It's Showtime with Rikki Lee

Chicago’s The Annoyance Theatre has a history of creating iconic comedic gems that audiences can’t get enough of. Over the years the company has been home to such long-running hits as “Co-Ed Prison Sluts”, “Shark Tank the Musical”, and “The Real Live Brady Bunch”. A new comedy “ The Little Orphan Boy ” is promising to be the next big thing at The Annoyance. A musical parody of all orphans alone in...

Sarah Sapperstein is a premier leading lady in Chicago’s vibrant fine arts community. She has appeared in over 100 Chicago-area theatre, musical theatre, opera, and cabaret productions since transplanting to the Windy City. On this episode of It's Showtime with Rikki Lee , the Life and Times Heartstrings Award-winning actress sits down with host Rikki Lee Travolta to explore her story as an ar...

"Steel Magnolias" is an American comedy-drama play about a group of women who congregate at the local hair salon in the south – Louisiana to be specific. It opened Off-Broadway in 1987 and had a star-studded film adaptation in 1989 featuring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hannah. Director Pat Henderson is now staging a dynamic produ...

Texas is known for its barbecue and prime meats. Celebrity chef Robbie Shoults of Bear Creek Smokehouse in East Texas is a key example of why. Robbie is the third-generation owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse. He has been featured on the TODAY show and Rachel Ray. He is a five-time guest judge on The Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay. His recipes have been featured on Yahoo.com, Taste of Home, The Food N...

Taking a well-known story and presenting it from an alternative point of view can result in great entertainment. For its current production, Idle Muse Theater is presenting the original play " What the Weird Sisters Saw ", an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”- as told from the perspective of the story’s witches. On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , artistic direc...

“Jersey Boys” – the stage musical dramatization of the story of the popular singing group The Four Seasons – took Broadway by storm in 2005. It went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical and ran for over a decade. It’s the story of four working-class youths from New Jersey who used talent and determination to make it in the world as singing sensations. With such hits as “Sherry”, “Big Girls Do...

On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , heralded director Elizabeth Swanson joins host Rikki Lee Travolta to discuss “A Streetcar Named Desire” running through April 21, 2024, as a part of Paramount Theatre’s BOLD Series in downtown Aurora, just outside Chicago. Swanson, who recently completed tenure as the artistic director of BoHo Theatre, co-directs the American classic with Paramount...

Alcoholism is a powerful subject. As the backdrop for movies like "A Star is Born", "Leaving Las Vegas", and "Barfly", it is apparent that alcoholism can make for vivid storytelling. Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization that has saved the lives of millions of addicts by helping them to get and stay sober. " Bill W and Dr. Bob " is a renowned play coming t...

Katy Sullivan is a Tony-nominated actress who took the Great White Way by storm with her performance in “Cost of Living”. In addition to her Tony nomination, she was also nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award, Drama League Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award. Now, the Paralympic athlete stars in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s legendary production of “Richard III.” It is a performance that has ea...

When it comes to dream jobs, it doesn’t get much better than rockstar. Ari Kamin , lead singer for Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses fame, gets to sing some of the greatest songs ever written by one of the greatest bands ever assembled alongside one of the greatest drummers in rock n’ roll history. Steven Adler has had a phenomenal solo career since parting ways with GNR. One of the keys to that succe...

On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , host Rikki Lee Travolta visits with Joshua Lisec – a professional ghostwriter responsible for the creation of over 80 books. This includes an impressive number of bestsellers. It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee has entertained listeners with its fair share of writers. However, Joshua Lisec probably has more international bestsellers to his credit than al...

Chicago is a theatre town. It is second only to New York’s Broadway in terms of notoriety. The show to see in Chicago at the moment is the rousing Porchlight Music Theatre revival of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes”. Directed by Michael Weber, the show stars the incomparable Meghan Murphy , who seems tailor-made for the part of the sexy cabaret singer at the heart of the story about mistaken identiti...

Avery Mason is in the midst of a blossoming television career. He is known throughout the world for his portrayal of Black Grimace on the hit Starz series “Power.” He’s also appeared on such shows as “The Good Wife”, “The Last OG”, “Gotham”, and “The Punisher.” That’s not too shabby for a standup comic who got into acting as a way to eat for free. At 6’4 and 260 lbs, Avery is a brick wall of a man...

Jake Seelye is an actor in the northwest suburbs of Chicago who does theatre for a very good reason - because he loves it. Jake had one line in a play with It's Showtime with Rikki Lee 's host Rikki Lee Travolta years ago. Jake now stars in lead roles in his community. Rikki Lee is open that he beams like a proud relative whenever he sees Jake on stage. In this episode of It's Showtime...

On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , artistic director Jennifer McHugh of Parker Players joins host Rikki Lee Travolta to discuss the history of the theatre company and their current campaign rehabbing a new 10,000-square-foot space at The Barrington – a new business and fine arts complex located in Barrington, IL. True theatre people have a “let’s put on a show no matter what” mental...

“Dinner and a Show” has long been the recipe for a happy date night. On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , Chef K.C. Gulbro shares what’s on the menu at FoxFire Steakhouse – an award-winning eatery in Geneva, IL that distinguishes itself as a top choice for date nights. Situated along the Fox River, Gulbro’s FoxFire Steakhouse is an ideal stop for those attending any one of the amazing...

Nick Di Brizzi Jr. is a very talented actor who you are likely to recognize from hit shows like CSI: NY , I Carly , and Fargo as well as in feature films and numerous commercials. Nick originally hails from Chicago, but has been in LA turning heads as an actor for years. He credits his Second City improv training to be the foundation for his success as an actor. Nick has a unique story, in additio...

There is a certain art to playing keyboards in a guitar band. It’s a skill that Blake Sakamoto mastered after informal lessons from Dio keyboardist Claude Schnell early in his career. Blake took that skill and became one of the best keyboardists in rock - most notably helping to give the Dan Reed Network their signature sound. In this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , congenial host Rikki...

When it comes to heavy metal and hard rock, one woman’s name stands out above all others. Lita Ford , the incredible guitarist and passionate singer, is in a class by herself. ]On a new episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , host Rikki Lee Travolta taps the legendary rockstar for the details of her impressive career with a particular emphasis on showmanship for killer live performances and what...

On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , host Rikki Lee Travolta is joined by Broadway and television star Andy Mientus . Andy is starring in “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” produced by The Jim Henson Company and iTheatrics at the historic Studebaker Theatre in the heart of Chicago. Andy has starred on Broadway in “Spring Awakening” and “Les Misérables” and the national tour of “Wicked...

It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee serves as a backstage pass to an array of fascinating avenues within the entertainment universe. One of the areas of focus is the world theatre. Chicago is known for its great theatre. There are phenomenal theatrical options both in the city and in the suburbs. One wonderful little gem of a theatre in Chicago’s western suburbs is Steel Beam Theatre in lovely St. Charle...

On a new episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , host Rikki Lee Travolta welcomes theatrical director Jessica Fisch to discuss Marriott Theatre ’s smash hit production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”. “Beautiful” marks the Marriott Theatre debut for Fisch, who has wowed audiences with her work at Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Royal George, Northwestern Univers...

In 2022, noted director Regina Belt-Daniels won the Life and Times Heartstrings Award for her brilliant direction of I Hate Hamlet at Elgin Theatre Company in the far suburbs of Chicago. That production starred Rikki Lee Travolta . Returning to Elgin to direct the company’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play , Gina joins It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee to discuss her new productio...

On a classic episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee , host Rikki Lee Travolta gets nostalgic about one of his childhood heroes – the great actor, singer, and dancer Jesse Borrego . Jesse burst to fame as the fiery Jesse Velasquez on the hit television series FAME in the 1980s. A young Rikki Lee Travolta was fascinated by how Jesse combined classic dance skills with inherent masculinity and sexual...

Singer/songwriter Susannah B has music in her blood. She is the daughter of the late Broadway composer and lyricist Carol Hall, whose credits include the 1978 classic The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and its 1994 Broadway sequel The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public . As a Broadway Baby, Susannah B grew up immersed in the arts. She excelled in many areas, but music is the one focus that truly...