicago (this is less true than it used to be.)

If you know that on Election Day, that your chances of getting a ticket, except for DUI are close to zero, you know you are in Chicago.

If you know that the day after Election Day, that your chances of getting a ticket are the worst they could possibly be, you know that you live in Chicago.

If you know that the best weeks to ask your Alderman for a replacement garbage can (or any other favor) are the two weeks before an election, you could live anywhere, but you'll probably get the garbage can in Chicago. (We use special ones that the City supplies that have lift hooks for the trucks.)

If you see lots of cars that have mastered the rolling stop at a stop sign, you know you are in Chicago.

If you notice that no one, not a single car, never, ever, ever, ever, stops at the bottom of the expressway ramp to wait for a good time to merge into traffic, you know you are in Chicago.

If merging into traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway feels like coming onto the track in Indianapolis or LeMans without benefit of a yellow flag, you know you are in Chicago on a weekend.

If merging into traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway feels like entering traffic in a parking lot, you know that you are entering the Dan Ryan during Rush Hour in Chicago.

If traffic in one lane on the expressway accelerates from 3 mph to 80 then stops without warning after about three blocks as a car from another lane pulls into your lane, you are having a typical driving experience in Chicago.

If on the first night of snow, you see cars speed by you at 70 or 80 miles per hour, spin out as you pass them on the expressway only to have them pass you again at 70 or 80 only to have you pass them again going 30, and so on until they are arrested for driving faster than conditions, then you know you are driving on the wrong night in Chicago. Other than the profane words for these drivers, we have another term for them - out-of-towners.

If you start talking about a "Subway" series before the All Star break, you can only be from Chicago. If you know that the Subway in question is the Red Line, you actually live in the city or did once.

If you see a major river running backwards and actually dyed green, you know that you are in Chicago, near St. Patrick's day.

If you have ever taken CTA Blue Line from O'Hare, or the Orange Line from Midway, to Downtown, you are not only from Chicago or a frequent visitor, but you saved at least $27 and half an hour in travel time watching stalled traffic and cabs on the Kennedy. You are also really smart if you know this, are from out of town, and are traveling on a per diem expense account.

If you can gorge yourself on just about any kind of food imaginable, at a higher quality than just about anywhere, you know you are in Chicago. (Our pizza is better than New York's so we win!)

If your buses are so friendly that they announce the stops for you, and you can understand them, you know you are in Chicago.

If you can spend the whole day riding EL and Subway trains, moving from one line to another making free transfers across more than 300 miles of track on a single fare, you know you are in Chicago. Just don't leave the paid area and study the maps carefully!

If you lose your wallet and someone returns it to you with everything in it, including all of the cash, you could ONLY be in Chicago. (Happened to me twice. Once it was a cab driver from a Muslim country. Both refused any payment! Swear that this is the truth!)

If the a city spent millions reinforcing an underground parking garage to support a giant silver reflecting Jelly Bean, but was so cool once it was up that it seemed worth it, then you know you are in Chicago.

If you walk around the City and neighborhoods and on each and every block you see all kinds of different and wonderful architecture, you know you are in Chicago and you are very, very tempted to move here.

If someone goes on and on and on about how great his city is, they are probably from Chicago.

Well that's my list. I could add more. A Taste for Italian Ice. Italian Beef. All sorts of things. But I am a Chicago fan. Hey even as a die hard Sox fan who wrote that crazy song, I still wish the Cubs had gone all the way. The fans deserved it. Maybe next year. We'll see how the teams look in April...

Thanks for visiting the Peter Files Blog of Comedy! Bookmark us and come back soon! Feel free to forward posts to your friends and to taunt them with your savvy nature for finding this blog first!

Peter, Chief Editor and Spell Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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We strive to keep our humor and comments safe for home and work. Some of the links that appear on the sidebar may not meet our standards. If this appears on a regular basis, please let us know at "thepeterfilesblog at gmail dot com". Thank You!

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Auditions for Chicago Height's The Drama Group's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Start September 12th

If you have the urge to be in a rousing musical, you can't beat Seven Brides For Seven Brothers directed by veteran actor, singer, dancer, director and choreographer Billy Vitucci.

Produced by Chicago Heights' the Drama Group, the show, under Vitucci's experienced hands will undoubtedly be a terrific production, the only trouble will be getting into the cast. 

Like other fine local competition such as the Beverly Theater Guild, or BTG, The Drama Group attracts some of the finest talent on the South Side and Suburbs, though located some 90 blocks further south, the two groups do draw from a slightly different pool - somewhat.

Such things as local geography do not bother Vitucci however who has considerable experience traveling the road as a seasoned performer in many top professional productions. 

The information on auditioning for the show can be seen in the group's press release below which also includes the show's production dates. (Note: If I receive electronic publicity photos or other information from the group I will be happy to post them.)

Show information from this and other groups can be sent to me (Joe please use this address too!) 

ThePeterFilesBlog at Gmail Dot Com (ignore this text meant to confuse spam address readers.)

Please ignore the spaces and use an at sign and a dot where it says at and dot in the address above.


Director Billy Vitucci invites you to audition for the Drama Group's Production of
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

Audition Dates: Monday and Tuesday September 10th & 11th from 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Callbacks (if needed): Wednesday, September 12th from 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Held at The Studio Theatre Building - 330 West 202nd Street - Chicago Heights, IL

Be prepared to: To sing a song from the show - or bring sheet music (in your key) to sing a song of your choice. Please wear comfortable clothes for a Dance/Movement Audition. All diversities and ethnicities will be considered.

Casting: 14 Men / 7 Women - must sing & dance well. Other various men & women - some with speaking parts. Ages 18 to 50

Program Dates:

Performance Dates: November 9-10-11, 2007 - A Main Stage/Bloom Auditorium Theatre Production.

Rehearsal schedule: Wed ; Fri 7:15 - 10:00 pm and Sun 5:00 - 8:30 pm

(Subject to change, due to staff scheduling & casting). First Read-Thru will be Fri., September 14th - 7:15 - 10:00 pm.

Loaner scripts and CD's available now at The Studio Theatre Building. Call first: 708/754-5000. Please return Scripts within 3 days time. Questions? Contact BCProdInc@aol.com


The DRAMA GROUP
330 W. 202nd Street
Chicago Heights, IL 60411

Thanks for visiting the Peter Files Blog of Comedy! Bookmark us and come back soon!



Peter, Chief Editor and Spell Wrecker
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Satire and Commentary
Http://ThePeterFiles.blogspot.com

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We strive to keep our humor and comments safe for home and work. Some of the links that appear here may not meet our standards. If this appears on a regular basis, please let us know at "thepeterfilesblog dot gmail dot com". Thank You!

===> We love comments about our posts good or bad!

Please make comments by clicking on the word "Comments"!

Click on the Envelope to forward posts to your friends! Thank you! The staff.

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