'Buyer & Cellar': Whimsical Streisand satire headed to Chicago

Until recently, actor Michael Urie has been best known for his portrayal of Marc St. James (the ever-scheming personal assistant of Wilhelmina, the creative editor at a fashion magazine), on the ABC dramedy, “Ugly Betty.” But at the moment he is enjoying an Off Broadway run in “Buyer & Cellar,” Jonathan Tolins’ hit comedy about a young actor who goes to work for Barbra Streisand. And next year he will be touring the show (which was recipient of the 2013 Drama Desk, Clarence Derwent, and Off-Broadway Alliance awards), stopping at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut, for a limited engagement beginning April 29.

“Buyer & Cellar,” directed by Stephen Brackett, homes in on Alex More, a struggling actor in L.A., who takes a job working in the basement “mall’ of a barn that is part of Streisand’s Malibu estate. One day, “The Lady Herself” comes downstairs to play. But while it feels like real bonding in the basement, the question remains: Will their relationship ever make it upstairs? And so goes this satirical tale of “fame, the cost of things, and the oddest of odd jobs.”

“Buyer & Cellar” is a special offer to the Broadway In Chicago 2014 Spring Season subscribers. Group tickets for 10 or more are now on sale by calling (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.BuyerandCellar.com.