Jodie Jacobs – Page 14 – Chicago Theater and Arts

‘Hello Dolly’ still very funny and heartfelt

Heidi Kettenring as Dolly at Marriott Theatre. Photos courtesy of Liz Loren) — Heidi Kettenring as Dolly at Marriott Theatre. (Photos courtesy of Liz Loren)

4 Stars

Of course, you will be leaving the Marriott Theatre production of Hello Dolly singing its famed theme song but what you are likely to be talking about is the shows fabulous choreography and fine acting.

What audience members who already had tickets for Sept. 15 might not know is that after previews, that date was the show’s new opening night. It came two weeks after the original opening Aug. 31 was canceled due to Covid among some cast members.

Possibly they might have noticed that the production didn’t include a staircase that Dolly Levi typically comes down for a grand entrance into her favorite café, Harmonia Gardens. A note with the program said there was a hydraulic problem.

The delay and staircase absence just didn’t matter. The production and performances received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Superbly directed and choreographed by Denis Jones, this old crowd-pleaser, a musical based on Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker. is filled with wonderfully comic and heartfelt moments.

Left Alex Goodrich as Cornelius Hackl and right Spencer Davis Milford as Barnaby Tucker. in Hello Dolly at Marriott Theatre

There is the delightful Act One scene in widow Irene Molloy’s (Rebecca Hurd) hat shop where Cornelius Hackl (Alex Goodrich) and Barnaby Tucker (Spencer Davis Milford), two young Yonkers lads in New York for a night on the town, try to hide from their employer, widower Horace Vandergelder (David C. Girolmo). He left Yonkers to meet a prospective wife with help from matchmaker Dolly Levi (Heidi Kettenring).

And, there is the hysterical moment played to the hilt by Kettenring near the end of Act II when she prolongs a hearing of before a judge that involves the show’s main characters. As everyone waits and waits, Dolly thoroughly enjoys a dinner she had started back at Harmonia Gardens and brought to the courtroom.

As to heartfelt, there is Hurd beautifully singing “Ribbons Down My Back” as she puts on one of her hat creations for her sudden date with Hackl.

There is also Kettenring bringing audience members close to tears with her rendition of “Before the Parade Passes By.”

And speaking of parades, there is a wonderful scene of New York’s 14th Street Association Parade that includes people marching with placards and banners for women’s rights. Although set in the late 1800s, the show proves it is still relevant.

Originally directed and choreographed by Gower Champion you can expect several strong dance scenes. Marriott’s Hello Dolly delivers with Jones’ brilliant interpretations of the sentiments expressed in this Tony Award-Winning Musical with its book by Michael Stewart and music by Jerry Herman.

Shoutouts also have to go to the Marriott Orchestra conducted by Brad Haak, to Music Director Ryan Nelson, Costume Designer Theresa Ham and to Co-Scenic Designers Jeffrey D. Kmiec and Milo Bue. They nailed the musical’s rhythms and time period.

Even though Hello Dolly opened on Broadway in 1964, matchmaking hopes are still alive today with online dating and the desire to participate in life “before the parade passes by,” is still a strong motivator.

DETAILS: Hello Dolly is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire, now through Oct. 16, 2022. Running time: about 2 ½ hours with one intermission. For tickets and more information visit Marriott Theatre.

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

An intimate look at the life of a film festival and its director

Michael Kutza (Photo courtesy of Michael Kuzo and Lyna O'Oconnor) — Michael Kutza (Photo courtesy of Michael Kutza and Lyna O’Oconnor)

Read Starstruck, a tell-all memoir by Michael Kutza, a Chicagoan whom international movie stars and directors know personally and whose face and name would be known to theater critics but he would not be recognized by even regular movie goers.

You will pick up info and gossip they can drop during the next Academy Awards party or when out to dinner with friends who appreciate “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” with Jack Nicholson.

For instance, if you have gone to the Museum of Science and Industry and on purpose or accidently wandered into a room with a doll-house-sized castle you have seen the results of Coleen Moore’s dream.

But do you know who Colleen Moore was? The recent widow of Merrill Lynch founding partner Homer Hargrave, she was instrumental in helping Kutza realize his dream.

Already an award-winning film maker and a graphic artist, Kutza wanted to form and maintain an international film festival in Chicago before any film festival existed in the U.S. such as Sundance and before most film festivals such as Toronto popped up all over the world.

Irv Kupcinet who introduced the two of them and is mentioned several times in the book, is simply described as saying Colleen Moore as a “silent movie star.” Kutza describes her as a “real-life Auntie Mame.”

Mostly called Colleen in the book, she was that and much more. You learn that she knew the right people.

And because she loved film and its stars plus knew the movers and shakers – the men and women, who helped get things done in the arts, she adopted Kutza’s idea of having an international film festival in Chicago.

Starstruck by Michael Kutza ( Photo of cover by Jodie Jacobs)

Now you get it. At the young age of 22, Kutza, a West Side (as he says) son of two doctors who expected him to go to medical school, had fallen in love with film and wanted to make more available to the public than standard Hollywood fare. He also wanted film directors, producers and actors to know Chicago.

You learn that Colleen’s friend, Joan Crawford gave Kutza a pair of glasses to make him look older than 22 so people would listen to him.

That was back in 1964, the birth year of the Chicago International Film Festival when things started to come together. The next year, 1965, was the Chicago International Film Festival’s first year of operation with screenings and awards.

Ten years later in 1975, the Chicago Festival held the world premier of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” attended by Jack Nicholson and cast. The film later won an Oscar as Best Picture.

Reading Starstruck, you understand that Kutza realized his dream. The list of premiers and directors who first showed their films in Chicago is long and ranges from Oliver Stone in the United States to Liv Ullman in Norway with dozens more from other countries in between.

Kutza retired as director of the Chicago Festival in 2018 when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Cinema/Chicago, now the presenter of the Chicago International Film Festival with the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Starstruck takes you on Kutza’s fascinating journey from the Chicago Festival’s inception to its many awards and film screenings without covering up mistakes, bumps, triumphs and bare bodies.

Reading it reminded me of interviews I’ve done with hotel concierges who spoke of celebrity requests from alcohol and drugs to sex partners.

Yes, star peccadillos are in there. But you also feel closer to the celebrities and film makers Kutza has worked with during his tenure including silent screen star Colleen Moore Hargrave.

You learn that the original “Star is Born” story was that of Colleen’s success and the downhill trajectory of her husband at the time, John McCormick, including his attempted suicide walking into the ocean.

Starstruck by Michael Kutza is published by BearManor Media, 2022.

(The Chicago International Film Festival this year is Oct. 12-23, 2022).

Jodie Jacobs

Festivals that celebrate fall

Brookfield Zoo is celebrating Fall Sept. 24 with German music and food. (Photo courtesy of Brookfield Zoo)

If leaves are beginning to cover your driveway, balcony or lawn it must be time for a Fall Fest. October will be about pumpkins and scarecrows but now let’s celebrate Fall in September in towns and fun destinations in and around Chicago

Sept. 9-11 Geneva Festival of the Vine

Hosted by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, the fest is at south Fourth and James Streets. Similar to the way Taste of Chicago was before the pandemic, wine, beer and food is by tickets. Admission is $40 for 20 tickets. Hours: Fri-Sat are noon-10 p.m. Sun. is noon-5 p.m. For more information visit Geneva Chamber Festival of the Vine or call (630-232-6060.

Sept. 10 Gurnee Fall Fest

Held at Hutchins Athletic Field in Grandwood Park, 36753 N. Hutchins Road, (Gurnee), there will be food trucks, games, music and fireworks. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information visit Grandwood Park Fall Fest.

Sept 16-17 Highland Park Oktoberfest

The Lot at 523 Central Ave. is turned into a beer garden from 4 to 10 p.m. It’s an evening to eat, drink, relax and come together. For more information visit Enjoy Highland Park. or call 847-432-0800.

Sept 22-25 Huntley Fall Festival

Hosted by the town, park district and civic organizations, the festival features entertainment, food, and carnival activities. The event is at Deicke Park and the Huntley Park District Recreation Center Complex, 12015 Mill St. Admission is free. Hours: Thursday 6pm – 10 p.m., Friday 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 11. p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 7.p.m. For more information visit Huntley fall fest. Or call 847-669-8935.

Sept. 24 Brookfield Zoo Oktoberfest

Sponsored by Leinenkugel’s, the Oktoberfest will have German food and, of course, beer. Polka music will be going from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. The fest is on the East Mall. Brookfield Zoo is at 3300 Golf Rd. Brookfield. Admission is $17.95-$24.95 and parking is $15. For more information visit czs.org/Oktoberfest or call 708-688-8347.

Sept. 24-25 Libertyville Fall on the Farm

The festival is a chance to visit Lambs Farm, 14245 W. Rockland Road, to see its animals, take a barrel train ride and touch a tractor provided by the Lake County Farm Heritage Association. There will also be craftgs, games and inflatables for kids. Hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m

Admission is $8 adults, and $15 children. However, no admission fee needed for the DJ, food and beer tent, and vendor fair or visit to the country Store. For more information visit lambsfarm.org/event/fall-on-the-farm-2.

Have a fun fall

Jodie Jacobs

Find your perfect Oktoberfest

Celebraate Oktoberfest with German food and beer at The Berghof fin Chicago and at Oktoberfests around the city. Photo courtesy of The Berghoff)

Background: It all started with Ludwig I. Born in 1786 in Strasbourg, France on the border with Alsace, Germany, (becoming king in 1825), Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on Oct.12, 1810.

Thus, the Oktoberfest to beat all others today started in 1810 to celebrate their marriage. It takes place Sept. 17 through Oct. 3 on the Theresienwiese, a fairground that held the original fields where Ludwig had invited citizens to gather for the wedding celebration. But that is a long name, so the fairgrounds are also called d’Wiesn and the type of beer drunk at Oktoberfest there is also calaled Wiesn.

So, travel to Munich for the longest running Oktoberfest and find out more about it at Oktoberfest de/information .

Or visit one of the following Oktoberfests in and near Chicago, beginning this weekend.

Sept 9-11 – German American Oktoberfest At Lincoln Square in Chicago, it is held by the United German-American Societies of Greater Chicago. A no fee event, it features entertainment, dancing and authentic German Gementuchkeit (food) in tents at Lincoln and Leland Avenues. Its annual Steuben Parade is Sept. 10, 2 p.m. at Lincoln and Irving Park Rd.

Hours: 5 to 11 p.m. Sept 9, with opening ceremony at 8 p.m., noon to 11 p.m. Sept. 10 and noon to 10 Sept. 11.

Sept. 15-Oct. 8 The Berghoff Oktoberfest

The longtime German restaurant at 17 W. Adams St., Chicago, is celebrating Oktoberfest with German music and beer. See the menu (and get a pretzel) and full music schedule, Thursday-Saturday at Berghoff Oktoberfest.

Sept 16-18 – Palatine Oktoberfest

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Palatine as a fundraiser, the Oktoberfest is a free event but money raised supports local charities. The fest features German food, music, beer and wine.

Hours: Family Day with face painting and other activities is Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. German music is 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The event is under a large, heated tent downtown Palatine.

Sept. 23-25 – Oktoberfest Chicago.

Rated among the 10 best Oktoberfests by USA today in 2015, the event is hosted by St. Alphonsus Church, 1429 Wellington Ave. in tghe West Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Admission is $10. It features food, beer tastings and music on two stages.

Hours: 5-10 Friday, noon – 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, for specific band times and other information visit Oktoberfest Chicago.

Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 – Naper Settlement Oktoberfest

Held in Naperville west of Chicago, the event benefits the town’s Naperville Heritage Society/Naper Settlement, a large, walkable historic patch of “yesterday.” The event is in a large tent near the Naper settlement for food, dancing and entertainment by polka and classic rock bands. Admission is $20 adults and $15 children 4-12 . Find food choices and drinks at Oktoberfest Menu.. Hours: Sept. 30, 5-10 p.m., Oct. 1, 3-10 p.m.

Oompa! Prost!

Jodie Jacobs

Two different fests Labor Day Weekend

You don’t have to go out of town to find something different to do Labor Day Weekend 2022. In Chicago go over to the United Center where the Bulls are generating excitement for their 2022-23 season with Bulls Fest. Or drive up to north suburban Highwood for the sounds and tastes of Nashville.

Bulls Fest

Go over to the United Center, 1901 Madison St. Sept. 3-4 for entertainment, street food, Bulls and basketball related art and memorabilia and a hoops tournament. Find schedule information here at NBS BullsFest.

The BEATS stage sponsored by Michelob Ultra features Da Brat, G Herbo, Sixteen candles, The Trippin’ Billies, Benny and the Luvabulls.

Food and drinks are sold outside the UC on Madison Street.

The event basically goes from 8 a.m to 10 p.m. both days. Admission is free. For more information visit Bulls Fest 2022.

Tala Coffee and the next door Chicago Mike's Ice cream will have "all ages" stages on their parking lots/ patios during Nashfest. Photo courtesy of Tala Coffee) — Tala Coffee and the next door Chicago Mike’s Ice cream will have “all ages” stages on their parking lots/ patios during Nashfest. Photo courtesy of Tala Coffee)

“Nashwood” Highwood Nashville and Food Fest

Known as restaurant town, arguably for more restaurants within its slightly over square mile limits compared to any other small town in Illinois, Highwood is adding Nashville’s sounds to its streets, bars and restaurants Sept. 2-4, 2022.

Folks can where cowboy boots and hats, hear Country, Blues, Bluegrass and Southern Rock bands and singers. Along with Highwood’s regular restaurant choices there will be Southern-style food and drink specials.

Also, visitors can ride the Nashwood Hop On to do a loop to restaurants and bars. The event is free with no cover charges but tip jars will be out.

Nashwood will run Friday from 5 p.m. until-bar close, Saturday from noon to bar close. Sunday times vary according to venue. An All-Ages Stage will be at the Chicago Mike’s Ice Cream Co. and Tala Coffee Roasters parking lot/patios.

For more info visit Nashwood.

Have a fun, safe long weekend.

Jodie Jacobs

Around Town Labor Day Weekend

hicago Jazz Festival in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. (Photo courtesy of DCASE)

Move the bod or just sit back and charge up your mood at the free Chicago Jazz Festiva, downtown Thursday, Sept 1 through Sunday, Sept 4.

The annual event is produced by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) with programming by the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Today, Sept 1 go to Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan Ave. between Randolph and Washington Streets then tonight, listen to jazz in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

During the day Sept 2, 3 and 4, head to the Harris Theater rooftop (enter on Randoph St.) or go over to the Von Freeman Pavilion (North Promenade). Then late afternoon and early evening meander over to the Pritzker Pavilion.

The Festival presents a variety of jazz styles by local, national and international talent. For performance and location schedule visit City of Chicago :: Chicago Jazz Festival

Note: outside alcohol not allowed but vendors will have driniks at the venues.

Art Fair on the Square. (J Jacobs photo)

Go to an art fair in a suburb you may not have visited before or very often.

Fair on the Square, presented by the Deer Path Art League Sunday and Monday, Sept. 4-5, attracts local and nationally known artists.

Considered among the Chicago area’s oldest art fairs, it is held downtown Lake Forest on the west side of the METRA tracks.

The art fair is also a chance to see the suburb’s historic downtown which is listed among the country’s earliest outdoor shopping malls. Look up at the Square’s architecture to see some hidden niches and nooks.

For more information visit Deer Path Art League Fair on the Square.

Have a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend

Jodie Jacobs

Find a rainbow of fun at the Color Factory

Inspired by the city’s St. Patricks’s Day traditions as well as notable sites and sights like Chicago’s Lakefront Trail, baseball fields and the oldest L line , our custom green ball pit is a joy whether you’re 2 or 200. (IPhoto courtesy of the Color Factory)

What is the Color Factory? Is it an art museum, a place to learn, or an interactive experience? Actually, it’s all three. It’s experiential.

Located in downtown Chicago’s Willis Tower, the Color Factory is more than 25,000 sq. ft. of interactive rooms and activities designed to stimulate your imagination.

The third permanent installation in the U.S., the company has other locations in New York and Houston. Each Color Factory embraces its city with a unique color palette and provides a multi-sensory interactive art experience with multi-sensory installations, immersive rooms, and carefully curated moments.

This joy of color celebrates artists, art institutions, nonprofits, and brand partners to bring more art and color to the world.

Working in partnership with photographer and South Side native, Akilah Townsend, the palette celebrates some of Chicago’s most iconic elements and neighborhoods.

Colors from Chicago’s exclusive Rainbow Cone (think ice cream), the dyed Chicago River (St. Patrick’s Day celebration), Lake Michigan, and the beloved Chicago flag are the stars.

It’s called the 36 –Chicago Color Palette and you’ll find these colors infused throughout the museum. Mirrors create layers of images in multi-sensory rooms to get lost in.

At the color Factory in Willis Tower see Artist Camille Walala’s 1,500 square foot maze that with patterns inspired by Chicago architecture. ( Photo courtesy of the Color Factory) — At the Color Factory in Willis Tower see Artist Camille Walala’s 1,500 square foot maze with patterns inspired by Chicago architecture. (Photo courtesy of the Color Factory)

If you go:

Get your brain wired for a color explosion as you enter the multi-hued walkway. Check out more than a dozen immersive spaces that tap into all five senses – taste, touch, sight, scent, and sound. Enjoy sweet treats along the way, like delicious (and colorful) macaroons revolving out of a conveyer belt or a green Kurimu honeydew ice cream cone.

Taste and identify different flavors of “pop rocks.” Take lots of selfies, free with your QR code in each of the rooms. Touch the lightweight colorful balloons and watch them move through space. There was even a chance to quietly sit and draw the person sitting across from you.

The mint green ball pit was a fan- favorite! The Color Factory is great for kids, teens, and adults. There are enough activities with more sophisticated options to keep everyone happy. Plan to spend around 90 minutes enjoying the Color Factory fully.

DETAILS: The Color Factory is at Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago as an open run.

For more information, go to ColorFactory. To receive further updates on Color Factory Chicago, sign up at ColorFactoryChicago.

Mira Temkin

Dracula

4 Stars

If your idea of summer fun included telling spooky tales around the campfire or listening to audiobooks during your cross-country road trip you might enjoy beginning the fall theater season with Brian McKnight’s “Dracula,” a Glass Apple Theatre production at the Raven.

Based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, the production is an exciting world premiere stage adaptation of Orson Welles’ 1938 radio drama “Dracula.” And it is just in time to prepare your mind for Halloween.

Adapted and directed by McKnight, the show weaves an ominous adventure of suspense centered around the identity and mysterious intentions of the pale skinned Transylvanian Count Dracula portrayed by Andrew Bosworth.

The mystery drives Johnathan Harker played by Chris Jensen, nearly insane and sends his wife, Mina (Madeline Logan), to the edge of her grave.

Meanwhile, Dr. Seward (Connor Brennan) reaches out to the more experienced Dr. Van Helsing (Howard Raik) in a desperate attempt to understand what malady affects the fragile Lucy Westenra (Katie O’Neill), who was Mina’s best friend and in the original story probably was the Count’s first victim.

There’s an eerie old castle, a graveyard, an endangered ship at sea and a number of strange boxes with their curious contents that all have to be puzzled out to save the country from the bloody curse of the undead.

This World Premiere hybrid radio-drama is performed in evocative 19th century period costumes by designer Tina Haglund Spitza (with assistance of Cheryl Snodgrass).

To add dimension to this narrated drama, it is performed in front of projected back wall imagery by scenic designer Lauren Nichols (with Alyssa Mohn).

DETAILS: Orson Welles’ Dracula is onstage at the Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL through September 25, 2022. Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission. Ticket information is available at glassappletheatre.

Reno Lovison

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

‘Hello Dolly’ still a favorite

Director/Choreographer Denis Jones (Photo courtesy of Denis Jones)

The book by Michael Stewart and the lyrics and music by Jerry Herman will still enchant audiences when the regular (post previews) run of “Hello Dolly” opens Aug. 31, 2022 at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire, according to Director/Choreographer Denis Jones.

Based On playwright Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker,” the musical won Tonys for Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Musical when it opened on Broadway back in 1964.

But Jones who has worked productions from the NY City Center and Kennedy Center to Goodman Theatre and the Lyric Opera, isn’t worried that the show, set in the late 1800’s, will be considered too dated by Marriott’s sophisticated suburban audience.

“Its appeal is enduring,” said Jones during a recent phone interview.

“It explores the human experience. It continues to be relevant,” he said.

“It’s about grief and there is the deep humanity of Dolly Gallagher Levi,” said Jones. “Dolly brings people together.”

He also liked that Wilder’s characters took “bold” steps that defied society in the late 1800s.

Originally a farce written in 1938 as the “Merchant of Yonkers,” Wilder revised the play at the urging of Shakespeare and theater authority Tyrone Guthrie. Renamed “The Matchmaker,” It opened in 1955 and won a Tony under Guthrie’s direction.

What might audiences expect under Jones’ direction?

“I’m honoring the Thornton Wilder experience of actors speaking to the audience,” said Jones who wanted to take advantage of Marriott’s “Theater in the Round” configuration and that shows there can use the aisles in their productions.

“I’m already seeing that working in the previews (started Aug. 24). I was delighted.” He added, “The characters commune with the audience. It feels intimate.”

In a spacer like the Marriott, I feel the audience is very much a part of the show – the audience is included.”

Jones also praised the Marriott cast and lead of Heidi Kettenring. “I have a Dolly who will knock your socks off.”

Noting the musical’s iconic songs, he repeats the show’s enduring qualities and adds with an exclamation mark, “There’s the score!”

For more information visit Hello Dolly at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire.

Jodie Jacobs

Jeff equity nominations announced

Goodman Theatre, downtown Chicago. (Photo courtesy of Goodman Theatre)

Nominees for the Equity Jeff Awards ceremony, an annual recognition of the best Chicago area Equity productions, have been announced this week. The awards ceremony will be Oct. 17, 2022 at Drury Lane in Oakbrook, IL It will be directed by Jim Corti and hosted by E. Faye Butler, with musical direction by David Fiorello.

Started in 1968 to recognize quality Equity (union) productions, the Jeff Awards added recognition of non-equity productions deserving awards in 1973.

Awards are given for all production aspects from individual actors to ensembles and from lighting and sound to costuming and scenery design. They are also categorized by size from large and mid-sized to small companies.

According to a statement from the Jeff Awards committee, the nominees were chosen from shows that ran from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. They came from 38 categories, 43 companies.

Not all equity shows produced during that period fit Jeff criteria. Of the 94 productions attended, 76 were “Jeff Recommended.”

Some years a few productions take several nominations plus not all theaters are in Chicago’s city limits.

This year, Drury Lane Productions in Oak Brook received 21 nominations from five of its shows and Goodman Theatre in Chicago’s downtown amassed 20 nominations that included four shows co-produced with other companies.

Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire received 16 nominations and Paramount Theater in Aurora picked up 13 nominations of which eight were from a single production, “Kinky Boots.”

Shakespeare Theatre and TimeLine Theatre Company rounded out the top nominations with 10 each.

Due to the Pandemic and the changing theater scene, the Jeff awards added the new classification of “Short Run Productions.”

To see all the nominations and categories visit Jeff Awards.

Jodie Jacobs