showbizchicago

[showbizchicago]

Broadway In Chicago Announces Tickets For SIX On Sale Monday, Dec. 6

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that tickets for the electrifying new musical phenomenon SIX by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss will go on sale Monday, December 6. SIX will return to Chicago for 14-weeks at Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.) from March 29 through July 3, 2022. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. After taking Broadway by storm, SIX makes a triumphant return to Chicago this spring. From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st-century girl power! The female cast is backed by an all-female band, “The Ladies in Waiting.” SIX is the global sensation that everyone is losing their heads over. The New York Times says SIX “TOTALLY RULES!!” and The Washington Post hails SIX as “Exactly the kind of energizing, inspirational illumination this town aches for! The Broadway season got supercharged!” SIX, which closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic on what was supposed to be opening night, is now playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in New York City. The show had a successful North American Premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the summer of 2019. Prior to Broadway, the show played limited engagements at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, MA, the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, AB Canada, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, MN. SIX is co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, featuring choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. The design team includes Emma Bailey (Set Design), Gabriella Slade (Costume Design), Paul Gatehouse (Sound Design), and Tim Deiling (Lighting Design). The score features orchestrations by Tom Curran with music supervision and vocal arrangements by Joe Beighton and U.S. Music Supervision by Roberta Duchak. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting / Peter Van Dam, CSA with original US casting by Bob Mason. Theater Matters is General Manager, Sam Levy is Associate Producer and Lucas McMahon is U.S. Executive Producer. SIX is produced in the United States by Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles, and Kevin McCollum. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss devised the original concept and started writing SIX when they were students at Cambridge University in early 2017. It was first presented as the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society’s submission to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe later that year, playing a one-month run and featuring student actors. SIX went on to get picked up by UK Producers and a new production was mounted, with professional actors and a predominantly new creative team, at the Norwich Playhouse and then again at Edinburgh Festival in 2018. A limited engagement at the Arts Theatre in London garnered the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production and the show toured the UK in the autumn of 2018 before returning to the Arts Theatre and subsequently the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. SIX is currently playing an open-ended run at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand. SIX earned five 2019 Laurence Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Musical. A UK and Ireland tour is now running concurrently with the London production. An Australian and New Zealand tour will launch this year at Sydney Opera House with dates set for Melbourne, Adelaide, and Wellington. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE Please visit Broadway In Chicago to view the SIX performance schedule. TICKET INFORMATION Individual tickets for SIX will go on sale Monday, December 6, and range in price from $39 - $119 with a select number of premium tickets available. Individual tickets will be available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at (800) 775- 2000, visiting BroadwayInChicago.com, or by going to any Broadway In Chicago venue box office. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at [phone] or emailing [email protected]. ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 21 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country.  A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre. COVID-19 Protocol:  Broadway In Chicago audience members are required to wear a mask, a provide vaccination card, and photo I.D. and valid ticket upon entry to the theatre.  For exemptions or if you are unable to be vaccinated (including children) must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test along with a photo ID and valid ticket. For further information and specifics related to vaccines and tests visit broadwayinchicago.com/covid19 All Broadway In Chicago schedules, productions, and protocols for attendance will continue to be reviewed as further guidance and recommendations are provided by the CDC, Illinois State, and Chicago Departments of Health. For the latest health and safety procedures and guidelines, visit broadwayinchicago.com/covid19. For more information about the show, visit SixonBroadway.com Follow SIX on: Facebook ● Twitter  ● Instagram  ●@SIXUSTour   Read the full article

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Stephen Sondheim Dies At The Age of 91

The Associated Press is reporting that musical theatre master composer Stephen Sondheim died today at his home in Connecticut.  He was 91. Stephen Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his intelligent, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies and his willingness to tackle unusual subjects, has died. He was 91. Sondheim's death was announced by Rick Miramontez, president of DKC/O&M. Sondheim's Texas-based attorney, Rick Pappas, told The New York Times the composer died Friday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. Click here for full article Read the full article

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Interview with Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright TONY KUSHNER

Known for his groundbreaking works including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America and the Olivier-awarded Caroline, Or Change, Tony Kushner has become one of the most prolific playwrights of our generation.  I sat down with Mr. Kushner who was in Chicago to receive the Chicago Tribune Literary Prize as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. MJR:Let’s talk about The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, a new work that you developed at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis this past year.  How did the concept come to fruition for you? TK: The way all ideas come about. I had been thinking for a very long time about writing it a play that dealt specifically with LGBT issues and I had also been thinking of dealing with Marxism onstage in the Perestroika era. I’ve always wanted to do something about American Marxism or American Communism specifically so all of that came together when Joe Dowling asked me to do a new play for the celebration that the Guthrie did of my work. They performed Caroline, Or Change and 5 short plays last spring. MJR: Speaking of Caroline, Or Change, the Chicago production mounted by Court Theatre won four Joseph Jefferson Awards including Best Musical was an unequivocal success.  Tell us about your partnership with Jeanine Tesori during the development of Caroline. TK: Jeanine is an amazingly talented composer. In my opinion the best composer writing for the theatre living. I am enormously happy and consider myself very fortunate that we hooked up. I never enjoyed working with anyone as much as I enjoyed working with Jeanine. We’re currently working on a new piece together. MJR: Story-wise, Caroline, or Change explored your upbringing in Louisiana. What was the process of transferring a semi-autobiographical narrative to the musical stage? TK: Well of course Caroline is a fictional character. The character is loosely based on the woman who worked as a maid for my family when I was a kid. It was actually dedicated to her.  She just turned 80. There are episodes and certain details in the play that are absolutely from my childhood. I grew up in Louisiana. But the piece is not autobiographic in any kind of reliable sense. The character of Caroline is some degree based on but many of the details of her life are different.

Jeff Award Winner E. Faye Butler in CAROLINE OR CHANGE MJR: As a playwright, what was the most challenging component of musicalizing text to propel a narrative? TK: I wrote the whole thing before I started working with Jeanine so in a way it was like writing a play. It was in a loosely rhymed and metered verse. To some degree it’s like learning a new language because there’s a lot about musical theatre that requires very specific skills that I do not have. I have very little experience working with the form. So I was guided to a great extent by Jeanine and by George Wolfe . But there was a lot that I had to learn about how to construct a moment with music. Caroline is essentially an opera, it’s through-composed. We were both learning a lot while we were doing it. I’m working with Jeanine now on a new piece and I’ve already begun things I didn’t know. In some ways Caroline was easier than most of the plays that I’ve done because it was so much more collaborative. Once I had written a libretto in the first draft I began to work with Jeanine very closely; I wrote the words, she wrote the music with much overlap. We went through every word and every note very thoroughly. I had to learn a very different tempo in terms of how to do re-writes because if you’re doing a musical and you exchange a line, that changes any of the music. And in previews you’re dealing with giant and very cumbersome machinery, and orchestrations. The singers have to learn the music which is a very different process than just learning a new line so it was complicated. MJR: The musical spurred quite a reaction here at Chicago’s Court Theatre. Have audiences received the show differently in varying parts of the country? TK: I actually haven’t seen it in the South yet. It’s been done in a few places including Lake Charles. Everywhere that it’s been done it’s been very successful, people have responded with great enthusiasm. It was a big hit in London, it won the Olivier award. It’s done very well everywhere. Certainly there are times when it’s felt very different. Jeanine and I came out to see it in Chicago right before the election, right down the street from the Obama house. That was certainly a different kind of feeling, kind of an electric and exciting feeling to be let into the Court in the anticipation of the election. Last spring when it was at the Guthrie it was interesting to see the play post-Obama. Obviously the line when Noah says Caroline is the President of the United States meant one thing 45 years ago. Now when there actually is an African American president in the United States it has a slightly different quality. That’s true for most plays today; the surrounding context changes in locale and time, and they become different.

MJR: HBO has been showing Angels in America for the past month. That dramatic sequence was groundbreaking for several communities. How do you think LGBT issues have shaped theatre in the past two decades, and how has theatre informed the community? TK: Well I don’t think my play . I think that one could say that with Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart.   It coincided with relating to the AIDS epidemic for our community. Angels in America came around later. I have no idea what Angels did or didn’t accomplish beyond the fact that it’s a good play. And that’s the most I ever hoped for. The question of the relationship between LGBT politics and theatre is an interesting one. Obviously an enormous number of people who work in theatre are from the sexual minority area and community. I think there’s a reason for that. It’s where we’ve been contributing to theatre in percentages disproportionate to our percentage in the normal population. And I think that on one hand it’s the case that communities of the oppressed very often find a home in the theatre because people who are oppressed learn the difference between what something seems to be and what it actually is; irony, which is an important ingredient in the theatre, the shaking of reality- these are all things that are part of the everyday life of everyone who has a lived experience of oppression. So I think it makes sense that we would be found in greater numbers in the theatre. Theatre is always very quick to respond to moments of social crisis because it doesn’t take any money or particular organization of capital  to make a play. You just find a good writer, actors, director, and a theatre willing to do it and you can put together a play about any subject fairly quickly, certainly much more quickly than you can with most instances of film or television. Theatre is always a good quick response. It is also the place that we go to in order to grapple with social issues of real moment. If you allow Angels to be anything other than a good play, it allowed for a moment in the early 90s at the end of the first chapter to provide a public place for mourning the people who had died in the phase of the epidemic. It was also way of celebrating the end of the Reagan era; there was a great deal of release when Clinton beat the first Bush. We thought, however incorrectly, that we had closed the door on the nightmare of Reaganism which was a pernicious ideology that appeared at the same time as the AIDS virus. So I think that the play was about those things, connected to those things, and provided a public opportunity. MJR: You just finished wrapping up a new screenplay on both the life and work of Abraham Lincoln for Steven Spielberg. What provokes your interest in this particular era of our nation’s history? TK: I worked on for the last three years. We’re working on moving it into the next phase. It’s the time period where every tension and every unresolved conflict in American history prior to the Civil War came to a boil, and eventual explosion. Everything that this country is struggling to become emerges from the crucible of the Civil War. I think Abraham Lincoln, in my opinion, is inarguably our greatest president and one of the greatest people that ever lived- just a completely remarkable figure. I am tremendously interested in him and in his era. MJR: Your stage works are inherently both dialogic and dialectic in form. What keeps your interest in film as a narrative medium, especially since it is often one that focuses on the monologic story? TK: I think film is an extraordinary medium. Many great works of art in the 20th century were created by filmmakers. I feel that’s it’s more narrative driven than theatre, it’s certainly more all-encompassing kind of illusion. I think it doesn’t play as much as theatre does with questions of illusion and reality. To a certain extent I feel as though film is a degree more isolating, it’s perhaps less of a communal experience, though certainly the thing that all the audience’s attention is focused on does not respond to what the audience is telling it. It’s the same from one showing to the next. Obviously there are some stories that cannot be told onstage that can be told on film, there’s just a mathematical question of how many individuals can be reached by a film or television show as opposed to theatre. For me there’s a certain pleasure in surrendering the absolute authority; a playwright in the theatre has, if nothing else, the authority that comes from property ownership. I own the play, I rent the play to the producers, directors, and actors to perform, but it’s mine. When people get together to do a play one of the only common grounds they have to stand is the script. In film, it’s much more the director. The playwright doesn’t own his or her own words. It’s interesting to me and in some ways enjoyable to hand that authority over to somebody else and to be one person among a number who is working to create this final product, but not the person who finally has the decisive say in what it’s going to be. I’ve gotten to work with a few artists I admire enormously Steven Spielberg, Mike Nichols…that’s been thrilling. I got to watch both of them make a movie and I’ve learned a lot from doing that. MJR: You’ve noted before your concern of reducing characters, specifically individuals like Lincoln, into dramatic figures. Do you employ a different approach in humanizing characters for the stage as opposed to a screen medium? TK: Hamlet is a dramatic character, but there’s no reduction in Hamlet. I could think of a dozen film characters as rich as any human being could be. Lincoln is a genius on the level of Mozart or Shakespeare and it’s very difficult and possibly impossible for someone who isn’t a genius to come to any kind of understanding of how Lincoln did what he did. I think that it’s probably impossible for us to know those things. To try and create a dramatic device that is going to deliver the secret of Lincoln’s inner genius or the secret of how Mozart wrote the Requiem or how Shakespeare wrote Hamlet is kind of nonsense. You can’t do that. These are leaps of the human imagination that are so vast and so extraordinary, and rare, that they’re really in a certain sense immeasurable and incomprehensible. What we have is the consequence which is somewhat immeasurable and incomprehensible. There is no one who will ever say everything there is to say about Hamlet, it’s infinite as much as any human creation can be called infinite. I don’t feel that there is any necessary for dumbing down or reducing my ambition as a playwright because I am writing a screenplay. I feel that I can write characters that are just as rich onscreen as they are onstage. There are certain requirements that the forms have that are very different; language is different, the way you construct a character for a script that hopefully many different people will use or perform is different than when you’re writing a script for a director for one movie. So you have a sense that what you are doing is much more for a specific moment.

Tony Kushner, Jeanine Tesori at Court Theatre's CAROLINE OR CHANGE. MJR: Tell us about your process of developing a new work for stage production. TK: I don’t feel that I ever get inspired to do anything. Various impulses come at me during the course of a day just as they came at anybody. I read stories or I remember things that I’ve seen that seem of interest to me because I’m a playwright, that’s my job. I take note of those things and I write them down. If something that I’ve seen or been intrigued by sticks around, I’ll start to wonder if there is something in it that might become a play. If I feel clearer and clearer about why it’s interesting to me- whether it be a person, image, or event in history- I’ll start to keep a separate notebook about it and start to think of what could come as the basis of a play. You mull over five or six things at a time and for one reason or another one of them will the surface. MJR: Do you often find yourself become reclusive during this process? TK: I certainly try to . You should. It’s a good idea to do that. It’s always a mistake to not make that kind of time, but it’s one of the hard things about being a playwright. Part of our time is spent in rooms with a lot of people. Isolation is hard for everybody but for some people it’s easier. If you can’t handle isolation you certainly should not be a novelist or a poet. Playwrights I think in general have a tricky balancing act to do between providing material for the excitement and electricity and sexual heat of a rehearsal room-also the fun and terror of being in the theatre with an audience- and being alone in a room. When I’m really deep in the first draft of a play or screenplay I become slightly antisocial. It’s very hard to talk to people, to be out in the world. I think that everybody who writes experiences this to some extent. You have to kind of smooth your skin away and become available to becoming other people, so you lower boundaries and you remove skin and you make yourself slightly less well-organized than you are in everyday life. It’s hard to go out in public that way. I think it’s easier if you can get the play done in the first draft and then resume your public life; otherwise I think you feel sort of unpresentable and you probably are .  Read the full article

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Broadway in Chicago Announces WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME Tix On Sale Jan 3

Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce that tickets for Heidi Schreck’s Tony Award nominated play and Pulitzer Prize finalist What the Constitution Means to Me will go on sale January 3, 2020. What the Constitution Means to Me will play Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) for a limited 6-week engagement March 4 through April 12, 2020. Tony Award nominee Maria Dizzia will star in the Chicago engagement on the National Tour of What the Constitution Means to Me, directed by Oliver Butler. Dizzia (In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play), “Orange is the New Black”) will be joined for these engagements by original Broadway cast members Mike Iveson and Rosdely Ciprian, who will reprise their roles in the Chicago engagement, and high school freshman Jocelyn Shek, who will rotate with Ciprian in the role of the debater. Playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will affect the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Schreck’s timely and galvanizing play, directed by Oliver Butler, became a sensation off-Broadway last fall before transferring to Broadway where it received two Tony Award® nominations among countless other accolades. See the play The New York Times hails as "not just the best play on Broadway, but also the most important." Initially announced for a 12-week engagement on Broadway, What the Constitution Means to Me was extended twice and fully recouped in its Broadway engagement, shattering box office records at the Helen Hayes Theater (240 W 44th Street, New York, NY), for a total run of 24 weeks. What the Constitution Means to Me officially opened March 31, 2019 after beginning preview performances March 14, and played its final Broadway performance on August 24, 2019. What the Constitution Means to Me recently concluded a record-breaking limited engagement run at the Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where it played 15 performances immediately following the conclusion of the Broadway run, from September 11 through September 22, 2019. What the Constitution Means to Me features scenic design by Rachel Hauck (Hadestown), costume design by Michael Krass (Hadestown), lighting design by Jen Schriever (Eclipsed), and sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar (Hamlet). What the Constitution Means to Me was commissioned by True Love Productions. This production originated as part of Summerworks 2017, produced by Clubbed Thumb in partnership with True Love Productions. The national tour of What the Constitution Means to Me is produced by Diana DiMenna, Aaron Glick, Matt Ross, and Level Forward & Eva Price. For more information, please visit constitutionbroadway.com Follow @ConstitutionBWY on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. TICKET INFORMATION Individual tickets for What The Constitution Means To Me will go on sale on January 3, 2020 and range in price from $30 - $85 with a select number of premium tickets available. Individual tickets will be available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at [phone] or by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at [phone] or emailing [email protected]. ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 19 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre. For more information, visit BroadwayInChicago.com. Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago Read the full article

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Milwaukee Rep Announces Cast For HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

Milwaukee Repertory Theater is pleased to announce complete cast and creative team for the much anticipated production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the Stiemke Studio January 28 – March 8, 2020.  Best known for his unique red carpet coverage of Broadway openings for Broadway.com, Matt Rodin will perform the title character Hedwig with Rep favorite Bethany Thomas (Songs for Nobodies, Milwaukee Rep) as Yitzhak. Hedwig and the Angry Inch with text by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask is a trailblazing rock-musical and winner of four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. This musical sensation played to record-breaking sell-out crowds on Broadway telling the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. As Hedwig’s life changes and with nothing left, she returns to her first love — music. Hedwig and the Angry Inch is directed by Milwaukee Rep Artistic Director Mark Clements (West Side Story, Milwaukee Rep), with music direction by Associate Artist Dan Kazemi (West Side Story, Milwaukee Rep), scenic Design by Scott Davis (Things I Know To Be True, Milwaukee Rep), costume design by Mieka van der Ploeg (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Milwaukee Rep), lighting design by Jason Fassl (Guys and Dolls, Milwaukee Rep), sound design by Barry G. Funderburg (A Christmas Carol, Milwaukee Rep), projection design by Mike Tutai (Holmes & Watson, Milwaukee Rep), casting by Frank Honts, New York casting by Michael Cassara and stage managed by David Hartig. Hedwig and the Angry Inch band includes Associate Artist Dan Kazemi conducting and on keys, Maxwell Emmet on Guitar, Tommy Hahn on Bass, and Patrick Morrow on drums.  The 2019/20 EPRs Isabella Abel-Suarez, Lauryn Glenn, Brooke Johnson ,Joshua Ponce, Gilberto Saenz, Nadja Simmonds, Austin Winter will round out the production as Roadies. Hedwig and the Angry Inch runs January 28 – March 8, 2020 in the Stiemke Studio. Opening night is set for Friday, January 31 at 8pm. Purchase tickets at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by calling the Ticket Office at 414-224-9490 or in person at 108 E. Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee.  Hedwig and the Angry Inch is presented by Mara and Craig Swan.  The Stiemke Studio Season is presented by Ed Seaberg and Patrick Smith and The Rep is sponsored in part by the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). For more information, please visit our website www.MilwaukeeRep.com About Milwaukee Repertory Theater Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin in terms of audiences served and one of the largest professional theaters in the country. Each year, Milwaukee Rep welcomes up to 275,000 people at nearly 700 performances of 15 productions ranging from compelling dramas, powerful classics, new plays and full-scale musicals in its three unique performance venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret.  For over 65 years, The Rep has gained a national reputation as an incubator of new work, an agent of community change and a forward-thinking provider of vital arts education programs. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity. Read the full article

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Milwaukee Rep's Spectacular A CHRISTMAS CAROL Retains Dickens' Message of Morality

By: Matthew Perta Thrilling, grand-scale entertainment.  A sweeping, heartwarming tale told with dazzling special effects, festive music and dance, and a superb cast.  Milwaukee unwrapped its first gift of the holiday season one starry night at the historic Pabst Theater.  The gift was the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of the Charles Dickens’ yuletide classic, A Christmas Carol. This year marks the Rep’s 44th production of A Christmas Carol, making it the second-longest running professional stage show in the country.  If you think these numbers point to a show that’s long overdue for the attic, think again.  Rep Artistic Director Mark Clements wrote this adaptation in 2016/17, and every year manages to make it more fresh and exciting than the previous year through the use of amazing sets and eye-popping visual effects, not to mention thunderous sound effects that make you jump out of your seat, colorful costumes, and by demanding the best from his cast. This year’s A Christmas Carol is a spectacle to behold, a feast for the eyes, ears, heart and spirit.  But, despite the elements at his disposal in making a theatrical production memorable, as he does this year brilliantly, Clements wants us to remember the central themes of A Christmas Carol, which he singles out in his playbill message.  He calls Dickens’ work “a moral and social tale” about “putting the love of family and friends over material gain and striving for goodness and generosity every day of the year.”  He adds that Scrooge’s “perilous journey” and brushes with morality are intended to remind us of how we should live our lives day after day, so A Christmas Carol is really a “perennial tale of relevance.”    Jonathan Wainwright, now in his fourth year as Ebenezer Scrooge, has assumed ownership of this role like no other Milwaukee Rep Scrooge before him.  His masterful portrayal of the once miserly man who changes his ways after seeing his life as presented to him by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, is so moving, so rich with a palette of emotional shadings that you can’t help but feel happiness right alongside him as he awakens to new-found redemption on Christmas morning. Tami Workentin, an actress with nearly 40 years of stage experience, shines as brightly in the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past as the shimmering silver gown she wears, and the spectacular light show swirling around her, as she guides Scrooge on a magical journey back in time.  Her acting is a joy to witness.  Also giving expert performances are Mark Corkins as the Ghost of Marley; Todd Denning as the Ghost of Christmas Present; and Milwaukee favorite Angela Iannone as Mrs. Fezziwig.  And seven-year-old Cecelia Golbuff is memorable in her stage debut as Tiny Tim. A Christmas Carol also features what Clements says is the largest young performer ensemble ever.  The true delight of this show may be in watching these budding artists have a hand in creating live theater. The Rep is dedicating this production of A Christmas Carol to Lara Leigh Dalbey, a longtime wig master and makeup supervisor for the company who died recently.  Her dedication to helping actors successfully transform into their characters for more than 20 years is inspiring. A Christmas Carol runs through Dec. 24 in the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. in downtown Milwaukee.  For tickets visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com or call [phone].  Read the full article

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Cirque Du Soleil's 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE... Delivers Multi-Sensory Holiday Magic

Over one hundred years before Superman was spotted flying over a New York City sky another airborne gentleman donned in red took the world by storm and has remained a cultural phenomenon ever since.  For it was in 1823 that Clement Clark Moore penned the poem “A Visit From Saint Nicholas” after heading home to his family via sleigh on Christmas Eve. Moore’s poem, otherwise known by its more popular title, “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas”, has since served as the basis of hundreds of various adaptations in every form of entertainment.    However, it is in the World Premiere of Cirque du Soleil's gloriously immersive ‘Twas The Night Before... which opened for a limited run at the Chicago Theatre, that the true magic of Moore’s stanzas are realized. In ‘Twas The Night Before..., Cirque once again creates a world within a world for the spectacle to unfold as we follow the story’s heroine Isabella (Michelle Clark) and her father (Alexis Vigneault) as the magical spirit of Christmas methodically fills a young soul in need of believing.   Through high spirited, hip-hopping reindeer (Jenna Beltrane, Kalila Hermant, Samuel Moore, Paul Ross, Diana Schoenfield and Bianca Vallor); precision roller-ice skating  (Rosie Axon and Adam Jukes), stunning aerial acts which include Nicole Faubert and Guillaume Paquin on straps, Tuedon Ariri’s beautiful airborne solo on silk and of course signature Cirque acrobatics (Quentin Greco, Jacob Gregoire, Chauncey Kroner, Timothé Vincent, Jinge Wange and Evan Tomlinson Weintraub), Isabella discovers that one must look beyond all the modern day “noise” we are bombarded with on a daily basis to discover that the quiet constant of a parent’s love is where the true spirit of Christmas can be found.   With the holiday season giving us the usual vanilla traditional theatrical entertainments, Cirque du Soleil's ‘Twas The Night Before... stands apart as a visual and auditory spiritual awakening that is both relevant and needed in today’s multi-media culture.  The World Premiere of 'Twas the Night Before… runs through December 8, 2019 at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State Street.  For more information and tickets to ‘Twas the Night Before… visit chicagotheatre.com/cirque or call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or the Ticketmaster Box Office at The Chicago Theatre. Read the full article

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Interview with Stage & Screen Icon CONRAD JOHN SCHUCK

CONRAD JOHN SCHUCK discusses his extraordinary career in film, stage and television including M*A*S*H, McMillan & Wife, Star Trek, Roots and of course....Annie. Mr. Schuck returns to Chicago as General Waverly in IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS. The classic holiday production will play Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) for a limited one-week engagement from December 10 – 15, 2019. Mr. Schuck’s credits include: Broadway: Annie With Sarah Jessica Parker, Annie Get Your Gun With Reba, Nice Work If You Can Get It With Matthew Broderick.  London: The Caine Mutiny With Charleton Heston.  Film: M*A*S*H (Painless), Star Trek IV And VI (Klingon Ambassador), Outrageous Fortune With Bette Midler, Woody Allen’s Curse Of The Jade Scorpion. Tv: Sgt. Enright In McMillan & Wife with Rock Hudson And recent guest roles in Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS, the stage adaptation of the beloved classic film, will bring holiday cheer to Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) for a limited one-week engagement from December 10 – 15, 2019. IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS tells the story of a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn who fall for a stunning sister act in the process.  Full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written, including “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” “Happy Holiday,” “Sisters,” “Blue Skies,” and the unforgettable title song, IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS promises to be a merry and bright experience for the entire family! The New York Times exclaims “this cozy trip down memory lane should be put on your wish list.”  And, the New York Daily News hailed IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS as “a holiday card come to life.”  IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS features music and lyrics by Irving Berlin with book by David Ives and Paul Blake and is based upon the Paramount Pictures film written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS is produced by Work Light Productions. The creative team includes direction and choreography by Randy Skinner, scenic design by Anna Louizos, scenic adaptation by Kenneth Foy, lighting design by Ken Billington, and sound design by Keith Caggiano, orchestrations by Larry Blank with vocal and dance arrangements by Bruce Pomahac, music direction by Michael Horsley, and associate choreography by Kristyn Pope. For more information on IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS, please visit www.whitechristmathemusical.com. Follow IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. TICKET INFORMATION Individual tickets for IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS range in price from $14.50-$85 with a select number of premium tickets available.  Individual tickets will be available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at [phone] or by visiting BroadwayInChicago.com.  Tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at [phone] or emailing [email protected].  ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 19 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country.  A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres.  Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre. Broadway In Chicago proudly celebrates 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre. For more information, visit BroadwayInChicago.com. Read the full article

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Interview with POTTED POTTER star JAMES PERCY

Actor/Comedian JAMES PERCY on playing the iconic Harry Potter for over five years and the continued international success of Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Potter Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff. The show returns this holiday season for a four-week engagement at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) Dec. 11, 2019 – Jan. 5, 2020. ABOUT JAMES PERCY James was born and raised in Doncaster, England. Following a law degree at the University of Liverpool, he attended Birmingham School of Acting. Since then, James has starred in various productions in the UK and USA, as well as working internationally as a stand-up comedian. In 2010 James became the youngest actor to ever play the role of 'Wilbur Turnblad' in Hairspray, a role he reprised in 2011. James has also starred in a variety of productions including title roles in Julius Caesar and Romeo & Juliet, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest (Derby), Sleeping Beauty (Tivoli Wimborne), Edward VIII (National Trust), Dick Whittington (UK Tour), St. Trinian's The Musical (Pacific Playhouse), The Memory of Water (Birmingham) and Iago in Othello (Birmingham). James also appeared in the comedy improv show, Throw Me A Line and was recently the resident comedian on the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. @james_percy PERFORMANCE INFORMATION Broadway In Chicago, Starvox Entertainment and Potted Productions are delighted to announce the return this holiday season of the hit off-Broadway show, Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Potter Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff, for a four-week engagement at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) Dec. 11, 2019 through Jan. 5, 2020.  A Critic's Pick by the Daily Herald, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out London, Washington Post and Boston Globe, the show won the prestigious 2012 Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment & Family Show, playing to sold-out houses worldwide. The current Las Vegas engagement of the show is the recent recipient of several Best of Las Vegas awards, including the 2019 Gold Winner for the Best New Production in Las Vegas. Created by former BBC Television hosts Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, the play takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing, or “potting,” all seven Harry Potter books into 70 madcap minutes, aided only by multiple costume changes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic. The show also invites audiences to engage with a real life game of Quidditch, but according to Clarkson and Turner’s unique set of rules. Whether you camped outside a bookstore for three days awaiting the release of the Deathly Hallows or you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, the comedy, magic and mayhem of Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff makes for an entertaining and hilarious visit to the theatre. The fast-paced show, which has made audiences aged six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed) roar with laughter all over the world, is perfect for the entire family. TICKET INFORMATION Individual tickets for Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff range in price from $39.95 - $79.95 with a select number of premium tickets available. Individual ticket will be available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at [phone] or by visiting BroadwayInChicago.com. Tickets also are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at [phone] or emailing [email protected]. ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 19 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre. Broadway In Chicago proudly celebrates 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre. Read the full article

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[showbizchicago]

Cast Announced For THE BOYS IN THE BAND at Windy City Playhouse

Windy City Playhouse (3014 W. Irving Park Rd.) is thrilled to present Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking play, “The Boys in the Band,” directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Carl Menninger, beginning January 29, 2020. The Playhouse invites audience members to sit inches from the characters who helped spark a revolution by putting gay men's lives onstage during the pre-Pride era. Fresh off its Tony Award-winning Broadway revival, this landmark play comes to Chicago for the first time in 20 years at Windy City Playhouse Flagship. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at windycityplayhouse.com or by calling 773-891-8985.   The cast of “The Boys in the Band” includes Sam Bell Gurwitz as Harold, Christian Edwin Cook as Alan, Jordan Dell Harris as Donald, Jackson Evans as Michael, James Lee as Larry, Kyle Patrick as Cowboy, Ryan Reilly as Hank and Denzel Tsopnang as Bernard. The role of Emory will be announced at a future date.   The creative team for the show includes William Boles (Scenic Designer), Uriel Gomez (Costume Designer), Erik Barry (Lighting Designer), Sarah Espinoza (Sound Designer), Mealah Heidenreich (Properties Designer & Set Dressing), Max Fabian (Violence & Intimacy Diretor), Jenniffer Thusing (Production Stage Manager), Spencer Fritz (Assistant Stage Manager), Jonah White (Master Electrician), Jonathan Schleyer (Technical Director) and Ellen White (Production Manager).

Set in 1968, the play takes place at the birthday party of Harold, who is turning 32. Luckily, friend-enemy Michael is there with six mutual friends to help him ease into the big three-two. The party is all jokes and quips until the host proposes a harmless game of truth or dare. Suddenly, each must reckon with his sexual identity -- out, closeted, flamboyant, or "passing" -- in an oppressive world where self-love is a luxury. At this party, the cake tastes like truth, and everyone gets a slice.   “Coming out, living in the closet, being discriminated against because someone is queer is still a problem in this country (and even more so in the world),” said Director, Carl Menninger. “We’re looking forward to presenting such a historic and important piece that began the journey of gay theatre in America. ‘The Boys in the Band’ was relevant in 1968 and is just as relevant today.”   In true Playhouse fashion, guests will be invited to sit on the various couches, chairs and love seats that make up the quintessentially mid-Century, sunken living room in which the show takes place. Patrons will be welcome to move from seat to seat as they wish but will be otherwise seated throughout the show. Guests will be offered small cocktail samplings (with non-alcoholic options available) and party snacks will be available for the taking throughout the show.   “Having the chance to transport audiences to Michael's living room in 1968 New York is a unique and special opportunity for us,” said Playhouse Artistic Director, Amy Rubenstein. “We search for stories that we want to jump inside of and this is a party that I certainly want to be a fly on the wall for. As we delve deeper and deeper into ‘The Boys in the Band,’ we learn how far we've come, how far we still have to go and how lucky we are to have this perspective.”   The 2018 Broadway revival production of “The Boys in the Band” won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Variety said, “It not only reminds us of where we’ve been, it also serves as a warning about whatever forms of social oppression are still here and yet to come.” Reviewing the recent revival, Dave Quinn of People raved, “If there were ever a time to revisit ‘The Boys in the Band,’ it’s now.”   The performance schedule for “The Boys in the Band” is as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets ($75-$95) are on sale now.     About the artists in “The Boys in the Band”: Carl Menninger (Director) has lived and worked in Chicago for many years and directed the 2016 production of “This” at Windy City Playhouse. Currently, he is the Associate Artistic Director at the Playhouse as well as an Assistant Professor of Theatre at American University, in Washington, D.C., where he ran the Theatre and Musical Theatre program for eight years. Menninger is one of the co-creators of the Playhouse hit “Southern Gothic.” While in Chicago, he worked with Victory Gardens and Chicago Dramatists. In addition to working with D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre, Studio Theatre and Adventure Theatre, his play “Everything but You: A Modern Romance” received a staged reading at Keegan Theatre in D.C.  He is currently working on a play about silent film stars Ramon Novarro and Billy Haines. Carl is the co-author of “Minding the Edge: Strategies for a Fulfilling, Successful Career as an Actor.”   Sam Bell-Gurwitz (Harold) is very excited to be making his Windy City Playhouse debut! Other Chicago credits include “A Shayna Maidel” (Timeline) and “Three Sister” (UV Theatre Project). He is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan where he earned his BFA in Acting. He is represented by Stewart Talent. Love and gratitude to Savanna and his family. Christian Edwin Cook (Alan) is delighted to make his Windy City Playhouse debut in “The Boys in the Band.” Last seen in “Brooke Astor's Last Affair” at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, Cook earned his MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and holds a BA in Theatre from Drury University (Springfield, MO). He is proudly represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent.   Jordan Dell Harris (Donald) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut! Chicago credits include: “Sundown Yellow Moon; A Little Night Music” (BoHo Theatre); “Homos, Or Everyone in America” (Pride Films & Plays); “Leave Me Alone!” (The Story Theatre); “Evil Dead: The Musical” (Black Button Eyes); “Wonderful Town” (Goodman Theatre); “Bat Boy: The Musical” (Griffin Theatre - Jeff Nomination, Best Ensemble). Regional credits include: “Falsettos,” “Spring Awakening” and “Six Degrees of Separation” (Actor's Express). Harris is proud to be represented by Gray Talent Group. www.JordanDellHarris.com   Jackson Evans (Michael) makes his Windy City Debut! Regional credits include: “My Fair Lady” (Lyric Opera of Chicago); “Ride the Cyclone,” “Seussical,” “Short Shakespeare! The Taming Of The Shrew” (Chicago Shakespeare); “Bunny Bunny” and “Avenue Q” (Mercury);  “Spamalot,” “Hairspray,” “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers,” “The Boys From Syracuse” (Drury Lane Oakbrook); “Singin’ In The Rain”, “High School Musical,” “Pinocchio,” “Cinderella” (Marriott Lincolnshire); “Peter and The Starcatcher” and “The Full Monty” (Peninsula Players);  “The Producers” (McLeod Summer Playhouse);  “Matilda,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Big,” “Seussical” (First Stage Milwaukee);  “Knute Rockne: All American,” “La Cage Aux Folles,” and “Crazy For You” (Theatre at the Center) and touring the country with “The Realish Housewives” with Second City. Television credits include: “Chicago P.D.” and “Sirens.” He is a proud graduate of Northwestern University and Equity member.   James Lee (Larry) is truly grateful and honored to tell the story of these men in his Windy City Playhouse debut. Credits include working at About Face Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Marriott Lincolnshire and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Lee was also seen in the Las Vegas sit-down production of “Mamma Mia!” He is an instructor at Black Box Acting Studio and is a School at Steppenwolf and Cincinnati CCM grad. He is represented by DDO Artists Agency. Love to Dad and Laura. For Mom.   Kyle Patrick (Cowboy) is ecstatic to be making his debut at Windy City Playhouse! Some of his recent theatre credits include: “Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” (The Griffin Theatre); “Into the Woods” (Stagecrafter’s Theatre); “42nd Street” (St. Dunstan’s Theatre); “Antigone” and “Dunsinane” (Carolina Performing Arts Center). Additionally, some of his recent TV/Film credits include “Now and Not Yet” (Redleg Films), “Deliver Me” (Columbia College Chicago), “A Bennett Song Holiday” (Auburn Moon Productions/Painted Creek Productions), and “The Girls of Summer” (FilmAcres). For a comprehensive look at Kyle’s previous work, feel free to access his official website (https://kylepatrickacting.wixsite.com/website), or even his social media pages — where you are also sure to be updated on his upcoming work! Much love to Tiff, for her unwavering support, Lauren, for her endless motivation, Zach, for his unconditional brotherhood, and Tori, for her endless compassion. Kyle is represented by Gray Talent Group. Instagram - @_kyle_patrick, Facebook - @KylePatrickActor   Ryan Reilly (Hank) Credits include: “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” (National Tour); NYC: “Within the Law” (Metropolitan Playhouse); “The Short Fall and Woyzeck” (Toy Box Theatre Co.). Regional highlights: Sky Materson in “Guys And Dolls” (Broadway Rose Theatre, OR); Beast in “Beauty and The Beast” (Alaska Center for the Performing Arts); Tom in “The Glass Menagerie” (Theatreworks, Colorado Springs); “Cabaret” (Music Theatre of Ct); “The Boys From Syracuse” and “Mame” (Drury Lane); “A Christmas Carol,” “The Light in The Piazza” and “Hairspray” (Marriott Theatre); “It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play” (Alhambra Theatre, Fl). TV: “Sorry for Your Loss” starring Elizabeth Olsen. Reilly holds a BFA from UW-Stevens Point and is represented by Paonessa Talent. Thank you to Mart Crowley for this historically significant work and to everyone at Windy City Playhouse for allowing the boys to live on.   Denzel Tsopnang (Bernard) Hailing from Batavia, IL, Tsopnang holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University and is thrilled to be making his Windy City Playhouse debut with this wonderful team and cast! Some of his favorite Chicago credits include: “South Pacific” (Drury Lane); “Five Guys Named Moe” (Court Theatre); “Ragtime” (Griffin Theatre); “The Scottsboro Boys” (Porchlight Music Theatre); “Annie Warbucks” (Theatre at the Center);  “Smokey Joe’s Café” (Drury Lane Oakbrook); “Velveteen Rabbit” (Marriott Theatre); “Heathers: The Musical” (Kokandy Productions) and “Northanger Abbey” (Lifeline Theatre).   Christopher Davis (u/s Hank and Alan) was honored to go on for Jackson Wellington and Charles Lyon in last year's Jeff Award-winning “Southern Gothic” for Windy City Playhouse! Other recent credits have included “Dames At Sea,” “Cabaret,” and “It’s A Wonderful Life” (Theatre at the Center); “Merrily We Roll Along” (Porchlight); “A Little Night Music” (BoHo Theatre); “Bunnicula,” (Lifeline Theatre) two years with Rocky Mountain Repertory and nearly a dozen productions at Williams Street Rep, with whom he is a proud company member. Never-ending thanks go out to Davis’ Mom and his Aunts for their support and encouragement.   Brian Huther (u/s Donald and Larry) is a Chicago-based creator and performer. Acting credits include: “Fire in Dreamland,” “Our Town” (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); “I’m Not Rappaport” (KC Actors Theatre); “Love and Information” (Trap Door Theatre); “The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe” (Underscore Theatre Company); “Eurydice,” “The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe,” “Milking Christmas,” “The Mistakes Madeline Made” (The Living Room). Film/TV: “Chicago P.D.”, “Goodland”. Huther is a cofounder of viral comedy collective Friend Dog Studios (Online: “G.O.P. Jesus”, “Drunk Trump”, “2016 The Movie: The Trailer, etc”. Onstage: The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe, H4CKS, Milking Christmas).   Bernell Lassai III (u/s Bernard) Born and raised in Chicago, IL. Lassai is delighted to be making his debut with Windy City Playhouse understudying in “The Boys in the Band.” His most recent credits include: “The Producers” (The Paramount Theatre); “Curve of Departure” (Northlight Theatre); “Memphis,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” and “Billy Elliot” (Porchlight Music Theatre). “Giggle, Giggle, Quack” (Lifeline Theatre). Regional Credits include: “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (The Little Theatre on the Square); “A Christmas Carol” (Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre); “Antony and Cleopatra” at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis; Bigfork Summer Playhouse; Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. Lassai is a graduate of The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.   Paul Michael Thomson (u/s Emory and Cowboy) is so grateful to be involved in the telling of this seminal queer narrative. Chicago credits include: “Ms. Blakk for President” (Steppenwolf Theatre); “Birds of a Feather,” Machinal (Greenhouse Theatre); “Beauty & The Beast,” “A Christmas Carol” (Drury Lane Oakbrook); “The Nutcracker” (House Theatre of Chicago); “Romeo & Juliet” (Teatro Vista); “Shakespeare In Love” (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). TV credits: “Chicago Med”, “Chicago Justice”. Thomson graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Acting and a BA in Africana Studies from The University of Arizona. Published playwright, co-founder of The Story Theatre. Grateful for good people, Gray Talent and God.   Shea Petersen (u/s Michael and Harold) hails from Richmond, TX and is extremely grateful to be working with Windy City Playhouse. Past theatre credits include: “Mr. Kotomoto is Definitely Not White” (Nomads Art Collective), “Mike Pence Sex Dream” (First Floor Theater); “Treefall” (Exit 63 Theatre), “Enemy of the People” (Goodman Theatre). Film credits include: “First Dance and Pride, Prejudice, and Gays”. Shea received his BFA in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul and is also a graduate of the William Esper Meisner Studio in NYC. Petersen is also an EMC candidate and a freelance photographer and you can see more of his work at www.dsheapetersen.com Instagram: @d.sheapetersen    William Boles (scenic designer) CHICAGO: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Paramount Theater, Second City, Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, The Hypocrites, American Theater Company, A Red Orchid, Chicago Children's Theatre, Sideshow (artistic associate),  First Floor Theater, Emerald City. NYC: The Cherry Lane, La Mama. REGIONAL: Kennedy Center, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Children's Theatre Company, Actors Theater of Louisville, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Huntington Theater Company, Wolftrap Opera, Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera. Milwaukee Rep, Artist's Rep, Theatre Squared, Adirondack Theater Festival. INTERNATIONAL: Stockholm Vocal Academy and Opera Siam in Bangkok. MFA, Northwestern. Website: wbdesigns.carbonmade.com   URIEL GÓMEZ (Costume Designer) Design credits include: the Chicago premieres of “The Madres,” “The Wolf at the End of the Block,” “Parachute Man (Teatro Vista); “Small World,” “PUNK!” (The New Colony); “Wolves,” “Dark Matter” (Exit 63 Theatre); “De Troya” “The River Bride” (Halcyon Theatre);  “Mike Pence Sex Dream,” “Refrigerator,” “Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea” (First Floor Theatre) and many more. He would like to thank his friends and family for all their support. For more information & designs please visit ugomez.com.     Erik Barry (Lighting Designer) is a freelance Lighting Designer based in Chicago. He recently received the Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for 2019 for “The Displaced” with Haven Theatre. His designs have been seen at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, Harris Theatre (Chicago), and the Detroit Music Hall. He is the Resident Lighting Designer for Underscore Theatre Company and the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus. MFA - Lighting Design: University of Wisconsin-Madison. eriksbarry.com   Mealah Heidenreich (Properties Designer & Set Dresser) is pleased as punch to be propping with Windy City Playhouse. Some of her previous designs include: “The Old Friends and Crumbs from the Table of Joy” (Raven Theatre); “A Wonder in my Soul, “Native Gardens” and “Fun Home” (Victory Gardens); “In the Heights” and “Dreamgirls” (Porchlight Music Theatre); “City of Conversation” and “Faceless” (Northlight Theatre). Heidenreich is an ensemble member with Hell in a Handbag Productions.   Max Fabian (Violence & Intimacy Designer) studied at the Rapier Wit fight school in Toronto, Ontario and is an Advanced Actor Combatant with The Fight Directors of Canada.  Past works include “Pericles” (Chicago Shakespeare); “Stick Fly,” “The Explorer’s Club,” “Southern Gothic,” “Noises Off” (Windy City Playhouse); “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “Sita Rahm,” (Lookingglass); “Sunset Boulevard” (Porchlight Music Theater).  Max is the proud recipient of The Chicago Hawk Theatre Award 2018 for his work in “Southern Gothic” at Windy City Playhouse.   Jonah White (Master Electrician) is proud to be working with Windy City Playhouse on their production of “The Boys in the Band.” White’s past credits as Master Electrician include; “Be Here Now” (Shattered Globe); “The Man Who Was Thursday” (Lifeline Theatre); and “Shrew’d!” (First Folio Theatre). He also works as a lighting designer, with past credits including “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” (Lifeline Theatre); “I am My Neighborhood” (Piven Theatre Workshop); and “Parfumerie” (Moody Bible Institute).   Jenniffer Thusing (Production Stage Manager) Jenniffer is happy to join Windy City Playhouse, again, after working on “Southern Gothic.” In her almost 20 years of stage managing, she has worked for Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, About Face, SoloChicago, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Commercial Collective, Noble Fool, Nuns for Fun, Emerald City and Light Opera Works. Thusing’s work as a set designer, with her partner Bob Groth, has been seen at Irish Theatre of Chicago (formerly Seanachai), Mary Arrchie, The Royal George, Metropolis Performing Arts, The Broadway Playhouse, The Apollo Theater, and Emerald City’s Little Theater. She is a proud member of Actors Equity Association.   Spencer Fritz (Assistant Stage Manager) Fritz is excited to be working with Windy City Playhouse for the first time.  Recent credits include: “Shadows of Birds” (Glass Apple Theatre); “Admissions” (Theatre Wit); “Dark at the Top of the Stairs” (Eclipse Theater) and a few projects with Silk Road Rising.  He is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where he has worked on numerous productions including: “Caroline, or Change,” “Peer Gynt” and one of the only productions of “Make Me Bad: A Musical Thriller.”   Amy Rubenstein is the Artistic Director and co-founder of Windy City Playhouse. Since the theater’s premiere in March 2015, she has overseen 15 mainstage productions, including the recent smash hit, world premiere “Southern Gothic,” of which she was also a co-creator. During her tenure, the Playhouse has been lauded for its uniquely contemporary approach that focuses on audience experience and has received numerous industry accolades, including 15 Joseph Jefferson Award nomination including three subsequent best production nodes for 2018’s “Southern Gothic,” 2019’s “Noises Off” and 2019’s “The Recommendation, 11 Chicago Theater Awards, including the 2018 Trailblazer Award, and three International Centre for Women Playwrights’ 50/50 Awards. Under her leadership, the theater has proudly been a three-time finalist for the Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theater Award. Prior to her current role at the Playhouse, Rubenstein’s credits include performing with Long Beach Playhouse, Human Race Theatre and Center Stage Theater, among others. She is a proud graduate of Brandeis University.   About Windy City Playhouse Windy City Playhouse is a professional theater and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, located on Chicago's northwest side. Premiering in March of 2015 with a mission to present contemporary, relevant, and approach art, the Playhouse has quickly become a mainstay of the Chicago theater scene. In 2018, its runaway hit, the immersive SOUTHERN GOTHIC, solidified the Playhouse as the first choice in Chicago theater for one-of-a-kind audience experience. "Experience driven. Audience first." For more information, visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Read the full article

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Interview with Producer/Author DENISE McGOWAN TRACY

Chicago icon DENISE McGOWAN TRACY talks about adapting her best selling holiday book Eleanor's Very Merry Christmas Wish into a stage musical which is having its World Premiere at the Greenhouse Theater Center. We also discuss the ever changing landscape of Chicago entertainment and the phenomenal success of Monday Night Live at Petterino's. Eleanor's Very Merry Christmas Wish - The Musical will debut at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, November 19 - December 29, 2019. For more information including tickets visit eleanorswish.com or by calling 773-40-GREEN. Denise McGowan Tracy (Creator/Playwright) A native Chicagoan, Denise McGowan Tracy has been a recognized face and force in Chicago’s entertainment community – both on-stage and behind the scenes – for 35+ years. She began her career managing and booking the talent for the storied Byfield’s nightclub, and is currently the creator and co-host, with Beckie Menzie, of the long-running impromptu musical showcase Monday Night Live at Petterino’s, which recently celebrated its 500th show.  McGowan Tracy served as Director of Entertainment for Navy Pier for a decade producing all public programming for millions of visitors and, as current founder of DMT Entertainment, her full-service entertainment production and event management company, she has produced events for clients including Landmarks Illinois, Lettuce Entertain You, The Sarah Siddons Society, and The ABA. With this production, she begins a new chapter in theater as creator, playwright, and producer.    The Eleanor's Very Merry Christmas Wish - The Musical ensemble of 11 features faces both familiar from local stages and on the rise, including Rockford-based musical theater pro Samantha Bonzi in the title role of Eleanor, alongside singer/songwriter and actor Lindsey Jane Bullen; Chicago Kids Company member Cara Chumbley; Blank Theatre Company co-founder Claire Latourette; Drury Lane veteran Kim Green; local Emmy Award winner Scott Gryder; Jeff Award nominee John Marshall Jr.; Chicago singer, actor, and voice artist Erin Parker (member of Actor’s Equity); Lucille Lortel Award nominee Emily Rohm (member of Actor’s Equity); Sydney Swanson in her professional stage debut; and Chicago Shakespeare Theater regular David Turrentine (member of Actor’s Equity). Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish - The Musical is based on the heartfelt book of the same name by Chicago creative powerhouse Denise McGowan Tracy and tells the story of a rag doll named Eleanor who lives in a magical world. Despite her love for her North Pole family, including Santa, Mrs. “Cookie” Claus, Clara Claus, and the elves - Twinkle, Sprinkle, and Sparkle, Eleanor's very merry Christmas wish is for a best friend and home of her own. Realizing that wishing is not enough, she writes a letter to Santa expressing her wish. The letter opens the door to answering many questions and to the journey which leads to her wish (and others) coming true. DMT Entertainment (Producer) Founded by Denise McGowan Tracy, is a full-service event and entertainment production and management firm that produces a variety of high-profile, often private events. More information at www.dmtentertainment.com. Read the full article

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Milwaukee Premiere of HAMILTON Ignites The Power Of Theatre At Its Full Potential

Theater has the power if used to its full potential, to leave powerful and indelible images on the mind of the theatergoer. And, it was more than obvious one rainy night in downtown Milwaukee that the theater did reach its full potential, thanks to the teaming of an extraordinary cast with amazing technical artistry that brought Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning cultural phenomenon, Hamilton, to life for its Milwaukee premiere in Uihlein Hall of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Milwaukee was pumped up for Hamilton, ready to experience what other cities have already experienced.  The applause and shouts of approval started early, right after Joseph Morales, in the title role, finished singing his first song, to be exact. Hamilton takes a page out of our nation’s history book, reconnecting us to one of our Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, a West Indies orphan that rose to become George Washington’s righthand man during the Revolutionary War and the country’s first Secretary of the Treasury.  His tumultuous life – through war, career and love – culminating in an infamous duel with longtime acquaintance Aaron Burr, is told through a melodious, broad-ranging score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap and Rhythm & Blues with Broadway.

Nik Walker - HAMILTON National Tour - (c) Joan Marcus 2018 The plot of Hamilton covers his arrival in America’s colonies as an immigrant that readily supports American independence, his dedication to General Washington during war, his love for Eliza, his wife, his later career as a lawyer and his role in government, and, finally, to the tragic duel with Burr that leaves those surrounding Hamilton with regret and much to think about. Since the drama-rich story is told through the musical score, my advice to those who haven’t seen Hamilton is to find a plot synopsis on the Internet and read it before going to the theater so that you can enjoy the music without having to struggle to understand the ins and outs of the plot.      Never mind about the historical accuracy of Hamilton; what is important that we develop an appreciation of our colorful history, and that’s certainly an enjoyable feat with this superb production at the Marcus Center. The cast is first rate, and diverse, too, bringing together white, African American and Oriental performers to give Hamilton that edge of inclusion, so important in today’s America where division is now sadly the norm.  Joseph Morales, who was a Hamilton alternate  in the original Chicago run, along with Nik Walker as Aaron Burr, Marcus Choi as George Washington and Warren Egypt Franklin as Thomas Jefferson, all gave powerful, memorable performances that earned thunderous applause. But the standout performance on opening night belonged to Neil Haskell, who delivered a delightfully flamboyant portrayal of King George that bought down the house with loads of laughter. Haskell’s sparkling crown and vibrant, ruby red costume aided beautifully in his characterization. 

Shoba Narayan, Ta'Rea Campbell and Nyla Sostre. Photo Credit Joan Marcus The choreography, nothing short of amazing, and the lighting, which was simply dazzling, contributed to those indelible images that lingered in my mind as I made my way out of the theater after the performance. Hamilton at the Marcus Center ignites the imagination with an unforgettable musical score, awe-inspiring choreography, a dazzling light show and magnificent performances delivered by an excellent cast.  It’s definitely a must-see.     Hamilton continues at the Marcus Center through Nov. 17.  For tickets, call the Marcus Center Box Office at [phone], or visit Ticketmaster.com or MarcusCenter.org. Feature Photo: Elijah Malcomb, Joseph Morales, Kyle Scatliffe, Fergie L. Philippe & Company. Photo Credit Joan Marcus Read the full article

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POTTED POTTER Returns to the Broadway Playhouse Dec. 11-Jan. 5

Broadway In Chicago, Starvox Entertainment and Potted Productions are delighted to announce the return this holiday season of the hit off-Broadway show, Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Potter Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff, for a four-week engagement at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) Dec. 11, 2019 through Jan. 5, 2020. Tickets will go on-sale today, Oct. 22, 2019 at 10 AM CT. A Critic's Pick by the Daily Herald, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out London, Washington Post and Boston Globe, the show won the prestigious 2012 Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment & Family Show, playing to sold-out houses worldwide. The current Las Vegas engagement of the show is the recent recipient of several Best of Las Vegas awards, including the 2019 Gold Winner for the Best New Production in Las Vegas. Created by former BBC Television hosts Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, the play takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing, or “potting,” all seven Harry Potter books into 70 madcap minutes, aided only by multiple costume changes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic. The show also invites audiences to engage with a real life game of Quidditch, but according to Clarkson and Turner’s unique set of rules.         Whether you camped outside a bookstore for three days awaiting the release of the Deathly Hallows or you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, the comedy, magic and mayhem of Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff makes for an entertaining and hilarious visit to the theatre. The fast-paced show, which has made audiences aged six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed) roar with laughter all over the world, is perfect for the entire family. The London critics raved too. Said the Daily Telegraph, “A fabulously funny parody…will tickle the funny bone of every age group.’ The New York Times exclaims the show is “Breathless and…HILARIOUS!” And the Associated Press proclaims the show a “HIT!” New York Post writes the show is  “…a zany hoot!” while Time Magazine for Kids simply declares that Potted Potter is "...an AWESOME show!" So what are you waiting for!? Now is the time for all good Potter fans to discover this hilarity firsthand! PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE Tuesdays at 7:30PM (no performances on Dec. 24; Dec. 31 performance at 2PM) Wednesdays at 7:30PM (no performances on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1) Thursdays at 7:30PM (the Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 performances will be held at 2PM & 8PM) Fridays at 7:30 PM (the Dec. 27 and Jan. 3 performances will be held at 2PM & 8PM) Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM (additional 5 PM performance on Dec. 14) Sundays at 2PM TICKET INFORMATIONIndividual tickets for Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff will go on sale Tuesday, October 22 at 10 AM CT and range in price from $39.95 - $79.95 with a select number of premium tickets available. Individual ticket will be available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at [phone] or by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com.  Tickets also are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at [phone] or emailing [email protected].  ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 19 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country.  A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres.  Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre. Broadway In Chicago proudly celebrates 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre. For more information, visit BroadwayInChicago.com. Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago Read the full article

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Milwaukee Rep Stages An Electrifying & Politically Relevant WEST SIDE STORY

It always amazes me that West Side Story, the powerful and beloved tale about a need for love at a time when the world is rapidly derailing because of fear and intolerance, is just as potent today as it was when it first premiered on Broadway 62 years ago.  That’s why it’s the perfect choice for opening the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s 2019/2020 season in its Quadracci Powerhouse in downtown Milwaukee.  Not to mention, West Side Story is the perfect vehicle for the esteemed Mark Clements to mark his 10th anniversary as the Rep’s artistic director.  Given the memorable productions he’s so brilliantly helmed during the past decade, one wonders how Clements could do any better, but he manages to do just that with West Side Story, which could very well be his crowning achievement in Milwaukee theater. West Side Story is a tremendous challenge for any director to pull off, with its high-stepping ballet dance sequences, show stopping songs charged with passion, shocking acts of violence and heart-tugging, ill-fated love story.  But Clements brings all the pieces together superbly by assembling a sensational cast and creative team for a beautiful and electrifying show that leaves the audience spellbound.  The hoots and hollers from the opening night crowd started early and continued right through the final act.     My only fear as I write this review is that I’ll run out of superlatives to describe what I saw and felt watching West Side Story unfold in front of me on opening night.        You know the story.  It’s about white skin versus dark skin.  The Jets, the American boys with the white skin, are having a turf war in a tough New York neighborhood with the Sharks, the Puerto Rican boys with dark skin.  A boy with white skin, Tony, falls in love with a Puerto Rican girl, Maria, but their genuine love is shattered in bits and pieces by hate and prejudice, and eventually blown away by an end-of-story tragedy that’s always so hard to swallow no matter how many times you’ve seen West Side Story on stage or watched the memorable 1961 Oscar-winning movie. But the real takeaway here is how the Rep tells this original story about the tragedy of division in our society. Fiery, explosive choreography that leaves you breathless is the best way to describe the dance numbers: “Jet Song,” where the Jets and Sharks first square off, “The Dance at the Gym,” where Tony meets Maria, “The Rumble,” resulting in the death of two key characters, and the “Ballet Sequence,” dreamily staged in all white, following the rumble.  The magnificent choreography is no surprise, given the hand behind it: Jon Rua, an original cast member of Hamilton and In the Heights. Powerful, emotion-charged performances by Jeffrey Kringer, a New York-based actor, as Tony, Liesl Collazo, a native of Puerto Rico, as Maria, and Courtney Arango, a Cuban American, as Anita.  Kringer and Collazo have fabulously trained voices, which they superbly demonstrate by passionately singing composer Stephen Sondheim’s iconic “Something’s Coming,” “Somewhere,” “One Hand, One Heart” and “Tonight.”  Kringer’s Tony and Collazo’s Maria are overflowing with excitement and hope, which makes the tragic end to their love affair all the more painful for us to bear.  Arango is wonderful as the sexy and sassy Anita, leading the way in the lively number “America” that brought on the loudest shouts from the opening night crowd.  Arango also conveys authentic pain singing “A Boy Like That” to Maria, the sister of her lover, Bernardo. Also, Rep favorite Jonathan Wainwright gives a fine performance in the small character role of Lieutenant Schrank.                     The show’s transitions, from the dress shop where Maria and Anita work to the gymnasium for the high school dance, and from the grim playground, where two bodies are carted away by paramedics following the rumble, to the fun “I Feel Pretty” number, are seamlessly handled by Clements.  Also, having his cast members bring their roles right into the audience makes us see the actual intensity and sweat West Side Story demands of its performers. This is a splendid production, for sure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any noticeable flaws.  The actors portraying Chino, Maria’s intended beau, and Doc, the man who relayed Anita’s lie to Tony – and unwittingly ignited the show’s final heart-wrenching tragedy – played by Carlos A. Jimenez and James Pickering, respectively, give flat performances that lacked the emotional depth and anger I always associated with their characters.       West Side Story runs through Oct. 27.  For tickets, www.MilwaukeeRep.com or [phone]. Photo: Jeffrey Kringer and Liesl Collazo Credit: Michael Brosilow Read the full article

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Skylight's OKLAHOMA! Takes Musical Storytelling To Extraordinary Heights

Brittani Moore (Laurey Williams) and Lucas Pastrana(Curly McLain). Photos by: Mark Frohna This fall, a sensational show is sweeping down the plain at the Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee.  It’s a swiftly rolling wagon loaded with superb singing and acting, exciting drama and plenty of laughs. The show is none other than the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Oklahoma! This spirited production, kicking off the Skylight’s 60th season, reinforces its exclamation point with an extraordinary cast and fabulous staging, brilliantly capturing the heart and soul of a territory that’s on the cusp of statehood. Oklahoma! was the first in a series of successful collaborations by the iconic Broadway duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Oklahoma! scored another first when it premiered on Broadway in 1943: it launched a new genre in theater – the musical play. Oklahoma! isn’t just another great American musical, it’s a touching love story set to music about a young woman, Laurey, and two suitors vying for her hand – affable Curly and ruff-and-gruff Jud. And it’s this musical storytelling aspect of Oklahoma! that director Jill Anna Ponasik takes to extraordinary heights with her talented cast.  Right from the get-go the audience is swept away by the vocals of Skylight favorite Lucas Pastrana, excellent as ranch hand Curly McLain, singing “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” as he arrives on Laurey’s Aunt Eller’s ranch, hoping Laurey will attend the box social with him.  Curly and Laurey are utterly charming in “The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top” and “People Will Say We’re in Love.”  Laurey, played by suburban Chicago native Brittani Moore and Aunt Eller, portrayed by Cynthia Cobb, bring delicious feistiness to their respective roles. Jeremy Peter Johnson nails it as Jud, the man who’s desperate to have what everybody else has.  He and Pastrana earn a load of laughs in “Pore Jud is Daid,” in which Curly tries to convince his rival that he would be more appreciated by folks if he were dead.  Johnson sang recently in the barbershop quartet of The Music Man at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. 

Oklahoma! also boasts another love triangle, between peddler Ali Hakim, played by Ethan D. Brittingham, Ado Annie, played by Hannah Esch and Will Parker, brought to life by Sean Anthony Jackson.  Jackson, a Chicago transplant, is delightful leading the cast in the spirited “Kansas City.”  Brittingham as Ali and Esch as Ado Annie are an audience-loving duo, bringing down the house with their well-honed comedic skills.      Other high points in this fine production include a beautifully executed dream sequence in which Laurey sees a violent confrontation between the two men pursuing her, and the finale, with the cast belting out the title tune with lots of heart, encouraging the audience to join them.          By casting African Americans in the key roles of Laurey, Aunt Eller and Will, director Ponasik invigorates Oklahoma!, breaking down stereotypes and making it more relevant for our times.  Also, keep in mind that Oklahoma! is set a time when farmers and cowboys were rivals.  That’s why when we hear the lyrics to the rousing “The Farmer and The Cowman” – Territory folks should stick together, Territory folks should all be pals.  Cowboys dance with farmer's daughters, Farmers dance with the ranchers' gals – we’re able to see Oklahoma! in a whole new light.  Oklahoma! was way ahead of its time, and Ponasik and company drive that point home to us.    For tickets, call [phone] or go online at www.skylightmusictheatre.org. Read the full article

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Photo Spotlight: AstonRep's EQUUS

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 2019-20 season with Peter Shaffer’s psychological thriller EQUUS, directed by Co-Artistic Director Derek Bertelsen*, playing September 27 – October 27, 2019 at AstonRep’s new home, The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway St. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.astonrep.com or by calling [phone].  Read the full article

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Interview: THOMAS SCHUMACHER - President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions

Thomas Schumacher, President and Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions returns to Showbiz Chicago to discuss all things Disney, Broadway and beyond! Since 1988, Thomas Schumacher has worked with The Walt Disney Company, setting new standards of excellence in film, television, and theatre. Having spent much of his tenure as president of Disney Animation, Mr. Schumacher currently serves as President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Group, where he oversees the development, creation and execution of Disney's legitimate stage entertainment around the globe, including Broadway, touring and licensed productions; as well as Disney on Ice and Disney Live! shows produced in partnership with Feld Entertainment. The division's Broadway, West End, touring and international production credits include Beauty and the Beast, King David, The Lion King, Der Glockner von Notre Dame, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, On the Record, High School Musical, Tarzan® , Mary Poppins , The Little Mermaid , Peter and the Starcatcher , Newsies , Aladdin , Shakespeare in Love, and Frozen. The company has collaborated with the country's leading regional theatres to develop new stage titles including The Jungle Book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Freaky Friday. Most recent projects include the in-cinema Fathom Events release of Newsies, and the new live-action film Beauty and the Beast and Disney Channel musical adaptation of Freaky Friday, for which he served as Executive Producer. With more than 20 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day. Intensely passionate about theatre from an early age, Schumacher recognized the impact that theatre has on the lives of young people and developed a licensing program with Music Theatre International to make select Disney theatrical titles available for performance in schools and amateur theatres throughout the world. Schumacher's career at Disney began in Walt Disney Feature Animation producing the animated classic The Rescuers Down Under. He was ultimately named President and oversaw some 21 animated features, including The Lion King, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Tarzan, Hercules, and Lilo & Stitch, and worked closely with Pixar on their first five films. Prior to joining Disney, he was associate director of the 1987 Los Angeles Festival of Arts, presenting the American premiere of Cirque du Soleil and the English-language premiere of Peter Brook's The Mahabharata. Previously, he spent five years on staff at the Mark Taper Forum, served as a line producer on the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, and served as assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Ballet. Mr. Schumacher is the author of the book How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Board of Directors for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Tony® Administration Committee, the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, and was a longtime trustee of the Actors Fund, now serving as a member of the Chairman's Council. He is a former mentor for the TDF Open Doors program and serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University. He is currently serving as the Chairman of The Broadway League. Read the full article

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