Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

DANCIN' FEATS: Chicago Tap Theatre marks Pride with glam-rock spectacular
by Lauren Warnecke
2016-06-08

This article shared 1746 times since Wed Jun 8, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


In 2010, Chicago Tap Theatre ( CTT ) mounted its spring season closer at the 984-seat Athenaeum Theatre for the second time, surprising audiences with a 20-minute Queen extravaganza complete with chorus and marching band. The "Tap Out Loud" closing number was meant as a small tribute for artistic director Mark Yonally's late brother, who loved operatic rock and infused Yonally's childhood with the sounds of Bonnie Tyler and Freddy Mercury.

Coinciding with Pride weekend, the seasoned tappers at CTT are revisiting the suite of seven songs performed years ago, but this time will be bigger, better and totally fabulous. In what has now become "We Will Tap You: A Tap Dance Celebration to the Music of Queen," showing June 25 at the Athenaeum Theatre, Yonally and CTT music director Kurt Schweitz take on their most ambitious project to date.

We Will Tap You features up to 120 performers with guests galore, including choreographers Rich Ashworth and Kirsten Uttich, aerial tapping in Collaboration with C5's Jeremy Plummer, guest emcee Mattrick Swayze, live music by a seven-piece band with vocals from Alien Queen and The David Bowie Variety Hour's Nick Davio and the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, Lakeside Pride Freedom Marching Band and the Chicago Spirit Brigade.

In an interview with Windy City Times, Yonally reflects on the 2010 iteration of his glam-rock spectacle. "It was an early attempt to do something on that big of a scale," he said. "We learned a lot, like how when you have a marching band on stage with tap dancers, you can't hear tap dancing! So this year, we are going to be much savvier."

"I like things that are over the top and absurd," said Yonally. Imagine 16 tap dancers, some hanging from the ceiling, surrounded by a 50-piece marching band, 30 singers belting "Galileo, Figaro," 20 brigade complete with rifles and Mattrick Swayze paraded about the stage like Esther Williams—and that becomes the understatement of the year. "It will feel, I think, like a real spectacle," he said. "I want people to feel surprised and delighted!"

As one of few smaller dance companies with an established season of performances, CTT's big spring show has always coincided with Pride Month. Yonally observed a gap in Pride Month offerings, with no large-scale performance celebrating pride despite a number of established LGBT performing-arts organizations in town. "Everyone is always so booked preparing for the parade," he said, but Yonally put out a bunch of calls asking performers and organizations to take part, and practically everyone agreed to take part. "A city as great as Chicago, with such a rich history in the LGBT community, should have a spectacle," Yonally said. "We've always had a presence in the LGBT community. It's been a community I've taken strength from. So, if CTT can be the catalyst to bring these organizations together, it's an honor to do it."

Once the glitter falls and the spectacle ends, the hope is that "We Will Tap You" will have created cross-promotion opportunities outside the Pride Parade for some of the city's longest-standing LGBT organizations, and hopefully will have inspired some new tap fans, too.

Patrons of CTT will notice a number of changes next season, including a date swap of the company's annual story-based show. After years at UIC's theater, CTT's holiday show "Tidings of Tap" is moving north for a one-nighter Sunday, Dec. 18, at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Back by popular demand, next season will also feature a revival of "Changes: A Science Fiction Tap Opera to the Music of David Bowie," and a sit-down dinner gala Friday, Oct. 14, honoring Broadway legend Ben Vereen as the first recipient of the Achievement in Storytelling through Movement award.

"We Will Tap You: A Tap Dance Celebration to the Music of Queen" will take place Saturday, June 25, at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Tickets are $23-35; visit AthenaeumTheatre.org or call 773-935-6875.


This article shared 1746 times since Wed Jun 8, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Pride 365 event emphasizes year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees 2024-03-07
- Queer employees are queer all year-round. The need for employers to accordingly support and uplift them year-round was the core message at Howard Brown Health and Citywide Pride's Pride 365 "Out of Office to Out in ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted to host trans youth & family summit 2024-02-19
- Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., has announced that its Trans Youth & Family Summit 2024 will take place March 16. This year marks the sixth annual event, which partners between Youth Services' Pride Youth ...


Gay News

Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret Valentine's Day Feb. 17 2024-02-16
--From a press release - Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret puts their own spin on Valentine's Day with a show celebrating things done and sacrificed for love - not just romantic love, but love for pets, friends, family and art. Join the ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


Gay News

Chicago Fire FC announces 2024 theme nights; Pride Night will be June 1 2024-01-19
--From a press release - CHICAGO (Jan. 18, 2024) — Chicago Fire FC announced the club's theme nights for select home matches during the 2024 regular season, driven by Carvana. The Club's 2024 calendar features 11 theme nights, including the return ...


Gay News

WORLD Austria proposal, conferences, Pride marches, tennis player, Gay Games 2023-11-03
- In Austria, a historic proposal by the country's Ministry of Justice sees 33 million euros (approximately $35 million U.S.) set aside to compensate those who were persecuted or convicted of consensual same-sex acts—although critics say th ...


Gay News

NHL reverses decision to ban Pride Tape, allowing players to show support for LGBTQ+s 2023-10-24
--From a press release - (New York, NY - October 24, 2023) Today the National Hockey League (NHL) reversed its decision to ban Pride Tape and other displays of support for LGBTQ people on the ice, stating: "After consultation with the ...


Gay News

THEATER Company of 'Wolves': Redtwist's Dusty Brown on gay Riding Hood retelling, Grindr, gender identity 2023-10-16
- It's all about Pride in 2023-24 at Redtwist Theatre. The 19th season for this North Side black-box theater includes three very different productions, starting with Wolves, called a "gory, gay reimagining of 'Little Red Riding Hood.'" ...


Gay News

NHL bans Pride Tape from hockey games and practices 2023-10-11
- The National Hockey League (NHL) has designated that athletes will no longer be able to show support to the LGBTQ+ community while playing, according to Out, which cited Outsports. The league has issued a ban of ...


Gay News

GAY HISTORY MONTH George Harris reflects on his late husband and Dallas activism 2023-10-10
- Special to Windy City Times. To mark Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of Dallas Voice and the LGBT History Project. When George Harris and Jack Evans became the first couple to legally marry in ...


Gay News

Illinois colleges make list of most unsafe places for LGBTQ+ youth 2023-10-05
- Campus Pride has released its list of the worst places for LGBTQ+ youth—and several Illinois colleges and universities are on it. According to a press release, "the Worst List identifies the 'absolute worst, most unsafe campuses ...


Gay News

GAY HISTORY MONTH Putting an end to the myths of Stonewall 2023-10-02
- Special to Windy City Times. In recognition of Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of the LGBT History Project and Philadelphia Gay News. For years, people have debated what actually happened that night in June ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Sex Education' star, Rotten Tomatoes, Jessica Lange, Queer/Art 2023-09-08
Video below - Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa officially came out during an interview with Elle UK, according to Out. "I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it ...


Gay News

Brave Space Alliance holds Post Pride Mixer 2023-08-30
- On Aug. 27, Brave Space Alliance held its Post Pride Mixer at popular lesbian-owned bar Nobody's Darling. The social gathering celebrated past accomplishments while looking forward to new horizons for both the service organization and the ...


Gay News

UIC among nation's top 30 campuses for LGBTQ+ students 2023-08-25
--From a press release - The University of Illinois Chicago has been named one of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students, according to Campus Pride, a national organization serving LGBTQ+ and ally student leaders and campus organizations in ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.