In a kind of full circle, the Chicago Jewish Theatre is moving to Skokie. The troupe’s new home, the Mayer Kaplan Jewish Community Center, was the longtime residence of the National Jewish Theatre before that troupe ran out of money and “merged” (or, more accurately, was subsumed by) Northlight Theatre in 1996. The Chicago Jewish Theatre, which has been operating in a 50-seat storefront on Clark Street in Andersonville, is a separate group, run by Elaine LeTraunik. It should make a fine fit for the Kaplan JCC, which now sports a spiffy, newly renovated 260-seat theater with extensive free parking. . . . Lots of last-minute ticket buyers made it into “Wicked” last Sunday night, when the long-running show added an extra performance to replace a Thursday night show lost to a power outage. “Wicked” continues to rack up dazzling numbers at its Chicago box office, breaking house records. This holiday season, the Chicago version of the show routinely is grossing more than $1.2 million per week. It’s now expected to be here all of 2006. . . . The Museum of Contemporary Art and the Curious Theatre Branch are co-presenting on a festival of short works by Samuel Beckett in honor of the playwright’s 100th birthday. Several Chicago troupes are involved in the event at the MCA, slated for Jan.13-15. . . . At the Dec. 7 meeting of the Chicago City Council, new legislation was approved that establishes a brand new Performing Arts Venue (PAV) license for live theaters under 500 seats. The new, simplified license–a result of extensive lobbying from the League of Chicago Theatres–is intended to make it easier for non-profit arts groups to establish and renovate new venues without being swamped by forms, fees and red tape. . . . Chester M. Gregory II, the actor who first emerged at Chicago’s Black Ensemble Theatre, has a major role in “Tarzan,” the new Disney musical on Broadway.
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Compiled by Chris Jones
