Back in early March, Broadway icon Joel Grey, 88, was finalizing his plans to visit Chicago for Porchlight Music Theatre’s silver anniversary gala. With a 60-plus year career on Broadway, Grey—one of only a handful of actors to win an Oscar and a Tony for playing the same role—was moving full throttle into spring, wandering New York to take photos for his latest book, prepping for coming projects and, as ever, creating art whenever and wherever he found it. Porchlight’s annual event, packed with live performances and a retrospective of Grey’s extraordinary career, was on track to be a blowout showstopper fueled by the presence of a genuine, megawatt musical theater legend.
But thanks to Porchlight, Grey is getting out and putting on a show. Sort of. At least he is doing so in the that-ain’t-quite-it-kid manner that “going out” and “putting on a show” have become under the draconian fist of COVID-19.
Some 50 artists are working on the gala, said Porchlight artistic director Michael Weber. There will be performances from past Porchlight shows as well as medleys celebrating Grey’s work, and segments showcasing Chicago’s emerging musical theater talents.
“Whenever you confront the public with something different and maybe dangerous, you have to walk a fine line,” he said.
Porchlight’s benefit will offer Grey a chance to offer his thoughts on the cancellation as well as his extraordinary career. It will also, hopefully, generate some coin for the last remaining Equity musical theater in Chicago that produces its own shows.
Fri 8/21-Sun 8/23, 7 PM CDT; porchlightmusictheatre.org, free, but donations accepted.
