But, thankfully, all the lights are not out
By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, MSJ
Now, everyone knows that I love a good live performance, as well as thoroughly enjoy sitting in the movie theatre with a box of fresh popcorn and soda. But because of the social distance that has been requested by communities as it concerns the Coronavirus, many live productions have been cancelled or rescheduled.
Broadway in Chicago has rescheduled “The Bachelor Live on Stage” at the Cadillac Theatre, which will now begin performances on Saturday, October 10. “My Fair Lady,” which had been highly anticipated, will now begin performances on May 10, 2021.
”Hit Her With The Skates,” which is a musical about life, love and the roller rink starring American Idol power couple Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, will now start performances on April 23, at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St.
The Goodman Theatre has cancelled all immediate performances, but “American Mariachi,” a play about family, love, tradition and the desire to dream big, is currently scheduled for April 25 through May 31 in the Albert Theatre. However, this date could change within the next month or so. In this musical, Lucha spends her days caring for her ailing mother, but longs to shake up her 1970s home life. When a forgotten record album sparks her mother’s memory, Lucha and her cousin strike upon a radical idea: to create an all-female mariachi band. This musical sounds like a toe-tapping good time. For more information, visit goodmantheatre.org.
Steppenwolf Theatre has great live performances that were coming up, but all have been cancelled as of Crusader press time. For information on future events that may be opened up in May, visit Steppenwolf.org.
Some live performances are now being offered via virtual Internet stream, where the guest would have to pre-register and pay for the performance and later log into a particular performance at the appointed time. The show will go on, either with the cast members actually on the stage performing, or a video of the performance will be offered for patrons to enjoy.
This offers some relief for patrons who have been anticipating one or more of the dozen theatre offerings that are always on tap not only in Chicago but also within the surrounding suburbs.
Chicago’s Theater Wit, which is located at 1229 N. Belmont Ave., will offer a performance/stream video of “Teenage Dick,” which is a play about a young man living with cerebral palsy who wants to be high school class president. “Now is the winter of discontent made glorious summer at Roseland High.”
Starting Friday, March 20, “Teenage Dick” runs for 100 minutes through April 19. Tickets are $28 for remote viewing. For information, visit TheaterWit.org.
Local movie theaters are closed for the time being, and patrons can’t go into a theater to view a film. However, Universal Pictures said in a statement that it has made its movies available in the home now because of the “current circumstances,” which have “made it more challenging to view our films.”
“Given the rapidly evolving and unprecedented changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, the company felt that now was the right time to provide this option in the home as well as in theaters,” the studio said in a statement earlier this week. “NBCUniversal will continue to evaluate the environment as conditions evolve and will determine the best distribution strategy in each market when the current unique situation changes.”
In absence of going to the movie or live performing arts theatre, or watching a performance virtually, there is always a great number of streaming websites that the community can log into to enjoy great movies or television programs.
In the meantime, be wise and pay attention to local health and government officials as it pertains to keeping safe during the Coronavirus pandemic.
