Saturday, June 11, 2011

One More Tony Post: Congratulations, Lookingglass!

Outside all the prizes given to Broadway shows and artists, the Tony folks also hand out a "regional" Tony, presented to a theater outside New York chosen as that year's Outstanding Regional Theatre. The American Theater Critics Association, of which I am a member, considers and recommends a theater for this award every year.

Chicago theaters have been the recipients of this award five times, with Steppenwolf (1985), the Goodman (1992), Victory Gardens (2001), Chicago Shakespeare (2008), and now Lookingglass all singled out for the honor. That puts Chicago at the top of the list when it comes to Regional Tonys.

The fact that Chicago theaters are so often honored shows not only that Chicago is a great theater town, but also that its major theaters have staked out very individual identities, making each one stand out clearly for its own special vision and theatrical process.

Lookingglass, this year's winner, has mastered the art of visual theater, often using movement, dance, acrobatics, color, bold strokes and dramatic stage pictures to tell its stories. Those stories often seem to be mythic or fantastical in origin, with new adaptations of "The Arabian Nights," "Metamorphoses" and "Alice in Wonderland" (their "Lookingglass Alice") among their most popular pieces.

Lookingglass got started in 1988, the brainchild of Northwestern grads, including David Schwimmer of TV's "Friends" and Mary Zimmerman, the director/playwright/genius behind "Metamorphoses." The first Lookingglass production was "Through the Looking Glass," performed in a room on Northwestern's campus, but by the next year, Lookingglass was successful enough to earn four Jeff citations, including Original Music, Choreography, Ensemble, and Direction for "The Odyssey."

Since 2003, Lookingglass has performed its shows in a theater carved into Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works on Michigan Avenue. Their theater seats only 270 people at its most accommodating, which means every seat is up-close-and-personal when its works are performed.

Lookingglass has definitely carved out a place for itself on the Chicago theater landscape, and this Tony Award is much-deserved for its striking, spectacular contributions to American theater in general.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Phone Rings, Door Chimes, in Comes "Company"


It seemed like a great idea for the New York Philharmonic to put together an all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim's "Company" last April. The only downside was that there was only one performance!

But, in what seems to be a trend, the Philharmonic filmed that concert and is now releasing it to movie theaters across the country, sharing the joy with all the rest of us in the hinterlands who couldn't get to New York to see it. I have been keeping an eye on the Philharmonic website to check for dates and times near me, and I am happy to say that, yes, "Company" is coming to Bloomington-Normal. And Champaign, Peoria, Hickory Point Mall near Decatur, and a whole lot of other choices.

Here in Bloomington, "Company" will be showing exactly once, on Wednesday, June 15, at 7 pm, at the Bloomington Galaxy 14 Cine. You can buy tickets now if you want to ensure you get a spot.

As George Furth's book plays out, "Company" paints a picture of Bobby, a 35-year-old bachelor whose entire circle of friends is dominated by married couples. On the eve of his birthday, Bobby thinks about where he is in his life, taking a look at all those friends as well as the women he has most recently been involved with, as he ponders what it means to share your life with someone instead of going it alone. Is he better off the way he is? Should he have settled down with Kathy or Marta or April when he had the chance? And who among them is actually happy? When he looks at battling spouses Harry and Sarah, jaded Joanne and Larry, and about-to-be-married Amy who is experiencing the coldest of cold feet, why would Bobby want to be married, too?

All of that is intriguing enough, making "Company" stand apart as something a little different. But Sondheim's score also features songs like the searing "Ladies Who Lunch," Amy's hilarious "Not Getting Married," an energetic anthem about New York City called "Another Hundred People," and the soaring, amazing "Being Alive," that seems to put right out there the yearning and fear and joy of bonding with someone else.

For the New York Philharmonic, Neil Patrick Harris, who will be hosting the Tony Awards this weekend, played Bobby, the infuriating, adorable guy everybody wants to be around. Elsewhere in the cast, faux-pundit Stephen Colbert matched up with Martha Plimpton as Harry and Sarah, the couple who do so many "little things" together, including karate and squabbling; Craig Bierko and Jill Paice played Peter and Susan, who seem like the perfect couple, except for the small fact of that looming divorce; Jennifer Laura Thompson and Jon Cryer took on pot-smoking, not-all-that-hip Jenny and David; Katie Finneran paired with Aaron Lazar as Amy and Paul, who may or may not go through with their wedding; and Broadway force of nature Patti LuPone took Jim Walton along for the Joanne and Larry "older but not wiser" experience. Christina Hendricks (of "Mad Men" fame), Chryssie Whitehead and Anika Noni Rose played the three women Bobby considers as romantic partners.

That's a pretty powerful cast, with at least five Tony Awards, seven Emmys, and four or five Grammys among them. Plus they're all appealing, fun performers who seem to have jumped in and performed the heck out of "Company," if the trailer for this filmed version is any indication.

So I say go, as many times as you can, to every theater that's anywhere near you. I think I may be able to work in an extra screening or two, considering Champaign has more showings than Bloomington...

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Get Ready for the TONY AWARDS!

I used to be all about the Oscars. And then I saw my first Broadway show. It was "Nine," it was on a Monday night, Tommy Tune's off-night from "My One and Only," and he sat right in front of me at "Nine." Next I saw "Sunday in the Park with George." After that, after I was writing romance novels and taking trips to New York fairly often to see my agents and editors, I became pretty addicted to Broadway shows and the Tony Awards that recognize the performers, musicians, designers, directors, choreographers and producers who create them.

Although they are now officially called The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards®, they started out as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, honoring Mary Antoinette Perry, an actress and director who'd co-founded the American Theatre Wing. She died in 1946, and the first Tony was handed out in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947. That year, honorees included Ingrid Bergman for "Joan of Lorraine," José Ferrer for "Cyrano de Bergerac," Helen Hayes for "Happy Birthday," Fredric March for "Years Ago," and David Wayne for "Finian's Rainbow," with Kurt Weill winning for composing the music for "Street Scene." Agnes de Mille ("Brigadoon") and Michael Kidd ("Finian's Rainbow") shared the award for choreography, while Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan took home awards for writing and directing "All My Sons."

Pretty heady stuff for the first year! But also proof that movie stars coming to Broadway and scooping up Tonys was happening right from the beginning, what with Ingrid Bergman and all. (Bergman was also on Broadway in 1940 in a play called "Liliom," but she was lured to Hollywood by the movies, after several Swedish films and then "Intermezzo" in the US in 1936. She counts as a movie star to me -- for "Casablanca," if nothing else -- well before her Tony for "Joan of Lorraine.")

This year, I haven't seen the big nominees, like "Book of Mormon," created by the South Park guys (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and the co-composer/lyricist of "Avenue Q" (Robert Lopez), nominated for 14 Tony Awards, or "The Scottsboro Boys," with 12 nominations, including the Kander and Ebb score, David Thompson's book, and Susan Stroman's direction and choreography. Other shows which did well in nominations include the Roundabout's revival of "Anything Goes," with 9 nominations; the Harry Potter version of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," with 8; "The Merchant of Venice" that put Al Pacino back in the role of Shylock, with 7; Jez Butterworth's "Jerusalem," with 6; and Stephen Adly Guirgis's "The Motherf***er With the Hat," which may present issues on title pronunciation on the live awards show, with 6 nominations.

Pundits are expecting "Book of Mormon" to carry off quite a few trophies, including Best Musical, with Nick Stafford's "War Horse" (which is, yes, about a horse that goes to war) a popular choice for Best Play, although Guirgis's "Motherf***er" may just be the dark horse that can nip "War Horse" at the finish line. (And I'm really sorry I stretched that metaphor.)

"Anything Goes" is the favorite to win Best Revival of a Musical, along with star Sutton Foster as Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, while Larry Kramer's emotional play about the beginning of the AIDS era, "The Normal Heart," will battle it out for Best Revival of a Play. Some folks think the Roundabout's "The Importance of Being Earnest" or the Public Theater's "Merchant of Venice" will sneak by, but I'm betting on "The Normal Heart," and keeping my fingers crossed for Joe Mantello for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, even though that is one stacked category.

Brian Bedford ("The Importance of Being Earnest"), Bobby Cannavale ("The Motherf***r With the Hat"), Al Pacino ("The Merchant of Venice") and Mark Rylance ("Jerusalem") are the other contenders, and every one of them is possible. Rylance has been the most talked about as the winner, but Cannavale just took the Drama Desk Award in that category. And I would never count out Pacino or Bedford on general principles. I don't care -- I'm still rooting for Joe Mantello!

And as for the rest... I want to see Laura Benanti win Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her role in the "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," a hotly anticipated show that really wore out its welcome quickly. But Benanti, a beautiful actress with an even more beautiful voice, was the sole stand-out in a lot of reviews, and I want that award for her. I've still got her "Unusual Way" on repeat on my iPod, even though that revival of "Nine" was eight years ago.

And I am also rooting for Judith Light ("Lombardi") to win the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. I don't know a thing about the play, but I do know the other actresses in the category are all terrific in their right. Still, I love Judith Light from her "One Life to Live" days, and now that "OLTL" is in its last days, it would make me happy to see Light on stage with a Tony medallion.

In the end, though, it really doesn't matter who wins, at least not to those of us who watch at home and didn't sing, dance, act, direct, produce or design a single thing in any of these shows. But the Tony Awards are almost always a good show all by themselves. With Neil Patrick Harris hosting and performances expected from Sutton Foster, Norbert Leo Butz and Aaron Tveit, Daniel Radcliffe and John Laroquette, Patina Miller, Andrew Rannells, and Joshua Henry, the 65th Annual Tony Awards promise to be a very good show. I'm still wearing a boot from recent foot surgery, but I'm going to put on a decent dress and get out the champagne glasses for this, anyway. Nobody better call me between 7 and 11 Central time on Sunday, June 12. I'm busy!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

New Route's TAPESTRIES One Night Only at Eaton Gallery Tomorrow


A New Route Theatre, one of the theaters under the Illinois Theatre Consortium umbrella, continues its streak of monthly new work with TAPESTRIES, part of its "Word Weaver" initiative.

According to New Route's Facebook page about the event, "TAPESTRIES is an original play based on interviews with members of the Bloomington-Normal community. Meet the women whose stories inspired the play as we launch the New Route Theatre Word Weaver Program."

You can't get much more hometown-inspired than that! TAPESTRIES is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, at 7 pm at the Eaton Gallery in downtown Bloomington. Following the performance, New Route will offer a panel discussion with the three people whose stories are the basis for the play.

The actors for this performance include Dr. Jan Neuleib, a retired English professor from ISU, Dr. Paula Ressler, also a professors in ISU's English Department, IWU Classics professor Nancy Sultan, and Young at Heartland members Victoria Hill and Dottie Peiffer.

New Route Artistic Director Don Shandrow has been offering "One Shot Deals" this year, described as "an opportunity for the community to get to know New Route Theatre on a donation only basis. Surrounded by the creative energy and warmth of Eaton Gallery and Herb Eaton's art, audiences will experience new plays that are in workshop as well as established plays. Some will be readings and some will be fully mounted productions but all will meet New Route Theatre's mission to reflect the diversity of our community both onstage and in the audience."

TAPESTRIES, the newest piece in the "One Shot" series, is directed by Irene Taylor, who wrote and performed in "Suppos'd To," the April "One Shot Deal" at Eaton Gallery.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Heartland's 10th Annual 10-Minute Playfest Coming Up Fast!


Not only is Heartland Theatre Company's 10th annual take on its popular 10-Minute Playfest opening this week, but seven -- yes, SEVEN -- of the eight winning playwrights are scheduled to be in attendance to see their work on stage in Bloomington-Normal.

The playwrights are invited every year with three or four usually making the trek to B-N to see how their plays play in Heartland Theatre Company's intimate surroundings. I believe an Australian playwright even came to see his play one year! But this year, seven of eight are coming out to Heartland.

To refresh your recollection, this year's eight winning playwrights are:

Andrew Bailes of Gainesville, Florida, a winner with WHEN SHE DANCED, a sweet father-and-son play where the dad relates the story of how a long-ago Neil Young concert changed his life.

Bruce Boeck of Normal, Illinois, a former winner back again with CRICKETS, about a husband and wife sorting through their feelings immediately after their daughter's wedding.

John Patrick Bray from Riverhead, New York, with ELEANOR'S PASSING, a funny piece about three old friends considering moving in together.

Teesue Fields from Floyd Knobs, Indiana, who wrote COLORED ENTRANCE AROUND BACK, a compelling historical play about a black woman applying for a position as maid in a white woman's household in the 50s.

Christopher Lockheardt of Andover, Massachusetts, with BEDTIME STORY, a poetic piece about a man and woman who once meant something to each other. But times have changed since he once made up stories to help her sleep, and Happily Ever After may just be forever out of reach.

Jerry McGee, from Brooklyn, New York, author of HOW TO WEED YOUR GARDEN, a comedy involving three older women, a mysterious cake recipe, too many candles and way too many weeds.

Thomas Mollica, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a memory play called TOO MANY AIR CONDITIONERS. Grandma thinks life was lovely back in the days before air conditioning sent everybody inside all summer long. Just how accurate are her recollections?

Joe Strupek, from Bloomington, Illinois, the second local winner, with DON'T FORGET TO PLAY MY NUMBERS. This one is a touching look at one father's advice, involving baseball, dogs, cabbage rolls, and the lottery we call life.

Heartland's 10-minute play festival is a very popular endeavor, so you should definitely make your reservations now if you haven't already. Each of these playwrights except Bray (at the time I wrote this, anyway) had committed to attending on opening weekend. Thursday, June 9 is "Pay What You Can" night, and Saturday, June 11 features a special reception for Playfest sponsors Deanna Frautschi and Paul Bedell.

Later in the run, on Sunday, June 26, the first-round judges will offer their thoughts on the process in a post-show discussion open to the public. That panel of first-round judges includes me, which is why I can give you plot summaries of all the plays (above)! I can also tell you they are a very good crop of plays this year, and I found it very interesting that "back porch" seemed to translate to memories, ghosts, eminent domain, sibling rivalries, kissing and astronomy to so many playwrights. The prominence of rocking chairs and lemonade was less surprising. One judge fell in love with a play about poultry, of all things, even though that one didn't end up making the cut. But you can hear more about all of that if you come for the post-show discussion on June 26th.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards


On May 15th, the annual Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, presented for excellence in stage and film dance achievement, were handed out in New York City.

These awards began in 1982 as simply the Astaire Awards, to "recognize outstanding achievement in dance on Broadway each season." Since then, they've expanded to recognize dance achievement on film, too.

After seeing this year's announcement of winners, my friend Jon wondered if there were a complete list of all the winners since 1982 compiled somewhere. Although both of us have done our best to locate such a list, we have come up empty, I'm afraid. By searching for each year's press release individually and noting what history was mentioned in those press releases, I have compiled a sort-of list, semi-accurate, with holes and weird overlappings. Oh, well. This is what I got:

1982: Ann Miller, Best Female Dancer for “Sugar Babies”
Don Correia, Best Male Dancer for “Little Me”
Michael Bennett, Best Choreographer for “A Chorus Line”??

1983: Natalia Makarova, Best Female Dancer for “On Your Toes”
Charles 'Honi' Coles, Best Male Dancer for “My One and Only”
George Balanchine, Best Choreographer for “On Your Toes”

1984: Hinton Battle, Best Male Dancer for “The Tap Dance Kid”
Danny Daniels, Best Choreographer for “The Tap Dance Kid”

1985: Jerome Robbins, Lifetime Achievement

1986: Debbie Allen, Best Female Dancer for “Sweet Charity”
Gregg Burge, Best Male Dancer for “Song and Dance”
Peter Martins, Best Choreographer for “Song and Dance”
Bob Fosse, Best Choreographer for “Sweet Charity” and “Big Deal” ??

1987: Robert Lindsay, Best Male Dancer for “Me and My Girl”
Hanya Holm, Special Award for Contribution to Modern Dance and the Broadway Stage

1988: Herbert Rawlings, Best Dancer for “Dreamgirls”
Michael Smuin, Best Choregrapher for “Anything Goes”

1989: No awards given?

1990: Yvonne Marceau and Pierre Dulaine, Special Award for Contribution to the Broadway Stage for “Grand Hotel”
Robert Lambert, Best Male Dancer for “Gypsy”
Tommy Tune, Best Choreographer for “Grand Hotel”

1991: Gregg Burge, Stanley Wayne Mathis and Kevin Ramsey, for “Oh, Kay!”
Tommy Tune, Best Choreographer for “The Will Rogers Follies”

1992: Gregory Hines, Best Male Dancer for “Jelly’s Last Jam”
Christopher Chadman, Best Choreographer for “Guys and Dolls”

1993: Chita Rivera, Best Female Dancer for “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
Wayne Cilento, Best Choreographer for “The Who’s ‘Tommy’”

1994: Margaret Illmann, Best Female Dancer for “The Red Shoes”
Scott Wise, Best Male Dancer for “Damn Yankees”
Lar Lubovitch, Best Choreographer for “The Red Shoes”

1995: Charlotte d’Ambouse, Best Female Dancer for “Damn Yankees”
Susan Stroman, Best Choreographer for “Show Boat”

1996: Donna McKechnie, Best Female Dancer for “State Fair”
Savion Glover, Best Male Dancer for “Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk”
Savion Glover, Best Choreographer for “Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk”

1997: Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking, Best Female Dancers for “Chicago”
Ann Reinking, Best Choreographer for “Chicago”

1998: Kit Kat Klub Boys and Girls, Best Dancers for “Cabaret”
Garth Fagan, Best Choreographer for “The Lion King”
Graciela Daniele, Best Choreographer for “Ragtime”

1999: Adam Cooper, Best Male Dancer for “Swan Lake”
Patricia Birch, Best Choreographer for “Parade”
Matthew Bourne, Special Award for “Swan Lake”

2000: Deborah Yates, Best Female Dancer for “Contact”
Clyde Alves, Best Male Dancer for “The Music Man”
Susan Stroman, Best Choreographer for “Contact” and “The Music Man”

2001: Kate Levering, Best Female Dancer for “42nd Street”
Michael Arnold, Best Male Dancer for “42nd Street”
Susan Stroman, Best Choreographer for “The Producers”
Donald Saddler, Lifetime Achievement

2002: Sutton Foster, Best Female Dancer for “Thoroughly Modern Millie”
Justin Bohon, Best Male Dancer for “Oklahoma!”
Susan Stroman, Best Choreographer for “Oklahoma!”

2003: Elizabeth Parkinson, Best Female Dancer for “Movin’ Out”
John Selya, Best Male Dancer for “Movin’ Out”
Twyla Tharp, Best Choreographer for “Movin’ Out”
Chita Rivera, Lifetime Achievement

2004: Donna Murphy, Best Female Dancer for “Wonderful Town”
Hugh Jackman, Best Male Dancer for “The Boy from Oz”
Kathleen Marshall, Best Choreographer for “Wonderful Town”

2005: Norbert Leo Butz, Best Male Dancer for “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”
Charlotte D’Amboise, Special Award for “invaluable contribution to Broadway dance during the 2004-05 season"

2006 and 2007: no awards given?

2008: Karen Olivo, Best Female Dancer for “In the Heights”
Spencer Liff, Best Male Dancer for “Cry Baby”
Rob Ashford, Best Broadway Choreographer for “Cry Baby”
Dave Scott, Hi-Hat and Jamal Sims, Best Film Choreography for “Step Up 2: The Streets”
Tommy Tune, Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award

2009: Pia Glenn, Best Female Dancer for “You’re Welcome, America: A Final Night with George W. Bush”
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, Best Male Dancers for “Billy Elliot”
Peter Darling, Best Broadway Choreographer for “Billy Elliot”
Longines Fernandes, Best Film Choreographer for “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stanley Donen, Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award

2010: Nicole Chantal de Weever and the Female Ensemble of “Fela” for Best Female Dancers
Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, Best Male Dancer for “Come Fly Away”
Bill T. Jones, Best Broadway Choreographer for “Fela”
Marguerite Derricks, Best Choreographer of a Fictional Film for “Fame”
Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern, Best Directors of a Documentary Dance Film for “Every Little Step”
Kenny Ortega, Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award

2011: Sutton Foster, Best Female Dancer for “Anything Goes”
Norbert Leo Butz, Best Male Dancer for “Catch Me If You Can”
Susan Strohman, Best Broadway Choreographer for “The Scottsboro Boys”
Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon, Best Film Choreographers for "Mao's Last Dancer"
Jacques d’Amboise, Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award

Yes, I'm aware that my list is strange in spots, like giving an award to Michael Bennett for “A Chorus Line” in 1982. But if not then, when? I’m also missing the female in 84, male, female and choreographer in 85, I have an extra choreographer in 86, no choreographer or female in 87, no female in 88, nobody in 89, no female in 92, no males in 93 or 95 (plus I have Charlotte d’Amboise and Scott Wise in different years for the same show), and then the issue of 2006 and 2007, when apparently no awards were given out. I found an article in 2008 that said there had been no awards for three years, but since the 05 stuff seems pretty clear, I think it was just two.

So there’s what I found with my internet searches and cross-referencing hither and yon and whatever else I could get my hands on. Neither theastaireawards.org nor tdf.org seems to have any kind of historical listing and no one responded to my email request for more information. I'm hoping there is someone else out there looking for this exact same thing who will see my sad, holey list and decide to take this on as a project. Fred and Adele Astaire deserve better! And so do the recipients of these awards over the years.

Friday, June 3, 2011

June Is Here, Ready or Not!

No, I have not forgotten June. Yes, I'm late. I had this little foot surgery on May 31, and I assumed I would be lounging around with my foot up, but otherwise well able to tell you all about what's happening in June.

Yeah, I didn't count on pain-killers and the joy of sleep while on pain-killers and how little I would feel like getting the old laptop arranged properly over the recliner to actually open it up.

I am going to keep this brief (my attention span not being all that great) and race through some June options. Because there are a lot! And I don't want you to overlook them just because my computer access is awkward and my foot is killing me. If you want to forgive typos and any other weirdness due to my foot, though, that would be awesome.

First up, U of I's summer rep (of sorts) opened last night with [title of show], a little musical about trying to create a musical when you don't even have a name for it. [title of show] continues tomorrow and next Saturday, and all the way through June 26th. The other shows in Krannert's Summer Studio Theatre are Peter Parnell's QED, opening Wednesday, June 8, and running through the 24th. And the third show is Noel Coward's crazy "Blithe Spirit," where a mischievous ghost from the past inserts herself into her husband's new marriage. "Blithe Spirit" runs from July 7 to 23.

Heartland Theatre Company brings back it annual 10-Minute Play Festival, this time on the theme "The Back Porch" on June 9th, with performances all the way through July 2. Heartland considers the 10-Minute Playfest as the first show of its season, which means lots of subscribers eager to use their new flex passes fill the seats. It's a very popular offering for Heartland, with eight brand-new short plays written by playwrights from all over the country. To make reservations or read more about this year's winners, check out the website here.

The Station in Urbana launches its summer season with "Hairspray," opening June 16. How can you fit the big, bodacious musical that is "Hairspray" inside a small black box like the Station? I don't have a clue! Read more about it here.

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival opens its own summer rep June 23rd with the Reduced Shakespeare Company's "Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," a show that was a huge hit for the ISF in 2008. It will once again be directed by Bill Jenkins. "Romeo and Juliet" opens on the 24th, and the third show, "The Winter's Tale," bowing July 14. For all the details on tickets, backstage tours, jazz in the courtyard and other possibilities, check out the ISF website here.

John Wayne and Elizabeth Taylor also visit the Normal Theater, and the New York Philharmonic's "Company" (including Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Colbert in a star-studded cast) comes to Bloomington's Galaxy 14 on June 15.