Guest co-host Frank Tourangeau joins Gary in Booth One this week. Frank is a director, educator, speech coach, and all-around performing arts aficionado, whose knowledge of Chicago and New York theater is wide-ranging and insightful. I guess we should call him "Doctor" Tourangeau, as he holds a PhD in Speech and Performance Art from Southern Illinois University, and did his dissertation on the interactions of right brain/left brain as it relates to emotional cognition in performance. Wow. One of the smartest people we know!
Frank once coached our producer in high school speech competitions and relates a few stories about her performance piece and its reception at competitions. More here. Frank is retired now from his professorship at the College of DuPage in Wheaton, IL and spends much of his time supporting theater and film in and around the city of Chicago.
Gary does an Academy Awards recap by reviewing his picks along with those from Roscoe and Paul Stroili. Looks like Gary was the big winner with 6 out of 9 correct picks. Roscoe: 4. Paul: 3. Prize: $0.
Sally Field fares marginally well in reviews of The Glass Menagerie, but the production gets disappointing notices for its deconstructionist quality and unusual staging. We highlight the New York Daily News review as a representative example.
Frank and Gary romp through what's coming to the boards on Broadway and what's "in the works" for future seasons. Select upcoming openings: Come From Away, The Play That Goes Wrong, War Paint, The Little Foxes, Hello, Dolly! and A Doll's House Part 2(!). Scheduled for later - The Prince of Broadway; The Minutes by Tracy Letts; Bombshell, the Marilyn Monroe musical from Smash; The Cher Show; The Devil Wears Prada; Gypsy(again! this time starring Imelda Staunton); To Kill a Mockingbird (adapted by Aaron Sorkin); King Kong from Australia; and The Honeymooners starring Hank Azaria. Will all these come to fruition and make it on the Big White Way? Only time will tell.
We discuss the brilliant new film from Jordan Peele, Get Out, a semi-horror thriller with more than a few twists and turns. Both Frank and Gary like this picture immensely and try not to give too much away while discussing various scenes and plot points. There are elements of science fiction and some suspension of disbelief is required as the harrowing story hurtles its way forward. We encourage everyone to go see it! After you've seen it, read this excellent analysis in The Atlantic. Get Out was produced by friend of the show, Jason Blum. Congratulations, Jason and Blumhouse!
Pride Films and Plays, a new local producing organization whose mission is to change lives by creating diverse new work with LGBTQ+ characters or themes, has mounted a production of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert in a 99-seat theater with as many production elements as can be created in a small space. It features Chicago legend, Honey West!
