Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Well, up next, it's a rousing blend of the Bard, Duke, Ellington, and all that jazz.

We'll start, we'll stop into the star of Play On, a show you can see now at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Stay with us.

Play On is an electrifying musical that just opened at Chicago's Shakespeare Theater.

Part of my bloodline is intertwined with this legacy of music and history.

We need joy more than ever these days, and this show is the encapsulation of joy.

It's that human experience that this show brings that I think is just special and so unique, and it's only here at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, so you gotta come.

Don't get around much anymore.

Larry's cultural legacy trickled deep into modern pop culture.

His flight directly inspired the two thousand and three Australian comedy feature film Danny Deckchair, as well as a brand-new theatrical stage musical titled Forty-Two Balloons, which made its grand North American premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on June ten, twenty twenty-five.

Filmmaker Nirvan Mullick is currently producing a documentary titled Larry's Lawn Chair, utilizing long-lost archival video footage from the nineteen eighty-two launch.

So why am I bringing you the fascinating, tragic story of Larry Walters today? Well, back in the late nineteen nineties, long after Larry had passed away, I found myself going through a phase where I was deeply obsessed with the idea of individuals actually taking flight.

You're listening to The Arts Section.

I'm backstage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater talking to the people behind the company's new production, Play

On.

His melodies, the stories, the fact that the whole genre of music has existed for years on his music.

Yeah.

I think one of the most exciting things coming up this fall is Chicago Shakespeare Theater will be performing two of Shakespeare's well-known comedies in repertory with one cast of brilliantly talented performers.

The first production will be The Winter's Tale from October 8th to November 1st, and then A Midsummer Night's Dream from November 11th to January 3rd, 2027.

Many will will recognize A Midsummer Night's Dream, the scene, the play on the four lovers and the fairies in the forest.

Winter's Tale is a rare one to see on stage.

Some will recognize it as a tale of jealousy and betrayal.

This will be a exciting first for Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

And I am very excited to see both performances.

Eventually making his way back here to Chicago, he spent many years on the stages here, including in such shows as White Christmas, My One and Only, Swing, and A Chorus Line.

In 2011, he made his directing and choreography debut, helming Guys and Dolls at the Marriott, with additional credits following at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Rocky Mountain Rep, and the Old Globe in San Diego.

Then, after losing his partner Bernie Yvonne in 2014, he used the experience of his grief to embark on a new career as a licensed social worker, his knowledge for which is the main focus of our topic today.

For more information on today's guest, you can go to his website, the link for which is in our show notes, and he offers a free 15-minute consultation to see if he would be a good fit for you.

Uh, in America, uh, you have brought a c- a c- a couple works.

Uh, obviously En Route, uh, came through Chicago Shakespeare Theater, which led to your next collaboration with, with them, which was...

Since I Suppose.

Yeah.