Tuesdays with Corti: Happy New Year

It’s our last Tuesday of the year! There is so much to celebrate New Year’s Eve this Saturday night! Particularly, I’d say,  with the phenomenal success of Paramount’s current box office hit, The Little Mermaid, directed and choreographed by Amber Mak, honorably mentioned with Paramount’s West Side Story, in Chicago Sun-Times “Best of Chicago Theater 2016” article by Hedy Weiss! This year’s Jeff Award winning William Carlos Angulo’s “highly realistic, fist to fist choreography” in West Side Story led her top picks for the “Best of Chicago’s 2016 Dance Scene” in theater. Both Hedy and the Trib’s Chris Jones recognized The Goodman’s Wonderful Town leading lady Bri Sudia as one of the best performances of the year as he proclaimed, “Chicago has a new star.” (I’m particularly excited by this as Ms. Sudia begins rehearsals for the principal role of “Mrs. Lovett” in our Sweeney Todd in about two weeks!) Speaking of top performances, in his review of The Little Mermaid, the good Dr. Jones hailed Jonathan Butler-Duplessis playing “Sebastian” as “one of the finest Chicago-area performances of the year.” Chris also made note of our West Side Story in his article “Counting Down the Best of Chicago Theatre in 2016” rating it #5 of his top 10. 

Do click on the links above and read about the magnificently diverse and varied work that makes Chicago theater-going among the best in the world. Everything from the Broadway musical smash Hamilton to the site specific Albany Park Theater Project’s Learning Curve with other exciting new works and distinguished classics in between. The excellence and variety is vast. One takes great pride in being a patron of Chicago theater. 

The Joseph Jefferson Awards in October is another round up of the year’s most favored artists and productions, and for both of our first two years of eligibility, Paramount has done remarkably well: a record-breaking 16 nominations winning five awards our first time out (including best large musical Les Misérables) and each of your last season’s productions here, dear reader, Oklahoma!, A Christmas Story, Hairspray and West Side Story were honored with 14 Jeff nominations winning three (again including best large musical, West Side Story). (BTW, both Mamma Mia! and The Little Mermaid are Jeff Recommended this season!) It is a reflection of the talent, perseverance and hard work of this company’s members and collaborators always serving your live theatre experience to their best. It also reflects the success of your continued support, ladies and gentlemen! We’re half way through an extraordinary Season Six, with two more epic Paramount productions ahead: Sweeney Todd and Jesus Christ Superstar. (The Little Mermaid closes January 15.) A sensational year ends with a spectacularly thrilling new year ahead!

All of us here at Paramount Theatre wish you a 2017 full of peace, health, prosperity and continued theatrical adventures! Happy New Year!

Love & thanks,

Jim