Flowers for your favorite star

An (almost) wordless Wednesday big thank you to Ron Lopez of Sun Garden flowers for providing flowers at all the performances of our Musical Theater Summer Workshop.

If you'd like Ron to provide flowers for your event, give him a call at 773-875-2679.

What happens between the shows?

Well, getting ready for the next show, of course, which is The Student Prince, opening on Saturday August 18.

But we're not just getting ready for the next show; we're getting ready for the next generation, with the Musical Theater Summer Workshop.

Last Saturday we had our first performance, of the every popular Annie, and as always, it was a sell out, with parents, friends, grandparents and fellow travelers filling the auditorium at the Second Stage to watch an amazing group of 40 kids perform the Broadway Junior® version of the show.

The Musical Theater Summer Workshop is a full time theater camp held in 5 one-week sessions every summer. Children ages eight to fifteen learn, rehearse and perform an entire show in a single week, with a final public performance at the end of six intense days.

There are still spots for H.M.S. Pinafore, the week of July 11. There are no auditions. To sign up your young thespian just call our box office at 847-869-6300.

Wordless Wednesday: Brigadoon Opening Night

McBing

I think the heat was getting to the interns

Reception at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, sponsored by Whole Foods Evanston.

General Manager Bridget McDonough with Musical Theater Summer Workshop director Anya Plotkin and sound board operator David Bradke.

There are still tickets available for the last three performances of Brigadoon at LightOperaWorks.com or through the box office at 847-869-6300 (Box office hours 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

The reviews are out!

Here are some highlights:

From Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones (who wanted a wee dram to add to the authenticity. Alas for the remnants of dry Evanston): "...this entire 1947 musical is treated with a great deal of respect by director Rudy Hogenmiller — whose production goes further than most .... in offering an impressively substantial choreographic experience." (full review)

"The plaid kilts are in full swirl, the tamoshanters twirling, the “rs” rolling, and the heather in full bloom in Rudy Hogenmiller’s ravishing revival of Lerner and Loewe’s early and evergreen hit." Chicago Theatre Beat (full review)

"The Light Opera Works production is wonderfully directed and choreographed..." nwi.com (full review).

"Under the direction of Roger L. Bingaman (conductor) and Rudy Hogenmiller (choreographer and stage director), this cast sings and dances with vibrant festivity. ChicagoNow.com (full review).

"Those who have only the truncated Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse film treatment from MGM as a reference or who may never have encountered Brigadoon at all are in for the biggest treat. Fans of the musical likewise will rejoice in the exceptionally high caliber of production it has been given by Light Opera Works." Chicago Stage Style (full review).

Where to eat before our shows

Well, that's easy! Several Evanston restaurants are Light Opera Works Dining Partners through their support of our programs.

And some of them offer discounts for theater goers. On show days, show your ticket or ticket stub to the following Evanston restaurants for a discount on your dining!

at 1502 Sherman (south of Grove)
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804 Davis (at Sherman)
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1571 Sherman Avenue

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505 Main Street (between Chicago and Hinman)

In Rehearsal with Light Opera Works:Q&A with Jennie Sophia

Hello once again Blog Buddies! Kyle here again. Last week I chatted with the beautiful Emily Rogers who is playing Jane in our upcoming production of Brigadoon. The show is now in its fifth week of rehearsals. We have now officially moved into Cahn Auditorium! One more week until the show! If you don't have tickets now get them while you can! For our last week of rehearsals before our opening night on June 4th, I have our amazing leading lady, Jennie Sophia. Don't forget to check back next week for another Q and A!



Full given name:Jennie Sophia Grunseth

Hometown: Goshen, IN. Go Hoosiers!

Current audition song:" If I tell you then I will have to kill all the sopranos in Chicagoland."

Special skills: Falling on my face.

Skill/talent you wish you had or were better at: I have always wanted to be a Prima Ballerina so I would need to have greater flexibility, smaller feet, and years of training.

First musical you ever saw: When I was a wee little one, my Grandpa and Grandma Hepler took me to the Wagon Wheel Theatre to see my first production of Annie. I remember saying to myself, "One day, I want to be on that stage!" And guess what? For about 4 magical "summerstock" summers I was.

Current Chicago show you have been recommending to friends: Duh! Brigadoon at Light Opera Works. Oh, and any show or cabaret that has Doug Peck's name attached to it!

Three favorite musicals: Les Miserable, Ragtime, and Man of La Mancha,

Favorite showtune of all time: The Impossible Dream

The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: The one? There are so many!!!!!! Okay, it would probably be my first trip to New York as a teenager and I had front row tickets to Les Miserable. The story, the music, the marching, the flag, the voies, and the passion rendered me speechless, tearful, and outrageously inspired.

What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage? Fell flat on my face in a wedding gown during my final bow as Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Yes, as I gracefully lilted down the "dog" aisle at the Wagon Wheel (theatre in the round), I somehow missed the step and ended up sprawled upon center stage with every cast member's arm extended to me! LOSER! After a moment on the floor and a million gasps, I gathered up my gown and me and humbly stood to take my final bow. You can only imagine what was said to me in the meet-and-greet (zoo) line afterwards.

Most played song on your iPod: Well my ipod says Viva La Vida by Coldplay and my only explanation for this is that it is the first song on my "workout playlist". I would say Jane Monheit's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is one of my absolute favorites. Can you tell I'm a dreamer?

Last book you read: Intent To Live by Larry Moss

Last good movie you saw: The King's Speech

Must-see TV show: I don't watch much TV, but I will watch anything that makes me laugh or cry.

Three greatest TV shows of all time: As a kid, it was the Cosby Show.

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Jesse Mueller

Tell me the story of your First stage kiss: Well lets see who was my first? Hmm.... I believe it was Ryan Caldwell in Arsenic and Old Lace at Goshen High School. I remember being very worried about which way to tilt, to the right or the left? Well we both tilted to the right and noses crashed, kids laughed, and to this day I get a little nervous about which way to tilt.

Worst job you ever had: Buffet attendant at Ponde"gross"a

Who would play you in the movie?Oh let's see.....the young Julie Andrews, Shirley Jones, Natalie Wood, or Audrey Hepburn? :) I would like to see Kate Winslet's interpretation of my life. Oh, and a recent reviewer said I looked like Barbara Parkins from A Valley Of Dolls.

Three things you can't live without: My dog, my Dan, and music.

Finish this sentence: "I'll never understand why... Eve ate the apple."

Step back in time

You've wanted to do it-- to step out of modern life into the simpler, forthright past, just like Tommy Albright in Brigadoon. To a time when men were men and women were women and toilets were outdoors.

Okay, maybe not so much.

But you can step into the past, not only with Light Opera Works' upcoming production of Brigadoon, opening on June 4, but also at numerous living history museums scattered throughout the 5-county area.

If Brigadoon gives you an urge to step into the past yourself, try these wonderful local museums:

Graue Mill, Oak Brook, an operating waterwheel grist mill and homestead, is "dedicated to maintaining a bridge between past and present generations in the belief that understanding our history is vital to our future. The Museum provides programs -- for school children and others -- that include milling, spinning and weaving and living history presentations, as well as artifacts which illustrate the way of life of area residents between 1850 and 1890 and the impact mills such as Graue Mill had on our culture."

Kline Creek Farm, DuPage Forest Preserve, where you can back in time and experience what life was like on a DuPage County Farm in the 1890s. You can visit restored farmstead structures and meet the historically-costumed interpreters operating this living-history farm using the tools and techniques of the past. Activities and events at the farm re-create the seasonal rhythms that have governed farm life for centuries.

Perhaps the best known local living history museum, Naper Settlement in Naperville portrays f 19th century community life based on the history of Naperville, Illinois.

Deerfield Historic Village in Deerfield has several buildings including the oldest house in Lake County, a mid-19th century farmhouse, and a one-room schoolhouse as well as antique carriages and farm equipment.

All of Illinois' history museums can be found on this Historic Museum Guide for Illinois.