Bedlam Theatre has always embraced live music among their multimedia offerings, so many local music fans were concerned to learn of the "urgent" financial situation the organization says it faces just over a year after opening its Lowertown location. Now, well-known restaurateur Kim Bartmann says she's stepping up her advisory role with Bedlam, and promises big things—musical and otherwise—in Bedlam's future.

Bartmann—the force behind venues including the Bryant-Lake Bowl (BLB), Barbette, and the Red Stag Supperclub—tells City Pages that she's now working more closely with Bedlam, which she's been "quietly" advising for some time. "She'll be throwing her support and expertise behind their concert program," writes City Pages' Mecca Bos. "'They've got an awesome sound system,' [Bartmann] says, and she'll help book some big music shows in October." Bos also reports that Bedlam and the BLB will tighten their relationship as theaters, and that Bartmann will be helping to improve Bedlam's culinary options.

The partnership is promising because Bartmann has demonstrated the ability to succeed with the combination of live music, quality comestibles, and—at the BLB—theater that Bedlam is striving to achieve. Bartmann's venues' annual block parties are among the most successful such events every summer. Will she be able to work the same magic at Bedlam Lowertown? Keep your eyes—and your ears, and your mouth—open.