TIMELINE THEATRE'S PARADISE BLUE, THE CHICAGO JAZZ PHILHARMONIC AND THE HYDE PARK JAZZ SOCIETY COLLABORATE TO PRESENT A "CAN'T MISS" EVENT JUNE 4 AT ROOM 43 IN HYDE PARK
TimeLine Theatre's PARADISE BLUE, directed by Ron OJ Parson, features an original score composed by Orbert Davis. Music from the play will be featured and both will speak at Jazz on Sundays, June 4 at Room 43.
Ron OJ Parson
Orbert Davis
TimeLine Theatre Company Member Ron OJ Parson and Orbert Davis, the co-founder, conductor and Artistic Director of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, will talk about their new collaboration, TimeLine's current hit play PARADISE BLUE, as special guests at the Hyde Park Jazz Society's Jazz on Sundays event, Sunday, June 4 at Room 43.
Parsons is the director of PARADISE BLUE, a critically acclaimed, jazz-infused drama about a gifted but troubled trumpeter in Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood. Davis composed and recorded the play's original jazz score.
The evening starts at 7:30 pm with a brief conversation between Parson and Davis about their history, artistic processes and how they worked together to bring an authentic jazz sound to a live theater production. Their talk is followed by a live set with Davis and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic side men Leandro Lopez Varady (piano), Stewart Miller (bass) and Samuel Jewell (drums) playing selections from the PARADISE BLUE score until 9:15 pm.
The second set, with Davis and the band performing selections from the CJP repertoire, starts at 9:45 pm.
A newly released, limited edition CD of Davis's score for PARADISE BLUE will be for sale at the event for $20. The CD is also available for purchase in the TimeLine Theatre lobby at performances of PARADISE BLUE, and online at 3sixteenstore.com.
Room 43 is located at 1043 E. 43rd St. in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. Tickets are $10 adults; $5 for students or children accompanies by adults. Room 43 offers bar and food service, including a tasty selection of "Jazz Bites." For more information, visit hydeparkjazzsociety.org.
"Juicy and resonant...filled with the music and longing of composer Orbert Davis," (Chicago Tribune) and "highly recommended...every note is pitch perfect" (Chicago Sun-Times) are among the many raves for TimeLine's Midwest premiere of PARADISE BLUE, a historical drama by acclaimed Detroit playwright Dominique Morisseau.
The play is set in 1949 in Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood, where Blue, the gifted trumpeter and troubled owner of the Paradise nightclub is contemplating a buyout offer for the city's urban renewal plan. As the inhabitants of his famed but faltering jazz club ponder their options and dream of a better life, a mysterious woman arrives, relationships are tested and new challengers emerge that could turn their worlds upside down.
PARADISE BLUE runs through July 23 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Show times are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. EXCEPTIONS: Additional performance Tuesday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. No show on Sunday, June 25. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6.
TimeLine Theatre and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic were both awarded the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions in 2016. Through this award, the MacArthur Foundation recognizes exceptional nonprofit organizations that demonstrate creativity and impact.
The involvement of Davis and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic in TimeLine's production of PARADISE BLUE was made possible through the support of The Chicago Community Trust.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com and chicagojazzphilharmonic.org.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Ron OJ Parson (Director) previously directed A RAISIN IN THE SUN and Morisseau's SUNSET BABY at TimeLine, where he is a Company Member. He is a native of Buffalo, New York, and a graduate of the University of Michigan's professional theatre program. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago and a co-founder and co-director of Ripe Mango Productions. Ron is a Resident Artist at Court Theatre and an Associate Artist with Teatro Vista. Since moving to Chicago from New York in 1994, he has worked as both an actor and director. His Chicago credits include work with The Chicago Theatre Company, Victory Gardens, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight, Court, Black Ensemble Theatre, Congo Square, Urban Theatre Company, City Lit Theater, ETA Creative Arts and Writers. Regionally, Parson has directed shows at Studio Arena Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Virginia Stage, Roundabout Theatre, Wilshire Theatre, The Mechanic Theatre, CenterStage, St. Louis Black Repertory, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Signature Theatre, and Portland Stage, among others. In Canada, he directed the world premiere of PALMER PARK by Joanna McClelland Glass at the Stratford Festival. Acting credits on television and film include ER, EARLY EDITION, TURKS, AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE, VAMPING, BARBERSHOP 2, PRIMAL FEAR, DROP SQUAD and most recently Starz Network's BOSS. He is a member of AEA, SAGAFTRA, and SDC. For more information, visit ronojparson.com.
Orbert Davis (Original Music) is an Emmy-Award winning trumpeter, composer and educator, and co-founder, conductor and artistic director of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP), a 55+ piece symphonic jazz orchestra dedicated to bringing together audiences of diverse backgrounds through multi-genre projects. Davis has many composer commissions and has played key roles in major film and television projects, including his work as jazz consultant to Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes for the film ROAD TO PERDITION. Recent projects include "Home and Away" honoring U.S. men and women in uniform, and an original score for the Emmy Award-winning national PBS documentary DUSABLE TO OBAMA: CHICAGO'S BLACK METROPOLIS produced by WTTW, which garnered Davis an Emmy Award for its soundtrack. His 2004 CD "Blue Notes" was the follow-up to his critically acclaimed "Priority" CD, which garnered an LA Times 4-star review, hit the Top 50 list for "most played on national radio" jazz CDs in 2002, and was named a Top 10 best jazz CD of 2002 by the Chicago Tribune. His 2009 CD of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic's "Collective Creativity" received rave reviews. Davis's latest release, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic's "Havana Blue," was born from CJP's relationship with Cuba's Universidad de las Artes (ISA). Davis is the longtime radio personality and host of "The Real Deal with Orbert Davis," a weekly 3-hour program airing on 90.9FM WDCB (also streaming live online at wdcb.org.) For more, visit orbertdavis.com.
