Summary: Gary welcomes actor, director, producer, choreographer, casting and teaching professional Stephen Schellhardt to the co-host chair of Booth One this week. Longtime listeners to the program may remember Stephen as a panel guest when we recorded our all-things Sondheim Episode 38 before a live audience at <a href="http://www.writerstheatre.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Writers Theatre</a>. His recent production of Urinetown received glowing notices. See a review <a href="http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2017/03/05/urinetown-review-boho-theatre/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Stephen will next be seen as Melman the Giraffe in Madagascar The Musical at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, directed by friend of the show, episode 57 guest Rachel Rockwell. <a href="https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/madagascar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More details</a>.<br> <br> Stephen is about to begin a position at Northwestern University where he'll be teaching Musical Theatre. We're going to put that knowledge to the test in this Episode 60!<br> <br> Gary and Producer Betsy just returned from a whirlwind trip to New York City where they saw 6 Broadway shows in 5 days! Here's a rundown of the cavalcade:<br> <br> <a href="http://sweatbroadway.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweat</a> - Terrific play with a fine ensemble cast. Khris Davis! This show will have a lot of legs on the regional circuit with one set and important timely subject matter. Sadly, the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play just closed in NY, but it will have a long and profitable life after Broadway.<br> <br> <a href="http://greatcometbroadway.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjws-LKBRDCk9v6_cnBgjISJAADkzXeVhBck760ImLN93DnOUD2QOiwouzxRvj6JtnDOazfbRoCgkzw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812</a> - Lavish, interactive spectacle of a production, but we found it curiously un-engaging, despite having the best seats of our trip. Gary never found the emotional heart of the piece, though the last 20 minutes are very moving. Still, it's a long slog to get to those final moments and it's not a show we can highly recommend, except for the fact that you'll not see anything else as lavish as this anywhere, and Josh Groban is exceptional as Pierre.<br> <br> <a href="http://dollshousepart2.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Doll's House, Part 2</a> - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Metcalf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laurie Metcalf</a> deserves all the acclaim she's received for this performance in Lucas Hnath's imaginative sequel to Ibsen's classic. The rest of the cast - Jane Houdyshell, Chris Cooper and Condola Rashad, all nominated for Tony's - round out this genuinely entertaining and thought-provoking dramedy. Maybe a bit too short and some unexplored themes, but it's for Metcalf that one should see this particular production. Gary likens her star turn to what it might have been like to see Hepburn or Davis on the stage in their heyday. A true American theater treasure!<br> <br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Foxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Little Foxes</a> - Seeing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Linney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laura Linney</a> and Cynthia Nixon in this searing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Hellman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lillian Hellman</a> play was to see acting at it's finest. Perfectly cast and superbly staged, Gary and Betsy were also very impressed by Richard Thomas and Michael McKean's performances. We saw the version for which Linney and Nixon were nominated - Regina and Birdie respectively. Stephen comments that the two actresses believe this combination plays against their types. That's what acting is all about, and what a pair of powerhouse actors they are! As of this publication, this show is also now closed, but it's a theater-going memory that will live in our minds for ...
