Never Come Morning–the Movie
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Originally adapted for Famous Door Theatre Company, the play was gathering dust until Vehill read it and, according to Peditto, realized it had possibilities. Vehill subsequently gave it to director Jennifer Markowitz, whose talents had helped make Famous Door’s Hellcab a long-running off-Loop hit. After she agreed to direct it for Prop, sources say she and Peditto clashed over how to stage the work. He wanted to preserve the script’s sentimental aspects, but Markowitz’s visceral, high-energy vision prevailed.
Peditto says his chief concern in crafting the screenplay will be staying true to Algren’s book. He says he’ll pay particular attention to Bruno, the thug at the center of the story, and attempt to make his story “redemptive.” The play ends with Bruno’s arrest for murder after he wins a boxing match. “In many ways this is the Rocky story with a downer ending,” Peditto says.
The turmoil continues at Ballet Chicago. It plans only one short week of performances this season: a production of Coppelia at the Shubert Theatre April 5 through 9 as part of the Spring Festival of Dance. And exactly who will perform at these engagements remains to be seen. In its ongoing negotiations with the American Guild of Musical Artists, the company is pushing for a 5-week contract, but the union–which had a 32-week contract last year–is resisting its attempts to scale back. If the parties haven’t reached an agreement by early 1995, AGMA administrator for dance Alexander Dube says he is prepared to issue a directive urging union dancers not to work for the company. In that event, a board member indicated, the company might go with cheaper nonunion hires.
Performing Arts Chicago lost a key staffer last week with the departure of Carol Fox, who’d managed the 35-year-old organization’s marketing and public relations efforts since February. “It turned out that this just wasn’t what I was looking for,” says Fox, who says she needed more time to spend with her young child. She intends to launch a new career as a free-lance marketing consultant. PAC executive director Susan Lipman says, “She needed a lot of time off during what is a very ambitious year for us.” After years of offering mostly music, PAC is currently presenting its second season of more diverse programming, including dance, theater, and other events.
