1. Team StarKid is going on The Space Tour; you’ll remember them from A Very Potter Musical, as well as from their castmember Darren Criss, who made it big on Glee. You also may have seen their sold-out run of Starship in February. Though based in Chicago, they won’t start here, but expect them back November 8.
2. Chris Jones liked Carrie Fisher’s show Wishful Drinking a lot; “Fisher’s personal stories speak to greater societal and existential truths,” he wrote. Justin Kaufmann, who watched the HBO special, and thought the exact opposite. Maybe there’s something about seeing her in the flesh?
3. More on the revitalization of the Athenaeum, which has sort of a sad story. The theater was apparently doing alright, until executive director Fred Solari died, and thing sort of fell apart. His son took over, who says “We simply weren’t able to balance everything in terms of rent, salary, et cetera.” Too much, too soon. The son’s got a new job, and the Athenaeum looks like it’s part of a new era, so all’s well that ends well.
4. Shakespeare Project of Chicago opens The Life and Death of Richard II on October 22 and runs through that weekend at a variety of libraries, so take your pick. Saturday is at the Newberry and Wilmette Public Library, and Sunday is at Highland Park. I’d go with Newberry, but perhaps the Wilmette and Highland Park libraries are secret beauties.
5. The Count of Monte Cristo has been extended; it will now run through November 13. Jonathan Abarbanel should be pleased, as he wrote of the play that “Director Paul S. Holmquist and his 11-person cast keep the story spinning along at a fast clip in a lavish physical production; one which certainly should make audiences think twice about their actions and motives.
Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.
