BOOTH ONE - Celebrating Culture and Conversation

Gary and Roscoe romp through a medley of miscellany, joined unexpectedly by friend-of-the-show Paul Stroili of Episode 43 fame. Paul was loitering outside an Edible Arrangements franchise near our studio, shamelessly advertising for his new hit Chicago show Tony n' Tina's Wedding. So Gary invited him in for a visit and a chat on the air. More about Edible Arrangements than you ever wanted to know... Roscoe reviews The Scivvies for our listeners - singer/actor/musicians Nick Cearly and Lauren Molina from New York, who perform in their underwear stripped down arrangements of eclectic covers and eccentric originals. Roscoe "charms" other patrons seated near him at the event, which featured guest appearances by musical artists from Hamilton and Wonderful Town. Roscoe's informed notice? Two big thumbs up! Gary finally sees Wonderful Town at the Goodman Theatre before closing and his take concurs with Roscoe's - a brilliant re-imagining that simply shows what a theatrical genius like Mary Zimmerman and a stellar cast can do with somewhat mediocre musical material. Marvelous performances all, especially by leads Bri Sudia and the aforementioned Lauren Molina. Bri Sudia gives a performance that Gary imagines is reminiscent of a young Fanny Brice or Ethel Merman in her heyday. We can't avoid discussing the unanimous stellar reviews that Paul and his production of Tony n' Tina's Wedding have received in all the Chicago media. The acting, the direction, the venue, the music and the original 1980's theme make this one of the must-see events in the city this season. Despite the Chicago Cubs' World Series run diverting audiences to their TV sets this October, T n' T is playing to large and repeat crowds, offering an actual church wedding ceremony, an interactive reception, loads of great 80's music, full Italian dinner, champagne toast and real wedding cake. Paul discusses the extraordinary work by the cast and their dedication to naturalism and honest improvisation. Go to www.tonylovestina.com for information and to order tickets. Hurry, though, as it only runs through January 14, 2017. Another shout out from Roscoe and Gary about their experience at the famous iO Theatre improvisation space, where they saw the Improvised Shakespeare Company. Smart, funny, sophisticated, inspiring and downright thrilling, this troupe of actors and improvisers create a full 2-hour Shakespearean-style play with just a single suggested title from the audience. Ours was called "Without Handlebars" and was hilarious from start to finish. From mistaken identities to rhyming couplets, from iambic pentameter to mismatched lovers, you'll swear you're watching a fully written and prepared script. But NO! It's being made up on the spot for the first - and last - time ever! This is the perfect date night event, and it's only $16. Worth at least twice that. Enough gushing....GO! Gary, Roscoe and Paul bandy about Broadway's The Cherry Orchard reviews, George Bernard Shaw, War Paint and actress

Gary and Roscoe are pleased and excited to welcome cabaret artist Beckie Menzie to Booth One this week. Beckie is an award-winning performer, teacher, song writer, musical director and vocal coach, a staple of the Windy City music scene, and nationally recognized as one of the country's finest cabaret entertainers. Along with her musical partner Tom Michael, they have been called, "Sizzling...immensely appealing...one of the most compelling duos in cabaret today!" Beckie is from Pierceton, IN, but a Chicago girl through and through. She learned piano at an early age and fell in love with music and the performing arts while hanging around the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw, IN. She has performed at some of the nation's top clubs, theaters, concert halls, outdoor venues, and cabaret rooms. She most recently appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Auditorium Theatre. We play a few song excerpts throughout the podcast to give you a taste of her talent, style and singular musical gifts. Beckie and the boys chat about cabaret performers Michael Feinstein, Barbara Cook, Karen Mason, Sally Mayes, Julie Wilson, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Marilyn Maye and Barbra Streisand. (Just to drop a few names!) We discuss Laura Benanti's latest show at the Cafe Carlyle in New York and the stellar reviews she received. Gary gives a shout out to the Therapy Players, Chicago's premier all-psychotherapist comedy improvisation troupe! Seems they're holding auditions looking for a few new recruits. If you or someone you love is mental health professional, check them out at www.therapyplayers.com. In addition to performing steadily with Tom, Beckie is also a vocal coach and teacher, has recently become engaged, and sings with Laura Freeman & Marianne Murphy Orland in a group called Girls Like Us. They'll be performing their new show Barbra, Bette and Bernadette at Chicago's famed Davenport's nightclub on November 19 & 20. Go here for more info and tickets. Beckie's various musical ventures are part of her BeMe Music empire. If you like The Golden Girls like we do, you'll LOVE the new action figures from Funko. Retirees Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia are posable vinyl figures 3.75 inches tall and ready for action! The four-figure set costs $25 and is only available from participating Target stores and New York Comic Con. Run, don't walk, to your nearest Target for holiday shopping magic. There's nothing like a country and western song title to bring a smile - and an occasional grimace - to your face. Gary cycles through the Best of the Worst Country-Western Song Titles of all time. Here's one - She Got the Gold Mine and I Got the Shaft. Beckie tells us about the country song she once wrote and one that she intends to. Roscoe inquires whether anyone can be taught how to...

Gary and Roscoe greet Autumn in Chicago with anticipation and merriment. While discussing pie fights and pet peeves, Roscoe admits to being officially notified by the Library of Congress about misrepresenting the number of screenings of the newly restored and fully assembled 1927 Laurel and Hardy film The Battle of the Century. Seems he saw the third American screening at Cinecon, not the first. A minor quibble, but worthy of correction. Gary's latest Sourpuss Smithers peeve concerns the use of the helper word "like". As in "Like he heard this woman on like the train using the word 'like' like as every third or fourth like word and couldn't like believe that a seemingly well-educated and like professional person would be caught like dead in a loud conversation in like public with such a debilitating like speech pattern. Like." We know this is not a new problem, but seriously? The sharks are back in town in New Smyrna Beach, Florida with three attacks on surfers in one day! NSB is apparently known as the "shark attack capital of the world." Read more here to learn why. And keep your hands and feet inside the boat at all times. We preview the new season on Broadway with a nod toward those shows closing (Something Rotten, The Humans, An American in Paris, Matilda, Fiddler on the Roof), and a look ahead to upcoming openings. Of particular interest is the revival (again!) of The Glass Menagerie, this time featuring Sally Field. Roscoe is flush with excitement over this and predicts a Tony Award for the former Flying Nun. We like her! We really like her!! Even more exciting is the opening of Hello, Dolly! starring the great one herself, Bette Midler. And featuring David Hyde Pierce as Horace Vandergelder. The first revival in 22 years, this show broke the first day Broadway record for ticket sales, ringing in at $9,082,497! Word on the street has it that Carol Channing, 95, will be in attendance on Opening Night. Oh, to be in the audience that night... Roscoe gives us his thumbnail review of Wonderful Town, now playing at the Goodman Theatre, directed by the great Mary Zimmerman. "It's bright, colorful...with one show stopper after another after another", says Roscoe. 4 Stars out of 4.  Bri Sudia gives what Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune calls a brilliant, career-making performance. High praise indeed. You heard it here first on Booth One, folks - The People vs OJ Simpson was going to be BIG! A huge winner at this year's Emmy Awards., including Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark and Courtney B. Vance as Johnny Cochran. Also, close friend Jay Martel appeared on stage as Executive Producer when Key and Peele won for Outstanding Variety Sketch Show. Nice photo in the NYTimes the next day, Jay! Way to go. Can't wait to have you on the program. See all the Emmy noms and winners here. Something that we hope will become a recurring segment is Roscoe reading entries from his grandfather Roscoe's scrapbook of letters and reminiscences. Touching, human and revealing, we think you'll find this will become a popular Boot...

Gary and Roscoe welcome to The Booth stage and film actor, director, writer and producer Paul Stroili, recently relocated back to Chicago from Los Angeles. Paul's wit, charm and remarkable storytelling make him one of our most hilarious guests to date. See Paul's full bio here. Paul previously co-hosted an entertainment talk radio show in Los Angeles called "State of the Arts" with Michael Sterling, and is pretty savvy behind the mic, as you'll hear. He tells about some of the iconic guests they had on the show, including Carol Channing, Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris. Roscoe takes us through his latest Cinecon Classic Film Festival adventures, seeing rarely or never-seen films in Hollywood in the course of 5 days over Labor Day weekend. From Carl Laemmle's King of Jazz, to vintage Spencer Tracy, to meeting legendary film actress Marsha Hunt, it sounds like Roscoe had another great year at Cinecon sitting in the dark with friends. Paul's latest project is a new production of the audience-interactive theatre piece Tony n' Tina's Wedding here in Chicago. Paul was in the original Chicago production back in the 90's. When the producers heard he was moving back, they tapped him to direct the remount. This time the ceremony will be held in a real church, and attendees will then make their way 2 blocks to the reception site. Paul says the cast is full of "brilliant improvisors who are also great actors." If you've never experienced Tony n' Tina's "special day", do yourself a favor and get a group together and go. And don't forget to bring a few dollar bills! This show is all about one of our favorite things: Audience Participation. The VIP experience includes ringside seats and surprises. We will be checking that out for sure. We discuss film acting and screenwriting, and dig into The Beating, which Paul wrote and stars in. This terrific short film is a nail-biting, intense drama with a twist. The Beating tells the story of the lengths to which one father will go to end a nightmarish problem of bullying at his son’s school. The Beating premiered at the 2014 Sedona International Film Festival, as well as being an Official Selection at the San Diego Film Festival, the San Jose International Short Film Festival, The Bel Air Film Festival and The College Town Film Festival with screenings and lectures at Penn State and Ohio University. In addition, the script of the film has been used as an instructional tool at Columbia College in their course of study on short filmmaking. You can view the full film here, or by going to Paul's website at www.paulstroili.com. Go to the IMDb entry at this site. Paul is working on development for a feature film he hopes to make this spring. The screenplay is an adaptation of a play called Wake, by Carey Crim. We can't wait to follow this story! Gary asks Paul about his most prized possession - two theatre seats from Grauman's Chinese Theatre from the 1950's that he has restored to mint condition, including burgundy mohair reupholstering and a custom-made platform designed to the same rake specs as the theatre floor. His description of the process of restoring them is priceless.

Gary and Roscoe are back in form for a whirlwind episode, encompassing everything from elephants to Greenland sharks, from Porter to Streisand, from War Paint to Byhalia, Mississippi. Our new Audience Participation Manager Michelle Houle sits in with us at the studio. First, a shout out to friend-of-the-show Billy Lawless's new restaurant Coda di Volpe, recently opened in the Southport/Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Frequent Booth One listeners will recall Billy's splendid guest appearance during our Taste of Chicago Episode 39. Gary and our producer Betsy were treated like royalty at the Friends and Family soft opening of Coda, and the experience is one to be remembered. This welcome addition to the neighborhood is highly recommended! And they just started serving brunch. Roscoe revisits War Paint with Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole at the Goodman Theatre. Though now closed, and presumably being reworked for a New York run, his review remains unchanged - stellar performances in a show without much dramatic tension. If this show is to have any future life, most agree that there's a lot of work to be done around these two pros of the musical stage. What's the longest-lived vertebrate on the planet? No, not the Blue Whale. It's the Greenland Shark! Living an average of 272 years, some of these natives of the North Atlantic can reach 21 feet long and 2,000 pounds. Many  live beyond 400 years. Blind due to all the parasites crowding their eyes, these sharks are said to have an impeccable sense of smell, which they make ample use of when they hunt. Gary won't be deep sea diving in Greenland any time soon. Just what the world needs - a 4 century-old ocean predator! On to the highlight of Roscoe's year - nearly front row seats to Barbra Streisand! As he struggles to properly describe this Booth One experience without using the word "thrilling" too many times, Roscoe regales us with stories about her concert, her hair, her voice and her song selection. "I could see the whites of her eyes!", he tells us. Babs told a few stories throughout the evening - for instance, did you know that the album cover for People was actually shot on the beach of Lake Michigan right here in Chicago while she was in town for a concert date?                            I've never heard Roscoe so excited. Here's her song list from that night. Act One The Way We Were Everything Being at War with Each Other Everything Must Change Woman in Love Stoney End Enough is Enough Evergreen You Don't Bring Me Flowers Being Alive Papa, Can You Hear Me? Act Two Pure Imagination Who Can I Turn To? (with Anthony Newley on video from the Ed Sullivan Show) Losing My Mind Isn't This Better How Lucky Can You Get? Children Will Listen Don't Rain on My Parade People Happy Days Are Here Again Encore I Didn't Know What Time It Was The show must go on - even without elephants. For the first time in 134 years, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus is sans pachyderms. The new show, "Out of This World", premiered in Fresno, CA in July and is now on tour. Expect an ice floor, an elaborate narrative, and even a smartphone app. But sadly, the elephants have done their last balancing act.

Gary and Roscoe return once more to the friendly confines of Steppenwolf Theatre to chat with two of the creative geniuses behind a terrific new play, Byhalia, Mississippi, now getting a remounted production through August 21st at the 1700 Theatre, under the auspices of Steppenwolf's Visiting Company Initiative. Playwright Evan Linder and Director Tyrone Phillips share their thoughts on the creative process of crafting a play, working organically with actors and designers, growing up in the South, their first experiences in the theatre, and the themes addressed in Byhalia, Mississippi. Evan is a founding member and the Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony theatre company. He works as a playwright, actor and director and teaches playwriting at the University of Chicago. Evan grew up in Memphis, TN, just a few miles up the road from Byhalia, and is a graduate of the College of Charleston in South Carolina.  Other works include 11:11, Frat, The Warriors, B-Side Studio and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, which was named Best Overall Production at the 2012 NYC International Fringe Festival, and enjoyed an off-Broadway run as part of Soho Playhouse's 2012-13 season. Tyrone is the founding Artistic Director of Definition Theatre Company and has served on the artistic staff of Writers Theatre. Named by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as one of the "Hot New Faces of 2015", Tyrone is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his rising acclaim as a director, he is an accomplished actor, with credits from Definition, Steppenwolf, Windy City Playhouse, Prologue Theatre Company and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Byhalia, Mississippi is a play about forgiveness, acceptance, love and the very core ideas of family. Jim and Laurel Parker are about to become new parents. They are broke. They are loud. They are "proud white trash." When Laurel gives birth to their long overdue child, she and Jim are faced with the biggest challenges of their lives. Byhalia, Mississippi explores a couple in the midst of turmoil and a town with a racially-charged past that finds its way into the present. Gary calls it the "finest new play he's seen in a very long time." Right up there with Stephen Karam's The Humans. Tyrone refers to it as "a future classic." All agree that this play will find a wider audience and that many productions across the country are in the offing. Listeners, please keep your eyes peeled for a new production happening near you. This is one theatrical experience you won't want to miss. Kiss of Death: Marni Nixon, Hollywood's leading "Ghost Singer" in the 1950s and 60s. It's her crystalline soprano that pours from the mouths of Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, among dozens of others. Because Hollywood didn't want audiences to know its stars couldn't sing, Nixon's contributions went uncredited. For singing the part of Anna in the film and recording of The King and I, she received a total of $420! Ms. Nixon, who continued singing into her 80s, eventually came to regard her heard-but-not-seen life with affection, touring the country in her one-woman show "Marni Nixon: The Voice of Hollywood", and writing a memoir in 2006 titled "I Could Have Sung All Ni...

Roscoe ventures out on the town to bring us this lively episode of conversation about theatre, cabaret and Stephen Sondheim. We get his impressions of what's new and exciting, as well as a perspective on some old favorites. Then stay tuned for our live podcast from Writers Theatre and their Sunday Spotlight focused on Company! Photo at left shows us making the magic with a very smart and savvy audience. First, Roscoe tells us about War Paint, the world premiere musical at the Goodman Theatre, starring Broadway veterans Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole.Written and directed by the creative team that brought the world Grey Gardens, this show tells the stories of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, who defined beauty standards for the first half of the 20th Century. Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country’s first major female entrepreneurs. They were also fierce competitors, whose 50-year tug-of-war would give birth to a major industry. From Fifth Avenue society to the halls of Congress, their rivalry was relentless and legendary—pushing both women to build international empires in a world dominated by men. Hear what Roscoe has to say about this new musical, as well as some reviewer comments from The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Read full NYT review here Next up, Roscoe fills us in on his cabaret experience seeing the legendary Andrea Marcovicci at Davenport's. With a career spanning four decades, Ms. Marcovicci is a Queen of the Cabaret, and an accomplished stage and film actress. At 67, does she still have what it takes to enthrall a room? Roscoe gives us his verdict... We revisit the national tour of The Book of Mormon, now playing in Chicago at the ingloriously named Private Bank Theatre (we just call it the Shubert). After five years, how does this religious satire musical with book, lyrics, and music by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone hold up in this rapidly changing world of mores and tastes? Roscoe at Large shares his full theatregoing experience with you. As an added bonus this week, we bring you an excerpt from a pre-show Sunday Spotlight live podcast recording Gary and Roscoe made at the new Writers Theatre. Our guest panelist is Stephen Schellhardt, Associate Producer and Casting Director for Writers. Our topic? Stephen Sondheim and the recent production of Company, now playing through August 7. Read more here. We have great fun in front of a roomful of well-informed theatre patrons, and you'll want to play along with our Sondheim Trivia game. Our thanks to Stephen and artistic director Michael Halberstam for inviting us to their Writers home for this Booth One presentation. Our Kiss of Death segment this week profiles Betsy Bloomingdale, Socialite and Celebrated Hostess to Dignitaries and Royalty. The wife of the department store heir Alfred S. Bloomingdale, Betsy lived in palatial homes, shopped for $20,000 Paris couture gowns, attended the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, and dined regularly with Ronald and Nancy Reagan,

Recording live from the 2016 Taste of Chicago, Gary and Roscoe enjoy the elements and the sound of Buckingham Fountain while talking in depth with friend of the show, successful restaurateur Billy Lawless Jr. Billy's stable of establishments include The Gage web site, The Dawson web site, Acanto web site and the new Beacon Tavern web site. Days after this interview, Billy opened Coda Di Volpe on Southport. We got to go to the Friends and Family pre-opening and it is marvelous! Enjoy the photographs of these beautifully designed restaurants, then go see them in person! We talk food, customer experience, service and location, location, location! Billy describes the thinking behind his restaurants' menus and wine lists and tells us about his great Beverage Director, Jon McDaniel. We talk about Ireland and the Brexit. And pork mac and cheese. Billy shares his keys to success, which would be helpful to owners of any business. Billy's dad Billy Sr. emigrated from Galway, Ireland, 18 years ago and was immediately successful with his first Irish pub establishment in Lakeview. From there, the Lawless Restaurant Group has grown into one of the most excellent and  prominent hospitality organizations in Chicago. Do yourself a favor and visit one of these marvelous restaurants. And tell them Booth One sent you! Did you know that Buckingham Fountain, clearly audible in the background of this episode, has 134 firing water jets and circulates 1.5 million of gallons of water? Recently, Atlas Obscura provided an opportunity for people to get a glimpse of how the complex plumbing and pumps work on their "Buckingham Fountain Underground Pump Room Tour". How many hot dogs do Americans consume between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year? 1 billion? 3 billion? Try 7 BILLION! That averages to about 818 per second! What's your contribution? Source: USA Today Participate in this years' Le Diner En Blanc, where picnickers meet in a public location and dress all in white. The meeting location is kept secret until the day of the event and is available to paying guests only. This 5th Chicago edition is scheduled for August 12 and tickets are $37.50 plus an $8 membership fee. Register for the waiting list now and plan to purchase tickets on July 20. For more information, go to Chicago.dinerenblanc.info. And break out your summer whites! Booth One gives one of its usual summer shout outs to the Grant Park Music Festival, the largest free classical music festival in the world. Though you might have missed their Cole Porter Celebration on July 8 & 9, there are still plenty of concerts to be heard before the end of the season in late August. Get yourself to Chicago and the magnificent Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for an outstanding evening of music under the stars. Our Kiss of Death celebration-of-a-life segment is Lorna Kelly, who "Left Sotheby's Rostrum to Help the Poor." An Upper East Side socialite who was one of the first female fine-art auctioneers in the world in the 1970's, Ms. Kelly grew discontent during the 1980's and felt a spiritual void. So she decamped, unbidden, for India and Mother Teresa, the first in a series of charitable endeavors that occupied her ever after. Ms. Kelly was 70. Read more of her inspirational story in Margalit Fox's

Gary and Roscoe have long wanted to get award-winning author Stuart Dybek on the show, and now we have! Boy, was it ever worth the wait. Dybek is one of America's finest writers of literary fiction, particularly the short story form. His work has been said to "move easily between the gritty reality of urban decay, and a magical realm of lyricism and transcendence linked to music, art and religion." Read this glowing NYT review of his latest work. The reviewer writes that Dybek is "not only our most relevant writer, but maybe our best." If you haven't read any of his work, do yourself a favor and pick up a volume. Here's his bio. Our show begins with a remembrance of Muhammad Ali and how boxing imagery appears in some of Stuart's writing. Ali transcended sport and also his own innate talent and skill to become something more than just a world-class athlete. He was a world-class human being. Read more here. In 2006, Gary directed a world premiere theatrical adaptation of The Coast of Chicago, a collection of Stuart's short stories. Adapted by Laura Eason and presented by Walkabout and Lookingglass Theatre Companies, as well as our very own producer, Stuart reflects on what an exciting experience that was. Learn why Stuart says, "Music is the defining art for me. Always has been." and what kind of music he writes to. What profession he might have entered if writing hadn't been his true calling. How memory, recollection and imagery play parts in his creative process. And the difference between narrative and associative writing. An avid theatergoer, Dybek loves the risks and real chances that Chicago theater artists take. The city's long history of developing improvisation as an art form is a big part of that risk taking. Shout outs to friends of the show, Improv Olympic and The Second City. More here. Ever been lost in a big city? Stuart used to get lost in Prague but can't any longer, to his regret. But he tells a wonderful story of being lost while searching the Michigan woods for mushrooms. Gary relates a tale about getting lost in Seville, Spain, and coming upon a magnificent street ceremony for the Virgin Mary quite by accident. And Roscoe and his family once found themselves disoriented in the Paris Metro. Dybek cites John Dewey as America's greatest writer of the 20th century with regard to social issues. Because "we all depend on one another's choices." Could that be more topical? Read more about this philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer here. Stuart loves to write about work and working class characters so we recount our worst jobs -Stuart washed helicopters at Midway and worked on a production line in an ice cream factory. Roscoe toiled summers in his youth in a vegetable canning factory. Gary picked grocery orders in a large and steamy warehouse. What's your worst work experience? Finally, we discuss Stuart's Fabulous Fiction course at Northwestern University. Gary and Roscoe are signing up! Stuart talks about the importance of imagery as a jumping off point to any good story, then tells us about a couple of student stories he particularly likes and that have found publication. He promises to come back and read some of their (and his) works on a future show. Kiss of Death - Shirley Bell Cole - Radio Voice of Little Orphan Annie ...

Meet the artists who lead Chicago's world-class summer music festival. Principle Conductor and Artistic Director Carlos Kalmar and Grant Park Chorus Director Christopher Bell share the microphone with Gary in this behind-the-scenes conversation at the Grant Park Music Festival. Now in its 12th Season at the stunning Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, the GPMF is the nation's only free outdoor classical music series of its kind. Read about its fascinating history here. First up, Maestro Kalmar discusses the non-stop fevered nature of putting on a 10-week program of music and entertainment, and how two of the festival's key words for the summer are "time management". Carlos talks about his programming philosophy, his desire to please a wide range of patrons' musical interests, and his unswerving commitment to presenting not only new and rarely heard pieces, but the works of American composers in particular. Gary asks Carlos about particular pieces on the season calendar, including works by Matinu, Gandolfi, Kernis and Berlioz. And of course the Tchaikovsky Spectacular on Aug. 12 & 13, featuring the the "rediscovered" 1879 version of Piano Concerto No. 1. For the full summer calendar of events, go to the GPMF Website. Finally, discover what other profession Carlos may have pursued as a young man if music hadn't been his overwhelming passion. The answer may surprise you. Congratulations on 17 glorious Seasons with the GPMF! Next up, Gary talks with the always entertaining and insightful Christopher Bell, now in his 15th Season with the Grant Park Music Festival. Read his bio here. Christopher has spent a great deal of his career working extensively with Youth and Junior Choruses, particularly in Scotland and his native Northern Ireland. We'll learn about his mentoring and what he finds so rewarding about these endeavors. Christopher discusses the Chorus outreach concerts this summer, which will feature Shakespeare-themed works in alignment with Chicago's Shakespeare 400 celebration happening all over the city in 2016. And one of his favorite conducting assignments of every season, the spectacular July 4th Independence Day Salute to America and the Armed Forces, with special guests the National Youth Choir of Scotland. See the lineup for that concert here. Christopher never fails to dazzle in sartorial display each Fourth, and this year should be no exception. And speaking of fashion, we learn about the history of Bell's formidable shoe collection, where he stores them, and what makes him such a footwear fanatic. There's no question that his sparkling personality is reflected in his choice of attire. It's an honor and a privilege to have these two distinguished artists on Booth One. We hope you will take advantage of the marvelous events that the Grant Park Music Festival offers this and every summer. We recommend a picnic supper on the lawn under the stars. BYOB! And may the music never end.        

Gary and Roscoe's "little grey cells" get a workout when rising star and Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Jon Michael Hill Read Bio visits the show. Coming to you remotely from the new 80-seat 1700 Theatre performance space at Steppenwolf. Jon is currently starring in Constellations by Nick Payne at the Upstairs Theater at Steppenwolf, along with the luminous Jessie Fisher. "It's a beautiful, elliptical and elegant exploration of all that is possible when two people meet," says Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro. "It deals, simultaneously, with the beauty and mystery found in the unknowable vastness of the universe and the ways in which we attempt to define ourselves in a desperate effort to stave off entropy." Only 80 minutes, and it will blow your mind. Constellations runs through July 3. Jon also co-stars as Detective Marcus Bell with Johnny Lee Miller, Lucy Lui and beloved Chicago actor Aiden Quinn in the hit CBS series Elementary.......the show that imagines Sherlock Holmes living in modern-day Manhattan, helping the NYPD solve crimes. It's Gary's favorite show! No kidding. After discussing the new 80-seat 1700 Theatre performance space and adjoining Front Bar read full story here, we get down to business with Jon about acting, his upbringing, past shows (including his Tony Award-nominated performance in Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts!), and his band The Wolves. Jon and the band can be seen in the 1700 Theatre on July 13 & 14. Tickets are scarce and only $12. Gary tells of some notable figures from Jon's hometown of Waukegan, IL, including Ray Bradbury, Vincent Price, Jerry Orbach, Jack Benny, Otto Graham, and film actor of the1930s-1950s, Mickey Kuhn, who appeared with Vivien Leigh in both. Mickey Kuhn Jon shares his love of Chicago, all kinds of music, and classic films, from Wings of Desire to The 400 Blows to Army of Shadows. Mr. Hill is certainly somewhat to keep and eye on as his career continues to move forward in leaps and bounds. Stage, television and film actor, musician, film lover, and about the nicest guy you will ever meet, Jon Michael Hill is Booth One all the way! Kiss of Death - Jane Little, world's longest serving orchestra musician. Ms. Little collapsed during a recent performance of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ironically, the symphony was performing a pops concert called "Broadway's Golden Age", and 30 seconds from the end of Irving Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business", the long-time bassist collapsed and was carried backstage by fellow musicians. She never regained consciousness. There was sadness among orchestra members and patrons alike, but also a sense of poetic beauty to the timing of Little's death, doing what she so loved for more than 70 years. Hollywood could not have scripted it better. Jane Little was 87. read full obit

Coming to you from the Chicago studio of famed photographer Marc Hauser, this edition of Booth One focuses (no pun intended) on Marc's work over 5 decades of taking celebrity portraits around the world. Along the way, we discuss his inspiring journey and the meaning of life. Marc began taking photographs as a teenager in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette. At age 13, he was already working for Hugh Hefner and Playboy magazine. Hauser has taken photographs for Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Life Magazine and Marshall Fields, as well as film shoots, album covers, concerts and family portraits. Marc relates his experiences and shooting sessions with Dolly Parton, Michael Jordan, Cindy Crawford, Woody Allen, Jim McMahon, Sophia Loren, Uma Thurman, Janis Joplin, George Burns and others. Truly a Booth One Experience professional! Here are some of Marc's images from his studio, along with a few stock images of the people and personalities we cover during this amazing and candid episode... Hauser took this candid shot of Michael Jordan on a basketball court with backdrop and lighting.             Hauser once traveled with the circus for 3 months, photographing performers, acrobats and animals. This iconic photograph of a show girl on a rearing elephant is one of his most famous. Sadly, one will not be able to see live elephants at the circus any longer, as more and more traveling companies are retiring their pachyderms for humane reasons. So this shot is indeed a record of circus world history. Marc discusses why Chicago is a city of loyalty and helping hands. Many people have aided Marc in his recuperation and return to working after a tragic accident in 2007 that cost him the use of a leg and his right eye. Chicago ain't known as the City of Big Shoulders for nothing! Marc's work can be seen at an upcoming show at Adventureland Go to Website, a gallery owned by another renowned Chicago artist and friend of the show, Tony Fitzpatrick. To see more of Marc Hauser's work, visit his website at http://www.hauserportraits.com/ . To schedule a photo session with Marc, call 312-243-7824 and ask for Tara. Marc is offering a sweet deal on Groupon View Deal Here . Bring the family - you won't be disappointed. Marc Hauser is The Real Thing! Kiss Of Death - Bill Backer, Who Taught the World to Sing. As vice chairman of the ad agency Backer Spielvogel Bates, Mr. Backer was responsible for the writing and creation of perhaps the world's most famous television ad - the classic 1971 Coca-Cola commercial of a diverse groups of singers on a hilltop in Italy, loudly proclaiming: "I'd like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company" Watch on YouTube.  The commercial became a smash success, and recordings by both the Hillside Singers and the New Seekers became Billboard hits. The spot also inspired a 1991 Super Bowl ad, and served as a coda for the AMC series "Mad Men". Bill Backer was 89 and owned a thoroughbred horse farm in Virginia in retirement. Read the full NYTimes obituary here.

Gary and Roscoe weren't able to get Blanche, Willy, George or Martha on the show this week, so they have to depend on the kindness of strangers. More on that in a minute, but first.... The strangest stranger of all, Carly "Lilith" Fiorina, took only 6 days to bring Ted Cruz's presidential campaign to ruin - 5 years and 357 days less than it took her to destroy HP! Like a bad penny, she keeps turning up. Won't surprise the boys if she is Trump's VP choice. Watch Carly do a disappearing act as she falls from the stage at a Cruz rally recently. Talk about taking a dive!  Video here. Sheridan Smith, star of Funny Girl on the West End in London, has been missing performances and is now on a leave of absence from the show. Rumors abound as to why and for how long, but unkind media and Twitter posts have fanned the flames. Roscoe and Gary are hoping to see this show on Broadway next year, but this could be a blow to the chances of seeing Ms. Smith in the Fanny Brice role. Read more about these happenings and what her understudy has to say in this Daily Mail article. read more here We look back with amazement on our astonishing good luck and fortune during our recent trip to New York, not only spending time with Chita Rivera (listen to Episode 32 for the full Booth One interview), but getting into a sold out Hamilton! The odds of both happening are astronomical. Have a Booth One Experience you'd like to share? Go to Booth-One.com and post something on our website and we'll share it on the air! Gary and Roscoe venture up to the new Writers Theatre building to see Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf: A Parody, created in collaboration with Chicago's Second City. go to website  Clever and hilarious, the show features a stellar performance by one of our favorite stage actresses Jennifer Engstrom as Blanche DuBois. Read full Bio Match wits and picks with Gary and Roscoe as we make our predictions for the 2016 Tony Awards! Is Hamilton a lock for every category? Is The Humans the best play of the season? Arthur Miller or Eugene O'Neill as Best Play Revival? Make you own selections here and watch the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12 to see who's the smartest in the land. World's oldest living person dies - again! 116-year-old Susannah Jones was the last living American who was verified to have been born before 1900 (July 6, 1899). The title of OLP now belongs to Italian Emma Morano, born in November of 1899, the last verified person alive to have been born in the nineteenth century. God speed, Susannah, and may we all live as long! Read about her on Wiki. Tune into our next Booth One Episode when we'll be talking with noted Chicago photographer Marc Hauser in his West Side studio. Marc has taken iconic photos of Micheal Jordan, Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, George Burns, Dennis Rodman and a host of other celebrities and world-famous faces. We're looking forward to an in-depth and candid visit with Mr. Hauser. Go to Website Kiss of Death - Sylvia Kauders, Late-Blooming Actress: Ms.

Yes, Chita Rivera! Roscoe and Gary sit down with the musical theatre legend in her room at the Carlyle Hotel for an intimate chat about dance, her career, Kander & Ebb, and a host of other engaging topics. The two-time Tony Award winner - for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman - has been nominated a record 10 times for that prestigious award. A native of Washington, DC, Chita began her professional life as a dancer with George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. In 1951, she was cast in her first theatrical role in the touring company of Call Me Madam. Chita was 17. She subsequently landed roles in the Broadway productions of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful starring Sammy Davis Jr. Ms. Rivera achieved Broadway stardom with her electric performance of Anita in the original Broadway presentation of West Side Story, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Other important Broadway roles were in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Nine, The Visit, and Chita Rivera: A Dancer's Life. In 2002, Chita became the first Hispanic woman ever chosen to receive the coveted Kennedy Center Honor. And in 2009, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Visit her website at www.chitarivera.com. Learn more about Chita's amazing career here. A great interview with a great lady! Huge special thanks to Robbie and Rosie!!! Booth One experience alert - while in New York, Gary and Roscoe miraculously manage to snag two tickets to see.....yes, Hamilton!! Don't ask how, it's a long story. Involving Gary's past life as a Broadway stage manager. Suffice it to say they were wowed beyond belief by their luck, and agree that's it's a good as everyone says. Gary says you will never see a better musical. Roscoe praises the genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda and the seamless integration of music, lyrics, dance, lighting, sound and scenic design. You owe it to yourself to see this show no matter what it takes! Check out Hamilton's website. Kiss of Death - Joe Patten, Known as the "Phantom of the Fox". For more than 50 years, Mr. Patten worked tirelessly to restore and maintain Atlanta's historic Fox Theater. From saving the massive pipe organ (lovingly called "Mighty Mo" by Atlantans) to rescuing the theater itself from the wrecking ball, Joe became as revered a fixture of the city's cultural life as the theater itself. For decades, Mr. Patten lived in a 3,640-square-foot apartment under the theater's dome, reached by climbing a "cinematically appropriate 39 steps." Our favorite obit writer, Margalit Fox of the New York Times, beautifully chronicles the extraordinary life of this supremely gifted man. Read her full obituary in the New York Times.    

An Exclusive Interview with Sister Helen Prejean is the Topic of our Booth One Podcast this Week. Sister Helen is in town in support of the Quality of Mercy Project, a three-month public programming initiative examining the complex issues that arise from the production of Dead Man Walking: forgiveness, compassion, the death penalty, mass incarceration, racial inequality, and social injustice. We are pleased she agreed to spend some time talking to us in our studio. Read more here. Sister Helen Prejean (born in Baton Rouge, LA) is a Roman Catholic nun, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Her efforts began in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1982 a friend asked her to correspond with convicted murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier, located in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Sonnier was sentenced to death by electrocution. She visited Sonnier in prison and agreed to be his spiritual adviser in the months leading up to his execution. The experience gave Prejean greater insight into the process involved in executions, and she began speaking out against capital punishment. Prejean has since ministered to many other inmates on death row and witnessed several more executions. Her subsequent book Dead Man Walking, a biographical account of her relationship with Sonnier and other inmates on death row, served as the basis for a feature film, an opera, and a play. In the film, Sister Helen was portrayed by Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for her performance. Also starring Sean Penn. Although Prejean herself was uncredited, she made a minor cameo as a woman in a candlelit vigil scene outside Louisiana State Penitentiary. Prejean's second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions read more here was published in December 2004. In it, she tells the story of two men whom she accompanied to their executions. She believes that both men were innocent. The book also examines the recent history of death penalty decisions. Here is an important one: Glossip v Gross. In this episode we learn more about Sister Helen's extraordinary efforts in this cause and a few things about the remarkable person who is Sister Helen as well. Joining us in the studio is Leslie Brown, the Executive Director of the Piven Theatre Workshop right here in Evanston, IL, where a production of Dead Man Walking is being presented from April 16 - May 15, 2016. We hope you find our interview informative, thought-provoking and enjoyable. Sister Helen is truly a force of nature! The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty. -