Latest news with #DunesSummerTheatre
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: ‘Rumors,' free Beyond the Blonde and ‘Misery' this weekend
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana continues its fourth anniversary celebration this month hosting a free concert starring Beyond the Blonde, a Chicagoland-based tribute band on the Hard Rock Cafe stage at 9 p.m. Friday, May 31. A celebration of powerhouse divas like P!NK, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga, audiences enjoy high-energy performances of favorite hits with costume changes paying homage to each of the artists' iconic styles. Audience participation includes sing-along moments for a salute to female pop power. Beyond the Blonde features Charity Marie for lead vocals, Bobby Eden on guitar and background vocals, Anthony Marena on bass guitar and background vocals and Kevin Curtin on drums. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana is located at 5400 West 29th Ave. in Gary, directly adjacent to the Interstate 80/94 Burr Street Interchange. For more information, call 219-228-2383 or visit Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Drive in Michigan City, that rustic and woodsy oasis of arts and culture established in 1941, is producing a new run of 'Misery' which will star Chicago TV news personality Janet Davies as Annie Wilkes opposite Kevin Giese as tortured novelist Paul Sheldon, who is held captive by 'his biggest fan.' The production, May 30 to June 15, is being directed by John Hancock, the noted filmmaker and Oscar-nominated movie director who hails from LaPorte and did the filming for his 1989 holiday classic 'Prancer' at his family's farm in LaPorte. Also, in this 'Misery' cast are Jim Lampl and Emmie Reigel with creative wiz Michael Lasswell as set designer. Steve Scott is the artistic director at Dunes Summer Theatre. Stephen King's 1987 novel 'Misery' was adapted for the stage as a play by Simon Moore and William Goldman, the latter of whom wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film version starring Kathy Bates and James Caan. Tickets are $30 to $35 and available at or call 219-879-7509. Beatnik Entertainment presents 'Rumors' by Neil Simon, the dark comedy produced for the intimate 60-seat stage space at Beatniks On Conkey, 420 Conkey St. in Hammond with Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances opening this Friday, May 30 through June 8, with curtain times at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The night of a 10th-anniversary wedding party commences with the discovery of guest of honor Charlie Brock, deputy mayor of New York, found on the floor bleeding upstairs. Hi wife Myra is also missing and as the guests slowly arrive, confusion and miscommunications mount for a stage adventure of this classic farcical stage romp. The cast stars Dean Johanson, Diana Smoot, Dylan Root, Kelly Koester, George Romero, Amy Bannister, Michael Depriest Reed, Julie Breford, Maggie Reister and Daniel Murillo. Tickets are $20 at or call or text 219-852-0848 for reservations and more information at Seating is limited so reservations are strongly suggested. For walk-up patrons who pay at the door, it's cash only. Lita Ford's career began in 1975 as a founding member and guitarist of the groundbreaking all-female group the Runaways. The group's hard rock/punk edge spawned hits like 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Queens of Noise.' Lita and the Runaways proved timelessness in 2014 when 'Cherry Bomb' was featured in the critically acclaimed Marvel/Disney Studios hit movie 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' and was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 1983, Lita launched her career as a solo artist with her début album 'Out For Blood,' and now, she's paired on tour with Dee Snider of Twisted Sister heavy metal fame for one concert at Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo with one performance at 8 p.m. CST May 30. Snider has starred in several reality TV shows including appearances in three seasons of NBC's 'Celebrity Apprentice' and 'Growing Up Twisted,' an A&E cable series featuring the entire Snider family and their Long Island lifestyle. Four Winds Silver Creek Event Center is at 11111 Wilson Road. Tickets start at $65 at 866-494-6371 or
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Chicago ABC TV's Janet Davies to star in ‘Misery' at Dunes Theatre
In September 2022, I lamented missing a one-week performance run that was 'not to be missed.' I was with my editor and pals for our annual Labor Day getaway to Kalamazoo, Michigan, a celebrated holiday tradition of 15-plus years built around seeing summer stock theatre in nearby Augusta, Michigan, at The Barn Theatre. In operation for 78 years, the Barn Theatre's production in September 2022 was a production of the play adaptation of Stephen King's 'Misery,' with soap opera actress Kim Zimmer playing obsessed fan Annie Wilkes. Zimmer, 70, and a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, spent decades on the CBS soap opera 'Guiding Light.' A famed alum of Barn Theatre from her early career days, I did catch Zimmer in September 2011 playing Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Boulevard' at Barn Theatre. In May, I'll have my chance to once again see what's sure to be a not-to-be-missed new production of 'Misery' and at an even closer stage space. Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Drive in Michigan City, a rustic and woodsy oasis of arts and culture established in 1941, is producing a new run of 'Misery' which will star Chicago TV news personality Janet Davies as Annie Wilkes opposite Kevin Giese as tortured novelist Paul Sheldon, who is help captive by 'his biggest fan.' The production, May 30 to June 15, is being directed by John Hancock, our noted filmmaker and Oscar-nominated movie director who hails from LaPorte and did the filming for his 1989 holiday classic 'Prancer' at his family's farm in LaPorte. Also in this 'Misery' cast are Jim Lampl and Emmie Reigel. Creative wiz Michael Lasswell is already hard at work on the set design, and of course, iconic stage talent Steve Scott is the artistic director at Dunes Summer Theatre. Davies was the TV entertainment reporter for Chicago's ABC 7 News for more than 30 years and the host of the award-winning '190 North' Chicago entertainment, dining and lifestyle TV series. A world-traveled, seasoned broadcast journalist and winner of 18 Emmy awards for producing, writing and reporting, Davies has covered the British Royal Family, reported live from the red carpets of the Oscars and the Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the American Music Awards. In February 2021, Davies announced via social media she was parting ways with ABC-owned WLS Channel 7 after a 37-year history. As reported by media columnist Robert Feder, Davies had changed her status as a full-time employee to a freelance contracted TV personality with ABC-7 in 2013. She joined the Chicago television station in 1984, coming from her previous TV gig at WPVI, the ABC-owned affiliate in Philadelphia. In addition to her feature news segments on ABC-7 Chicago, Davies was also a frequent host and broadcast commentator for Chicago's biggest events like the annual parades for St. Patrick's Day, Columbus Day and Pride Day, as well as co-hosting count-down duties on New Year's Eve with sports broadcast colleague Mark Giangreco, the latter who also left ABC-7 Chicago in 2021. Davies now divides her time between her beloved Chicago, world travels and her home in Galien, Michigan. She is also the board chair of the tiny but mighty stage at The Acorn Theatre in quaint Three Oaks, Michigan. Billing and branding for the venue changed to The Acorn Center for the Performing Arts in 2015 when it became a non-profit 501 (c) (3). Previously, Davies served on the Children's Memorial (now Lurie Children's Hospital) Corporate Board of Directors. Davies was born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in Fairfield, Ohio, before she earned a BA from Miami University in Ohio, majoring in communications and theater. Davies' 'Misery' co-star Giese is a graduate of Portage High School and trained at Second City in Chicago. He is familiar to audiences at both Dunes Summer Theatre and Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. Stephen King's 1987 novel 'Misery' was adapted for the stage as a play by Simon Moore and William Goldman, the latter of whom wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film version starring Kathy Bates and James Caan. Actress Sharon Gless was the first to step into the stage shoes of stalker Annie Wilkes during a 1993 test-out of the script adaptation in London. It opened on Broadway in 2015 starring Laurie Metcalf as Annie and Bruce Willis as novelist Paul. Metcalf was nominated for the Best Actress in a Play Tony at the 70th Tony Awards telecast. Willis was having trouble remembering his lines and his use of an earpiece to aid with his lines to be fed was met with criticism in some reviews. Later, Willis' family acknowledged the actor was having memory and cognitive issues. The Dunes Summer Theatre run of 'Misery' directed by John Hancock and starring Janet Davies and Kevin Giese is May 30 to June 1,5 with tickets $30 to $35 and available at or call 219-879-7509.
