Buzz Magazine

Walking into the tiny EP Theatre on South Halsted I was not expecting, nor could I have hoped to see as much as the mad and macabre as I was to see on September 1^st. I was about to witness The Texas Chainsaw Musical. With no AC and dozens of way cooler college kids and hipsters surrounding me, I prepared for what would be, if anything, something to talk about at the water cooler tomorrow.

As someone unfamiliar to musicals and independent theatre, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with my first real experience. Part of the Chicago Fringe Festival, TCM was far from the performances, I’d seen in my small college town, where costumes were ill-fitting, awkward dialogue was in every scene, and an art show headiness flew right over my head. The cast and crew of Texas Chainsaw Musical created a welcomed surprise; full of tension, humor, and the amazing ability to make the audience feels compassion for one of the most notorious serial killers of all time.

The show kicked off with the same tense, John Larroquette narrated monologue as the 1974 original. The tension soon breaks into a rollicking musical number about how hot it is in Texas. Rather appropriate given the small, AC-less EP theatre.

As the story continues we meet an eclectic cast of characters about to meet their demise. Most notably Amanda Hardesty as Sally, Adam Rosowicz as her wheel chair bound brother Franklin, and Guy Schingoethe as the chainsaw wielding Leatherface himself. The cast as a whole does a great job of creating believable tension when needed and delivering perfectly timed comic relief right when the audience needs it.

As the musical progresses, and more and more hot, young teens meet their inevitable fate; Leatherface puts down his chainsaw and shows his compassionate side. He croons the audience in a Phantom of The Operaesque way, making us feel incredibly sorry for the monster that just hung a busty teen on a meat hook.

The play ends in a finale that has to be seen to believe. Imagine the whole creepy Hewitt clan, rocking out in a live band all while torturing and attempting to murder the still screaming “final girl” Sally. With Grandpa on the drums, the Hitchhiker shredding guitar, Dad/The Cook plucking bass, and ol’ Leatherface himself playing ‘lectric keys, it’s unlike any jam band you’ve ever seen. I will never be able to watch the infamous Grandpa hammer scene from the 1974 movie without thinking of a thunderous drum solo. Thanks.

Overall TCM was a great way to kick-start a very early Halloween celebration. With many standout moments, including Franklin’s goopy gushing kill scene, Sally’s never ending screaming, Franklin’s hilarious and heartfelt, “I Wish I wasn’t in a wheelchair number,” and a finale that was truly epic. I won’t spoil it, but the way the Hitchhiker meets his demise, may be the funniest part of the entire production.

Hopefully The Texas Chainsaw Musical finds another venue and audience closer to Halloween. It’s a show that has just the right amount of scares and humor to enjoy during those harvest weeks. But until then I highly recommend finding more shows out there like this. It’s a welcomed surprise to the non-stop crappy remakes and handi-cam horror flicks that flood the Cineplex’s in October. Plus it’s not every day you get sprayed with chainsaw goo.

www.chicagofringe.com

http://www.nmtchicago.org/

From Chicago, Daylight Dawns is a new light in the Rock and Progressive Metal genre. Local veteran guitarists J Valy and Saso had a vision of low tuned, heavy riffs to go along with beautiful, booming melodies. After exploring and finding the right pieces to fit the band's unique sound, the team of two soon grew to a full lineup of five. The additions of bassist Nick Panico, drummer Brian Leppert, and vocalist Scott Klonowski began to shape the band's sound in the direction that was originally envisioned and beyond.

Influenced by bands like Sevendust, Meshuggah, and Shinedown, Daylight Dawns continues to evolve their sound and drive the message that their heavy tones and bright melodies are looking to make a significant impact in the present day and future of music.

Daylight Dawns will be playing at Double Door on October 5th.

For more information on Daylight Daws music and upcoming shows, visit www.myspace.com/daylightdawns.

"The Bad Boys from Boston” returned to Chicago with a flair and command that could only be associated with Aerosmith. This time taking stage at the Fist Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, singer Steven Tyler and company delivered a thorough set of classics opening the show with “Same Old Song and Dance” immediately followed with “Train Kept A-Rollin’” and “Love in an Elevator”. The large set included three large projection screens – one on each side and one above the stage, overhead panels to enhance the band’s light show that were lowered and raised, and a catwalk that protruded out into the crowd about 30 or so rows from center stage.

The band’s musical performance was pinpoint precise, with guitarist Joe Perry effortlessly nailing each lick and solo, while Tyler, dressed in classic Aerosmith frontman attire, danced around like a thirty-year-old and utilized his vocal range to perfection. The show included staple elements from the repertoire of rock and roll essentials such as a booming drum solo in which Joey Kramer pounded the skins with his hands in a thumping symphony of blistering beats. Perry also dueled his Guitar Hero counterpart (appearing overhead on screen) ultimately defeating him thanks to masterful fingerwork in a series of tasty progressions.

In addition, the band found themselves defending a crowd member at one point. Tyler reprimanded house security after they pinned down a woman who merely ran up to toss a pink boa onto the stage when the band went into the song, “Pink”. “Leave the woman alone,” shouted the famous singer before continuing with, “Security must not get laid around here.”

Included in Aerosmith’s fun-filled set were favorites “Livin’ on the Edge”, “What it Takes”, “Rag Doll”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Cryin’” and a superb rendition of the Beatles’ “Come Together”. The band also integrated a couple more obscure numbers before finally ending the show with a bang, performing encores “Dream On” and “Walk this Way”.  

“Godspell” is a musical for everyone. Now that that has been stated, everyone should see this particular production by the Provision Theatre Company. Creatively directed by Tim Gregory, “Godspell” is fun, lively and has the audience clapping with the ensemble from the first number “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”.

Originated in 1970 by director/writer Michael Tibelak for his master’s thesis project, “Godspell” is the Jesus story based on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew, though it takes place in a modern, urban environment and has dance-craved, colorfully-dressed kids taking on the roles of the apostles. Gregory superbly captures the youthfulness and energy of the original with well cast roles and is also able to successfully convey meaningful messages throughout the series of delivered parables in the midst of humorous punch lines and physical comedy.

Doubling as “John the Baptist” and “Judas Iscariot”, Justin Berkobien excels in both roles thanks in part to a strong vocal performance. While Syler Thomas was aptly cast as “Jesus” bringing a softer and gentler voice to the stage, the ensemble as a whole really brings the show to life. An all-around outstanding performance by Tiffany Yvonne Cox epitomizes the essential of “Godspell”, blending earnest passion with joy, bliss, eagerness and curiosity. Cox strengthens an already strong cast, but is not the only star to shine in this production as each member in the ensemble has something to offer and does so when given the chance during their own numbers.

From the classic “Day by Day” to such songs as “O Bless the Lord” and “Save the People” the live band is every bit as impressive as the cast, also adding sound effects on numerous occasions.

“Godspell” is playing at Provision Theatre (1001 W. Roosevelt Road) through September 26^th. Parking is as simple as it gets with a free sizable parking lot for theatre patrons and, if full, easy street parking just steps away. For more information or tickets, visit www.provisiontheater.org or call 312-455-0065.            

 *Above photo by Ingrid Oyen - The ensemble of GODSPELL rocks out on O BLESS THE LORD, MY SOUL - (front r to l) Sarah Grant, Tiffany Cox, Richelle Meiss, Amy Steele, Jennifer Oakley.  (Back r to l) Greg Walters, Frederick Harris, Kevin O'Brien. 

Eyes Set to Kill is a band that follow their name. The fierce and intimidating looks from vocalist Alexia Rodriguez are like she’s ready to take your soul. Alexia and male vocalist Cisko Miranda bring a co-op presence to the stage similar to that of Joe Perry and Steven Tyler. They play off of each other’s presence well. Through the loss of their former vocalist Brandon Anderson, Cisko Miranda does an amazing job at stepping in and grabbing the crowd’s balls and placing them in a vice; and the crowd loves it!



Alexia and bassist Anissa Rodriguez were recently nominated as one of *Revolver* magazine’s Hottest Chicks in Metal. The band has gone through a lot of hardships and they express it beautifully. Their latest album *Broken Frames* emphasizes the hard times of life through a heavy and melodic emotion. Band members Cisko, Anissa, Alexia and drummer Caleb Clifton were able to take some time off of their extremely busy schedule of Warped Tour to discuss life, inspirations and the future of females in the metal music industry.



Buzz: Welcome to Chicago! Ladies, I have to ask you what it felt like to be nominated as one of the hottest chicks in metal.



Alexia: It was really exciting and it was fun for all of us because we got to go to their Golden God awards and hang out.



Cisko: It was actually really cool because anyone in rock royalty was there; like Dave Grohl.



Buzz: That’s the hard part of the job right? [band laughs]



Anissa: Even the first Freddy Krueger was there.



Buzz: Robert Englund?



Anissa: Yeah.



Buzz: That guy is one of my heroes. [band laughs]



Cisko: Marilyn Manson, (and) Zombie was there. It was nuts! A dream come true!



Buzz: That’s cool that you guys were able to be in the same room with musicians that give you inspiration to play. What were the inspirations for your latest record, *Broken Frames*?



Alexia: For *Broken Frames* I just wrote a bunch of memories that were on my mind that I can’t forget; just stuff that I kind of regret. That was the concept. It started out with a relationship that I kind of regret and after I wrote the song “Broken Frames,” every song just started being about different things in my past that I want to forget but can’t. So I figured that I might as well write about it and hope people can relate to it.



Buzz: How did the lyrics push you as musicians, and how were you able to match the lyrics musically?



Alexia: We don’t usually write to match the music with the lyrics. Sometimes we write the lyrics first and then the music. If it’s going to be a sad song, there’s a song called “Ryan” that [Anissa] wrote on the piano. I first heard it and knew it was going to be a sad song, and it reminded me of a friend of mine who died. For certain songs, we can do that. We can match the themes with the music, but for the other songs, they’re mainly heavy and I just write what I am feeling.



Buzz: How did producer Andrew Wade push you guys to really match the music and emotion on this album, while pushing you to become better musicians?



Alexia: For me, he helped me by having sing an octave higher, which I didn’t know I could do. He pushed me to sing all of my melodies an octave higher,which allows the song to sound more emotional sounding and more fun to sing on stage.



Caleb: I went in there knowing that he was just going to be the man. He helped me by knowing that I need to be a smart drummer not just a drummer who is trying to make the fastest fills or crazy double bass the whole time. I pretty much just stuck to the roots. Just did some simple stuff.



Buzz: So he made you focus on making the mastering the simple stuff rather than make the fast stuff sloppy?



Caleb: Exactly.



Buzz: How about you Anissa?



Anissa: Sometimes I would rush making a bass line. He told to take my time and not rush it. I was able to go into the other room and take my time with figuring out a bass line and then it would always work out.



Cisko: I didn’t record the album.



Buzz: So what’s it like being on tour as the screamer and how has being the screamer of lyrics that have already been written, changed your persona as a musician?



Cisko: It’s actually helped me grow. Before this I was in a band and I did mostly singing. There was some screaming. I get to play them live, which is just as important as the lyrics being recorded. Mainly because kids go out to shows to see and hear what is on the album.



Buzz: Who were the musicians that you heard on an album that made you want to do this for a living?



Caleb: Travis Barker.



Anissa: I think for all of us Blink 182 was an influence to start a band. I would also say Thrice.



Alexia: I used to want to start a band of a Blink 182 female band. Me and my friend used to call each other Mark and Tom because we were nerdy like that. Our music is a lot different now, though. [band laughs]



Cisko: Vocal-wise for me, Schuylar from the band He is Legend has always been an inspiration. Brandon Boyd growing up has always been an inspiration.



Buzz: It’s cool to hear that you guys have a common thread of music. What do you think the future will look like for females in metal music?



Caleb: I don’t know. There are a lot of bands out there that have women in them that do metal, like Lacuna Coil. But, we’re kind of from a different realm of metal and hopefully we can bring something new to the table, and possibly bring a new item that the whole world would want to see. So far, all of our fans go up to us and tell us that we are different. I don’t think we are that different. We’re just doing screamo metal stuff. But it’s always cool to hear that, so, maybe we a little different. [band laughs]



Cisko: I was going to say that hopefully we contribute to the many bands that have females in them, and hopefully we have helped opened doors for them. Hopefully we have helped and don’t have people that look at us as a joke and view us as a band that brings more of variety to that genre of music.



Anissa: I was talking to a guy the other day and he was saying that it doesn’t matter if the girl is talented in the band, it only matters if she is hot and then she will make it big.



Buzz: Did you slug him?



Anissa: No, I didn’t. But I should have! [band laughs] I don’t know why he said that to me. I think the future will look at women and know they can play and that it’s not about their looks or how hot they are. I really think they will see that it’s about talent and not about their fashion or looks.



Buzz: I read a recent interview that states how you guys are always trying to become musicians. If you keep trying to improve and become better musicians, then at what point will you be satisfied with your musicianship and your music career?



Cisko: I think that once the music keeps growing then the people in the band will always be growing because that is what it’s all about. You’re growing. So no matter what you are thinking … everything else will grow with it. There is always going to be a growth.



Caleb: I will probably never think that I am good enough.  Even if I am 10 times better in 10 years, I will still think I am not good enough.

*All photos by Carl Burke

Flatfoot 56 is an Irish punk band that hails from Chicago’s Irish south side. Their live show message is simple: Forget your pain and live like you haven’t lived before. They base their music on Gaelic folk songs and encourage the audience to release all of their negative energy at the door. Their fans are loyal and their sense of modesty always instilled. They’re extremely proud Chicagoans and never afraid to show that pride. Flatfoot 56 was able to take some time out of their busy Warped Tour schedule to have a chat about their videos, Irish heritage and Chicago.


Buzz: I first heard of your music from MTV 2. Where was that video shot for the song “Brotherhood”?

Tobin Bawinkel: That video was shot in a pub in Orland Park called Sam McGuire’s. It’s an Irish Pub that was built on the south side, built by Irish craftsman who came over. The place has a whole history. We shot that video the year that the Bears were headed toward the Super Bowl. It would have been the Sunday after they lost. We booked it and tons of kids came in and destroyed the place for the afternoon. It was awesome.

Buzz: What is the one thing that you miss most from Chicago every time you go on tour?

Brandon Good: The food. There’s so much to eat and it’s all good. The cultural differences in this city are extremely diverse. You can go anywhere and get great Italian, Chinese, Mexican or whatever.

Tobin: We are big fan’s of the Nicky’s pizza puff—it’s on Menard and Archer. It’s deep fried, it’s huge; definitely check it out.

Buzz: To go along with your diverse enjoyment of food, what was the main reason to take punk and hardcore music and blend them with the influences of Irish Gaelic music?

Tobin: We originally started out as a three-piece punk band, and, with the intention of wanting to be different, we had a friend who played bag pipes. We then decided to show the pipes in a song. He then came up to us and told us that he played guitar. We then decided that he could play bagpipes whenever he wanted and play the guitar on the other songs. Then throughout time we just got more and more influenced by bands that were playing at the pubs. Bands like the Chieftans, the Dubliners and others that we got into. We then got really into the street punk scene of Chicago. That kind of influenced everything.


Buzz: Gentlemen, let’s talk about your new album. I’ve read interviews that say your album is mainly about going through rough times. Why did you decide to write about hard times?

Kyle Bawinkel: Because we’re in a band. [Band chuckles]


Tobin: We are on tour with the Street Dogs when the recession hit. There was a lot of inspiration on that tour … opened up our eyes. … A lot of the lyrics were written as we started feeling a lot of struggles, and other stress from other things. … We all go through tough times and that is the history of Celtic music in general. All of it was written on a trial and that is the strength of it and where the Irish Celtic music comes from. I think it’s a resounding theme that everybody can appreciate. Right now, seems to be hard times all over the place. It definitely feels good to be putting something out that just being positive and working through what you are going through.

Buzz: That’s the kind of attitude you guys try to promote at your shows right?

Tobin: Exactly.

Buzz: No matter how bad life may be, you want people to come to your show and let it all out and have the time of your life. My last question for you guys is about something I saw on your website that states: “When you have a reason to sing, you sing louder.” What is your reason for singing?

Tobin: I think each of us individually has different things and reasons. I think that as a band, we are big fans of being grateful for the talents God gives us with the intention that we are here to make music that matters. We are the kind of guys that were raised on music that matters. And I think that encouraging people and challenging people to think outside the box, and move away from what TV tells you to do. Live a life that is yours and not something that is a stamp of the outside world. Our faith has a lot to do with where we all stand. But in the same time, there’s people that aren’t of the same faith and believe in the same stuff. We’ve had people say to us, “I don’t understand how you guys can believe what you believe and still be encouraging to me.” We kind of look at them and say, “Maybe you should think about it.” We feel like we’ve been given talents and gifts to play and do what we do, and people appreciate it. If people are willing to like it, then we are willing to do it with our whole heart, and we are good at it, too. There’s a reason it’s there, it was put there for a reason. We’re here to have a good time and show some appreciation to the kids.

*Photos by Carl Burke

This year’s Warped Tour brought variety, fandemonium and all of the teen-age angst that one could shake a stick at.  This year’s festival brought a variety of acts such as Andrew W.K., Reel Big Fish and pop sensation Michael Posner.  All of the acts held meet n’ greets and did whatever it took to get your money, and for good reason: most of the bands don’t get paid much money.  In fact, most of the bands on the Warped Tour literally only make money from selling merchandise and CD’s. The tour started June 25th in California and will end August 15 at the Washington Fairgrounds in Hillsboro Oregon.  With the bands almost practically playing a new show in a new city just about every day, this tour is known for being grueling and rewarding.  Along with playing their shows and holding their meet n’ greets, all of the bands are more than willing to hold interviews with the press to expose who they are and what their music is about.  I was able to get a few minutes with Andrew W.K. and Adam (formerly of Lucky Boy’s Confusion) from AM Taxi to discuss their comfortability and inspirations of creating music.

While I was waiting for my interview with AM Taxi, Andrew W.K. walked into the pressroom read my name off of the sheet of interviews and sat down for a quick interview about the blending of musical styles and his preference of playing the piano over other instruments.



Andrew W.K. walks into the pressroom wearing black Adidas pants, his own tank top that reads “party hard”, a black trucker hat and a pair of black sunglasses.  He is extremely proud of who he is and wants everyone in the
world to feel as good about themselves as he feels about himself.  He talks to everyone with extreme enthusiasm and makes you feel that you are most important person on the Earth.



Buzz:  You’ve been known for blending lots of music styles together.



Andrew W.K.:  Not jazz yet.  I haven’t gone into that realm as much.  There’s a lot of World Music that I haven’t been as familiar with.  There’s certain genres of rock, such as rock-a-billy or psycho-billy that are areas that I haven’t ventured.  But as straightforward rock n’ roll goes, I try to make it as exciting as I can and use whatever I can to get to that place.



Buzz:  What makes you want to use as much music knowledge as possible in each song of yours?



Andrew W.K.:  I never really thought of it that way.  I sit down at a piano and just start playing chords until they sound exciting and then I try to use whatever instrument I can to amplify that excitement on the recording.  I admire people who listen to different songs or different styles and want to make it a combination of those.  I always just thought, “What’s the most exciting guitar sound to me?”  For me, it’s just a very loud and over-distorted guitar.  What’s the most exciting keyboard sound?  Just a very loud piano/organ combination.  What other instrument combinations add the excitement?  For example, if you are watching a movie and you hear that orchestra kick, there’s power in those sounds.  That’s why I want to use them, because they work.  Whatever sound works is what I am interested in.




Buzz:  What is it about the sound of a piano that specifically interests you and why does the piano seem to calm you down the most out of any instrument?



Andrew W.K.:  It’s simply because that was the first instrument I ever learned.  So similar to your mom and being the first woman you ever see and you have that special bond with her.  Your dad is most likely the first man you see and the first man you ever likely got to be friends with, so you have this feeling for him.  Piano was the first instrument I ever learned.  Four and a half years old, I started taking lessons with my parents’ help and support.  It’s similar to that first book you remember hearing, like *Good Night Moon.  * You’ll always have a soft spot for the first thing that turned you onto that new venture.



Buzz: When do you hit that new venture with a song and say to yourself: “I want to place this song on my next album?”



Andre W.K.:  I am not sure I look at it that way, I think the song more or less tells you that it’s ready to heard by other people.  Most of my recording experience has been relatively solitary.  Of course you try to trust their judgment, as well as your own as to whether or not other people around the world should have the chance to listen to it or not.  At some point, I think the song tells you and it’s just a no-brainer.  It’s really not up to you.  It’s really clear that the song is meant to be heard.



The interview with Andrew W.K. closes as we are politely interrupted about time being finished from his touring manager.  Andrew W.K. is in high demand and is more than willing to take the time to talk to anybody and everybody. As Andrew W.K. starts another interview, I am aimed towards a quiet gentleman who is standing in the corner texting on his phone.  One can tell that Adam from AM Taxi is tired and exhausted.  He is a musician who has great passion and allows his music to do the talking for him.  He can easily be missed if you don’t know who he is or what he looks like.  I was able to interview Adam with five minutes left of AM Taxi’s interviewing time.



Buzz:  How has the tour been for you guys?



Adam:  It’s been great man.  We’re about two thirds of the way done with this thing.  About three quarters actually.  It’s been long and well worth it, a lot of fun.



Buzz:  What’s it like coming to your home city?

Adam:  It’s a little overwhelming to do the hometown stop.  It’s a lot of fun and always good to run into familiar faces.



Buzz:  On your band’s website, you say: “if it’s not broken, break it.”  What made you guys want to break your style of songwriting for the album “*We Don’t Stand a Choice”?*



Adam:  The method behind that is there are a lot of different ways of doing something.  Sometimes the first initial way of doing it isn’t always the best. I think it’s good for people to be open-minded and try things from different angles before making a decision. We could do it one way and that would be the obvious choice. We try different methods to find the smartest way of doing things.



Buzz:  So then do you guys always write collaboratively?



Adam:  Well, I write all of the lyrics, melodies and chords.  When it’s time to arrange them, the whole band comes in and puts in their two cents.



Buzz: Who were your influences behind this record and how did the writing process for this record differ than that of writing a song with Lucky Boys of Confusion?



Adam:  Not much has changed from the influence side.  I have always loved The Clash and The Replacements.  I wasn’t collaboratively working with anybody else, so it was 100% of what I was bringing.  We specifically try not to latch to any trends.  The influences are older, everything from Little Richard, to The Ramones or Weezer; bands that we would consider to be classics.



Buzz:  What was your main decision to make classic record rather than a current record or a record that uses trends?



Adam:  We look at it as though we are trying to do this for a while.  Anytime you try to jump on something that happens immediately, seems to go away.   What you are doing seems to be irrelevant.  Doing something like this, seems to be that people can pick it up five years from now and still get into and not sound like a record that came out in 2010.



Buzz:  That’s a smart and interesting way of looking at it.  What makes you decide that a record should be classic?

*photos from top (by Carl Burke)

The crowd at Warped Chicago

Andrew W.K.

Adam of AM Taxi

Once up a time there was a very successful movie franchise, about a green ogre and his desire to live alone in a swamp. As with so many fairy tales, the path to happiness did not run smoothly, and soon his stinky corner of the world is disrupted by all manner of fairytale creatures. He sets off to preserve his solitude, but before he knows it, he has befriended a talking donkey and is on a mission to battle a dragon and save the princess. Along the way, he learns that girls can fart just as loudly as boys, and true love doesn’t always come packaged as you’d expect.

The beauty of Shrek was the way it took standard fairytale conventions and twisted them, just a little, to keep the parents on their toes and capture the imagination of their offspring. Shrek the musical doesn’t depart too far at all from this concept, with plenty of quick fire lyrics that sail just over the heads of the children and high-energy songs to keep the story moving along.

Eric Petersen (Shrek) holds the musical together, doing a great job of bringing emotion, humor and pathos to the role, while wearing the theatrical equivalent of a foam hot-dog suit. It’s a tough role to pull-off; everyone knows the storyline and Petersen could just do an impression of Mike Myers. Instead, he brings his own charm to the role. Alan Mingo, Jr. (Donkey) brings masses of passion and energy, but does sometimes fall into impersonation territory. His donkey is a cross between Little Richard and Eddie Murphy but while he’s always entertaining, it can get a little over-played. This show belongs to Haven Burton (Fiona) as she tap dances with rats in “Morning Person” or assures us of her faith in fairytales in “I Know It’s Today”. She gets the best of both the choreography and lyrics for the majority of the show, only being upstaged by Carrie Compere (voice), as a sensational dragon brought to life by a three person puppet in “Forever”.

Shrek the Musical has been a long time coming. High-brow British director Sam Mendes suggested the idea to DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg back when the second movie was in production. This is Dreamworks Theatrical’s first venture into legitimate theatre, and the first night audience reponse suggests that this is going to be a successful one. There’s enough here for repeat visits and both children and adults will be enchanted by the high-energy show in which everyone lives happily ever after.

Shrek the Musical is brought to Chicago by Broadway in Chicago and is at the Cadillac Theatre (151 W. Randolph St) until September 5^th. For more information, visit www.shrekthemusical.com and www.broadwayinchicago.com .

Shrek the Musical features a book and lyrics by Pulizter Prize winner David Lydsay Ahare, music by Olivier Award-winner Jeanine Tesori and is directed by Tony Award-nominee Jason Moore and Tony and Emmy Award-winner Rob Ashford. Set and costume designs are by Tim Hatley, lighting design by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Peter Hylenski, choreography by Josh Prince, music supervision by Tim Weil, music direction by Andy Grobengieser and orchestration by Danny Troob and John Clancy.

The Chicago Blackhawks lost goaltender Antti Niemi in arbitration, making him the eighth player to leave the Stanley Cup Champions this offseason.  The arbitrator awarded Niemi a $2.75-million salary for next season, forcing the Blackhawks to part ways with their star goalie.

Niemi was awarded $2.75-million after his agent, Bill Zito, requested more than $4 million.  After earning $826,875 last season, asking for more than $4 million seems almost absurd.  Yes, Niemi was the winning Stanley Cup goaltender; however, it is a lot to ask for in only his sophomore season.  The Blackhawks needed to opt out and allow Niemi to enter free agency.

Was this a smart move on behalf of the Blackhawks?

Of course.  Although Niemi was a main part in bringing the Stanley Cup back to Chicago after 49 years, the 26-year-old is young and inexperienced.  Niemi’s mistakes due to lack of experience were backed up by the best starting defensemen in the league, including Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith.  After making only thirty-five regular season starts in his rookie year, he is not ready to earn the $2.75-million he was awarded.

By opting to let Niemi go, the Blackhawks free up much needed cap space to allow young players to move up or to sign new players to fill voids in their roster.  This will help fill out the team as they defend their Stanley Cup victory.

The Chicago Blackhawks signed veteran Marty Turco to a one-year deal in order to replace Niemi as the net minder.  Turco has started 485 regular-season games in his nine seasons with the Dallas Stars posting 262 wins.  Last season he had a .913 save percentage in 52 regular-season starts.

Turco is one of the best puck-handling goaltenders in the league, which will allow him to get the puck to the defensemen faster so they can begin the rush more quickly.  The young Blackhawks team is in need of the veteran leadership that Turco has to offer as they set out to defend their Stanley Cup Championship.

All in all, the Chicago Blackhawks have made a great decision in letting Antti Niemi go and signing the veteran Marty Turco for the 2010-11 season.