OPENING: “UNDER THE STREETLAMP” RETURNS TO THE ECC ARTS CENTER MAY 9 AND 10 #MothersDay #ChicagoTheatre

Elgin Community College (ECC) Arts Center presents a Mother’s Day weekend engagement of the smash hit “Under The Streetlamp.”  Exuding the rapport of a modern-day Rat Pack, the Streetlamp quartet delivers an electrifying evening of doo-wop, Motown, and rock ‘n’ roll, including favorites from The Drifters, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and a show-stopping salute to the Four Seasons. “Under The Streetlamp” will perform on Saturday, May 9 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. at the ECC Arts Center, located at ECC’s Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

“Under the Streetlamp” harmoniously blends the diverse talents of Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley—all recent leading cast members of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys.” Together the group has filmed two PBS Specials, recorded three albums, performed to packed houses throughout the U.S., and appeared as musical guests on TV’s “Access Hollywood” and “Extra.” The four first met while performing in “Jersey Boys,” during which time they also performed on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Primetime Emmys,” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

“We’re so excited to have the guys back,“ says Steve Duchrow, ECC Arts Center director of performing arts. “We were one of the first venues to book ‘Streetlamp’ and it’s been a joy to see the hard-earned, well-deserved success that has come their way. Our audiences feel like this is a homecoming—we’re welcoming back old friends.”

Tickets for the performances are $55. On Saturday, May 9, a three-course, pre-show dinner prepared by ECC’s award-winning Culinary Arts and Hospitality program can be purchased for an additional $29. Dinners must be ordered on or before Monday, May 4. For performance and dinner tickets or more information, visit tickets.elgin.edu or call 847-622-0300.

ECC Arts Center box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The ECC Arts Center, located in Building H on the Elgin Community College Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, presents amazing artists in intimate theater settings. Delicious dinners prepared through a partnership with the ECC's award-winning culinary arts program often accompany events. Parking is plentiful and free.


For more information about the ECC Arts Center, visit tickets.elgin.edu or call 847-622-0300. The arts center also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter. Become a fan of the arts center on Facebook at facebook.com/ECCArtsCenter.
  

SHOWS ON OUR RADAR: Motown The Musical Now Playing at The Oriental Theatre #BroadwayInChicago

We can't wait for the press opening on 5/8!  We'll be there to review for ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama, so check back like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often, for our take on all the hottest Chicago shows. In the mean time, get your tickets squared away! Show dates are selling fast.

It began as one man's story... became everyone's music... and is now Broadway's musical. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. 

Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Featuring classic songs such as "My Girl" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," experience the story behind the music in the record-breaking smash hit MOTOWN THE MUSICAL!

Just opened April 22 at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, IL. Tickets now on sale: http://bit.ly/motown14

ChiIL Picks for Mother's Day: BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER PRESENTS SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY CONCERT

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER PRESENTS

SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY CONCERT

TO MOTHER – WITH LOVE (A CONCERT JUST FOR HER)

FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY THE STARS OF BLACK ENSEMBLE

Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m.

Black Ensemble Theater Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor announces a special Mother’s Day concert, To Mother – With Love (A Concert Just For Her), featuring the stars of Black Ensemble. The one-day-only concert will be held on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m. at the new Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago.

To Mother – With Love will feature the Black Ensemble's star performers singing love songs dedicated to “Mom.”  Featured performers include Rashawn Thompson, Melanie McCullough, Dawn Bless, Meghan Murphy, Lyle Miller, and more.

Tickets, priced at $50, are available by calling (773) 769-4451 or online at www.blackensembletheater.org.

The Black Ensemble Theater

Founded in 1976, by the phenomenal producer, playwright and actress Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble Theater is the only African American theater located in the culturally, racially and ethnically diverse north side Uptown community. Through its Five Play Season of Excellence, The Black Ensemble Theater dazzles audiences locally, nationally and internationally with outstanding original musicals that are entertaining, educational and uplifting. The Black Ensemble Theater has produced more than 100 productions and employed over 5,000 artists.

On November 18, 2011, The Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center opened and is able to accommodate larger-scale productions, bigger audiences and a wider range of educational programming. The new facility includes amenities such as a 299-seat main stage theater (double the capacity of the original venue); 14 offices, classroom space; rehearsal hall, dance studio, scene shop, costume shop, and wardrobe rooms; seven dressing rooms; rehearsal room for musicians; front lobby space with concession areas; and an indoor parking garage.  The completion of a 150-seat theater, which will serve as an experimental stage for the work of the Black Playwright Initiative (BPI), is expected in 2013.

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, please visit www.BlackEnsembleTheater.org or call 773-769-4451.