Hello, hello. OK.....my lovely Thursday night residency at the Hurricane Grill is on hiatus for awhile - due to the impending arrival of a big new project I've been working on for the past few months. Last year, Phoenix Theatre Artistic Director Bryan Fonseca and I were contacted by Sharon Baggett, who's on the faculty at the University of Indianapolis Center on Aging and Community. She had seen our "Pure Prine" production and wondered if we could whip together a little something similar for their 10th Anniversary Gala (which happens to be this next Thursday, May 17th), but this time with a focus on the many-faceted concept of age. And aging.
Wow.
Suddenly, I felt old. But then all the fabulous songs of the last 50 years in that vein started coming to me.
Wow.
And I felt just kinda-old again.
"When I'm Sixty Four", of course. But then: "Talking Old Soldiers" by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and "Old And In The Way" by David Grisman and Jerry Garcia, and "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens (which I'd always wanted to hear sung by a "Mother and Daughter" instead.) And, of course, "End Of The Line" by the Traveling Wilburys.
And Bryan had many more ideas, as did Sharon. So we said yes, and have been working on it all year.
So, it opens next weekend. Thursday night, May 17th, with is the private gala for the Center. But then, Friday night, May 18th, it's open, baby, for a three-week run. I don't want to give too much away, but if you saw and loved "Pure Prine", this is your cup of tea, Lee. No dialog, same basic "theatrical concert" structure (which the Chicago Sun-Times called a "winning combination" in it's review of last winter's Chicago "Prine" run). Some similarities in the casting as well: I'm in it, as well as the amazing Tim Grimm and Jan Lucas Grimm. Joining us are longtime Phoenix stalwart Max Henschen, Ken Farrell (who just played the father in "August: Osage County"), Sherri Brown -Webster and Chicago-based singer/songwriter Heather Styka.
For more information and tickets, please visit the Phoenix Theatre site or give them a jingle at 317.635. PLAY.
Sand Dollars
1 year ago
