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IN THE HEIGHTS National Tour Company © Joan Marcus

In The Heights starts tomorrow! Rush seats were just announced, but you can buy tickets anytime!

Full-time students and seniors (65+) can get rush tickets for only $25 day of show at box office. Quantities are limited and available with valid ID and cash only.

JERSEY BOYS performed the National Anthem and a special halftime show for Chicago Bears fans over the weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears – November 22, 2009 at Soldier Field

The last week of November is shaping up to be an exciting week of firsts for me and all of us in The Ten Tenors. Our first time performing in the Windy City, some of the first performances of our 2009 holiday show and, as we are all Australian, the first time for some of us to tuck into an authentic, home cooked Thanksgiving turkey.

Nostalgica is our latest album and the inspiration for our current show. This album and the show are made particularly special by the fact that the repertoire was actually chosen by our fans. We constantly receive mountains of song requests from all over the world. When we tallied these, a strong theme of reminiscent romantic songs from the 20th century appeared. Moon River, What a Wonderful World, Besame Mucho, songs that underscore charming memories in everyone’s lives; and powerful operatic numbers like Granada, all appear in the album and in the show. We’re also including audience favorites from Queen and the Rock ‘n’ Roll era to breathtaking moments from opera; and of course our Ten Tenor versions of the best Christmas pieces. We truly are excited and proud of the show we’re bringing to Chicago, it’s our best yet! And every single night, I’m not exaggerating here, I’ve had audience members tell me it’s the best thing they’ve seen for years.

Now, if you’ve not seen us before, it’s important you understand a little about how we expect you to behave at our show. We want you to forget about the beautiful surrounds of the theatre and our suave cuff-linked suits. Imagine yourself at a Bulls game and clap, cheer, dance and make as much noise as you can – although we find this usually happens spontaneously. Oh, and perhaps bring a few Kleenex to keep the mascara from running – if you’ve seen our show already you’ll know what i mean.

Touring life?

One question appears in almost every interview– do we actually get along as well as we appear to onstage? Hmm…trapped every day in stuffy dressing rooms with nine other opinionated, egotistical tenors – need I say more? Of course I’m joking. Imagine spending all year making great music and exploring the world with nine of your best mates. Our tours take us around the globe several times a year to amazingly diverse cultures on every continent, (well, we haven’t made it to Antarctica yet – our ‘penguin suits’ might be shown up by the genuine article.) Lion cubs in South Africa, speedboats through Norwegian fjords, mulled wine from German Christmas markets, Paella in Madrid and snow fields in the Rocky Mountains, sometimes in the space of one week – I’m not sure I can really call it work.

That being said, we do work very, very hard. Rehearsals every day, new material for every country, 4am media calls and of course the shows, sometimes 8 nights in a row, require a highly disciplined lifestyle of vocal and body maintenance. Also, as we are away for about 10 months every year; home, family and loved are greatly missed. As a great artist once said, “…we don’t get paid to sing – we’d do that for free. We get paid to leave our family and friends.”

Another exciting event taking place during our Chicago run is the culmination of Movember. A great privilege of being a successful international group is bringing vital exposure to important causes. Movember is a movement that started in our home country of Australia and has since spread right across the globe. Its aim is to raise awareness and vital funds for men’s health issues; namely prostate and testicular cancer and depression in men. We started November 1st clean shaven and have downed our razors for the entire month to grow a moustache – hence ‘mo-vember.’ So our chic James Bond looks have steadily changed into Tom Selleck meets Hulk Hogan. Since its beginning in 2003 Movember has raised $47 million making it the largest charity in the world specifically for men. We’d love you to visit our website to learn more about Movember, and check our you tube page to see a few fun videos on how our ‘mo-gressions’ are shaping up.

So, now there’s nothing left to do but put the turkey in the oven, grab a cup of yuletide cheer and we’ll see you at the Auditorium Theatre. Cheers!

Boyd Owen (The Ten Tenors)

Alayna Gallo and I were asked to be celebrity contestants in “shoot the puck” at the Chicago Blackhawks game on November 15th. Never in my wildest dreams would I have anticipated such an opportunity. The Blackhawks organization generously provided the  Jersey Boys cast and crew with a penthouse suite to watch the game, so we had plenty of support from our friends.

Toward the end of the second period, Alayna and I were escorted downstairs, just outside the ice, where we were able to take a couple practice shots (Thank god! I haven’t held a hockey stick since I was 7 years old!) I can’t even begin to explain how nervous AND excited we were. With just a few seconds left in the second period, we were waiting just outside the ice doors when the Blackhawks scored. The energy of the 21,000 people in the arena skyrocketed. Alyana and I kept looking at each other with massive smiles plastered on our face saying “Oh my god, here we go!” There were 4 of us shooting the puck, including two children. Walking on that ice and scanning the thousands of people around me was an unbelievable feeling. Then, looking at the goal, I realized they blocked of most of it and left a tiny target the size of a mouse hole open. I was thinking, “Are you kidding me?”

They took Alayna and me to center ice and the children to the blue line. Sure enough, the boy, who couldn’t have been more than 10 years old, shot it right in that tiny hole! The crowd went crazy. Alayna and I went crazy! When it was my turn to go, I set up like I was taught by my coach, Ryan Quinn West, looked directly at that silly little hole and shot the puck with all my might. I was seriously just hoping the puck would make it down there. As I was watching the puck slide down the ice I thought, “Wow, that’s going pretty straight. Hey, this is gonna be close. Oh my god, this might actually go in! HOLY ****!!!!!!!!!!!” I was completely stunned. Alayna’s reaction was priceless. We high fived and I stepped off the carpet, mouth gaping open in disbelief. I was so grateful I didn’t have to shoot again because I didn’t even know how I did it the first time! Alayna shot great as well. On her third shot we were all screaming for a replay. The puck literally sat inside the hole, but didn’t go all the way through.

Alayna and I had a fantastic time. All the Blackhawks employees were wonderfully supportive and seemed to enjoy our neurotic excitement. This experience will most definitely go down in history as one of my favorites.

-Merissa Haddad (Mary Delgado and others/JERSEY BOYS)

American-born actor Cory English has spent much of his career in London, but is excited to be back stateside and performing in the Windy City in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, a show masterminded by his mentor and friend, Mel Brooks. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

How has your experience on the tour been so far?

Fantastic, traveling with my family and enjoying all of what the cities have had to offer. Meeting wonderful American characters along the way.

Where have you been so far on the tour?

So far we have been to: Providence, RI; Hartford, Connecticut; Cleveland & Columbus, Ohio.

Any sidesplitting, embarrassing or favorite moments you can share?

A couple of moments in every show there are “free” moments. Roger [Bart] and I have enjoyed some fun ad libs and its fun reminding ourselves in this way that it is a LIVE show. My William Shatner impersonation in one such moment was disgraceful and the joke died. Take the rough with the smooth, I guess. People prefer my Jimmy Stewart (SPOILER ALERT: its when Dr. Frankenstein is about to be taken away to be hung).

Are there any unexpected aspects to life on tour?

I have toured a few shows so touring life is familiar to me. Try and prepare for the surprises, I guess. Living with a 3 year old this often happens.

Have you been to Chicago before?

Yes back in 1994/5 during Hello Dolly with Carol Channing, but I stayed in Hinsdale with family and don’t remember staying in the city properly at all I’m ashamed to say. I do remember Wrigley Field, a great game before the baseball strike and great performances at Second City.

What are you most excited about during your 6-week stay in Chicago?

Being in one place for so long! My son taking class at Joffrey Ballet. Getting out to see some live music. Enjoying the ribs at Twin Anchors.  Shows. Family coming together for Thanksgiving – its our first in the states as a family and a big group of us have planned to be in the city. Hopefully catching The Addams Family opening, I have worked with a few people in the show.

See Cory in person at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through December 13 in Young Frankenstein!

What a weekend!

Last Thursday, we had an invited dress rehearsal for THE ADDAMS FAMILY so friends and family of the show got to see the show run all the way through with no stops for the first time (still in rehearsal). Yes, that was the first time the show got all the way through without any stops! And it was amazing! THE ADDAMS FAMILY is surprising, stunning, a feast for the eyes and for the ears. I still can’t get the songs out of my head. And arguably one of the funniest scripts I have heard in a while – a real musical comedy – one that makes you laugh and touches your heart.

But would it stand the test of what I call “a real audience?” You know the ones that bought their tickets?

FIRSTS ARE SPECIAL:

It may have been Friday the 13th, but no bad luck for the audiences at this performance of THE ADDAMS FAMILY!

My day started off at the Oriental Theatre at 8 am. I met Mayor Daley, who was doing an interview in the theater lobby for Clef Notes Concert Journal for the Arts, which is doing a full-length feature about the transformation of the Loop and the excitement and economic generator that the Theatre District has become for the City. Before I even got into the building, I noticed that we already had a line for the box office for our student rush tickets – twelve (12) box seats are held for nearly every performance to the first lucky people in line to buy tickets at the Oriental. For the Reggi family it was certainly not an unlucky day either. They got to the theater at 4 am to be the first in line! With three purchases, their entire family was seated in the high-profile house right box for the very first public performance of THE ADDAMS FAMILY!

Anticipation was thick as the day progressed, and around noon, a special delivery came to the Broadway In Chicago team. Everyone was treated to lunch from the producers of THE ADDAMS FAMILY as a thank you and acknowledgment of Broadway In Chicago for why the show was here – why they choose Chicago.

Now it was time for Broadway In Chicago to thank the company by finishing the plans for the gifts to be sent over to the cast and creatives. While most gifts for shows are given out on the “Official Opening” or the night that the press attends, Broadway In Chicago has created the tradition with Pre-Broadway engagements to celebrate on the FIRST PERFORMANCE. This is our private celebration for the cast and creatives after the elation of the first paid audience and before all the hype starts from the opening, which in this case will not be till December 9.

By 7:30 pm, the audience was streaming into the theater. There was excitement in the air and only a few of us knew (having seen the Dress Rehearsal) that they are in for the treat of a lifetime. Every seat in the theater was filled and then the show got treated by what we say at Broadway In Chicago is our secret weapon – “The Chicago Audience” who love new work and are open to the experience of not knowing what it is going to look and sound like.

At 8 pm, the house rocked with applause immediately as the curtain opened for the first time, there was laughter throughout and even a tear or two – a show was born. When you are lucky enough to sit in that first public performance, you know that you are experiencing something that only a few get to do – to see a show be born. From nothing comes some notes and dialogue on a page and then for most shows a 3 – 8 year process of development and finally in one stroke of downbeat, a new musical is unleashed.

And finally, the perfect end to a perfect evening – a spontaneous standing ovation at the beginning of the curtain call. After the show Broadway In Chicago took the cast, crew, orchestra and producers out for a champagne toast and some fun at ATWOOD CAFÉ, giving them the chance to celebrate the miracle of what each and everyone of them created together over months and years. No one knows what will happen as yet….but for that one special night it is pure magic!

On Saturday and Sunday, there were more rehearsals and two more performances. By Wednesday, when they perform next, the show will change, ever so slightly from rehearsals in between and it will continue to change and grow until December 9 when the critics will say what they think.

Do not wait until then to buy your tickets! Every day another performance sells out. Now is the time, this is the show. See it before it leaves for Broadway!

-Eileen

Dominic Scaglione Jr., Michael Ingersoll, Michael Cunio and Shonn Wiley with The Honorable Mayor Richard M. Daley. Photo by Amy Boyle.

Did you all see Chris Jones’ blog yesterday?

Our own Frankie Vallie sent his thoughts on the evening:

It was a very proud moment to be playing Frankie in front of Mayor Daley and the group of mayors from the surrounding towns and cities. The energy in the theatre was incredible. It was a moment I will never forget. Thank you people of Chicago and Mayor Daley for making yet another memorable moment for me here in Chicago.

-Dominic Scaglione Jr. (Frankie Valli/JERSEY BOYS)

REMEMBER: There are only two months left to see Jersey Boys before it leaves Chicago! If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for? If you have, make sure to see it one last time! The show leaves January 10!

Holy. Moly.

You better get your tickets now – this is going to be amazing.

$15 online at tpan.com, $20 at the door (includes two drink tickets)

After more than two years, 951 performances, and thrilling more than a million theatergoers, JERSEY BOYS is saying “Bye, Bye Baby” to the Windy City on January 10, 2010. If you can’t make it to the Tony Award-winning musical, join us for the next best thing! Don’t’ miss your opportunity to hear the talented cast sing the music of the ‘60s and beyond, all in honor of World AIDS Day and supporting TPAN.

For more information visit www.tpan.com or call Rhett Lindsay at (773) 989-9400 ext. 233.