The Museum of Broadcast Communications in collaboration with Universal Brand Development, Saturday Night Live, Broadway Video Enterprises and Premier Exhibitions Inc. announced today that it will bring Chicagoans behind the scenes of America’s most iconic, comedic television show with Saturday Night Live: The Experience. Opening Oct. 21, 2017, this 12,000 square foot experience is designed to chronicle the history of NBC’s iconic franchise while taking visitors through its notoriously hectic weekly schedule. Ten immersive galleries bring visitors into the office of executive producer Lorne Michaels, the writers room, control room and more, highlighted
by more than 500 authentic artifacts, including iconic costumes, original sets, props and scripts. The experience concludes with a full-scale replica recreation of SNL’s longtime home in New York,
Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.
“We are thrilled to have the Museum of Broadcast Communications chosen as the next home of Saturday Night Live: The Experience,” said Larry Wert, Chairman of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. “It is a perfect fit for Chicago since countless actors and writers cut their comedic chops here before being discovered by SNL, and we are going to have a lot of fun with this. Saturday Night Live has never been hotter and we are excited to add this to the historic significance of the museum.”
Following the debut success in New York City, Chicago will mark the second stop of the national tour of Saturday Night Live: The Experience. Ahead of its Oct. 21 opening, here’s a sample of what visitors to Museum of Broadcast Communications will see…
● Begin your immersive journey through SNL history in creator and executive producer Lorne
Michaels’ office. As you proceed through a priceless and unique collection of sets, props, video,
photographs and multimedia presentations, you quickly realize that you’re seeing the history of the
show unfold in parallel with the creative process for writing and performing an episode of the
show.
● The experience will highlight Chicago’s connection to Saturday Night Live with sets and costumes
such as: the Wayne’s World set, Bill Murray’s lounge singer jacket, Matt Foley’s suit, the Killer
Bees’ costume and Gilda Radner’s shoes.
● Coneheads? Check. Land shark? Check. King Tut costume? Goat Boy prosthetics? Church Lady
costume? Mister Robinson’s cardigan sweater? Check, check, check and check.
● There are unique show props such as Dan Aykroyd’s Bass-o-Matic blender, Tina Fey’s Brownie
Husband, and Justin Timberlake’s Dick in a Box.
● There are full-scale sets that include the Celebrity Jeopardy game set, the Church Lady set,
Weekend
Update desk and the show’s iconic main stage.
The recently completed 42nd season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live was the show’s most watched in 23 years, with the average of 11.1 million viewers for original episodes. A late-night franchise like no other, Saturday Night Live has received a total of 240 Emmy Award nominations – the most of any other show in the history of television.
The highly anticipated 43rd season begins Sept. 30 with guest host Ryan Gosling and musical guest
Jay-Z.
Saturday Night Live: The Experience is produced by Premier Exhibitions Inc., the foremost presenter of quality exhibitions throughout the world, including Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Tutankhamun: and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, BODIES…The Exhibition, Extreme Dinosaurs and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Museum of Broadcast Communications to connect visitors with
the backstory of the show and offer them the opportunity to relive the most laughable moments and
sketches,” said Mark Lach, Creative Director of Premier Exhibitions. “Saturday Night Live: The
Experience goes even further to give people a sense of what it’s like to be part of the creative
team, and the frenetic schedule and pace involved with each weekly episode. It can look so
effortless on TV, but this exhibition illustrates that a lot of hard work and preparation
undoubtedly goes into each and every laugh.”
Throughout the exhibition run, ticketed special events such as “Conversations in Comedy” will bring
in actors,
writers, set and costume designers to speak about their experiences on Saturday Night Live.
Conagra Brands is the presenting sponsor of Saturday Night Live: The Experience. “We’re proud to
support the
Museum of Broadcast Communications in bringing Saturday Night Live: The Experience to the people of
Chicago,” said Robert Rizzo, senior director, community investment, Conagra Brands. “Our
partnership with the Museum will provide visitors an innovative look at one of the most iconic
entertainment platforms of all- time. SNL has deep roots in our hometown city, and we look forward
to saying, ‘Live from Chicago, it’s Saturday Night Live: The Experience!’”
Hilton Chicago, Palmer House – a Hilton Hotel and The Drake – a Hilton Hotel are the official hotel
partners of Saturday Night Live: The Experience and are planning exclusive, interactive SNL-themed
packages, offerings and installations for guests.
Additional partners include Chicago-based companies: Blue Plate Catering, Cinespace, Custom
Companies and Fresh Wave.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located at 360 N. State Street at the corner of State and
Kinzie.
Tickets: (On sale Friday, September 8, 2017)
Adults – $25 Seniors – $20
Teen/Student (with College ID) – $20 Children under 12 are free.
Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday – 10AM to 5PM Wednesday – 10AM to 8PM
Sunday – 12PM to 5PM Monday – Closed
Please visit www.snltheexperience.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Crunnchyroll presents ‘BOFURI: I don’t want to get hurt so I’ll max out my defense’: You’re not twinking!
‘Knock at the Cabin’: Puttin on your boogie shoes!
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
An Askewed View Episode 7 Jay And Silent Bob Reboot
