LAST CALL: The Dolphin Show’s Highly Recommended 81st production: Kinky Boots! Ends Tonight! 1/27/24

 The Dolphin Show

AMERICA’S LARGEST STUDENT PRODUCED MUSICAL PRESENTS…

KINKY BOOTS THE MUSICAL

WINNER OF 6 TONY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL!

With Book by Harvey Fierstein and Music & Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper

Recommended for Ages 10+

Review

By Guest Critic, Dugan Kenaz-Mara 

Sometimes a two-and-a-half-hour show feels daunting, and you fear you may get tired and bored, wanting to leave before the second act is through. But fear not, you will find yourself completely immersed in every second of The Dolphin Show’s 81st production: Kinky Boots! I had the pleasure of catching it last night. Overall, it is a stunning show, and I highly recommend you see the final performance tonight.

The show had many wonderful features, including:

Flashy costumes for all of the angels worthy of a runway show all to themselves.

Over-the-top makeup that builds in intensity, resulting in an expressive explosion in the finale.

An incredible versatile set with moving pieces that adapt easily to every scene.

Dramatic lights and sound that pull the audience into the world of the show.

And brilliant actors who shine on stage with their vocal talent, and guide the audience effortlessly through the highs and lows of the musical.

You can tell by the cheers, gasps, and standing ovation that this production really touches the audience, and it is incredibly clear how much dedication went into the show from every producer, designer, actor, and other member of the Dolphin team.

Over 90% sold out for the closing performance. Only 100 tickets are left for the final show. Don't miss this! Click here for more information and photos on Instagram.

Dugan Kenaz-Mara is a designer, photographer, educator, and recent graduate of Northwestern University.

The 81st Annual Dolphin Show is gearing up to bring you an electrifying performance of Kinky Boots the Musical! 

Get ready to be dazzled by this spectacular show filled with fabulous music, incredible designs, sensational choreography, and a heartwarming story that will leave you cheering for more. Our team of over 150 students cannot wait to bring this relevant and powerful narrative to Northwestern’s campus and continue our educational workshops, community outreach efforts, and more. 

Whether you're a fan of musical theater or just looking for a night of pure entertainment, this is an event you won't want to miss. Save the date and join us for a night of unforgettable entertainment that's sure to knock your boots off!

GET TICKETS NOW

Tickets can be purchased online from Northwestern Box Office or in person at the Norris University Center front desk at 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60201.

How do I access my tickets?

Tickets will be emailed to you after you make a purchase. Please present this PDF either on your screen or printed out when entering the theatre. Make sure to pull up the QR code.

What age is the show recommended for?

Kinky Boots is officially recommended for children ages 10 and older, but children younger than 10 may be suited for the production based on maturity levels and parental involvement. For more information, please visit our parent guide here.

Are there special discounts available for tickets?

Northwestern Students can access $10 tickets to performances by logging in with their Northwestern email. Limit 2 tickets per performance.

Northwestern Faculty can access $20 tickets to performances by logging in with their Northwestern email. Limit 2 tickets per performance.

Children under age 18 can access $10 tickets by applying the code TDSstudent10 at checkout. Limit 2 tickets per order.

Seniors over age 65 can access $20 tickets by applying the code TDSsenior20 at checkout. Limit 2 tickets per order. 

How can I bring a group to see Kinky Boots?

Group tickets are available for purchase for all performances. Orders with 10 or more tickets will receive a 10% discount on the order. If you are interested in group booking, please reach out to sales@nudolphinshow.org for booking assistance. Group tickets can only be paid for via check (made out to “Northwestern University” with the memo line “Dolphin Show - Group Tix”) or in person with a credit card at the Norris Center front desk.

What if purchasing tickets is a financial burden for me, as a Northwestern student?

The 81st Annual Dolphin Show has partnered with The Student Activities Assistance Fund to offer “pay what you can tickets” to financially support students in attending our upcoming production of Kinky Boots The Musical.

Tickets for undergraduate and graduate Northwestern students are $10. If this is a financial burden, please email sales@nudolphinshow.org to access pay what you can tickets, where you will have the option to pay as little as $0.

What is the Dolphin Show?

The Dolphin Show at Northwestern University is a non-profit student theatre organization that annually produces the largest student-produced musical in the country. It celebrates the diverse talents of the Northwestern undergraduate community by providing opportunities to learn and excel in all artistic and administrative fields. Every year, The Dolphin Show presents a professional-caliber production led by over 150 undergraduate students. Learn more about Dolphin’s mission on our About page.

Where did the Dolphin Show get its name?

The Dolphin Show was named after the Dolphin Swim Club, the Northwestern swim team who presented the first annual Dolphin Show in the Northwestern swimming pool as a fundraiser for their team to travel to competitions. Visit our About page for Dolphin Show’s full history. 

Who can get involved with The Dolphin Show?

Northwestern University undergraduate students of all backgrounds, majors, and experience levels are welcome to work on the Dolphin Show. Students can work on the production in many capacities, including on the business team, the artistic team, the production team, in the cast, or in the orchestra. Dolphin Show’s annual productions are open to the public. 

Click here for information, show photos, tickets and more. 

OPENING: TONY AWARD-WINNING PIPPIN VIA MUSIC THEATER WORKS JUNE 1 - 25, 2023

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List

MUSIC THEATER WORKS ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE TONY AWARD-WINNING 

PIPPIN

 JUNE 1 - 25 AT THE NORTH SHORE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS IN SKOKIE

Music Theater Works’ 43rd Season Continues with the Musical That Won Four Tony Awards Including Best Musical Revival, Directed by Producing Artistic Director Kyle A. Dougan and Music Directed by Justin Akira Kono

Run time, including the intermission, is 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Tickets: $39 to $106, tickets for guests 25 years old and younger are available for half-price.

Music Theater Works, recently launched its 43rd season with the highly recommended Avenue Q, today announces the cast and creative team for its second production in the 2023 season, Pippin in the North Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts In Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, June 1 - 25. The Tony Award-winning musical comedy with book by Roger O. Hirson, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, directed by Producing Artistic Director Kyle A. Dougan, assistant directed by Sasha Gerritson and Patrick Tierney, co-choreographed by Mollyanne Nunn and Kaitlyn Pasquinelli and music directed by Justin Akira Kono. 

Here at ChiIL Mama, we adored Music Theater Works' Avenue Q and can't wait to see their take on crowd pleaser, Pippin. I'll be out to review the first week of June so check back shortly after for our full coverage.  

The performance schedule includes a preview performance Thursday, June 1 at 1 p.m. with press opening Friday, June 2 at 8 p.m. The running time, including the intermission, is currently, including the intermission, 2 hours and 45 minutes. The performance schedule is Wednesdays at 1 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. with a Saturday matinee, June 10 at 2 p.m. Complete performance schedule is included at the end of this release. Tickets are now on sale from $39 to $106 with tickets for guests 25 years old and younger available at half-price at  MusicTheaterWorks.com or by calling the Music Theater Works box office at the North Shore Center, 847.673.6300. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by contacting 847.920.5360.

The unforgettable score of Pippin has shown multiple generations how to forge their own path in the world. Imaginatively presented through multiple revivals of a young person’s journey to self, join Music Theater Works’ staging among the toys and games that defined childhood. Winner of four 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival with some of the most infectiously memorable music from Broadway by four-time Grammy winner, three-time Oscar winner and musical theater giant Stephen Schwartz.

“All of us at Music Theater Works are excited to share with audiences this Broadway classic where we pay homage to the games and memories of our youth,” said Director Kyle A. Dougan. “The North Theatre at the North Shore Center allows us an opportunity to present all the songs of this beloved show and put our own spin on it.”

The cast of Pippin includes Sonia Goldberg (Leading Player); Connor Ripperger (Pippin); Kathleen Puls Andrade (Berthe); Thomas M. Shea (Charlemagne); Savannah Sinclair (Fastrada, Leading Player U/S); Andrew Freeland (Lewis); Desiree Gonzalez (Catherine) and Di’Aire Wilson (Theo).

The Pippin ensemble includes, alphabetically, Jenny Couch (ensemble, Catherine U/S); Ciara Hickey (ensemble); Alex Iacobucci (ensemble); Lacey Jack (ensemble), Samira Jasmine (ensemble); Katie Kotila (ensemble, Fastrada U/S); Justin Payton Nelson (ensemble, Lewis U/S); Mollyanne Nunn (ensemble); Jordan “J.Ro” Ordonez (ensemble); Kaitlyn Pasquinelli (ensemble); Dane Strange (ensemble) and Eustace J. Williams (ensemble, Pippin U/S).

The Pippin understudies and swings are Jenny Rudnick (Berthe U/S); Bob Sanders (Charlemagne U/S) and John Locke (Theo U/S) with Adeera Harris (swing) and Wilson Paul Hicken (swing). 

The Pippin creative team currently includes Kyle A. Dougan (director); Patrick Tierney (assistant director); Sasha Gerritson (assistant director/chorus master); Justin Akira Kono (music director); Amber Wuttke (intimacy and fight choreographer); Nathan Lamp (dramaturg); Mollyanne Nunn (co-choreographer); Kaitlyn Pasquinelli (co-choreographer); Allison Gonzales (stage manager); Lily Landoch (assistant stage manager); Shane Cinal (scenic director); Ellen Markus (properties designer); Jazmin Aurora Medina (costume designer); Kristen Brinati (assistant costume designer); Alice Salazar (hair, wig, and makeup designer); Melanie Saso (assistant hair, wig, and makeup designer); Andrew Meyers (lighting designer); Chelsea Lynn (ME/lighting programmer); Matthew R. Chase (sound designer); Forrest Gregor (production sound engineer); David Sajewich (media designer); Anthony Churchill (projections designer); Will Hughes (scene shop technical director); Ben Lipinski (paint charge); Ethan McIntosh (lighting board), Chris Chase (production manager) and Jennifer King Russell (company manager). 

Health Safety Procedure:

All guests are recommended to wear face masks during the performance regardless of vaccination status.

ABOUT PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR KYLE DOUGAN, DIRECTOR

Kyle Dougan worked as casting associate and events manager for Music Theater Works, and rejoined the company in 2018 as producing artistic director, following a two-year stint in academia. He relocated to Chicago in 1999, after completing his Masters in Musical Theatre at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he produced and directed a workshop of new musicals. He also stage managed a series of new musicals with Perfect Pitch: New Musicals at Trafalgar Studios. In the Chicago area Dougan has directed, associate-directed and assistant-directed shows for Chamber Opera Chicago, Theatre at the Center, Big Noise Theater and The Music Theatre Company. He has served as artistic producer of a series of new musicals with Midwest New Musicals, as executive director of FWD Theatre Project and as co-owner of Style Theatrical Casting, a professional casting company in Chicago.

ABOUT JUSTIN AKIRA KONO, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Justin Akira Kono is a percussionist, pianist, conductor and orchestrator of uncommon range. After studying at DePaul and Northwestern Universities, he started transitioning into leadership and music direction roles. Previously at Music Theater Works, he has music directed Zorro the Musical, Legends of the 50s and 60s and MAMMA MIA! He frequently worked with Porchlight Music Theater and has music directed Spring Awakening, their traveling show Broadway in your Backyard and has played drums for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Chicago Sings Rock and Roll Broadway and Billy Elliot. Other regional credits include All Shook Up, Freaky Friday (Williams Street Rep) and Kiss Me Kate (The Marriott Theater). He has also music directed at The Chicago College of Performing Arts. He serves as a music director at First Congregational Church in Downers Grove. He is the piano player for the Midwest’s premiere ABBA tribute band, Dancing Queen: An ABBA Salute and plays drums in Piano Man: A Tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel. 

ABOUT MUSIC THEATER WORKS

Music Theater Works is a resident professional not-for-profit music theater founded in

1980. During its 42-year history it has presented more than 150 productions and intimate

presentations. Music Theater Works is a professional theater company whose mission is

to present works for the musical stage including historic repertoire, revitalizing the Golden Age of Broadway and earlier works, celebrating the Great American Songbook and introducing modern classics. 

JOYCE SAXON is the 2023 Music Theater Works Season Sponsor.

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Preview: Thursday, June 1 at 1 p.m.

Press Performance: Friday, June 2 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 3 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 4 at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, June 7 at 1 p.m.

Friday, June 9 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 10 at 2 and 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 11 at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, June 14 at 1 p.m.

Friday, June 16 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 17 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, June 21 at 1 p.m.

Friday, June 23 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 24 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.

Music Theater Works Box Office: (847) 673-6300

Website: MusicTheaterWorks.com

$25 Digital Ticket Lottery for Timeline Theatre's OSLO Now Playing Broadway Playhouse Through October 20, 2019

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO ANNOUNCES DIGITAL LOTTERY FOR TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY’S CHICAGO PREMIERE OF TONY AWARD®-WINNING 

OSLO

PRESENTED AT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S 

BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE AT WATER TOWER PLACE

SEPTEMBER 10 – OCTOBER 20, 2019

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce there will be a digital lottery for OSLO, which will play for a limited six-week engagement at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse (175 E. Chestnut) from September 10 through October 20, 2019. The Tony Award ® Best Play Winner OSLO will make its Chicago Premiere with TimeLine Theatre’s production at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse.

The digital lottery will begin September 9 at 9AM, and 12 tickets will be sold for every performance at $25 each. The lottery will happen online only the day before each performance. Seat locations vary per performance.

HOW TO ENTER THE DIGITAL LOTTERY
Visit https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/oslo/  
Follow the link “Click here for details and to enter the lottery”
Click the “Enter Now” button for the performance you want to attend.
Fill out the entry form including the number of tickets you would like (1 or 2). Patrons will receive a confirmation email once they have validated their email (one time only) and successfully entered the lottery.
After the lottery closes, patrons will be notified via email within minutes as to whether they have won or not.
Winners have 60 minutes from the time the lottery closes to pay online with a credit card.
After payment has been received, patrons can pick up tickets at the Broadway Playhouse (175 E. Chestnut) no sooner than 30 minutes before show time with a valid photo ID.

DIGITAL LOTTERY ADDITIONAL RULES
Limit 1 entry per person, per performance. Multiple entries will not be accepted. Patrons must be 18 years old and have a valid, non-expired photo ID that matches the names used to enter. Tickets are non-transferable. All lottery prices include a $3.50 facility fee. Ticket limits and prices displayed are at the sole discretion of the show and are subject to change without notice. Lottery prices are not valid on prior purchases. Lottery ticket offer cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. All sales final - no refunds or exchanges.  Lottery may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. No purchase necessary to enter or win.  A purchase will not improve your chances of winning.
                           
TimeLine Theatre Company’s production of OSLO is the Chicago premiere. It premiered in fall 2016 in a sold-out run at New York’s Lincoln Center and opened on Broadway in April 2017. It then played at London’s Royal National Theatre in September 2017 before transferring to the West End in October 2017.

OSLO received the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play, as well as New York Critics, Outer Critics, Drama Desk, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, and Obie awards—a sweep of the 2016-17 New York awards season—and was nominated for the Olivier and Evening Standard awards.

OSLO is a remarkable story about the unlikely friendships, quiet heroics, and sheer determination that pushed two foes to reach something neither thought truly possible—peace. When the Israeli prime minister and the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization shook hands on the White House lawn in 1993, the world had no idea what it took to orchestrate that momentous occasion. Behind the scenes, a Norwegian diplomat and her social scientist husband hatched an intricate, top secret, and sometimes comical scheme to gather an unexpected assortment of players at an idyllic estate just outside Oslo. Far from any international glare, mortal enemies were able to face each other not as adversaries, but as fellow human beings.  J.T. Rogers’ OSLO is a humorous, surprising, and inspiring true story about the people inside politics, and the incredible progress that is possible when we focus on what makes us human—together.           

The cast will star Scott Parkinson as Terje Larsen and Bri Sudia as Mona Juul, with TimeLine Company Member Anish Jethmalani as Ahmed Qurie and Jed Feder as Uri Savir, and Bernard Balbot, Ron E. Rains, Amro Salama, Stef Tovar, Bassam Abdlefattah, Tom Hickey, Victor Holstein, and TimeLine Company Members Juliet Hart and David Parkes.

The creative team includes J.T. Rogers (Playwright), Nick Bowling (Director), Jeffrey D. Kmiec (Scenic Designer), Jesse Klug (Lighting Designer), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer), Katie Cordts (Wig and Hair Designer), André Pluess (Sound Designer), Mike Tutaj (Projections Designer), Amy Peter (Properties Designer), Eva Breneman (Dialect Designer), Deborah Blumenthal (Co-Dramaturg), Maren Robinson (Co-Dramaturg), Jonathan Nook (Stage Manager) and Mary Zanger (Assistant Stage Manager).

For more information, please visit TimeLineTheatre.com/events/oslo/

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesdays at 7:30PM
Wednesdays at 2PM & 7:30PM (no 2PM performance on September 11, 18 and 25)
Thursdays at 7:30PM                                 
Fridays at 7:30PM
Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM
Sundays at 2PM & 7:30PM (no 7:30PM performance on October 6, 13 and 20)

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets for OLSO are currently on-sale to the public and range in price from $35 - $90 with a select number of premium seats available. Individual tickets are available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at (800) 775-2000 or by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Tickets are available now for groups 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.timelinetheatre.com.

ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Launching its 23rd season with Oslo, to date TimeLine has presented 79 productions, including 10 world premieres and 35 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, now in its 12th year of bringing the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 54 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President Eileen LaCario. Company Members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Wardell Julius Clark, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem.

Major corporate, government and foundation supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Crown Family, Forum Fund, The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.

For more information, visit www.timelinetheatre.com or Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre).

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.

Broadway In Chicago proudly celebrates 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre.
For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

OPENING: Tony Award Winning MEMPHIS Via Porchlight Music Theatre 4/19/18 – 6/3/18

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE BRINGS 

MEMPHIS, 

AN ORIGINAL STORY OF LOVE, SOUL AND ROCK ‘n’ ROLL, 

TO CHICAGO AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, APRIL 19 – JUNE 3

The 2010 Best Musical Tony Award-winner Features Book and Lyrics by 

Joe DiPietro and Music and Lyrics by David Bryan and is Directed for Porchlight Music Theatre by Daryl D. Brooks, Assistant Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Carter and Music Directed by Jermaine Hill

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're eager to see Porchlight's take on this Tony winner. We'll be out for the press opening, so check back soon for my full review. This show will be at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, as Porchlight Music Theatre continues as their Artist In-Residence company this season.

Porchlight Music Theatre’s Mainstage 2017-2018 season concludes with Memphis, April 19 – June 3, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Memphis, book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan, is directed by Daryl D.  Brooks, assistant directed and choreographed by Christopher Carter, music directed by Jermaine Hill and assistant choreographed by Reneisha Jenkins. 

Previews are Thursday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 22 at 6 p.m. and Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30pm. Opening night is Wednesday, April 25 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 6 p.m. (April 29 and May 6) and 2 p.m. (May 13, May 20, May 27 and June 3) with weekday matinees Wednesday, May 9, Wednesday, May 16 and Thursday, May 24, at 1:30 p.m. and a open-captioned performance Saturday, May 12 at 4 p.m. There is no 4 p.m. performance Saturday, April 28 and no 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, May 24. 

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

From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes the Tony Award-winning Best Musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, Memphis is the story of a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. This incredible journey, written by DiPietro (author of Nice Work If You Can Get It, All Shook Up, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and others) is filled with laughter, soaring emotion and a roof-raising musical score by David Bryan of the band Bon Jovi.

The cast of Porchlight Music Theatre’s Memphis includes: Stephen Allen, Jr., (ensemble/Wailin' Joe);  Todd Aulwurm, (ensemble); Shantel Cribbs, (ensemble); Gilbert Domally, (Gator); Ryan Dooley, (ensemble/White DJ/Mr. Collins/White Father/Gordon Grant);  Ariel M. Dorsey, (ensemble);  Jared David Michael Grant, (ensemble/Black DJ/Reverend Hobson); Graham Hawley, (ensemble); James Earl Jones II, (Bobby); Kayla Kennedy, (ensemble), Nicole Lambert, (ensemble); Bernell Lassai III, (ensemble); Ivory Leonard IV, (ensemble); Mallory Maedke, (ensemble);  Liam Quealy, (Huey Calhoun); Casiena Raether, (ensemble/Clara/White Mother/Dance Captain); Lorenzo Rush Jr., (Delray Jones); Isaiah Silvia-Chandley, (ensemble/Buck Wiley/Martin Holton); Aalon Smith (ensemble); Koray Tarhan, (ensemble/Perry Como/Frank Dryer); Jacob Voigt (Mr. Simmons); Nancy Wagner, (Gladys Calhoun) and Aeriel Williams, (Felicia Farrell). Additional ensemble members to be announced soon.

The Memphis production team includes Daryl Brooks, director; Chris Carter, choreographer and assistant director; Jermaine Hill, music director; Reneisha Jenkins, assistant choreographer; Robert Hornbostel, sound designer; Bill Morey, costume designer; Denise Karczewski, lighting designer;  Jacqueline Penrod and Richard Penrod, scenic designers; Andrew Hatcher, props designer; Matthew McMullen, stage manager; Aaron Shapiro, production manager and Johnnie Schleyer; technical director.

Hill is also conductor and pianist with musicians Anthony Rodriguez,
clarinet/flute/sax; Cesar Romero, electric and acoustic guitar; Michael Gore, drums and Steve Manns, bass.

ABOUT DARYL D. BROOKS, director
Daryl Brooks is making his Porchlight Music Theater directorial debut. Brooks has been a visible part of the Chicago theatre scene since 1999 having performed and directed all over the city. He is currently the associate director at The Black Ensemble Theater where recent projects include writing and directing Hail, Hail Chuck: A Tribute to Chuck Berry, Sammy: A Tribute to Sammy Davis Jr., The Black Pearl: The Story of Josephine Baker (winner Best Production and Director, Black Excellence Awards 2017), Men of Soul (Jeff-nominated for both Best Production - Revue and Best Director and the winner of the Black Excellence Award for best director.) 

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER CARTER, choreographer and assistant director
Christopher Carter is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a liberal arts degree in dance. Carter has traveled extensively performing, directing and choreographing. Some of his credits include Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song; Dreamgirls, In The Heights and Chess at Porchlight Music Theatre; Five Guys Name Moe (Court Theater); Hair (Mercury Theater); The Legend Of Georgia McBride (Northlight Theater); 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 for the past five years. He was a Debbie Allen Dance Academy 
Scholarship student and has additional credits including national tours, commercial, industrial and concert work.

ABOUT JERMAINE HILL, music director
Jermaine Hill, originally from New York City, received his Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory.
Recent Chicago credits include serving as musical director and piano/conductor for Ragtime (Griffin Theatre) and Madagascar (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), 
performing onstage in Breathe With Me (Erasing the Distance), and a recent guest spot on “Chicago Med.” Equally at home on theatrical and concert stages, he has appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Hall, The Lost Colony (NC), Rome Capitol Theatre (NY), and the Aldeburgh Festival in the U.K. He is an assistant professor and music director for the theatre department at Columbia College Chicago. He is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and is proudly represented by Gray Talent Group.



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 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 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, Lou Malnati’s on State Street, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, Q Chicago, 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: Fun Home To Kick Off Victory Gardens Theater's 43rd season 9/19-11/12

Victory Gardens Theater presents

Fun Home

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron

Directed by Gary Griffin

September 19 – November 12, 2017

We had the great pleasure of catching the Broadway touring production of Fun Home. Now we can't wait to see Victory Gardens Theater's take on this 5 time Tony award winning show, including Best Musical! We'll be out to review the last week of September. 

Victory Gardens Theater begins its 43rd season with Fun Home, with music written by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics written by Lisa Kron and directed by Gary Griffin. Fun Home runs September 19 – November 12, 2017, with the press performance on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, at 7:30 pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Hailed as one of Broadway's most original musicals and the winner of 5 Tony Awards, Fun Home is a groundbreaking story inspired by Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir. In this intimate musical, Alison sets out to unravel the many mysteries of her childhood through a series of memories and conversations – from her coming out to her moving journey to acceptance. Gary Griffin (Hand to God, Never the Sinner) directs this emotionally charged family drama that The New York Times calls “extraordinary,” and “a rare beauty.”

Fun Home features McKinley Carter (Helen Bechdel), Preetish Chakraborty (John Bechdel), Danielle Davis (Joan), Leo Gonzalez (Christian Bechdel), Sage Elliott Harper (Small Alison), Stella Rose Hoyt (Small Alison), Rob Lindley (Bruce Bechdel), Joe Lino (Roy/Mark/Pete/Bobby Jeremy), Danni Smith (Alison) and Hannah Starr (Medium Alison).

"We are thrilled to give a home to Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori's timeless and moving new musical about our modern American family: estranged fathers, graphic novels, and queer sensibilities," commented Artistic Director Chay Yew. "I'm also elated that director Gary Griffin is returning to Victory Gardens to helm this Chicago production, making it a unique theatrical experience for our audiences."





Previews: September 19 - 26, 2017
Regular run: September 28 – November 12, 2017

Schedule: Tuesdays - Fridays: 7:30pm 
Saturdays: 3:00pm; 7:30pm
Sundays: 3:00pm

Accessible
Performances: Word for Word (open captioning) Friday, October 6 at 7:30pm; Saturday, October 7 at 3:00pm; Wednesday, October 11 at 2:00pm.  

ASL Interpreted Friday, October 6 at 7:30pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour Friday, October 6 at 7:30pm, Sunday, October 15 at 3:00pm 

Location: Victory Gardens Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, 
in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood

Tickets: Previews: $15 - $54 
Regular run: $15 - $75

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.
773.871.3000; www.victorygardens.org.



About the Artists
Jeanine Tesori (Music) For Broadway: Fun Home (2015 Tony Award winner); Violet; Caroline, or Change; Shrek the Musical; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Twelfth Night (LCT); John Guare’s A Free Man of Color. Delacorte: Mother Courage (starring Meryl Streep). Opera: A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck (libretto, Tony Kushner; Glimmerglass); The Lion, the Unicorn and Me (libretto, J.D. McClatchy; Washington National Opera). Her songs are featured in the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls. She is the artistic director/co-founder of A Broader Way, an arts empowerment program for girls from underserved communities; the founding artistic director of Encores! Off-Center; and a lecturer in music at Yale University and Columbia University. Ms. Tesori is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Lisa Kron (Book and Lyrics) has been writing and performing theater since coming to New York from Michigan in 1984. Her work has been widely produced in New York, regionally, and internationally. Her play Fun Home, a musical written with composer Jeanine Tesori and based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, earned her 2 Tony Awards in 2015, for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score (with Jeanine Tesori); the show also won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Other plays include The Ver**zon Play, which premiered 2012 Humana Festival; In The Wake which received Lortel and GLAAD Media Award nominations, was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, named a “Best Play of 2010” by TimeOut and Backstage, and was included in the Best Plays Theater Yearbook 2010-2011; Well, which premiered at the Public Theater, was named a “Best Play of 2004” by the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Newark Star Ledger, Backstage, and the Advocate, included in the Best Plays Theater Yearbook of 2003-2004, and moved to Broadway where both she and Jayne Houdyshell received Tony nominations for their performances. 2.5 Minute Ride, which had its New York premiere at the Public Theater, received OBIE, L.A. Drama-Logue, New York Press, and GLAAD Media Awards, and continues to be performed by Lisa and others all over the world;101 Humiliating Stories, which received a Drama Desk nomination for its PS122 premiere and was a part of Lincoln Center’s 1993 “Serious Fun!” performance series. Lisa is a founding member of the legendary OBIE and Bessie Award-winning collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers whose plays, Oedipus at Palm Springs, Brave Smiles, Brides of the Moon and The Secretaries have all been produced by their theatrical home, New York Theatre Workshop, and have been performed widely throughout the country both by the Brothers and by other companies. Their plays are published by T.C.G. in the anthology, “Five Lesbian Brothers/Four Plays” and also by Samuel French. Lisa has received playwriting fellowships from the Lortel and Guggenheim Foundations, Sundance Theater Lab, the Lark Play Development Center, and the MacDowell Colony, the Cal Arts/Alpert Award, a Helen Merrill Award, and grants from the Creative Capital Foundation and New York Foundation for the Arts. She was a resident playwright at the American Voices New Play Initiative at Arena Stage. As an actor, Lisa’s professional career as began in 1983 when Michael Kahn chose her as member of the ANTA Company, which toured three plays in rep for a season. Since then she has acted in her own plays and the plays of the Five Lesbian Brothers, and also seen in such productions as the Foundry’s Good Person of Szechwan at LaMama, The Normal Heart at the Public Theater, Spain at M.C.C., and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, at NYTW. Lisa is a member of Actors Equity and serves on the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Gary Griffin (Director) Victory Gardens Theater: Hand to God, Never the Sinner, Appropriate. London: Pacific Overtures (Donmar Warehouse, Olivier Award, Best Musical Production and Olivier Nominee, Best Director). Broadway: Honeymoon in Vegas, The Color Purple. Off-Broadway: Saved (Playwrights Horizons); The Apple Tree, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Pardon My English, The New Moon (Encores). Regional: Antony and Cleopatra, Camelot, West Side Story (Stratford Festival); work at McCarter, Alliance, Hartford Stage, Signature, Kansas City Rep., The Muny. Chicago: Road Show, Gypsy, Sunday in the Park With George, Follies, Amadeus, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); The Merry Widow, The Mikado, Oklahoma (Lyric Opera of Chicago); The Detective’s Wife, Loot (Writers Theatre). Associate Artistic Director, Chicago Shakespeare Theater. 10 Joseph Jefferson Awards for Directing.

Preetish Chakraborty is in 8th grade and has been trained in Indian classical vocal music since age 6 and was the 2nd runner up in the very popular Indian singing reality show Saregamapa Lil Champs by Zee TV (in Mumbai, India). He has done several stage shows in many cities in the US as well as in India.  Preetish has been a member of the Young Naperville Singers boys choir and he was recently offered admission in the prestigious American Boychoir School in Princeton, NJ after his performance with them. 

Leo Gonzalez makes his first professional on-stage debut with Fun Home. Leo is 13-years-old from Oak Park, Illinois. He is actively involved in the BRAVO! Performing Arts Academy at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School and has performed in multiple musical theater shows under the direction of Tina Reynolds.  

Sage Elliott Harper makes her Victory Garden Theater debut. Sage’s recent credits include Mary Poppins (Jane Banks at Mercury Theater as well as at Night Blue Theater), Seussical (Jojo at Marriott), Billy Elliott (Keeley Gibson at Drury Lane), The Christmas Schooner (Marie Claire at Mercury Theater), Les Misérables (Young Cosette at Drury Lane), Ruthless (Big Noise), as well as local productions of Annie (Annie at Winnetka Children’s Theater), and Les Misérables (Young Cosette at New Trier High School).  

Stella Rose Hoyt makes her debut with Victory Gardens Theater. She is a 5th grade student at Clark Middle School and has been singing Broadway tunes since she was three. Recent credits include Molly in Theatre at the Center's production of Annie Warbucks, Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden at the Drama Group Theatre, and Young Cosette in Les Misérables. Stella recently filmed a commercial for McDonald's and is represented by Gray Talent Group.  
Rob Lindley makes his Victory Gardens Theater debut. He has been seen on stage at About Face Theatre (The Tempermentals), Northlight (Funnyman), Goodman (Candide), Asolo Rep (My Fair Lady), Court Theatre (Carousel, James Joyce’s The Dead, Caroline or Change, Secret Garden, and Angels and America: Part 1 & 2), Writers’ Theatre (Bach at Leipzig, and Oh Coward! – which won Rob a Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Revue). Rob directed the Off-Broadway and National Tours of 50 Shades: The Musical! and many productions for Porchlight Music Theatre including Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Far From Heaven, and How to Succeed in Business… Rob also directs many star-studded gala concerts for many organizations including the annual Chicago Sings!, concerts for Porchlight and the Flory concert for the Chicago Humanities Festival. Rob’s vocal trio Foiled Again has two recordings available on iTunes and other online outlets, “Foiled Again: Live” and “Blanket of Winter.”

Danni Smith recently appeared as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at Theatre at the Center. Other Chicagoland theater credits include Bridges of Madison County, Mamma Mia, Man of La Mancha, and City of Angels (Marriott Theatre); A Christmas Story: The Musical  and Mamma Mia (Paramount Theatre); Chess (Porchlight Music Theatre); The Wild Party, See What I Wanna See, and Violet (Bailiwick Chicago); Jesus Christ Superstar, Always Patsy Cline, Passion, and Pump Boys and Dinettes (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Comedy of Errors, Richard III, and Twelfth Night (Lakeside Shakespeare); Macbeth and Henry VIII (Illinois Shakespeare Festival). She stars in indie feature film The Gateway. Danni is a graduate of Ball State University and has been honored with four Joseph Jefferson Awards. She is co-founder of women-focused musical theatre company Firebrand Theatre. 

Hannah Starr is a performer, writer, and artist originally from Eau Claire, WI. Most recently Hannah played the Emcee in No Stakes Theatre Project’s production of Cabaret and last fall was seen as Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at pH Comedy Theater. Hannah’s solo show, BOOMBOX, premiered last December at The Beat Lounge at the Second City Training Center, where she is now known as “that girl who always carries around that old boombox”. She is a member of 99 Problemz: Chicago’s Improvised 90’s Sitcom and performs improv and sketch comedy regularly throughout the city. She’s a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, The Conservatory at The Second City Training Center, and has trained at the MacPhail School of Music, iO, Brave New Workshop, and HUGE Improv Theater. 

Production Sponsor: Merle Reskin
Playwright’s Society Sponsor: David and Loren Chernoff


Major Season Support: Allstate, Alphawood Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Doris Duke Charitable Trust, Exelon, Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Joyce Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Prince Charitable Trust, The REAM Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Wallace Foundation

Travel Sponsor: Southwest Airlines 



About Victory Gardens Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Erica Daniels, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals.  Victory Gardens Theater is committed to the development, production and support of new plays that has been the mission of the theater since its founding, set forth by Dennis Začek, Marcelle McVay, and the original founders of Victory Gardens Theater.

Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theater work and cultivating an inclusive Chicago theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.  

Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater includes the Začek-McVay Theater, a state-of-the-art 259-seat mainstage and the 109-seat studio theater on the second floor, named the Richard Christiansen Theater.

Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwrights include Luis Alfaro, Philip Dawkins, Marcus Gardley, Ike Holter, Samuel D. Hunter, Naomi Iizuka, Tanya Saracho and Laura Schellhardt. Each playwright has a seven-year residency at Victory Gardens Theater. 

For more information about Victory Gardens, visit www.victorygardens.org.  Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/victorygardens, Twitter @VictoryGardens and Instagram at instagram.com/victorygardenstheater/

Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from The Wallace Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Shubert Foundation, The REAM Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Allstate Insurance, Polk Bros. Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William and Orli Staley Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by: Abbot Downing & Wells Fargo, Alliance Bernstein, The Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, Exelon, The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Tool Works, Italian Village Restaurants, Mayer Brown LLP, The McVay Foundation, LLP, The Prince Charitable Trusts, The Saints, Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Southwest Airlines, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Whole Foods Market, and Wrightwood Neighbors Conservation Association.

THE COLOR PURPLE TO PLAY BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S ORIENTAL THEATRE TWO WEEKS ONLY! JULY 17 – 29, 2018

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

“Exquisite! A joyous celebration of storytelling.”

The New York Times

“One of the greatest revivals ever!”

New York Magazine

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that direct from Broadway, THE COLOR PURPLE, the Tony Award-winning revival of the truly remarkable musical adapted from Alice Walker’s best-selling novel and directed by Tony winner John Doyle (Sweeney Todd and The Color Purple), will play Broadway In Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) for a limited two-week engagement next summer July 17 – 29, 2018.

THE COLOR PURPLE will join the line-up of performances at the annual Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert, sponsored by ABC 7 Chicago and hosted by Janet Davies, ABC 7 Chicago’s entertainment reporter and host of the entertainment and lifestyle program 190 NORTH on ABC 7. The Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert will take place on Monday, August 14, 2017 at 6:15 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park (201 E Randolph St).

This revival of THE COLOR PURPLE won two Tony Awards in 2016, including Best Revival of a Musical and two Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical. THE COLOR PURPLE revival also won the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. 



Hailed as “a direct hit to the heart” (The Hollywood Reporter), this joyous American classic conquered Broadway in an all-new "ravishingly reconceived production that is a glory to behold” (The New York Times) directed by Tony winner John Doyle.  With a soul-raising Grammy®-winning score of jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues, THE COLOR PURPLE gives an exhilarating new spirit to this Pulitzer Prize-winning story.

Don’t miss this stunning re-imagining of an epic story about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South. The musical sensation that New York Magazine calls “one of the greatest revivals ever.” Experience the exhilarating power of this Tony-winning triumph!

Based upon Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel of the same name, THE COLOR PURPLE is the epic tale of 40-years in the life of a family in rural Georgia. At its center is fourteen-year-old Celie. When Celie is forced by her abusive father to marry a cruel farmer, called “Mister,” she is separated from all that she loves. Ultimately, Celie conquers the odds to find her voice and her strength, coming into her own. THE COLOR PURPLE celebrates the healing power of love and the importance of a zest for life.

For more information, please visit ColorPurple.com

Ticket Information
THE COLOR PURPLE will be part of the next Broadway In Chicago season, on sale this fall.  Group tickets for 10 or more for THE COLOR PURPLE are available now by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets for will go on sale at a later date.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 17 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 well up to 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 PrivateBank Theatre, the Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.  

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

OPENING: Fun Home at Oriental Theatre 11/2-13

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED NATIONAL TOUR OF THE 2015 TONY® AWARD-WINNING BEST MUSICAL IS FINALLY HERE!

PLAYING BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S ORIENTAL THEATRE NOVEMBER 2 - 13

Broadway In Chicago and Producers Fox Theatricals (Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson) and Barbara Whitman are thrilled to announce that individual tickets go on sale to the general public on Sunday, August 28 for the first National Tour of Fun Home, the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning Best Musical.  The tour will premiere in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) for a limited two-week engagement November 2 - November 13, 2016.

ROBERT PETKOFF (Broadway’s Ragtime, All The Way, Anything Goes) will play Bruce, Chicago native SUSAN MONIZ (Broadway’s Grease, Chicago’s Marriott Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater) will play Helen and KATE SHINDLE (Broadway’s Legally Blonde, Cabaret, and Miss America 1998) will play Alison.

Joining them will be ABBY CORRIGAN as Medium Alison, ALESSANDRA BALDACCHINO (Broadway’s Fun Home) as Small Alison, KAREN EILBACHER as Joan, ROBERT HAGER as Roy, LENNON NATE HAMMOND as John, PIERSON SALVADOR as Christian, ANTHONY FORTINO, AMANDA NAUGHTON, SOFIA TRIMARCHI and MICHAEL WINTHER. At certain performances, CARLY GOLD will play the role of Small Alison.

FUN HOME was the event of the 2015 Broadway season, receiving raves from critics and audiences alike, winning five 2015 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL and making history along the way as the first show written exclusively by women to win theater’s highest achievement.  It was named to all of the major top 10 lists including The New York Times, Associated Press, New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, The Daily Beast, Chicago Tribune, The Hollywood Reporter and more.

“EXQUISITE. AN EMOTIONAL POWERHOUSE.” – Chicago Tribune

“A RARE BEAUTY THAT PUMPS FRESH AIR INTO BROADWAY.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“An uplifting musical drama of rare intensity, honesty and beauty. Fun Home speak universally about BIG THINGS THAT MATTER: LIFE, LOVE, FAMILY, SURVIVING. It’s unconventional, to be sure, and musical theatre is better for it.” - New York Daily News

“One of those ‘don’t miss it’ musicals.” – The Huffington Post

Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, FUN HOME introduces us to Alison at three different ages as she explores and unravels the many mysteries of her childhood that connect with her in surprising new ways. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, FUN HOME is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.

FUN HOME features music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and direction by Sam Gold, whose work on this production earned them Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book and Best Direction.  With this win, Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori also made history by becoming the first female writing team to be awarded the Best Score Tony Award.

FUN HOME was also nominated for 2015 Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design of Musical (David Zinn), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Ben Stanton) and Best Orchestrations (John Clancy). The creative team also includes Danny Mefford (Choreography), Kai Harada (Sound Design), David Zinn (Costume Design) and Chris Fenwick (Music Direction).

Tony Award-winning director Sam Gold, who staged both the Off Broadway and Broadway productions of FUN HOME, will be restaging the national tour.

The Broadway production of FUN HOME opened on Broadway 

on April 19, 2015 

The Grammy nominated Original Broadway Cast Recording of FUN HOME is now available on PS Classics, psclassics.com.

Get Social:

funhomebroadway.com

facebook.com/funhomemusical

twitter.com/funhomemusical

instagram.com/funhomemusical

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tuesdays at 7:30 PM

Wednesdays at 7:30 PM

Thursdays at 7:30 PM (additional 2 PM matinee on November 3)

Fridays at 7:30 PM

Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM

Sundays at 2 PM and 7:30 PM

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Fun Home at the Oriental Theatre range from $25-$98. A select number of premium tickets are available for many performances. Group tickets for 10 or more are available by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.