The Chicago production of the Broadway musical “The Color Purple” is — appropriately enough — beginning its casting process in Chicago; auditions are being held locally July 14-18. Gary Griffin, the Chicago-based director of the show, says he has a lot of “first-hand experience” with Chicago talent. “The Color Purple” kicks off performances at the Cadillac Palace Theatre on April 17, 2007. … After its final weekend in Chicago, the pre-Broadway tryout of “Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me” will go back into rehearsal in New York. Among the changes being considered are turning the two-hour show into a 90-minute one-act. … At the end of an 18-year run, the national tour of “Les Miserables,” which has played Chicago many times, is calling it quits. Its St. Louis engagement begins Tuesday and ends July 23; if you want to be one of the last to see the touring show (and get some special souvenirs), call the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. But Miz fans, take note: a new production of the beloved musical is slated for Broadway in November. … Except for Jayne Houdyshell, Anna Shapiro’s upcoming New York production of Bruce Norris’s “The Pain and the Itch” will have a different cast from its premiere at the Steppenwolf Theatre. Performances begin Sept. 1. … Adam Fleming is the new Boq in the Chicago production of “Wicked.” He has replaced Telly Leung. … Next summer, the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire will present “Married Alive!,” a new musical about two married couples, which premiered recently at the American Heartland Theatre in Kansas City. It’s penned by Sean Grennan, who wrote the show “Phantom of the Country Palace.”
———-
Compiled by Chris Jones
