Think Fast: Rebecca Gilman, Rondi Reed and Mary Poppin’s walking tour of Avenue Q.

 

Audience members were in for an unexpected treat regarding yesterday’s final performance of the Tony award-winning August: Osage County: Rondi Reed, the originator of the role of the boozy Mattie Fae Aiken, returned to play the role for the last time.  Ms. Reed is currently performing the role of Madame Morrible in Wicked, which she returned to later on Sunday for an evening performance.

The best way to explore Chicago is no doubt on foot.  Author Max Grinnell lays out 24 unique Chicago walking tours.

Oops – the main computer of Broadway in Chicago’s Mary Poppins crashed.  After 45-minutes of unsuccessful IT support, the audience was told the performance would have to be canceled.  Double oops.

Word’s out that Avenue Q, my second most-funny musical (after Finn’s Spelling Bee), will close next February (after a 6-year run).

This day in theatre history: In 2000, Goodman Theatre’s thrice-extended Spinning Into Butter (by Rebecca Gilman), moves to off Broadway (the Mitzi Newhouse Theater), directed by Daniel Sullivan. More recently, the Eclipse Theatre presented 3 of Ms. Gilman’s works for their Featured Playwright’s festival: The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, Spinning Into Butter and boy gets girl.