Mary Poppins flies into the Cadillac Palace Theatre this month. The show recreates much of the Disney cartoon and adds layers and songs for the characters. It received seven Tony nominations including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design. Windy City Times took a moment to look under the umbrella at the newest Mary on the block!
Jerry Nunn: Hi, Rachel. So you are flying into town soon?
Rachel Wallace: Yes, I am currently in Los Angeles, then going to Texas then heading back up.
JN: You are from New York, correct?
RW: My family is from upstate New York but I was living New York City.
JN: Did you study theatre in school?
RW: I did. I went to the North Carolina University School of the Arts in Salem, North Carolina and got an acting degree.
JN: So how did the musical thing happen for you?
View Full Article »
New York actress Holland Taylor recently debuted her production of Ann for Broadway in Chicago. She personifies and brings to life the story Ann Richards, the late Texas governor, in a one-woman show with a simple set and a self-written script.
At lunch one day Ms. Taylor discussed the legend of Ann and Holland’s stellar television career from Bosom Buddies to Two and a Half Men.
Jerry Nunn: That Ann Richards was quite a pistol. I just saw your performance the other night.
Holland Taylor: Oh, good. I’m glad you saw it. She was actually a huge person as you could tell from seeing the play.
JN: What inspired you to make a one-woman show about her?
HT: Inspiration is the answer. Some people would just look from a distance and assume that I made a practical or professional decision to do a one-person show and that I was looking for a subject. First of all I am too old to do a one-person show. I would never say at this time in my life, “I would like to shoulder the complete responsibility for a very expensive production and do it for months and months!” I wouldn’t do that.
JN: Of course not, and you had met her in the past correct?
View Full Article »
Colin Quinn kept us up late at night watching Saturday Night Live for five seasons. Along with his news update, he has written for shows such as In Living Color and been on the stand-up circuit for decades. Now he arrives in Chicago with his one-man show entiteld Colin Quinn Long Story Short where he gives his humorous take on history.
Jerry Nunn: Hi, Colin. Are you still in New York?
Colin Quinn: Maybe. (laughs) No I am in New Haven.
JN: Where does Chicago land on your tour?
CQ: It is my final destination.
JN: So this is the big finale?
CQ: I hope so.
JN: Are you familiar with Chicago?
View Full Article »
Dane Agostinis brings a new Beast to town for Broadway in Chicago’s leg of the National Beauty and the Beast tour. He brings a musical background to add to the play from Carousel to Oklahoma! Nunn on the Run sat down at the table for lunch and to be his guest.
Jerry Nunn: Hello, Dane. So you are one of the new cast members to the show?
Dane Agostinis: Yes, Emily Behny, who plays Belle and Logan Denninghoff, who plays Gaston, all came in at the same time. We rehearsed in New York for a week then went to LA. Our opening was insane because Tom Cruise and the family were there. They came backstage and were very complimentary. Tom said something that I will never forget. He had never seen the movie or the show. He said, “You will always be the Beast in my mind.”
JN: Wow!
DA: A lot of people have not seen the show but to hear him say that was so cool. We did the last three performances in LA.
JN: And now you are touring around. Is this your first time in Chicago?
View Full Article »
Telly Leung plays a “Teenage Dream” on Glee as the recurring character Wes of the Dalton Academy Warblers. With a variety of musicals under his belt and a new one on the way, the future looks bright for this Brooklyn born Broadway boy. Teenage Dream
Hi, Telly. I was researching your career and saw you were in Wicked in Chicago.
Telly Leung: I was and in the original company.
The group I work for arranged an after party and I took a picture with you when you were playing Boq. I just found it years later!
TL: (laughs) Oh, my goodness! That’s hysterical, what a small world.
I know, we drank green martinis together before. How long were you in Chicago?
View Full Article »
Cirque Eloize iD debuts in Chicago this spring with a visually spectacular masterpiece. 16 artists showcase everything from juggling to stilt walking. Director Jeannot Painchaud sat down to discuss the history of the creation recently.
Watch the video here.
Jerry Nunn: Hello, Jeannot. How did you start this whole endeavor?
Jeannot Painchaud: I started the whole thing 18 years ago. I am part of what has been called the new wave of the circus. It was started in Quebec, Montreal. About 25 years ago I was a student at the National Circus School. I come from a little island called Magdalen Island, right in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We were seven friends studying at the school, which I consider now the best circus school in the world. They have acrobatics, acting, and dancing. An artist is really complete after that.
JN: How did the show begin?
View Full Article »
Dixie Longate is hosting a Tupperware party and you are invited. This 2008 Drama Desk Award nominated show is full of southern charm. Read on as Dixie pops her top in an interview.
Jerry Nunn: Howdy, Dixie!
Dixie Longate: So nice to meet me, isn’t it?
JN: Well, yes it is. Where are you originally from?
DL: I grew up in Mobile, Alabama. I was in prison and one of the conditions of my parole was to that I had to leave the state. I stayed in California for a while and that is where I started doing Tupperware parties. It blew up after that, who knew?
JN: Is this your first time in Chicago?
View Full Article »
