Local development group gets a shot at the Madison

A local development team has been granted exclusive rights to work toward rehabilitating the Madison Theater and the connected retail building, the city of Peoria and the theater owners announced Friday.

That team, called NXG Developments, will have 90 days to negotiate a purchase of the Madison from the Comfort family and the adjacent parking lot from the city, elements NXG need to acquire to deliver a proposal it made for the theater's renovation, said Chris Setti, assistant city manager.

Those negotiations have started, Setti said, but they are but the first steps in the process of renovating the city's last remaining historic theater where Vaudeville acts once reigned. He said there has been no cost figure set yet for what it would take but "obviously it will be multiple millions of dollars. It's a big project."

NXG Developments proposes to renovate the theatre and the retail along Main Street that is connected to the building. It also proposes to build a multi-story, mixed-use building in the parking lot at Madison Avenue and Hamilton Boulevard.

NXG was started by two members of Peoria's business community. One is Katie Arnholt Kim, vice president at Horan Construction Inc. and a small business specialist with the Kim Group – Keller Williams Realty. The other is Jim Grube of ReMax Unlimited Commercial. Their respective companies and The Farnsworth Group Inc. are also listed part of the NXG team.

"We are extremely excited about the concepts that NXG Developments have presented and are confident they are the right team to execute such an important project," said Mayor Jim Ardis in a written statement. "Their plan, while still in the very early stages, maximizes the opportunity. They understand both the value of the historic structure and the possibilities that new construction can bring."

Setti said the cost of acquiring the Madison and adjoining property could be the chief variable to determining if the project will go forward. He said NXG was one of only two groups to respond to the city's request for ideas of what to do with the property once the Comfort family agreed to consider proposals and that it was well ahead of the other in its concept.

"That is why we thought the best strategy was to give NXG an exclusive window to try and negotiate a price with the Comforts. If they can reach an agreement with Comfort family and the city (on the parking lot), the next step would be to negotiate a redevelopment agreement," Setti said.

The negotiations with the Comfort family will be for the property it owns. It will not include Hoops restaurant, which is owned separately.

Setti said he is optimistic about the project's chance of succeeding. "This is a great group of developers and I believe the Comforts are sincere in their desire to see something done. It's an important part of downtown, so we are hopeful," he said.

Previous attempts to revive the theater, which was built in 1920, have worked briefly. It was a popular concert venue in the early 1990s and was later a comedy club. But those were eventually doomed by the amount of money needed to make the building meet life safety requirements.

Previous estimates have put renovation costs at anywhere from $12 million to $18 million, the real stumbling block to getting anything accomplished without any kind of guarantee the theater then would be economically feasible.

The Madison was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and in 2013, was named to the Illinois Landmarks 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list.

FrizziToon: It's Abe's birthday! Honest!

'Art' set for run at Corn Stock Winter Playhouse

There is an age-old query posed in the dark comedy opening Friday at Corn Stock Theatre's Winter Playhouse: Which is more important, people or possessions?

On the surface "Art," the play by Yasmina Reza, which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1998, appears to ask the question, what is art? But as the play unfolds it is obvious it goes deeper than man's thoughts about art, especially when close relationships are involved.

"Art is almost irrelevant to the play, really," said Charles Brown, who is directing the Corn Stock production. While we do see how each character reacts to art and what each believes constitutes art, that is almost a kind of misdirection by the playwright."

"By the show's end we realize that the art is a possession, a thing, and that people are more important than possessions. When it comes down to it, most people will choose friendship," Brown said.

"Art" has a five-show run, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and againt on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22, respectively. It will close with a 2:30 p.m. matinee performance on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. They can be reserved by calling 676-2196.

"Art" centers on three men, friends for many years. But the friendships get strained when one of them spends a lot of money on a painting that the other two are not fond of. The painting is white on white and from a distance looks simply like a piece of white canvas.

"It takes a close look to see that it is more than just a white painting, but not everyone wants to take a closer look," said Brown. Indeed the painting is merely the tool that leads to the strain in the friendships coming out into the open and for a showdown among the friends that gets nasty and physical before reaching a resolution.

In his Director's Note about the show Brown wrote, "Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but perhaps, just perhaps, true friendship is blind and we choose to see through the eyes of our friends."

Brown has community three veterans in his cast, including Mike Reams as Serge, the art procurer, and Nate Downs as Marc, the chief antagonist. Brian Artman of Bloomington has performed on other stages but is making his Corn Stock debut as Yvan, the friend who tries to play peace maker before things get out of hand.

"I have seen this play where the parts seemed to be type cast. What I was looking for were three guys close to the same age that we could easily imagine as being buddies; guys we might run into hanging out at a bar. I think I got that look, that dynamic. And this cast plays it very well," Brown said.

Brown said he first became interested in "Art" while preparing to audition for another Corn Stock Winter Playhouse production, "Red," which was performed last winter. It, too, focuses on a relationship between people with art as the straw that stirs the drink. But Brown said the similarities end there.

"Whereas 'Red' uses its characters to look at art a certain way, this show is the mirror image. It uses the art to bring focus to the characters," he said. "That's why I was interested in directing this show. And I like a good piece of theatre where I can focus on the writing and the acting."

Another aspect that interested Brown was the mixing of the mediums, drama and visual art. As it did during the run of "Red" last winter, Corn Stock has turned its dance studio adjacent to the theater into a gallery showcasing local artists. Patrons will be free to view the art before or after the play, which is a one-act play less than 90 minutes in length.

"Art" was the first of two plays by Reza that won the Best Play honors at the Tony Awards. The other was "God of Carnage," which won the Tony in 2009 and was presented at Corn Stock Winter Playhouse in 2012.

Frizzi: It was 50 years ago that day

Sometime in January of 1964, I was a 6 year old kid riding in the back seat of our 1955 Plymouth Plaza. We were living in the Brentwood borough of Pittsburgh at the time. We were either going to or from a grandparent's house. Or we were going to the store. My mother didn't drive at the time, so my father had to drive us everywhere, which was either to a grandparent's house, the store or to church. Other than that, we didn't go anywhere.

We probably had KDKA on the radio. All parents listened to KDKA, which has the distinction of being the first commercial radio station in America. We were probably getting our daily diet of local singers like Bobby Vinton and Perry Como when the DJ played a song that sounded like nothing I heard before or since.

"I want to hold your haaaaaaaaaand!"

My ears perked up. It was the first time I had ever really listened to music and I was hooked.

"I want to hold your haaaaaaaaaand! I want to hold your hand!"

Of course, my Dad hated it and made it known.

But it was the best thing I'd ever heard.

Not that we didn't have music around the house. Being Italian, we had to have Sinatra, Martin, Mancini and Como around the house. My Dad was a pretty decent tenor. I remember him lying on the couch and crooning songs like Tony Bennett's "Because of You".

But they, the parents, were not fans of Rock and Roll. I think my Mom may have had a crush on Elvis Presley, like all normal young gals of that era. Nonetheless, Rock and Roll wasn't within earshot.

The DJ on KDKA had played "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by some group called The Beatles because it was number one on the charts at the time. Plus, they were a novelty. They came from Britain at a time when virtually all music played on American radio stations was all, well, American.

The DJ said these guys had long hair over their ears and foreheads — just like girls!

Of course, the parents hated it. And if the parents hated it, the kids were sure to love it. Parents were mortified at Elvis and they sure weren't going to let their kids listen to Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Little Richard unless the song was "homogenized" by singers like Pat Boone.

All I know is that I had no interest whatsoever in music until I heard The Beatles on the car radio. I had to find out more about them. And there was no better source than my cousin, Bonnie.

Bonnie (her given name is Bonita) was the coolest, funniest person I ever knew at the time. Being12 years old, she was mature and sophisticated! She read Mad Magazine! Of course, she knew about The Beatles and even had their record! And she let me listen to it — over and over and over again.

Bonnie showed me a picture of them. She told me their names were Paul, John, George and Ringo. She thought Paul was obviously cool! He was holding a cigarette! Their hair resembled my kid sister's pixie haircut. I thought they looked like more like Moe of The Three Stooges, whose movies I watched religiously on Pittsburgh's top kids show, "The Paul Shannon Show."

Bonnie also shared with me vital knowledge. Their last name was not "Beatles"! Also, the name of the band was not spelled "Beetles" like the bugs but "Beatles" like a music beat — two very important facts for a budding young fan.

My Dad didn't like my newfound enthusiasm for this roving band of freaks. His older sister, my Aunt Lorie (Bonnie's Mom), just laughed it off. "Let those kids have their fun! Besides, they're just a passing fad. They'll go away just as fast as they came."

The next time my Mom took us shopping downtown, instead of getting a toy I bugged her into buying me my very own copy of "I Want To Hold Your Hand."

My seventh birthday was on Monday, Feb. 10. Mom announced they were throwing me a birthday party. It would have to be Sunday night. My Aunt Lorie and Uncle Bob would be there as well as my cousins.

So, the house was decorated with the usual kid birthday bunting. Mom was cooking my favorite meal of spaghetti and meatballs. AND there was CAKE! With MY NAME on it! I even had a big cardboard crown with sparkles that said "King For The Day!"

Soon came Sunday evening and everyone came over. Everyone that is, except Bonnie.

"Where's Bonnie?" I asked Aunt Lorie.

"Oh, she's staying at home, tonight! She's going to watch The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show!

A hush went over the room. My aunt put her hand over her mouth as though she spilled a state secret. I broke the grown-ups' stunned silence with "THE BEATLES? CAN WE WATCH THEM? CAN WE? CAN WE?!"

My mother came up to me and said, "Oh Honey! You don't want to watch that, do you? We're having a birthday party, just for you!" To which I replied, "But, Mom! We ALWAYS watch Ed Sullivan! And it IS MY BIRTHDAY PARTY!"

The room let out a collective sigh. My Dad snarled and fired up a Lucky.

So, we enjoyed my birthday supper and cake. The conversation consisted mostly of "Donnie, wouldn't you prefer to do anything besides watch The Beatles?"

Then, we all gathered in front of the family black-and-white Motorola TV.

(It would be years before I figured out that the reason I even had a birthday party that day was so the adults wouldn't have to watch The Beatles on Ed Sullivan! There was nothing else to watch on TV, except the last half-hour of The Wonderful World of Disney.)

Then, came the moment! "The Ed Sullivan Show - brought to you by Anacin and Pillsbury!" Ed really did have a "really big shew" this night. His audience consisted mostly of teenage girls. They all groaned when Ed told them to stay tuned for commercials for new Aero Shave and new Griffin Liquid Shoe Wax.

Then Ed introduced The Beatles and all hell broke loose.

The adults cringed in horror as the camera switched between these long-haired monsters and the kids that screeched adorably at them. Paul, the cute smoker, sang "All My Loving" and a cover of "Till There Was You" from the musical, "The Music Man."

"They've ruined a good song", snarled my Dad as he lit another Lucky. His Zippo made a loud clank as he slammed it shut.

Immediately after The Beatles left the stage, the commercial for Anacin aspirin came on. The announcer asked America if they were suffering pain from a headache, depression, tension, anxiety and fatigue. "Hey Jane!", my Uncle Bob shouted to my mother, "You have any Anacin in the house?"

Before The Beatles came back, we had to sit through magician Fred Kaps (so, I inadvertently got a magician to perform at my birthday party for free.) Then, we got to see another British act, the cast of Lionel Bart's musical, "Oliver." The "Artful Dodger" was played by a young David Jones, who would later reappear as the Beatle Paul-like British heartthrob on the TV show, "The Monkees".

Then, we learned of the scientific breakthrough of Cold Water All laundry detergent.

For the adults, came the highlight of the evening. Comedian and impersonator Frank Gorshin was a Pittsburgh native, having grown up in the neighborhood of Garfield. He was a rising national star. You had to feel sorry for Frank though, doing his night club act in front of a crowd of impatient screaming teens, but he did get a lot of laughs from the audience. Gorshin would reappear a few years later on the campy TV show, "Batman" as one of the guest villains, "The Riddler".

Following Gorshin was another Brit, music hall star Tessie O'Shea. Then, Ed introduced the husband and wife comedy team of Mitzi McCall and Charlie Brill. Ed Sullivan was known for husband and wife comedy teams like Ben Stiller's parents, "Stiller and Meara". Later on, McCall and Brill would be frequent guests on the 1970's game show, "The Match Game". This night, they performed a skit where a talent scout was interviewing prospects.

Mother: "My little girl was waiting outside. She used to be one of The Beatles".

Talent scout: "What happened to her?"

Mother: "Somebody stepped on her!"

(Laughter)

After that, the folks from Pillsbury introduced us to the exotic thrills one could find in a pineapple lemon parfait cake made from TWO different homemade cake mixes. I asked my Mom if I could have that for my birthday cake next year. After all, the announcer said that it was "easy as a breeze to make!"

Finally, The Beatles returned with "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Without thinking, I blurted out the line of the night.

"I'm going to wear my hair just like theirs!"

That was it for Ol' Dad. He'd had it. His face turned beet red. He stubbed out his smoke. His bellowing shook the house. "No son of MINE is going to wear his hair like THAT!" He then got out of his chair and grabbed for his Perry Como album. He clutched it defiantly, as if to single-handedly try to return the world of music back to the sanity and dignity it once had. He staggered as he headed toward the stereo with the sole intent of cleansing his home of all that dratted caterwauling!

The adults looked at him with awe. My mother had tears of gratitude in her eyes. He was her hero! He would take his house back – the King of his own castle!

But I was "King For The Day!" My cardboard crown said so. And I turned toward my father and scowled a snotty youngster's scowl. For some reason, he withered. Then, he recoiled and put the record back in its rack. My Dad was a big fan of "The Twilight Zone" and must've thought that I was going to "wish him into the cornfield" as young Anthony surely would have. (Well, it is his fault that my middle name is Anthony.)

That man damn near fainted when Ed announced that The Beatles would be on his show the next two weeks!!

Why did I lock into The Beatles during that car ride? As I think about it later, it was the sound of their harmonizing. Their voices were unique. I love The Everly Brothers, who had greatly influenced The Beatles' style of singing. But I never went bat-crap crazy over "Wake Up Little Suzie" or "Bye Bye Love".

As I grew up, I followed everything Beatles. To my parents' chagrin, I asked for and always got the latest Beatles album for Christmas. When John Lennon and George Harrison were arrested on pot charges, my folks drew the line in the sand. "We're not buying you any more Beatles albums. They spend all their money on dope!" To which I replied, "But, Mom! Frank Sinatra hangs out with mobsters and hookers!"

And so I was cut off. You didn't blaspheme "Ol' Blue Eyes" in my parents' house.

Saner heads prevailed, however. My Uncle Bob came to the rescue and bought me "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" for my birthday.

For me, "Beatlemania" never went away. I've seen Paul twice in concert and I saw the second show ever of Ringo's first All-Star Tour. I have every Beatle album and every Beatle solo album released on Parlophone, Capitol, Apple, Zapple and Dark Horse.

I have Beatle albums older than my wife! I have them in vinyl, cassette and CD. I repurchased all of their albums when they were digitally re-mastered a few years back, just in time for Christmas! I even have a "Beatle bag" in my car loaded with CDs, just in case I absolutely, positively had to listen to Beatle music.

I've heard each song countless times and never tire of them. To this day I still hear something different and new!

This past Christmas, Heddy (wife) gave me "Live at the BBC" and "On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2." I'm playing it now. It's mostly cover songs. But to hear John Lennon belt out Ray Charles' "I've Got A Woman" and Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business" with George Harrison's crisp guitar licks....it still sends chills up and down my spine.

It's been 50 years since The Beatles captured America with their legendary live performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." More than 73 million people joined my family and I in watching that performance and it's still considered one of the monumental moments in television. In the 1995 documentary "The Beatles Anthology" George Harrison recalled: "We were aware that Ed Sullivan was the big one because we got a telegram from Elvis and the Colonel. And I've heard that while the show was on there were no reported crimes, or very few. When The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, even the criminals had a rest for ten minutes."

This year's Grammy awards celebrated the occasion with appearances by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two surviving members of a band who literally changed the world and still continues to influence a whole new generation of listeners.

That's not bad for being "just a passing fad".