Lost and Found an evening at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights

[rating=5]This is our second year of attending the Cabaret portion of 4 Chairs Theatre Company’s program. This is a new company with a purpose of helping our young talents “find themselves” and their future in theater. Director Lauren Berman sure does find the talent. Last week I spoke to he ron my radio show about the program itself. Part of her program is assisting with training young people who have the ability and talent but do not know how to utilize what has been given to them. You can learn more about the actual company at http://www.4chairstheatre.org

Now on to the show! “Lost and Found” is a musical trip for five wonderful young talents as they “find their way through Broadway”. Eighteen musical numbers presented by five local talents, from high schoolers to recent college grads, each of these performers brought something to the table ( or in reality, stage). The evening began with Aaron Kahn who is quite the comic performer doing “For Forever” from “Dear Evan Hansen”, and he does this song with great heart and soul , evoking just the right emotional response from the audience. While Aaron does most of the comic number, Anthony ( A.J. ) Depew handles the rest doing numbers from “Tootsie” and a daring rendition of “The Pants Song” from “Be More Chill”.

Rounding out the male performances is the youngest member of the cast, Will Anderson from Libertyville who tells us a lot of his personal story and how music has made his life better. His version of “Kiss The Air” and a powerful “Out There” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” are amazing.

While they are called 4Chairs, on the stage of Hey Nonny, a cool venue in downtown Arlington Heights, there were FIVE chairs, which is why the host, restaurant owner Chip Brooks remarked how they were growing already. The other two performers were the incredible Kaitlin Feely, who will graduate this spring and I imagine will be on a Chicago area stage very soon. Her range and intensity-amazing! When you hear her sing you are taken away. Songs like “When I Look At You” ( “Scarlet Pimpernel”),  “Quiet” and “Do What I Do” from “In Transit” blew us away.

The final cast member, or as they used to say, “the last but certainly not the least” is Angie Cornwell, a powerhouse singer who handles comedy as well as serious with great ease. Her rendition f “History of Wrong Guys” ( “kinky Boots”) was adorable and “One Perfect Moment” ( “Bring It On”) along with some duets she handled with the guys truly showed her range.

Sorry to say, this is not a show I can send you to as it was a night to remember for those who did, but if you register to become a follower at their website, www.4chairstheatre.org, you can learn more about the next shows they are doing and next time be able to “pull up a chair and sit with them”!

FYI: Hey Nonny offers live music, every night in its Cabaret. Jazz, folk, Broadway and you can find it on their site www.heynonny.com. They also have a great menu in their dining room and from what I am told a fabulous brunch as well. They are located at 10 South Vail with plenty of free parking. they can be reached at 224-202-0750.