This play looks really fun, so let's go! I'm choosing $36.50 for middle balcony, plus $2 per ticket processing fee. Tickets range from $23 for upper balcony to $63 for dress circle/loge/lower balcony.

NOTE: Price is contingent on participation; minimum 20 people for group price so this is posted on multiple Meetup groups.

Payment due immediately via Paypal (plus non-refundable $1.50 PP processing fee) or check (send immediately; contact me for address) because it's a limited run and I'll have to submit contract and payment within a week. Everything but the Paypal fee is refundable to you if we don't get the tickets.

Details are below. Dinner plans to come on separate posting. If you want to buy more expensive seats yourself and just join us for dinner, feel free (but don't RSVP "yes" for the theater...)

The Drowsy Chaperone
Theatre : Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 WEST RANDOLPH, Chicago Illinois
Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission
Other information: Appropriate for all ages.
Parking is pretty expensive but it's really easy to get to from Metra and CTA stations.
Theater/Parking Info

Get ready to be transported to a magical, wonderful world! A world where the critics are in awe, the audiences are in heaven and the neighborhood is buzzing with excitement. Welcome to THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, the new musical comedy that is swooping into town with tons of laughs and the most 2006 Tony Awards of any musical on Broadway! It all begins when a die-hard musical fan plays his favorite cast album, a 1928 smash hit called "The Drowsy Chaperone," and the show magically bursts to life. We are instantly immersed in the glamorous, hilarious tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day, complete with thrills and surprises that take both the cast (literally) and the audience (metaphorically) soaring into the rafters.

Called "INGENIOUS" by The New York Times and crowned "BEST OF 2006" by Entertainment Weekly, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE has the whole town cheering like never before!

Ticket prices are $25 to $75 and may be ordered through Ticketmaster, or see Ticket Information for
more options.

Groups On Sale Now! To Book Your Group of 20 or more, Call (312) 977-1710!

Hello, everyone!
Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I've decided to bite the bullet and throw another multiple-part party at my place. This'll just be a two-parter, though, for my sanity's sake. :) RSVP for whichever part you like, though the two will ultimately cross-fade, I'm sure. And, it's my birthday! Huzzah. There may be cake.

Part the second:
Mixer Party
I threw a party like this several years ago, and it was a terrific time. See, back in late '99, I went to bartending school (that's right, I'm a Certified Mixologist), and learned how to mix oodles of drinks. I can layer and shake 'em, stir 'em and drink 'em. I've not made every drink under the sun, but quite a few.

So! Here's what I'm planning. Further down this list, you'll see a list of liquors and a list of mixers. Select one of each, and plan to bring it. Make a note of what you're bringing, in your RSVP, so we don't get lots of overlap. Since this is getting cross-posted around, I'll keep track of what we still need, based on RSVP's, and update the list accordingly.

Once we have the bar stocked (I'll have some liquor, too, and cups/ice/mixing tins/strainers/etc), I'll teach you all how to make drinks. Learn a new skill, and hope that you're sober enough to remember that skill in the morning.

Partying will start at 9. I'll have music, some munchies, and games and movies, for when things get quieter. I'll even set up some nice mood lighting and a dance area, so there can be dancing enjoyment.

If you're game, please drop by earlier for Part 1, the Finger Food Potluck, which starts at 6. Should be a blast!

I'll send my address to the Yes and Maybe RSVP's. Please note, RSVP's will be closed as of the evening of the 27th. If you haven't received the address by Friday, check your spam filters and Meetup profile preferences (be sure you can receive emails), and email me for the info.

See you all on the 29th!
Thanks!

-Tony

THE LIST
Choose one of each, a liquor and a mixer, and note it in your RSVP.

Liquors:
These are still needed:

Blue Curacao
Brandy
Crème De Cacao
Grenadine
Melon Liqueur
Peach Schnapps
Raspberry Liqueur
Sloe Gin
Whiskey

These are listed as being brought:
Amaretto
Bailey's
Butterscotch Schapps
Cherry Brandy
Coconut Rum
Crème De Banana
Creme de Menthe
Gin
Grape Vodka
Jagermeister
Kahlua
Rum
Scotch
Sour Mix
Southern Comfort
Tequila
Triple Sec
Vodka

Mixers:
These are still needed:

Ginger Ale
Grape Juice
Soda
Sprite

These are listed as being brought:
Coke
Cranberry Juice
Cream
Grapefruit Juice
Lime Juice
Orange Juice

Optional Liquors
(only bring 'em if you've got 'em already)

151 Rum
Apple Schnapps
Blackberry Brandy
Chocolate Liqueur
Cinnamon Schnapps
Crème De Almond
Dark Rum
Lemon Vodka
Peppermint Schnapps
Pineapple
Strawberry Schnapps

At a recent event, I got into a conversation about movies that are frankly, so bad they become good. Not movies that are (necessarily) cult classics or that *know* they are bad, but movies that take themselves completely serious, intend to be good... and are just god-awful.

And we love them for it. Why? Because we feel smarter seeing how dumb they are? Because we love to MST3K them? Who knows. We just love.

So, I'm planning a get-together in a couple weeks for the gloriously bad movie. If it's a good event, it might become something more regular. I'll pop some fresh popcorn, we'll order some pizzas (I'll order them so they arrive by the time the movies start, and will get enough to feed the total RSVPs- just toss in a five-spot to cover food/drink, and it's all good), and that'll be that. Cool?

Here's how it'll work- I'll post some movies that fall into the category of "movies that are so bad, they lap themselves and become good". I will take suggestions for these movies, as well- just email me what you think is something that should be added to the list. I'll post the list I've compiled, and accept votes on which movies we ought to watch (just message me, I don't mind). I'll take the top two movies (if it's a tie, I get to pick. My house, my rules), and if I don't already have them, I'll rent or Netflix 'em.

So far, here's the list of gloriously bad movies, compiled from my list and emails/notes people have sent:
(click the links if you don't recognize 'em)

Bad Taste (0 votes)
Battlefield Earth (0 votes)
Beastmaster (0 votes)
Big Trouble in Little China (1 vote)
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (0 votes)
CB4 (1 vote)
Cocktail (1 vote)
Gotcha (1 vote)
He-Man (2 votes)
Howard the Duck (2 votes)
Hudson Hawk (0 votes)
Krull (0 votes)
Labyrinth (1 vote)
Men at Work (0 votes)
Orca (1 vote)
Road House (2 votes)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1 vote)
Showgirls (1 vote)
Side Out (0 votes)
Spiceworld (1 vote)
Summer School (0 votes)
Tango & Cash (0 votes)
The Last Dragon (1 vote)
The Wraith (1 vote)
Toxic Avenger (0 votes)
Zardoz (1 vote)

I'm sure there's a ton more. Please feel free to add to the list, and I'll post them, with the number of votes, and will post the winner the Wednesday before the event. Yay. The event starts at 7:30, and we'll start the movies at 8:00 sharp. Pizza should be there by then, and there will be lots o' popcorn. I'll have some drinks, but please feel free to grab a two-liter if you feel the urge.

Please note, since this is at a private home, I will not be posting the address on meetup. I'll email it to everyone who RSVP's yes or maybe. After I've sent out the email (Friday around noon), I'll *close* the RSVP's. If you see the RSVP's are closed and haven't received the address, double-check your spam filters and make sure it accepts email from meetup, double-check your meetup profile to make sure you're allowing emails, and drop me a line. Sorry to ramble on about this, but I've had a number of people with issues about not getting emails when I send out my address/phone info.

Make a day of it- CD and DVD Swap, Pizza Party, and Karaoke!

Hey, everyone! I hope you can join me for these events. It's actually one day-long event, broken into three parts. Come for one, come for all- whatever suits you. I'm making this three separate events, so please RSVP for whichever you're interested in.

(Part 3)
Singles Karaoke Night!
I love doing karaoke. But I don't love waiting forever to sing, or having no one but a bunch of random strangers to sing with/in front of. So, why not bring the karaoke home?

This event is open to singles only (yeah, sorry couples, but I thought it'd be neat to do something singles-specific, for once). If the lameness of Valentine's Day gets you wanting to meet some cool new people and expand your circle of friends, this is a place to do it.

I'm organizing a karaoke party at my house on Saturday, February 9th, from about 9 PM- whenever. I'm in Lakeview, near the Wellington Brown line. The address will be sent to those who RSVP "Yes" or "Maybe".

This is part of a day-long series of events, and you're welcome to come to any or all parts of it. See more details at the end of this post.

Drop by my place around 9 PM for the singing goodness. I've been collecting lots of karaoke files, and will run the whole thing off my computer. We'll start the singing around 9, and go till we either run out of songs or pass out from lack of breath. I'll post a list of music I've got once I've compiled it. I'm taking requests! Got a favorite karaoke song? Let me know, and I'll hunt it down if I don't already have it.

Feel free to bring beverages of your choice. This is a bit of a BYOB party (though some will be available, of course). There will probably be some pizza remaining from the Pizza Party earlier in the day, too, and we'll have games and such, too.

Can't sing? We might do a bit of a Puttin' on the Hits -esque part, too. Ya just need to be able to lip sync and dance like a doof. :) We shall see.

And yes, please be single if you're coming to this. I promise I'll throw a wide-open-to-all party sometime soon.

Check out the CD and DVD Swap event and Pizza Party events (before this) for more info about those. You're welcome to join us for any or all parts of these events.

Make a day of it- CD and DVD Swap, Pizza Party and Karaoke!

Hey, everyone! I hope you can join me for these events. It's actually one day-long event, broken into three parts. Come for one, come for all- whatever suits you. I'm making this three separate events, so please RSVP for whichever you're interested in.

(Part 1)
CD and DVD Swap!
When I posted the Book Swap event back in December, someone had mentioned a CD swap they went to. Which got me thinking about doing something like that. I've got an okay music collection I'm always looking to expand.

Do you have music in your collection that you love and want to share? Do you like expanding your music collection with new and interesting stuff? Great!

This is going to be a CD swap at my house. If you own CDs, bring 'em (please have them in playable shape- if they're not, I have a CD polisher that can get 'em into shape). Only bring something you're willing to part with or trade, and not MP3 discs.

Bonus!
I'm widening this a little, to add another aspect of the day. If you have DVDs you're willing to trade, you can bring those as well. We'll operate just like we did with the book swap. When you arrive, you'll get tags for your CDs and DVDs, equal in number to whatever you've brought. You can then tag whatever CDs and DVDs you like, and take home whatever you've tagged.

Simple, effective, free way to get some new music you might otherwise not go get yourself. And great company to chat about your tunes with!

Bring as many CDs and DVDs as you'd like to swap. All kinds of music are welcome, and I'll have my speakers and headphones set up so people can give a listen to music they might not otherwise know. And I'm sure we'll be playing some of the movies as well.

Drop off your music and DVDs, peruse the collection, listen to stuff you haven't heard before, take some home, enjoy!

That's the scoop. This will run from 2-5 PM at my place (in Lakeview, near the Wellington Brown line). The address and my cell phone number will be sent to those who RSVP "Yes" or "Maybe".

This is part of a day-long series of events, and you're welcome to come to any or all parts of it. If you're interested, stick around for the Pizza Party and the Karaoke events, which will follow this one.