Looking for a show to go with that dinner? This fall the
Midwest is serving up some spectacular theatrical offerings. Here are just a
few of the highly anticipated shows taking center stage in the central states
this season:
Chicago
“Pullman
Porter Blues,” a music-infused, 1930s-era throwback takes the stage at
Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The play follows three generations of African
American train porters on the eve of the Joe Louis/James Braddock championship
fight. The men contend with their pasts and dream of their futures as they
hurdle to New Orleans on a southbound train from Chicago. A live Blues band
adds its aura to this performance, striking up tunes throughout the show which
runs from September 14 – October 20.
Detroit
Fisher Theatre of Detroit debuts “Miss Saigon” this season, a contemporary twist on the
operatic adaptation of Madame Butterfly. Set
against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, an unlikely romance between an
American soldier and Vietnamese girl blooms—a union wrenched apart in the
turmoil of the ensuing years. The journey to find each other is complemented by
a powerful musical score. The show runs from September 24 – October 6.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater presents an adaptation of Anton
Chekhov’s tragicomic classic, “Uncle Vanya.”
The play portrays the familial and economic tensions between a cosmopolitan
professor and his young new wife, as they visit their relations—Vanya and
Sonya—in the Russian countryside. Amorous affections tangle and crisis strikes
when the professor announces his intention to sell the rural estate. The show
runs from September 14 – October 27 and is directed by (who else?) Joe Dowling.
St. Louis
Broadway hit “Chicago” will blast through St. Louis’ Fabulous Fox
Theatre for a three-night blitz of jazz and duplicity. Paige Davis (of TLC’s Trading Spaces) stars as Roxie Hart—the
aspiring vaudevillian who murders her lover and becomes the hottest celebrity
criminal on the cellblock. With dazzling musical numbers and a seductively
seedy plot driving the show, this class act will no doubt keep audiences enthralled.
The show runs from September 20 – 22.
