CASTING UPDATE: Lorenzo Rush Jr To Replace James Earl Jones II in Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

LORENZO RUSH JR. JOINS SHARRIESE HAMILTON IN PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE’S PORCHLIGHT REVISITS,“LOST” MUSICALS IN STAGED CONCERT SERIES,THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG, AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 
MARCH 6 - 8

The Tony Award-nominated Musical Features Book by Neil Simon, Music by Marvin Hamlisch and Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager and the Production is Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Carter and Musical Direction by Andra Velis Simon 

This Tuesday ChiIL Live Shows will be ChiILin' at opening night of Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song. I've caught Lorenzo Rush Jr in Five Guys Named Moe (Court Theater) and Little Shop of Horrors (American Blues Theater), and Sharriese Hamilton in Rock of Ages (Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre); Wonderful Town (Goodman Theatre),Thaddeus and Slocum (Lookingglass Theatre) Pericles (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); and We Three Lizas (About Face Theatre), so I'm looking forward to this. Check back soon for my full review.

Porchlight Music Theatre announced that Lorenzo Rush Jr has replaced James Earl Jones II in Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager and book by Neil Simon, with direction and choreography by Christopher Carter and musical direction by Andra Velis Simon. Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing our Song is presented for three-nights-only Tuesday, March 6 through Thursday, March 8 at 7:15 p.m. and is performed on the set of Porchlight’s Merrily We Roll Along (previews begin January 26) at Porchlight’s new home, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Tickets for They’re Playing Our Song are $35. All tickets include access to the popular pre-performance event, Behind the Show Backstory, a multimedia presentation, created and hosted by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Director Michael Weber that discusses the evening’s production including the show’s creative history, juicy backstage gossip and the state of the art on Broadway that season. Single tickets to They’re Playing Our Song and subscriptions for the entire series are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office at 773.777.9884. 

Due to a scheduling conflict, James Earl Jones II is unable to perform in this production. Rush assumes the role of “Vernon Gersch” and joins Sharriese Hamilton in Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song, a romantic musical comedy about the affair (both professional and romantic) of a wisecracking composer and an aspiring, offbeat lyricist. Creatively, their relationship works great, but personal trials and tribulations lead them toward finding a new way to make harmonious music together in this laugh-a-minute romantic charmer. The show features musical hits “Fallin’,” “If He Really Knew Me” and “Just For Tonight.”

The cast of Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song includes: Sharriese Hamilton (Sonia Walsk), Lorenzo Rush Jr. (Vernon Gersch) and Anastasia Arnold, (voice of Sonia Walsk); Kiersten Frumkin, (voice of Sonia Walsk); Yando Lopez,  (voice of Vernon Gersch); Billy Rude, (voice of Vernon Gersch); Tyler Symone, (voice of Sonia Walsk) and Koray Tarhan, (voice of Vernon Gersch).

The production team includes Christopher Carter, director; Andra Velis Simon, music director; Lucia Lombardi, stage manager; Joaquin Gomez, assistant stage manager and Samantha Treible, wardrobe supervisor.

The musicians are Chel Hernandez, bass; Tony Scandora, drums and Page Kallop, guitar.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER CARTER, director and choreographer
Christopher Carter is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a liberal arts degree in dance. Carter has traveled all over performing/directing and choreographing. Some of his credits include Dreamgirls and In The Heights at Porchlight Music Theatre; as well as Sweeney Todd, Godspell, Secret Garden and Pirates Of Penzance (Grand Valley State University); Show Boat and Oklahoma (Lyric Opera Chicago); Show Boat (San Francisco and Houston Grand Opera); Hairspray (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Joseph… (Paramount Theater); Duke Ellington’s Queenie Pie (Chicago Opera Theater); Oliver, Carousel and Brigadoon (Light Opera Works); The Wiz, 42nd Street and Guys and Dolls (Theatre at the Center); Smokey Joe’s Café (Circle Theatre); The Wild Party (Actor’s Theater). Carter has been the choreographer for the Grand Rapids Civic’s SRT the past four years. Other credits include national tours, commercial, industrial and concert work. As a scholarship student of The Debbie Allen Dance Academy in California, he moved to Chicago in 2009 to expand his mind and resume.  

ABOUT ANDRA VELIS SIMON, music director

Andra Velis Simon returns to Porchlight, where she music directed last year’s Porchlight Revisits On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Most recently she was the music director for the Firebrand production Lizzie. Regional credits include: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, A.R.T. in Cambridge, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Skirball at NYU, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Rep and Olney Theatre Center in Maryland. In Chicago, her credits include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Firebrand, The Goodman, The Hypocrites, Theater Wit and many others. Velis Simon is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College Chicago, where she has taught musical theatre performance since 2008.

ABOUT SHARRIESE HAMILTON, “Sonia Walsk”

Sharriese Hamilton returns to Porchlight Revisits where she last starred in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She hails from Okemos Michigan with a BA in Theatre from Michigan State University and has been seen at Porchlight Music Theatre in How To Succeed, Ain’t Misbehavin, Pal Joey and A Class Act. Her Chicago credits include Sleeping Beauty, Madagascar, The Velveteen Rabbit, Sister Act (Marriott Theatre); Rock of Ages, James and the Giant Peach (Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre); Wonderful Town (Goodman Theatre),Thaddeus and Slocum (Lookingglass Theatre) Pericles (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); The Wild Party, See What I What I Wanna See and Passing Strange (Bailiwick Chicago); All Shook Up (Theatre at the Center) Jesus Christ Superstar (Theo Ubique), and We Three Lizas (About Face Theatre). Regional credits include HAIR (McLeod Summer Playhouse) Spamalot, Working, The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, and Buddy:The Buddy Holly Story (Timber Lake Playhouse).

ABOUT LORENZO RUSH JR., “Vernon Gersch”

Lorenzo Rush Jr returns to Porchlight Music Theatre where he appeared in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Jeff Award Nomination) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He has also performed in Five Guys Named Moe (Court Theater) Jesus Christ Superstar (Paramount Theater), Dreamgirls, City of Angels (Marriott Theater), Little Shop of Horrors (American Blues Theater), and Parade (BoHo Theater). Rush’s TV/Film credits include: “Sirens” on USA Network. Rush received his BFA in Musical Theater at Western Illinois University.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT REVISITS

Continuing to forge its role as “Chicago’s Music Theatre,” Porchlight launched the exciting new series Porchlight Revisits in 2013; especially created for the die-hard music theatre aficionado. Each season, Porchlight Music Theatre shares with audiences the rare opportunity to visit three musicals that opened on the Great White Way but have since gone “unsung.” The finest music theatre artists in Chicago dust off these neglected treasures and, with script in hand and minimal staging, escort audiences to a world of Broadway long past. Previous Porchlight Revisits productions include: (2016/17) The Rink, Little Me, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever; (2015/16) Chess, Applause, Babes in Arms; (2014/15) Bells Are Ringing, City of Angels, Mack & Mabel and (2013/14) Anyone Can Whistle, Golden Boy, Fade Out-Fade In.

Future Porchlight Revisits Final Performance in its 2017 – 2018 Series:

Do Re Mi 

May 22 – 24

Book by Garson Kanin

Music by Jule Styne

Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

Direction and Choreography by Christopher Pazdernik

Music Direction by David Fiorello

Starring Nancy Voigts and Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber

Originally created for the comic style of the great Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker, this is the story of “Hubie Cram,” a minor-league conman endlessly scheming to win big who, at the urging of his long-suffering wife, “Kay,” decides to go (somewhat) straight by moving into the jukebox and music promotion business as he concocts his biggest score ever. Featuring the hits: “Make Someone Happy,” “Fireworks” and “I Know About Love.”

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS RUTH PAGE ARTIST IN-RESIDENCE

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to be a member of the vibrant Ruth Page Center for the Arts community and an Artist In-Residence. Central to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programming is the Artists In-Residence program, which is designed to serve organizations looking for a home base while they grow or expand their artistic and organizational capabilities. The Center is committed to nurturing and assisting 

dance and other performing artists, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artistic community. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a destination for quality performing arts, accessible to a wide community regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability. An incubator of artistic energy and excellence, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the vision of its founder, legendary dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

As the home for music theatre in Chicago now in its 23^rd season, Porchlight Music Theatre is nationally recognized for reimagining classic productions, developing new works and showcasing musical theatre’s noted Chicago veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences of music theatre through the lens of the “Chicago Style.” The 2017–2018 year marks a milestone for Porchlight as the company becomes an Artist In-Residence at the historic Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation including the launch of a youth summer “Make Your Own Musical” Camp in 2017. The company’s many accolades include 22 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and seven awards, as well as a total of 139 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 42 Jeff Awards including five consecutive Best Production awards for The Scottsboro Boys (2017), Dreamgirls (2016),Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Porchlight Music Theatre continues its fifth season of Chicago’s “lost” musicals in staged concert series with Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song, starring Sharriese Hamilton and Lorenzo Rush Jr., music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager and book by Neil Simon, with direction and choreography by Christopher Carter and musical direction by Andra Velis Simon. Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing our Song is presented for three-nights-only Tuesday, March 6 through Thursday, March 8 at 7:15 p.m. and is performed on the set of Porchlight’s Merrily We Roll Along (previews begin January 26) at Porchlight’s new home, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Tickets for They’re Playing Our Song are $35. All tickets include access to the popular pre-performance event, Behind the Show Backstory, a multimedia presentation, created and hosted by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Director Michael Weber that discusses the evening’s production including the show’s creative history, juicy backstage gossip and the state of the art on Broadway that season. Single tickets to They’re Playing Our Song and subscriptions for the entire series are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office at 773.777.9884.

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the  Bayless Family Foundation, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, The Saints and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. 

OPENING: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Via PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS Through March 11th, 2018P

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES FIRST PRODUCTION AND SPECIAL EVENTS OF 2018, 

STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S 

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, 

JANUARY 26 – MARCH 11, 

AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The Landmark Sondheim Musical that Charts the Highs and Lows of a Relationship Among Three Very Close Friends is Directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber with Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik as Associate Director and Music Direction by Aaron Benham

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the next mainstage production it its 2017 – 2018 season Merrily We Roll Along, January 26 – March 11,  2018, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, with direction by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Director Michael Weber, associate direction and musical staging by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik and music direction by Aaron Benham at Porchlght’s home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Merrily We Roll Along is based on the play by the same name written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. 

Previews are Friday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. and  Monday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. (March 4 and March 11) and 6 p.m. (February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25) with a weekday matinee Thursday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m. There is no 4 p.m. performance Saturday, Feb. 3 and no 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, March 8. Tickets are $33 - $60 and are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Set over two decades of friendship and business, the landmark musical Merrily We Roll Along charts the highs and lows of a relationship among three very close friends. Starting from adulthood and traveling back in time to the idealistic intentions of youth, this powerful and emotionally moving story of looking at your life from the vantage point of having lived it features some of Stephen Sondheim’s best known songs including “Good Thing Going,” “Not a Day Goes By” and “Old Friends.”


MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG SPECIAL EVENTS

Film Screening: “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Porchlight Music Theatre and members of its Merrily cast host a screening of "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.” The screening includes pre-film performances of musical numbers from the Porchlight Music Theatre production and post-film discussion with audience and Porchlight cast members.

Merrily We Roll Along opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances.  For the first time, "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened" draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation—and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. Directed by Porchlight Advisory Board Member Lonny Price, who played “Charley” in the original cast, the film is a bittersweet meditation on the choices we all make, and the often unexpected consequences of those choices—through success and failure. Featuring exclusive appearances by Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Jason Alexander, Mandy Patinkin, Adam Guettel, Frank Rich and the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along.

Tickets: FREE TO THE PUBLIC
RSVP by calling Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884 or sending an email to BoxOffice@PorchlightMusicTheatre.org

Porchlight Revisits Merrily We Roll Along, the 1934 play
Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
For one night only, Porchlight Music Theatre’s Porchlight Revisits staged concert series will present the original 1934 Broadway play Merrily We Roll Along by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart that inspired the Stephen Sondheim musical. Written by the team that created You Can't Take it With You, The Man Who Came to Dinner and Once in a Lifetime, and originally featuring a cast of over 90 actors, this is an extraordinary opportunity to experience this very rarely seen classic. Join Artistic Director Michael Weber and Porchlight’s Merrily cast with a “Behind the Show Backstory” look at the production that has never been revived on Broadway followed by a fully staged reading of Kaufman and Hart’s play.

Tickets: $20 
Purchase tickets at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org 

Post-Performance Conversation 
Thursday, Feb. 22 - following the 7:30 p.m. performance

Immediate following the performance, Thursday, Feb 22, Porchlight and Merrily cast members share their experiences from this Sondheim production and answer audience questions. 

The Post-Performance Conversation is free and open to the public.
All special events take place at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

The cast of Merrily We Roll Along includes Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Matt Crowle (Charley Kringas), Jim DeSelm (Franklin Shephard), Neala Barron (Mary Flynn), Keely Vasquez (Gussie Carnegie), David Fiorello (Joe Josephson), Aja Wiltshire (Beth), and ensemble including Kyrie Anderson (Make-up Artist), Larry Baldacci (Mr. Spencer), Katherine Condit (Scotty), Christopher Davis (Terry), Andres Enriquez (Tyler), Frederick Harris (Jerome), Michelle Jasso (K.T.), Bernell Lassai (Bunker / TV Newsman), Cisco Lopez (Floor Monitor / Minister), Alana Lovely (Meg / TV Newswoman), Liz Norton (Mrs. Spencer), Khaki Pixley (Dory / Girl Auditioning), Jonathan Stombres (Ru/ Nightclub Pianist) and Zachary Fewkes and Asher Schenk alternating the role of Franklin Shepard, Jr.

Musicians for Merrily We Roll Along include Tony Scandora (percussion), Ben Dillinger (bass), Mike Matlock (reeds #1: flute, oboe, clarinet, alto sax), Lara Regan (reeds #2: clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet), Jered Montgomery (trumpet) and Matt Kowalski (trombone).

Members of the creative/production team of Merrily We Roll Along include Michael Weber (director), Christopher Pazdernik (associate director/musical staging), Aaron Benham (music Director, conductor, pianist), Bill Morey (costume designer), Tony Churchill (projection designer),  Jeff Kmiec (co-scenic designer), Greg Pinsoneault (co-scenic designer), Robert Hornbostel (sound designer), Rachel West (master electrician), Alex Rhyan (production manager), Johnnie Schleyer (technical director) and Matt McMullen (stage manager).

ABOUT MICHAEL WEBER, DIRECTOR
Michael Weber is the artistic director of Porchlight Music Theatre where, under his leadership, the company has received the Best Production Equity Jeff Award for the past five years. He previously served as artistic director for the inaugural season of Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place (now The Broadway Playhouse) and at Theatre at the Center (1998-2004). His productions of End of the Rainbow, Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pal Joey, Assassins and Side Show at Porchlight Music Theatre, Grand Hotel at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place and She Loves Me at Theatre at the Center were each nominated for the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directing credits include Living the History-125 Years of The Auditorium Theatre starring Patti LuPone and John Mahoney, Fifth of July and Talley’s Folly at the Oak Park Festival Theatre, The Petrified Forest at Theatre at the Center, Beauty and the Beast at Marriott Theatre, Over the River and Through the Woods at The Mercury Theater, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Pheasant Run Theatre and Cirque du Symphony at Sears Center Arena. The recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards, he has written and directed the past twelve Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremonies. Weber’s regional acting credits include Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy (both starring Patti LuPone) at Ravinia, Disney’s My Son Pinocchio at First Stage Milwaukee, Around the World in 80 Days at Cleveland Playhouse, The Winter’s Tale and Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, It Had To Be You (starring Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka) at Little Theatre on the Square, Angel Street at First Folio Shakespeare and The Gifts of the Magi at Indiana Repertory. Weber is proud to serve as a pledge host on WTTW, Channel 11.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER PAZDERNIK, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/MUSICAL STAGING
Christopher Pazdernik is a director/choreographer with "a near encyclopedic knowledge of musicals" (Newcity). At Porchlight Music Theatre, Pazdernik is a proud artistic associate and has directed and choreographed numerous Porchlight Revisits including The Rink, Anyone Can Whistle, City of Angels and Applause and co-curated the Porchlight New Faces Sing Broadway series.  He is best known for the critically acclaimed production of High Fidelity (Jeff Awards for Best Director and Best Production of a Musical) at Refuge Theatre Project, where he also serves as artistic director. Recent credits include Carrie (Ohio Northern University), Wicked City (Chicago Theatre Workshop), Planted (Chicago Musical Theatre Festival), Make Me a Song (Eclectic Theatre Co.) and Story of A Story (The Untold Story) (Underscore 

Theater Co.). He is also a frequent cabaret director and curator, including Broadway's Cult Classics at Davenport's Piano Bar and the His & His series at Pride Films & Plays. An openly HIV+ artist, Pazdernik was also a 2016 Windy City Times 30-Under-30 honoree for his contributions to Chicago's LGBTQ community and currently serves on the Ambassador Committee for the AIDS Run/Walk Chicago and as chairperson on the Community Advisory Board for Howard Brown Health, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ organizations.

ABOUT AARON BENHAM, MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR/PIANIST
Aaron Benham is a local music director, conductor, arranger and composer and has previously worked with Porchlight as music director for Side Show and Putting it Together. Other Chicago credits include The Sweet Smell of Success (Kokandy Productions), The Wild Party (Jeff Award), Carrie, Dessa Rose (Bailiwick Chicago); Melancholy Play (Piven); We Three Lizas (About Face); Always Patsy Cline, revues of Marvin Hamlisch, the Andrews Sisters (Jeff Award), Cole Porter, Jule Styne (Theo-Ubique); Parade, Gypsy (Harper College); as well as work with American Theatre Company, Chicago Opera Theatre, the New Colony, Northlight, Timeline and Writers Theatre.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS RUTH PAGE ARTIST IN-RESIDENCE
Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to be a member of the vibrant Ruth Page Center for the Arts community and an Artist In-Residence. Central to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programming is the Artists In-Residence program, which is designed to serve organizations looking for a home base while they grow or expand their artistic and organizational capabilities. The Center is committed to nurturing and assisting dance and other performing artists, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artistic community. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a destination for quality performing arts, accessible to a wide community regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability. An incubator of artistic energy and excellence, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the vision of its founder, legendary dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community.



ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
As the home for music theatre in Chicago now in its 23rd season, Porchlight Music Theatre is nationally recognized for reimagining classic productions, developing new works and showcasing musical theatre’s noted Chicago veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences of music theatre through the lens of the “Chicago Style.” The 2017–2018 year marks a milestone for Porchlight as the company becomes an Artist In-Residence at the historic Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation including the launch of a youth “Write Your Own Musical” Summer Camp in 2017. The company’s many accolades include 22 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and seven awards, as well as a total of 139 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 42 Jeff Awards including five consecutive Best Production awards for The Scottsboro Boys (2017), Dreamgirls (2016),  Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, The Saints and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

OPENING: BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL VIA PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL, 

OCTOBER 6 – NOVEMBER 19 AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're long time admirers of the fantastic productions Chicago's Porchlight Music Theatre mounts each season. Years ago we reviewed the Broadway touring production of BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL, and we can't wait to see Porchlight's take on this terrific tale of nonconformity, following your dreams, and a town in economic crisis backing an unlikely hero. With a score by Elton John this is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Porchlight’s 23rd Season at its New Home Launches with Elton John’s
and Lee Hall’s Inspirational Story of a Boy Who Trades Boxing Gloves for Ballet Shoes, Directed and Choreographed by Brenda Didier with Associate Choreographer Craig V. Miller and Music Direction by Linda Madonia

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the first mainstage production it its 2017 – 2018 season Billy Elliot the Musical, music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall, with direction and choreography by Porchilght Artistic Associate Brenda Didier, with Associate Choreographer Craig V. Miller and music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Linda Madonia at Porchlght’s new home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. 

Previews are Friday, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7 and Oct. 14 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Sunday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. 

The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. (October 22, October 29 and November 5) and at 2 p.m. (November 12 and 19) with an open captioned performance, Saturday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. and a weekday matinee Thursday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. Please note: there is no 7:30 p.m. performance Thursday, Nov. 16. 

Tickets are $33 - $60 and available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre  box office, 773.777.9884.

Billy Elliot the Musical is based on the 2000 film “Billy Elliot” and features music by Elton John with book and lyrics by the film’s screenplay writer Lee Hall. Winner of both the Tony Award and Olivier Award for Best Musical, Billy Elliot the Musical is an inspirational story set in an English mining town during the miners’ strike of 1984-85. Billy Elliot takes a journey from the boxing ring to a ballet class to make his dreams come true while challenging the long held beliefs of his hometown. Along the way, he discovers a passion for dance that unites his family, inspires his community and changes his life forever. 

The cast of Billy Elliot the Musical will be the largest in Porchlight’s history and includes Jacob Kaiser and Lincoln Seymour sharing the title role of “Billy Elliot;” Shanésia Davis*, “Mrs. Wilkinson;” Sean Fortunato*, “Dad;” Iris Lieberman*, “Grandma;” Adam Fane, “Tony Elliot;” Peyton Owen, “Michael Caffrey;” Nicole Cready, “Mum;” ”Princess Isis Z. Lang, “Debbie Wilkinson;” with Jordan DeBose, “George/Ensemble;” Gabriel Robert, “Small Boy;” John Gurdian, “Big Davey/Ensemble;” Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, “Lesley/Ensemble;” Jeff Bouthiette, “Scab/Posh Dad/Ensemble;” Tommy Novak, “Mr. Braithwaite/Ensemble;” Ivan Bruns-Trukhin,“Older Billy/Ensemble;” Bernell Lassai III, “Pit Supervisor/Ensemble;” Logan Baffico, “Posh Boy;” Alejandro Medina, “Tall Boy;” Jessica Vann, “Clipboard Woman/Ensemble;” Graham Hawley, “Accordion Player/Grandma Dancer/Ensemble;” Jacob Voigt, “Ensemble;” Roy Brown, “Ensemble;” Jenny McPherson, “Ensemble/Grandma Dancer;” Kayla Boye, “Ensemble;” and Darby Leetch, “Alison Summers;” Moriah Mitchell, “Keeley Gibson; Paula Hlava, “Angela Robson;” Anna L. Bramlett, “Julie Hope;” McKenna Rogers, “Karen Davidson;” Emerson Tait, “Sharon Percy;” Katelyn Montgomery, “Margaret Gormley;” Kendall Sorkin, “Tina Harmer;” Ayla Gray, “Tracy Atkinson” and Bernadette Olivia Schwegel, “Susan Parks.”

Additional members of the creative/production team of Billy Elliot the Musical include Porchlight Artistic Associate Bill Morey, costume designer; Denise Karczewski, lighting designer; Christopher Rhoton, scenic designer, Robert Hornbostel, sound designer; Mealah Heidenreich, props designer; Adrian Abel Azevedo, assistant director; Kayla Boye, assistant choreographer/dance captain; Sara Haverty, assistant to the choreographers/associate child supervisor; Sammi Grant, dialect coach; Jaq Seifert, fight choreography; Sean McStravick, stage manager*; Corey Boughton, assistant stage manager*; Matt Nadler, assistant stage manager; Shannon Desmond, assistant stage manager; Joaquin Gomez, child supervisor/ASM swing and Samantha Treible, wardrobe supervisor.

Musical Director Madonia conducts and is the pianist with musicans Justin Kono, drums/percussion; Cara Hartz, reeds; Sarah Younker, french horn; Greg Strauss, trumpet; Justin LaForte, guitar and Dan Kristan, electric bass.
*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association

ABOUT BRENDA DIDIER, DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
Brenda Didier, a Porchlight Music Theatre artistic associate, returns to Porchlight where she last directed and choreograhed In The Heights and the award-winning Dreamgirls. Didier is a multiple Jeff Award recipient in both direction and choreography, and the recipient of After Dark Awards, BroadwayWorld awards and the National Youth Theatre award. She is the proud owner and artistic director of the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, celebrating its 20th season. Other credits include work at the Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Second City, Theatre at the Center, BoHo, Mercury Theatre Chicago, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, Stage Left, Six Flags Great America, Busch Gardens Virginia, Cirque Shanghai at Navy Pier, T-Mobile’s national commercial “Home for the Holidays,” The Kenny Rogers Christmas Tour and the University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin and Carthage College. 

ABOUT CRAIG V. MILLER, ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER
Craig V. Miller returns to Porchlight Music Theatre where he choreographed the Porchlight Revisits production Little Me and was the assistant choreographer for the Jeff Award-winning Ain’t Misbehavin’. As a guest artist, he has performed with the Civic Ballet of Chicago’s production of The Nutcracker, Esoteric Dance Project, Dance in the Parks, and Chicago Dance Crash. Additional choreography credits include: The Color Purple at Mercury Theater Chicago where he was the associate choreographer and won the Broadway World Award-Best Choreography in a Musical and Carl Neilsen’s Maskarade (Vox3 Collective, choreographer). His work has also been presented at Dance Chicago, Dance Chance and Chicago Freelance Dance. 

ABOUT LINDA MADONIA, MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR/PIANIST
Linda Madonia is a Porchlight Music Theatre artistic associate and has previously worked with Porchlight on Porchlight Revisits Little Me, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Double Trouble. As a music director and conductor in the Chicago area for more than 30 years, Linda Madonia’s recent credits include Mary Poppins and I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett at The Mercury Theatre. Other credits include Grand Hotel and Nunsensations at Drury Lane Water Tower Place, and A Chorus Line, She Loves Me and Me and My Girl at Theatre at the Center and The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes at Mercury Theatre Chicago. For the past nine years, Linda has been the music director for Chicago’s Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards. Madonia also owns American Eagle Productions, a touring theater company that takes shows and workshops directly into schools. American Eagle has been doing shows for twenty-four years and presents 250 shows a year to Chicago area schools.

ABOUT SHANÉSIA DAVIS, “MRS. WILKINSON”
Shanésia Davis makes her Porchlight Music Theatre debut with this production. Recent credits include Baltimore Center Stage: Jazz and Intimate Apparel, Mark Taper Forum/ Goodman Theatre: Immediate Family (NAACP award nomination) and Congo Square’s What I Learned in Paris, Brothers of the Dust. Other credits include South Coast Rep’s Intimate Apparel; The Gift/Steppenwolf’s Richard III; Court Theatre/American Blues Theater’s Native Son; Steppenwolf’s Our Lady of 121st St, One Arm, and The Glass Menagerie; The Goodman’s Watermelon Rinds (Jeff nomination), Black Starline, Spunk, The Visit, Drowning Crow (Jeff/BTAA nominations). Davis’ Film and TV credits include Early Edition, Cleveland Abduction, Empire, Chicago Fire, Crisis, Detroit 187, Chicago Hope, Missing Persons, Making a Case for Murder: The Howard Beach Story, Internal Rivals, Consumed, Damaged Goods, The Weatherman, Uncle Nino and Life Sentence.

ABOUT SEAN FORTUNATO, “DAD”
Sean Fortunato makes his Porchlight Music Theatre debut with this production. His recent credits include Cabaret at Theatre at the Center and Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf: A Parody at Writers Theatre. Other credits includeThe Diary of Anne Frank, Hedda Gabler, The Real Thing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Travels with My Aunt, The Chosen, Incident at Vichy, A Phoenix Too Frequent, Richard II, Rough Crossing, Spite for Spite (Writers Theatre), 2666, Measure for Measure (Goodman Theatre), Spamalot, The Producers (Theatre at the Center), Pericles, Cyrano De Bergerac, School for Lies, Sunday in the Park with George and Timon of Athens (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), “Rene Gallimard” in M. Butterfly (Court Theatre), “Detective Cioffi” in Curtains (Drury Lane Theatre) and work at Northlight Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Next Theatre and First Folio Theatre. Regional credits include Intiman Theatre (WA), The Old Globe (CA), The Duke on 42nd (NY) and twelve seasons with Peninsula Players (WI), where he played “George” in Sunday in the Park with George. His film amd TV credits include The Merry Gentleman directed by Michael Keaton and Chicago PD. Fortunato has received four Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and an After Dark Award.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 23rd season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation including the launch of a youth Summer Camp in 2017. The company’s many accolades include 17 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and three awards, as well as a total of 126 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 39 Jeff Awards including four consecutive Best Production awards for Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the first mainstage production it its 2017 – 2018 season Billy Elliot the Musical, music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall, with direction and choreography by Porchilght Artistic Associate Brenda Didier, with Associate Choreographer Craig V. Miller and music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Linda Madonia at Porchlght’s new home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Previews are Friday, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7 and Oct. 14 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Sunday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. (October 22, October 29 and November 5) and at 2 p.m. (November 12 and 19) with an open captioned performance, Saturday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. and a weekday matinee Thursday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. Please note: there is no 7:30 p.m. performance Thursday, Nov. 16. Tickets are $33 - $60 and available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre  box office, 773.777.9884.

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation,  the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Cooper’s: A Neighborhood Eatery, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, The Saints, the Service Club of Chicago, and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

HELP OUT: PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE BENEFIT 8/28 AT UP COMEDY CLUB

COME FLY WITH PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS IT LAUNCHES ITS 23rd SEASON WITH 

CHICAGO SINGS: 

SINATRA AND THE RAT PACK, 

MONDAY, AUG. 28 AT UP COMEDY CLUB

The Annual Benefit Concert, this Year Devised and Directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and Keely Vasquez with Music Director David Fiorello, Features Top Theatre Talents from Sinatra’s ‘Kind of Town” Performing the Hits of Ol’ Blue Eyes and the Rat Pack

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the 12th Annual Chicago Sings concert; Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Monday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m., at Second City’s UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave, devised and directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and Keely Vasquez and music directed by David Fiorello. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the annual benefit concert that includes performances, a paddle raiser and table side food and drink service at an additional charge. 



Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack from Porchlight Music Theatre on Vimeo.

General admission tickets are $75 and are on sale now at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling 773.777.9884. Sales from this one-night-only performance benefit Porchlight Music Theatre’s youth education programming.

Luck is your lady at Chicago Sings, a one-night-only fund raising celebration kicking off Porchlight’s 2017 – 2018 season. For more than ten years, Chicago Sings honors artists and organizations that have made music that changed the world and this year’s Chicago Sings Sinatra and the Rat Pack pays homage to the coolest guys and gals from Broadway to Hollywood to the nightclub stages of Las Vegas, Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. The venue also has ties to the Rat Pack, as UP Comedy Club houses Sinatra’s original Booth Number One from the historic Pump Room where a few lucky Chicago Sings guests may enjoy the performance with the first round of drinks included (see inset below.)  The iconic booth was the place to be seen and to watch the crowds at the legendary nightclub for more than five decades. Diners of Booth One included Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, Liza Minnelli, John Belushi, Mick Jagger and, many more, most notably, “The Chairman of the Board,” himself. 

Audiences will have the world on a string and fly to the moon at the jazziest swingest party in this toddlin’ town. The music of Frank, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., is reimagined for one night only in Sinatra’s “kind of town” at Chicago Sings Sinatra and the Rat Pack. 

More than a dozen leading Chicago talents perform new and traditional versions of the Rat Pack’s hits, performers currently include Stephen Allen, Lucy Godinez, Mark David Kaplan, Heidi Kettenring, Eric Lewis, Rob Lindley, Yando Lopez, Christine Mild, Hollis Resnik, Peggy Roeder and Stephen Schellhardt with others to be announced.*

WIN SEATS IN BOOTH ONE AND PARTY LIKE THE RAT PACK
Chicago Sings guests when purchasing tickets at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org may additionally order raffle tickets for $25 per ticket to win a chance for them, and up to five friends, to sit in the world famous BOOTH ONE for Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack with the first round of drinks picked up by Porchlight Music Theatre! Seating limited to six people, all of whom must have purchased general admission tickets to the event.

Porchlight will announce the winner on its page via Facebook LIVE Monday, Aug, 28 at 11 a.m. - Facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre/.

*Songs performed and artists may change without notice.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 23rd season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation for adults and youth. The company’s many accolades include 17 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and three awards, as well as a total of 126 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 39 Jeff Awards including four consecutive Best Production awards for Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).


Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, , the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, The Saints, Service Club of Chicago, and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

OPENING: Rarely Seen Sondheim Revue, MARRY ME A LITTLE Concludes PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE’S Season at Stage 773

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE’S 

2016 – 2017 SEASON 

CONCLUDES WITH STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S 

MARRY ME A LITTLE 

STARRING 

AUSTIN COOK AND BETHANY THOMAS 

AT STAGE 773, APRIL 14 – MAY 21

The 2016 - 17 Goodman Theatre Michael Maggio Fellow Jess McLeod Directs with Jeff-Award Winning Cook Music Directing this Rarely Seen Sondheim Revue 

ChiIL Live Shows will be there for opening night, Tuesday, April 18th, so check back soon for our full review. 

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the final mainstage production it its 2016 – 2017 season Marry Me a Little starring Austin Cook and Bethany Thomas, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and originally conceived by Craig Lucas and Norman René, with direction by Jess McLeod and music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Cook. Previews are Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m. and Monday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Tuesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with an added matinee performance Thursday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m. 

NOTE There are no 7:30 p.m. performances Thursday, April 20 and  May 11 and no 4 p.m. performance  Saturday, April 22. 

Tickets to Marry Me a Little are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Stage 773 box office, 773.327.5252. 

Two urban singles, each alone in their apartments in the same building, share a Saturday night of sweet fantasies and deep yearning never knowing that they're only a floor away from each other and the end of their lonely dreams. Following in the tradition of Porchlight's hit Sondheim on Sondheim, and re-conceived with special permission given by Stephen Sondheim especially for this production, the rarely seen Marry Me a Little breathes new theatrical life and meaning into a collection of songs that were culled from the final productions of Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music and other Sondheim favorites. 

Conceived by original Sweeney Todd cast member Craig Lucas and Norman René, the Off-Broadway premiere of Marry Me a Little debuted in 1981 starring Lucas and Suzanne Henry at the Actors' Playhouse. Marry Me a Little includes such songs as "So Many People," "The Girls of Summer," "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "There Won't Be Trumpets," "Can That Boy Foxtrot," "Bang!," "Your Eyes Are Blue," "Happily Ever After," "It Wasn't Meant to Happen" and "A Moment with You."

The two-person cast of Marry Me a Little includes: Austin Cook as “The Man” and Bethany Thomas  as “The Woman.”

The production team includes Jess McLeod, director; Austin Cook, music director, Jeff Kmiec, scenic designer; Stephanie Cluggish, costume designer; Becca Jeffords, lighting designer; Mealah Heidenreich, props designer; Keegan Bradac, sound designer; Ashlee Rowland, stage manager; Alex Rhyan, production manager; Shelby Brand, wardrobe supervisor with Jordan Fleming, house manager.


ABOUT JESS McLEOD, director
Jess McLeod, recently named the recipient of the 2016-17 Goodman Theatre Michael Maggio Fellowship, returns to Porchlight Music Theatre where she recently directed the Porchlight Revisits production of Babes in Arms. Additional Chicago credits include the Chicago premiere of How We Got On and The Wedding Singer (Haven Theatre Company); Lauren Yee’s in a word (Strawdog Theatre Company), For Your Art: portrait of a young blu artist (Lyric Unlimited/Lyric Opera of Chicago), Shawn Pfautsch’s Season on the Line (The House Theatre of Chicago); Kevin Coval’s L-vis Live! (Victory Gardens Theater); Suzan-Lori Parks’s Venus (Steppenwolf Next Up!); Kin (Griffin Theatre); Emily Schwartz’s Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play (Strange Tree Group); and The 48-Hour Musicals: Encore!, The Pajama Game and Fugitive Songs (The Music Theatre Company). New York credits include Joyce Carol Oates's The Corn Maiden, Harrison David Rivers’ Fell, Rachel Axle’s Kitchen Sink, Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, Brad Ross & Joe Keenan’s The Times, and The Unauthorized Musicology of Ben Folds (NYMF).  Assistant/Associate Director: Moonshine! That Hee-Haw Musical (Dallas Theater Center), A Parallelogram (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), The New Moon (City Center Encores!), Willful (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and Gypsy and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). McLeod served as co-artistic director of The Music Theatre Company from 2014-15, director of programming of The New York Musical Theatre Festival from 2005-08, festival coordinator of Louder Than A Bomb 2016 and works currently as a teaching artist with Storycatchers Theatre. She received her MFA from, Northwestern University.

ABOUT AUSTIN COOK, music director and “The Man”
Austin Cook is a Porchlight Music Theatre artistic associate. He made his Porchlight debut in Ain’t Misbehavin’ for which he won the Jeff Award for “Artistic Specialization” and later music directed and co-starred in the award-winning Sondheim by Sondheim where he received the Jeff award for “Music Direction.” The recipient of three Jeff awards, he is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. A native of Kansas City, MO, Cook has been a dedicated musician his entire life. After receiving his bachelor's degrees in piano and vocal performance, Cook toured Europe performing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2. In 2008, he came back to the States to join Walt Disney Entertainment as a composer/orchestrator. In 2009, he moved to Chicago to continue his work as a music director, producer  and actor. He is a proud member of AEA and the AFM. As a producer, his most recently produced album The Beast in Me received the 2014 Independent Music Award for Best Roots EP. The album was performed in its entirety on the nationally televised PBS series Sun Studio Sessions. Cook moved to New York in 2016 after being in the orchestra for the pre-Broadway run of War Paint at the Goodman Theatre.

ABOUT BETHANY THOMAS, “The Woman”
Bethany Thomas made her Porchlight debut with Children of Eden in 2002 and has been a recurrent performer at Porchlight Music Theatre’s concert fundraiser Chicago Sings as well as starring as “The Witch” in its Into The Woods. Other Chicago credits include: All Shook Up, Big Fish (Theatre at the Center); South Pacific (Jeff Award-Marriott Theatre); Porgy and Bess (Court Theater); Hairspray (Drury Lane Theatre); Hair (Paramount Theatre); The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) as well as work with The Second City, About Face Theatre, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre and American Theater Company. Regional credits include: Little Shop of Horrors (Geva Theatre Center); The Color Purple, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Ragtime (Milwaukee Repertory Theater). She frequently performs around Chicago at locations including The Hideout, Salonathon and “The Paper Machete” and has appeared on FOX Television’s “Empire.”

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 22nd season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s new center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation. The company’s many accolades include 17 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and three awards, as well as a total of 126 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 39 Jeff Awards including four consecutive Best Production awards for Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Tickets to Marry Me a Little are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Stage 773 box office, 773.327.5252.



Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Cooper’s: A Neighborhood Eatery, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, the National Association of Realtors, The Saints and the Service Club of Chicago. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency.

OPENING: JOHN KANDER AND FRED EBB’S THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF JOHN KANDER AND FRED EBB’S

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, 

FEBRUARY 3 – MARCH 12 AT STAGE 773

Directed by Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. and Music Directed by Doug Peck with James Earl Jones II, Mark Hood, Larry Yando, Cynthia Clarey and Others 

The Scottsboro Boys, Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, tells the Story of Nine African American Teenagers Put on Trial in Memphis for a Crime they did not Commit

Porchlight Music Theatre is a perennial favorite of ours here at ChiIL Live Shows. They've earned a well deserved reputation for world class musical productions in an intimate space. We're particularly excited to see Larry Yando, another favorite of ours, make his Porchlight debut. He's the king of the pregnant pause and can work a silence better than just about anyone on the Chicago scene. 

OPENING: Chicago premiere of the Broadway musical The Scottsboro Boys, February 3 – March 12, featuring music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson, direction by Samuel G. Roberson, Jr, music direction by Doug Peck and choreography by Florence Walker-Harris with Breon Arzell as associate choreographer, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. 

Previews are Friday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. 

There is an added matinee performance Thursday, March 2 at 1:30 p.m. NOTE: *There are no Thursday 7:30 p.m. performances February 9 and March 2. Tickets for previews are $38 and for the regular run $45 - $51. Single tickets may be purchased at 773.327.5252 or at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.

The thrilling, final collaboration by the creators of Cabaret, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Scottsboro Boys has been hailed as one of the most visionary and controversial musicals to grace the stages of Broadway and London. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards (including “Best Musical,” “Book of a Musical” and “Original Score”) and presented in the style of the notorious “minstrel show;” this true-life story of nine African American teenagers accused and put on trial in Memphis for a crime they did not commit is one of the most infamous events in our country’s history, igniting the start of the modern civil rights movement.

The Scottsboro Boys ensemble cast includes: Stephen Allen (Clarence Norris),
Jos N. Banks (Charles Weems), Cynthia Clarey (The Lady), Cameron Goode (Eugene Williams), Izaiah Harris (Willie Roberson), Mark Hood (Mr. Tambo), James Earl Jones II (Haywood Patterson), Maurice Randle (Andy Wright), Jerome Riley, Jr. (Roy Wright), Trequon Tate (Ozie Powell), Denzel Tsopnang (Mr. Bones), Travis Austin Wright (Olen Montgomery) and Larry Yando (The Interlocutor). Understudies include Susan P. Anderson, Patrick Perry, Jared Grant, Micheal Lovette and Nolan Robinson.

The Scottsboro Boys production team includes: Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. (director), Doug Peck (music director), Florence Walker-Harris (choreographer), Breon Arzell (associate choreographer), Jared Bellot (dramaturg), Aaron Benham (conductor/pianist), Samantha Jones (costume designer), Richard Norwood (lighting designer), Mealah Heidenreich (props designer), Andrei Onegin (scenic designer), Keegan Bradac (sound designer), Ross Hoppe (projections designer), Jessica Forella (stage manager) and Alex Rhyan (production manager).



ABOUT SAMUEL G. ROBERSON, Jr., director
This is Samuel G. Roberson Jr’s debut with Porchlight Music Theatre. Roberson is the artistic director of Congo Square Theatre. His Chicago acting stage credits include: Samuel J and K (Steppenwolf Theatre), Civil War Christmas (Northlight Theatre), The Colored Museum and Sanctified (Congo Square), Living Green and The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theatre), and The Ballad of Emmett Till (Goodman Theatre). Roberson also founded an education and outreach initiative with Congo Square Theatre called Y-BOOM (Young Brothers Owning Our Mission). As a two-time leukemia survivor he has always had a passion for giving back and started a non-profit organization, called Make Me A Match Project, dedicated to saving the lives of patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.

ABOUT DOUG PECK, music director
Doug Peck is a Porchlight Music Theatre artistic associate where he previously music directed and conducted Dreamgirls and Pal Joey as well as being the co-host and co-creator of Porchlight’s annual fundraiser Chicago Sings. Peck is the winner of six Jeff Awards (The Jungle Book; Porgy and Bess; Caroline, or Change; Carousel; Fiorello! and Man of La Mancha). His work has been heard in Chicago at Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, the Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Peck can be heard on the recordings Bright Young People: The Songs of Noël Coward, Foiled Again Live and Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein.

ABOUT FLORENCE WALKER-HARRIS, choreographer
Florence Walker-Harris makes her Porchlight Music Theatre debut with The Scottsboro Boys. Walker-Harris is the artistic director at Studio One Dance Theatre and trained in a variety of dance disciplines including Classical Ballet, the modern technique of Lester Horton, Kather, the Dunham technique, Jazz (strongly influenced by Mr. Frank Hatchet,) traditional Haitian folklore, African, Tap and Hip-Hop. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology & Black and Latino Studies from the State University College at Oneonta in New York, and a Masters degree in Human Services Administration from National Louis University.

ABOUT BREON ARZELL, associate choreographer
Breon Arzell’s talents and choreography have been seen in the productions of Rutherford’s Travels (Pegasus Theatre), The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens Theater) and The Hairy Ape (Oracle Productions), for which he received the 2016 Joseph Jefferson Award for “Artistic Specialization,” for his movement and step choreography. He specializes in hip hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and step and has choreographed for and danced with LaShelle's School of Dance and Twisted Dance Co. in Detroit and he has performed in And the Tony Goes To with Joel Hall Dancers & Center. Arzell teaches at Joel Hall Dancers & Center, Agassiz Elementary and Walter Payton High School. He has appeared in the film A Rose by Any Other Name and is television credits include: “Empire.” He specializes in hip hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and step.

ABOUT JAMES EARL JONES II, “Heywood Patterson”
James Earl Jones II returns to Porchlight Music Theatre where he was Jeff-nominated for his work in the award-winning Sondheim On Sondheim. Recently seen at The Goodman Theatre as the title character in the world premiere production of Carlyle, Chicago credits include October Sky, Elf, Dreamgirls and The Full Monty (Marriott Theatre); Satchmo at the Waldorf, The Secret Garden, The Good Book and Porgy and Bess (Court Theatre); Shrek (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Cymbeline (First Folio Theatre); Sweet Charity and Company (Writers Theatre) and Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting (Lookingglass Theatre Company). Jones’ national tour credits include The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. His television and film credits include “Pokerhouse,” “Chicago Fire” and “Empire.”

ABOUT MARK HOOD, “Mr. Tambo”
Mark Hood makes his Porchlight debut with this production. Recently seen in Sister Act at Marriott Theatre, Hood is a professional actor and recording artist most recently seen on NBC’s “The Voice” as a top 12 finalist. As an ensemble member of The Black Ensemble Theater, he has been seen in many productions including, Sounds So Sweet, At Last: A Tribute To Etta James, One Hit Wonders, The Curtis Mayfield Story, Chicago’s Golden Soul and Once Upon A People. Other credits include A Nativity Story (Congo Square Theatre); Hoodoo Love (The Collective Theater); Dreamgirls and The Color Purple (Theater 47).  Hood’s television credits include USA’s “Sirens” and NBC’s “Chicago Fire.” 

ABOUT LARRY YANDO, “The Interlocutor”
Larry Yando makes his Porchlight debut with this production. Renowned as “Scrooge” in A Christmas Carol, his other Goodman Theatre credits include The Little Foxes, The Jungle Book and Candide (Jeff Award). Chicago credits include The Tempest, King Lear, and The Two Noble Kinsmen, (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Angels in America (Jeff Award), Travesties, An Ideal Husband, and Ghosts (Court Theatre); Fake and Mother Courage and Her Children (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Dance of Death (Jeff Award), Bach at Leipzig, and Hamlet (Writers Theatre). Yando performed as “Scar” in the national tour of The Lion King for three years. He was honored as Chicago magazine’s “Best Actor in Chicago” and was the recipient of the 2014 Sarah Siddens Award for “Chicago’s Leading Man.” 

ABOUT CYNTHIA CLAREY, “The Lady”
Cynthia Clarey makes her Porchlight debut with this production. Her reputation as a consummate singing actress has led to engagements throughout the world. Highlights of her repertoire include Handel’s Ariodante, Thomas’ Mignon and Bellini’s La Straniera (Wexford Festival); Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Glyndebourne Festival); Berg’s Lulu (Chatelet in Paris) and Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoe (Opera Comique). She sang leading roles in several premieres, including Thea Musgrave’s Voice of Ariadne, which was her New York City Opera debut and she played Broadway and toured in seven countries with Peter Brook’s innovative La tragedie de Carmen. The films of Porgy and Bess and L’incoronazione di Poppea are available on DVD.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 22nd season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s new center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation. The company’s many accolades include 16 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and two awards, as well as a total of 126 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 39 Jeff Awards including four consecutive Best Production awards for Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013)

Tickets for previews are $38 and for the regular run $45 - $51. Single tickets may be purchased at 773.327.5252 or at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.



Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Cooper’s: A Neighborhood Eatery, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki, Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, the National Association of Realtors, The Saints and the Service Club of Chicago. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency.