1. Another review you can use, for another play you’ve probably heard too much about; Follies was covered by Reviews You Can Iews contributor John Moran. Of the musical, he says, “I felt as if I was in New York watching a Broadway show. If you want the next best thing (without Broadway prices), go see this show.” Of course you want the next best thing.

2. The Addams Family has cut its tour of Chicago down from three weeks to one. Blame it on the economy folks, as “ticket demand in Chicago, where many people already saw the show in 2009, is evidently soft…There is growing evidence the recession is extracting a toll on Broadway musicals. On Thursday, the producers of the revival of Funny Girl, scheduled for next spring in New York, announced they had postponed the project indefinitely after failing to raise the $12 million capitalization.” 

3. The saga that is Spider-Man continues; it’s been announced that Julie Taymor is eligible for Best Director of a Musical, despite the fact that she is not really director any longer. Who has their Tony countdown clock ready and ticking?

4. Steep Theatre is bringing in some Naked Angels to spice up their November season. They’ll put on workshops and readings of Earthsiege: Commence, a play by playwright Sarah Burgess. Naked Angels Artistic Director Andy Donald calls it a “gonzo play.” Take that as you will. 

5. Broad Shoulder Productions opens Graham Cracker in previews this weekend. It’s a pretty Chicago-specific piece; it “tells the story of a Mexican-American man who receives a letter from his father stating he is at the Cook County hospital and wants to see his son one last time before he dies.” I’m not going to copy-paste the rest of it because that would literally just give away most of the plot. It’s tonight at Wally’s at 8 pm and tomorrow at 3:30 pm, but they have a Kickstarter page, if you want to feel good about yourself from the comfort of your own home/bar.

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.