ACT OUT: Three Oaks Theater Festival Inaugural Season Begins July 7th

Three Oaks, Michigan is a lovely town and a quiet getaway, easy weekend road trip distance from Chicago.   We have friends with summer homes there and are elated to announce that some of Chicago's best theatre companies will be dropping by for one night shows this summer.

     

Co-Founders John Stoops, Tim Evans and Marc Grapey

announce the Inaugural Season of Three Oaks Theater Festival

presented in association with Harbor Arts

2013 season features the highly-acclaimed productions of

The Selfish Giant by Blair Thomas & Co.,

Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.’s The Glass Menagerie,

TurnAround Theatre’s Faith Healer,

and Complicated, a world premiere musical from Poi Dog Pondering

Co-founders John Stoops, Tim Evans, and Marc Grapey proudly announce the inaugural season of Three Oaks Theater Festival, a new summer theater festival that will bring three limited-engagement runs of highly-acclaimed, professional Chicago-based productions and a World Premiere to audiences in Harbor Country, Michigan.  Three Oaks Theater Festival is presented in association with Harbor Arts with special thanks to The Pokagon Fund.

For its first season, Three Oaks Theater Festival will present one-night-only engagements of Blair Thomas & Co.’s The Selfish Giant, a unique take on the Oscar Wilde classic featuring puppetry by Blair Thomas and music by Michael Smith; Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co’s acclaimed production of the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie, directed by Hans Fleischmann (who also stars as Tom), and featuringWalter Briggs, Maggie Cain and Joanne Dubach, with an original score by Daniel Knox; TurnAround Theatre’s production of Brian Friel’s Faith Healer, directed by J.R. Sullivan and featuring Brad Armacost, Lia D. Mortensen and Si Osborne; and Complicated, a world premiere musical from Poi Dog Pondering.

Three Oaks is a community within Harbor Country, Michigan, that is rich in art galleries, restaurants and summer leisure activities.  Twenty-five percent of the Three Oaks’ population is second homeowners with a permanent residence in Chicago with a median age of 39 years old, making Three Oaks an ideal destination for vacationers seeking culture and relaxation.  For visitors to the area, a number of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and family-friendly cabin and housing rentals are available to people of all ages.   

“As a founder of the Festival, I am excited to bring some of Chicago’s best theaters to the natural beauty and vibrant culture already found in Three Oaks, Michigan,” says John Stoops.

Co-founders Tim Evans and Marc Grapey comment, “The inaugural season is bringing some of Chicago’s best theater to Three Oaks. We are presenting three highly-acclaimed shows and a world premiere musical by the beloved group Poi Dog Pondering.  We hope that these one-night-only performances will add to the cultural traditions of Three Oaks and we welcome all of the residents of Harbor Country to the productions.   Since it’s only a 75- minute drive from Chicago, we also hope that theater fans in Chicago will come for a weekend to check out all that Harbor Country has to offer.”

Three Oaks Theater Festival is presented in association with Harbor Arts, with special thanks to The Pokagon Fund.

The 2013 Three Oaks Theater Festival Season is:

THE SELFISH GIANT

Presented by Blair Thomas & Co.

Puppetry by Blair Thomas

Music by Michael Smith

Saturday, July 6, 2013

1:00pm (EST); 12:00pm (CST)

Recommended for audiences of all ages and best enjoyed by children ages 2-10.

(running time: 45 minutes)

Ticket Price: $15, Children 4 and under are free.

Two Chicago theater icons—Blair Thomas and singer-songwriter Michael Smith—collaborate on this staging of an Oscar Wilde classic. Original puppets and music tell the story of a grumpy old giant who forbids the children in his village from playing in his beautiful garden. After the children are locked out, the trees and flowers refuse to grow and the garden plunges into an eternal winter. Then one morning, the children sneak back into the garden, bringing with them the joyous rebirth of spring.

The Selfish Giant was commissioned by the Chicago Children’s Theater and the world premiere was presented by the Chicago Children’s Theater in January 2008.

10:00am (EST); 9:00am (CST)

Free puppet workshop with Blair Thomas for all ages.

  

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

Presented by Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

By Tennessee Williams

Directed by Hans Fleischmann

Original Score by Daniel Knox

Featuring Walter Briggs (Gentleman Caller), Maggie Cain (Amanda) and Joanne Dubach (Laura) and Hans Fleischmann (Tom)

Saturday, July 20, 2013

8:00pm (EST); 7:00pm (CST)

Ticket Price: $25

Three Oaks Theater Festival presents Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.’s highly acclaimed production of the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie.  Directed by Mary-Arrchie ensemble member Hans Fleischmann (who also stars as Tom), the production features the full original cast, including Walter Briggs, Maggie Cain and Joanne Dubach.  Beautiful and heart-wrenching, The Glass Menagerie focuses on a man obsessed with regrets from his past. Living on the streets, he navigates an audience through the gritty back-alleys of his imagination. Truth and delusion collide in director Hans Fleishmann’s re-imagining of Tennessee Williams’ classic memory play.

Highlighted by an original score by Daniel Knox, the production team for The Glass Menagerie also includes Grant Sabin (scenic design), Stefin Sterberl (costume design), Matthew Gawryk (lighting design), Joe Court (sound design), Anna Henson (projection design), Arianna Soloway (props design), Rudy Galvan (assistant director/dramaturg), Andrew Donnelly (stage manager) and Carlo Garcia (producing director).

FAITH HEALER

Presented by TurnAround Theatre

By Brian Friel

Directed by J.R. Sullivan

Featuring Brad Armacost (Teddy), Si Osborne (Frank Hardy) and Lia D. Mortensen (Grace)

Saturday, July 27, 2013

8:00pm (EST); 7:00pm (CST)

Ticket Price: $25

                     

Faith Healer is a dramatic, mysterious and humorous work focusing on the life and times of Frank Hardy (Si Osborne), an itinerant Irish Healer. Uniquely structured, the play is presented in four monologues. The first belongs to Frank, grappling with the mystery of his gift of faith healing. Next is Grace (Lia D. Mortensen), Frank's patient but suffering wife, who knows too well the special magnificence of her husband. Frank's promoter and set-up man, a Cockney named Teddy (Brad Armacost), speaks third. His show business spin on events is both touching and comical. Frank's epilogue brings the play to a startling conclusion. In Faith Healer, Friel shows us the reality of grace, the unfolding of mystery and the healing powers of faith.

Seventeen years ago, Faith Healer, featuring Brad Armacost, Lia D. Mortensen and Si Osborne, directed by J.R. Sullivan was produced in Chicago in an acclaimed, sold-out run at TurnAround and Steppenwolf Theatres.  The original team returned to this work earlier this year at The Den Theatre in Wicker Par and is, once again, returning to this beloved play for one night only to bring this acclaimed, not-to-be-missed production to Three Oaks.

A World Premiere Workshop Production

COMPLICATED

Conceived and directed by Brigid Murphy, music and lyrics by Frank Orrall and Poi Dog Pondering

Featuring alternative rock legend Syd Straw, Frank Orrall and members of Poi Dog Pondering

as well as puppets by Chicago artist Cynthia VonOrthal

Saturday, August 3, 2013

8:00pm (EST); 7:00pm (CST)

Ticket Price: $35

Complicated is a theatrical hybrid: part rock concert, part traditional book musical.  It’s a mythic journey about home and your place in the world.  Music and lyrics by Frank Orrall and Poi Dog Pondering, book and direction by Brigid Murphy, puppet elements by Cynthia VonOrthal, and special musical guest indie rock diva Syd Straw.

This World Premiere workshop musical is currently in development.

Tickets for Three Oaks Theater Festival

Performances will take place at The Acorn Theater, 107 Generations Drive in Three Oaks, Michigan. 

Information and tickets will be available at www.threeoaksfestival.com beginning May 20.  Tickets will be available online; at the Acorn Theater box office; or via phone (269-756-3879).

About The Acorn Theater

Housed in a turn-of-the-century corset stay factory, The Acorn was purchased by two Chicago residents who lovingly restored the abandoned building.  The restoration was featured in multiple programs on HGTV.  In 2003, the building was re-opened as a 250-seat multi-disciplinary space used for professional performances and live theater.  The Acorn also houses a 1931 Barton theater pipe organ and boasts a huge acorn sculpture in front of the building.

About the Co-Founders

John Stoops is spearheading this effort based on over 15 years of experience in theater production.  John began his formal education at the Second City Training Center.  Soon afterward, John became a fixture in Chicago’s theater community.  After performing, directing and producing numerous shows in Chicago (Sincerity Forever, Stage Left Theater; Fun and Nobody, Stage Left Theater; Buttling Butler Buttles, Second City Theater; Blind Side, Live Bait Theater; mLife Sentence, iO Chicago), John joined the cast of Boom Chicago, an Amsterdam-based comedy ensemble. With Boom Chicago, John performed over 200 shows across 5 countries.  John returned to the U.S. to found Local 386, a Chicago-based comic production company described by the Chicago Sun Times as “hilarity in high def.”  With Local 386, John produced two critical and commercial hits (Local 386, Lakeshore Theater and Listening In, Chicago Center for the Performing Arts).  Additionally, John has significant marketing experience as a Vice President-Account Director with Leo Burnett where he led the development of world class brands for several Fortune 500 companies.  John is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  He received a Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where he focused on Entertainment Marketing and Entrepreneurship.  At Kellogg, John won the Sittercity Buzz Marketing Competition and the S.C. Johnson Business Plan Competition.

Tim Evans is the Executive Director of the award-winning Northlight Theatre in Skokie. Since his arrival in 2007, Evans has overseen the Theatre's new branding campaign, Leadership fundraising campaign, new board development, revamped arts education initiatives and a five year strategic plan with McKinsey & Company.  Prior to his arrival at Northlight, Tim spent a 20-plus year career at Steppenwolf Theatre where he served in management and producing positions.  He created, curated and produced Steppenwolf's acclaimed TRAFFIC Series which included a partnership with Chicago Public Radio for subsequent broadcasts.  Tim founded Steppenwolf Films, of which he is still a partner with Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry, to develop film and television projects. He produced the feature films Diminished Capacity with Matthew Broderick (premiered 2008 Sundance Film Festival) and The Last Rites of Joe May with Dennis Farina (premiered 2011 Tribeca Film Festival). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the League of Chicago Theatres, previously served on the board of the Independent Film Project (IFP) and was a charter member of the Governor's Task Force for Media Development. 

Marc Grapey is a Chicago-based Jeff Award-nominated actor and Jeff Award-winning director.  He was a co-founder and three-time Artistic Director of Famous Door, which during its 17-year history was one of Chicago’s most respected and celebrated theaters.  His Chicago credits include The Iceman Cometh, Race and the world premieres of Eric Bogosian’s Griller and Noah Haidle’s Vigils at the Goodman; The Birthday Party, Mizlansky/Zilinsky Or Schmucks, The Chosen, Antigone, Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Oblivion at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Equivocation, I Sailed with Magellan, Class Dismissed and Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo (Jeff Award nomination) at Victory Gardens Theater; Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Picnic at Writers’ Theatre; Funny Girl at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace; The Odd Couple at Northlight Theatre; The Metal Children at Next Theatre Company and Early and Often, The Homecoming, Beautiful Thing and Hitting for the Cycle (Jeff nomination) at Famous Door Theatre. Regionally, he has appeared at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville and the HBO Comedy and Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. He made his Broadway debut in 2005 opposite Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the hit revival of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple. Film credits include At Any Price, Superbad, Adventureland, Ali, While You Were Sleeping, A Piece of Eden and The Daytrippers. Television credits include The West Wing, Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and most notably as publicist J.J. Mitchell on HBO’s Sex and the City. He was the recipient of a Jeff Award for Best Director (with David Cromer) for Famous Door Theatre’s epic two-part production of The Cider House Rules.

About Three Oaks, Michigan

Three Oaks, Michigan, located about 70 miles from Chicago, has 1,600 residents.  Approximately 25% of those residents name Three Oaks as their secondary resident, most of whom are from Chicago.  The Village, remarkably well-developed in the arts, boasts two theaters, the live-performance Acorn Theater and the Vickers Theater, which shows independent and foreign films.  The quaint downtown has four art galleries featuring the work of established and emerging artists.  Chamberlain Path, located steps from the main street, has been turned into a sculpture garden featuring monumental sculptures by local and national artists.  The town also hosts two annual art festivals; the Art Attack weekend and Art in the Park.  Meanwhile, Dewey Cannon Park is home to Music in the Park, a free concert series held every Saturday during the summer.  Perhaps most indicative of the town’s quirky, artistic spirit, Three Oaks is one of the few villages in the country with the official position of Village Poet Laureate.  Each year, the reigning Poet Laureate is asked to write a Flag Day poem and a winter poem as well as participate in readings throughout the year.  In 2013, Three Oaks Theater Festival was born.

For more information about Three Oaks Theater Festival visit www.threeoaksfestival.com.

STOREFRONT PLAYWRIGHT PROJECT TO RETURN JULY 2-27, 2013

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Storefront Playwright Project, the League of Chicago Theatres will again provide support and window space at Expo 72 for nearly 40 emerging and established playwrights to work on a current writing project in view of the public in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.  From a large screen in a window facing the sidewalk, the public will be able to read what the playwright is writing and watch the creation of the next great Chicago play in real time. The Storefront Playwright Project will take place at Expo72, 72 E. Randolph St., in downtown Chicago, July 2 – 27, 2013, Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Storefront Playwright Project aims to support the playwriting community, increase awareness of emerging and established playwrights, and encourage audiences to engage more deeply with Chicago theatre and the creative process of writing a new play for the theatre. The League of Chicago Theatres will collect contact information from interested visitors who want updates on future developments of the playwrights’ work.

“Last year, we were invigorated by the success of Write Out Front: A Playwright Happening in New York and decided to sponsor a similar program in Chicago.  It was met with resounding success by playwrights and spectators,” says Deb Clapp, Executive Director of The League of Chicago Theatres.  “Chicago is the home to more world premiere plays than any other city.  The Storefront Theatre Project gives us the opportunity to support our playwrights while giving visibility to playwrights, the art of playwriting and the active new play scene in Chicago.”   

Playwrights selected for the project receive a stipend of $50 per day for a four hour time slot (10 a.m. – 2 p.m. or 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.) and will be promoted through on-site signage and social media, as well as on ChicagoPlays.com.  Participating playwrights already include Regina Taylor, Scott Barsotti, Danny Bernardo, Seth Bockley, Randall Colburn, Philip Dawkins, Nambi E. Kelley, M.E.H. Lewis, Mia McCullough, Jon Steinhagen and many more. 

The League of Chicago Theatres’ Storefront Playwright Project is based upon Write Out Front: A Playwright Happening, created by playwright Micheline Auger.  Write Out Front was held at New York’s Drama Bookshop, from August 13 to September 1, 2012, and hosted 71 playwrights, over the three-week/142-hour period. The inaugural Storefront Playwright Project took place December 2012 in Chicago.

JULY 2013 PLAYWRIGHT SCHEDULE

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
July 2 10 AM – 2PM Francesca Peppiatt 2PM – 6PM Mia McCullough	July 3 10 AM – 2PM Regina Taylor 2PM – 6PM Scott Barsotti	July 4 10 AM – 2PM Jessy Lauren Smith	July 5 10 AM – 2PM Robert Koon 2PM – 6PM Jeremy Menekseoglu	July 6 10 AM – 2PM Liz Ellison 2PM – 6PM Randall Colburn
July 9 10 AM – 2PM Trina Kakacek 2PM – 6PM Susan Lieberman	July 10 10 AM – 2PM Jenni Lamb 2PM – 6PM Tif Harrison	July 11 10 AM – 2PM Bilal Dardai 2PM – 6PM Danny Bernardo	July 12 10 AM – 2PM Alex Lubischer 2PM – 6PM Jon Steinhagen	July 13 10 AM – 2PM Blake Levinson 2PM – 6PM Leslie Ann Sheppard
July 16 10 AM – 2PM Emily Dendinger 2PM – 6PM E.J.C. Calvert	July 17 10AM – 2PM Malic White 2 PM – 6PM M.E.H. Lewis	July 18 10 AM – 2PM Chad Eschman 2PM – 6PM Brea Pautsch and Brooke Allen	July 19 10 AM – 2PM James Sherman 2PM – 6PM Dan Caffrey	July 20 10 AM – 2PM Brooke Allen 2PM – 6PM Nambi E. Kelley
July 23 10 AM – 2PM Erik Gernand 2PM – 6PM Skye Robinson Hillis	July 24 10AM – 2PM Mary Beth Hoerner 2 PM – 6PM Joe Orlandino	July 25 10 AM – 2PM David Isaacson 2PM – 6PM Jordan Faber	July 26 10 AM – 2PM Emilio Williams 2PM – 6PM Philip Dawkins	July 27 10 AM – 2PM Jennifer Rumberger 2PM – 6PM Seth Bockley

About Chicago theater

Chicago theater is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theaters throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theaters to the most renowned resident theaters in the country, including 5 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theaters serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. In 2009-10 alone Chicago theater companies produced more than 130 world premiere productions and adaptations. Each year Chicago theaters send new work to resident theaters across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. 

About The League of Chicago Theatres

The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theaters which leverages its collective strength to promote, support and advocate for Chicago's theater industry locally, nationally and internationally. The League of Chicago Theatres Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the art of theater in the Chicago area through audience development and support services for theaters and theater professionals.

About The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to supporting Chicago’s arts and culture community. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s nonprofit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts organizations demonstrating the City of Chicago’s commitment to celebrating the arts.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago website, www.chicagoplays.com.  Discounted tickets are available at www.hottix.org.

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S FREE 2013 SUMMER CONCERT TO SHOWCASE BROADWAY SHOWS AT JAY PRITZKER PAVILION AT MILLENNIUM PARK

Bring the whole family.   Broadway shows are multigenerational fun!   Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama, we've reviewed and enjoyed the Broadway productions of Motown the Musical, Wicked, & Million Dollar Quartet and highly recommend you check out this amazing FREE annual montage.

Including cast performances from ELF, EVITA, FLASHDANCE, 

GHOST THE MUSICAL, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, 

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, ONCE,

WE WILL ROCK YOU and WICKED

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce their annual FREE BROADWAY IN CHICAGO SUMMER CONCERT will take place on Monday, August 5, 2013 at 6:15 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park (201 E Randolph St).  

Hosted by ABC 7 Chicago’s Janet Davies, Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini, the headlining performance will feature cast members from the smash hit Broadway musical MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, as well as Broadway’s biggest blockbuster WICKED, and showcase additional cast performances from ELF, EVITA, FLASHDANCE THE MUSICAL, GHOST THE MUSICAL, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, ONCE and WE WILL ROCK YOU.  The Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert at Millennium Park is sponsored by ABC 7 Chicago and produced in partnership with The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

This year's concert will also feature performances by the 2013 Illinois High School Musical Theater Award recipients: John Clay III of Oak Park, Illinois, and Taylor Marie Sherry of St. Charles, Illinois.  Clay and Sherry will participate in The Jimmy™ Awards in New York City, named for legendary Broadway theater owner and producer James M. Nederlander, on July 1, 2013.

“We love being able to give back to our loyal fans and the residents of Chicago with this free concert,” said Eileen LaCario, vice president of Broadway In Chicago. “To see the number of Broadway performers who gather together for this one special night and their joy in performing on the stage of one of the most extraordinary outdoor concert settings - it is truly one of our favorite nights.”

Presented in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events as part of Millennium Park Presents, May 26–September 11 (various dates; start times vary), Millennium Park proudly presents symphonic music, dance, opera, Broadway hits and more—performed by some of Chicago’s best-loved cultural institutions.  

For full calendar information, visit millenniumpark.org.  For exciting facts about the Park, program updates and weather cancellations, follow us on Twitter @Millennium_Park and like us on Facebook.

FLASHDANCE

Aug. 6, 2013 – Aug. 18, 2013 Ÿ Cadillac Palace Theatre

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, the pop culture phenomenon of FLASHDANCE is now live on stage. With electrifying dance at its core, FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and a bar dancer by night with dreams of one day becoming a professional performer. When romance with her steel mill boss threatens to complicate her ambitions, Alex learns the meaning of love and its power to fuel the pursuit of her dream. FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL features a score that includes the biggest hit songs from the movie, including the Academy Award-winning title song "Flashdance - What a Feeling," "Maniac," "Gloria," "Manhunt," and "I Love Rock & Roll." In addition to these hits, 16 brand new songs have been written for the musical with music byRobbie Roth and lyrics by Robert Cary and Robbie Roth.  FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL features a book by Tom Hedley (co-writer of the original screenplay), and Robert Cary with direction and choreography bySergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis).

EVITA

Sep. 17, 2013 – Oct. 6, 2013 Ÿ Oriental Theatre

TIM RICE and ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER's Tony Award®-winning musical returns at last! Eva Perón used her beauty and charisma to rise meteorically from the slums of Argentina to the presidential mansion as First Lady. Adored by her people as a champion for the poor, she became one of the most powerful women in the world — while her greed, outsized ambition and fragile health made her one of the most tragic. EVITA tells Eva's passionate and unforgettable true story, and features some of theater's most beautiful songs, including "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" and "High Flying, Adored."  Don't miss the stunning new production of EVITA, directed by MICHAEL GRANDAGE and choreographed by ROB ASHFORD, that Channel 4 New York calls “THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN!” 

ONCE

Oct. 9, 2013 – Oct. 27, 2013 Ÿ Oriental Theatre

Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards® including BEST MUSICAL, ONCE is a truly original Broadway experience. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage,ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who's about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights... but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, ONCE draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. It's an unforgettable story about going for your dreams... not living in fear... and the power of music to connect all of us. 

WE WILL ROCK YOU

Oct. 22, 2013 – Oct. 27, 2013 Ÿ Cadillac Palace Theatre   

From London’s West End, the worldwide smash hit musical by Queen and Ben Elton comes to Chicago for a limited engagement! WE WILL ROCK YOU features the greatest hits of the legendary British rock group, Queen. Now in its 11th year in London and seen by a staggering 15 million people worldwide, this hilarious, multi-award-winning and record-breaking phenomenon boasts a fantastic score of killer Queen tunes that you just can't resist singing along to, such as Another One Bites The Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Are The Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody and of course, We Will Rock You.  It's the world champion of musicals and the show that rocks harder than any other, so don't miss the party!

WICKED

Oct. 30, 2013 – Dec. 21, 2013 Ÿ Oriental Theatre

Back by “Popular” demand in celebration of its 10^th anniversary on Broadway. Variety calls WICKED "a cultural phenomenon.” Winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, WICKEDis “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times).  Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for "the most complete - and completely satisfying - new musical in a long time" (USA Today).

ELF THE MUSICAL

Nov. 26, 2013 – Dec. 15, 2013 Ÿ Cadillac Palace Theatre                 

ELF is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner ELF. The New York Times says that ELF is “SPLASHY, PEPPY, SUGAR-SPRINKLED HOLIDAY ENTERTAINMENT!” USA Today calls ELF, “ENDEARINGLY GOOFY!” Variety proclaims, “ELF is happy enough for families, savvy enough for city kids and plenty smart for adults!”

GHOST THE MUSICAL

Jan. 7, 2014 – Jan. 19, 2014 Ÿ Oriental Theatre                    

Relive the iconic and magical moments from the Oscar-winning movie Ghost in a brand-new Broadway musical. GHOST THE MUSICAL features an original pop score from multiple Grammy Award-winners Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard and is adapted from the hit film by its Academy Award-winning screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin. GHOST THE MUSICAL follows Sam and Molly, a young couple whose connection takes a shocking turn after Sam's untimely death. Trapped between two worlds, Sam refuses to leave Molly when he learns she is in grave danger. Desperate to communicate with her, he turns to a storefront psychic who helps him protect Molly and avenge his death. GHOST THE MUSICAL is “eye-poppingly brilliant” (AP) and “unlike anything seen onstage before!” (Newsday).

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL

April 22, 2014 – July 13, 2014 Ÿ Oriental Theatre

MOTOWN is the real story of the one-of-a-kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed our culture forever. The show charts Motown Founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more.  MOTOWN tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. The music that shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat has finally arrived on Broadway and will launch its national tour in Chicago.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

Now playing Ÿ Apollo Theater

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is Chicago’s smash-hit musical inspired by the famed recording session that brought together rock 'n' roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time.  On December 4, 1956, these four young musicians gathered at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever.  MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET brings that legendary night to life, featuring a score of rock hits including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Fever," "That's All Right," "Sixteen Tons," "Great Balls of Fire," "Walk the Line," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Who Do You Love?," "Matchbox," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Hound Dog" and more.  For more information, visit www.milliondollarquartetlive.com.

Please note: program is subject to change.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 13 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 Bank of America Theatre, 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 ticket information for the shows featured at the Summer Concert or any of Broadway In Chicago’s upcoming performances, call (800) 775-2000 or visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR TICKETS ON SALE NOW #foodiefun

ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR

ADDED PERFORMANCE DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!

FEBRUARY 8, 2014 AT 3:00 PM

TICKETS ON-SALE NOW

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce a 3:00 p.m. performance of ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR will be added on February 8, 2014 at the Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph).  Alton Brown, Iron Chef host and renowned television personality, is taking his brand of quirky humor and culinary science on the road with the ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR.  Tickets for the evening performance at 8:00 p.m. are sold out.  Tickets for the added 3:00 p.m. performance NOW on-sale to the public.

Recently named Best Food TV Personality at The Munchies, Brown’s tour promises to be an eventful evening of stand-up comedy, talks show antics, multimedia lecture, live music and food experimentation.  Be prepared.  Ponchos will be involved.  The show will offer an interactive component in which audience members will have the opportunity to serve as Brown’s trusted assistants on stage.  For those hoping to sip at the pure source of Brownian wit and wisdom, this is a must-see extravaganza for the whole family. 

Brown said, "I've been cultivating material for this show for about a decade so it'll feel pretty darned good to finally get it out of my head and onto a stage.  I feel we've come up with some pretty amazing food demos, and the multi-media segments are solid….but I do have to say I'm a bit nervous about the singing parts."

ABOUT ALTON BROWN

Although Alton Brown spent plenty of time in his mom’s kitchen growing up, his real interest in food sparked in college when he discovered that girls who said “no” to dates sometimes said “yes” if he offered to cook for them.  His social life never ignited, but the food spark did and after spending a decade behind the camera in the commercial industry, he headed to culinary school in hopes of one day creating a new kind of cooking show.  Good Eats, the show that Brown would go on to write, produce, and host ran for 13 straight years on Food Network before making the jump to Cooking Channel where it airs to this day.  Combining food science, pop culture, skit humor, innovative cooking, and the occasional belching puppet, Good Eats has millions of fans and garnered a coveted Peabody Award for broadcast excellence in 2007.

Brown has also served as the culinary commentator of Iron Chef America for 11 seasons, and hosted Next Iron Chef for 5.  In 2012 he joined the cast of Food Network Star as a mentor and yes...one of his team members won.  Brown took home the James Beard Award for top food show host in 2011 and the medal bookends match nicely with the one his first book nabbed in 2002.  Speaking of books, he’s written 7, the last three of which made the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Brown’s newest venture is his touring stage show which combines many of the elements that made his television shows so unique with some new tricks such as live music, highly unorthodox culinary demonstrations, multi-media presentations, and lots of audience participation. 

ABOUT MAGICSPACE ENTERTAINMENT
MagicSpace Entertainment is headed by Lee D. Marshall, Joe Marsh, John Ballard, Steve Boulay and Bruce Granath and has been producing and presenting national tours, Broadway shows and concerts worldwide for over 30 years. Consistently one of the top promoters in North America, MagicSpace Entertainment typically produces and presents more than 250 events in 75 cities per year.  Broadway credits include Donny & Marie – A Broadway Christmas, Hello Dolly! starring Carol Channing; The Who’s Tommy, American Idiot and RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles On Broadway.  National tour credits include Lord of the Dance created by Michael Flatley, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage starring in Mythbusters - Behind The Myths, Alton Brown Live, Post Secret – Unheard Voices, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis, Donny & Marie Christmas, Experience the Beatles with RAIN, David Copperfield, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line and concert tours by Nathan Pacheco, Janet Jackson, Cher, Fleetwood Mac to name just a few.  In the UK, MagicSpace credits include Let It Be in the West End and an eleven city tour of Donny & Marie Live. Special tours and events produced or presented on the road includeTutankhamaun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition, Titanic: The Exhibition and Diana – A Celebration.  MagicSpace Entertainment has offices in Park City and Salt Lake City, UT. www.magicspace.net

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR the Oriental Theatre ranges from $25-$65.  A special package featuring premium seating and a pre-show meet and greet with Alton Brown is also available.  Tickets are available now for groups of 15 or more 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 Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. 

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.AltonBrownTour.com.   

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar: Shams Band Summer Fest Dates, CBS Morning News, Old St. Pat's and More

ChiIL Live Shows has been shooting the Shams Band for years.  They're some of our favorite rockin' locals.    Check 'em out right here at home this summer.

Shams Band Says:

Live TV Performance - CBS Morning News 6:30am on Friday, June 28th, 2013

Please set your DVR today for a chance to see us on live TV. 

Street Festivals (Chicago):

+ FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH - WORLD'S LARGEST BLOCK PARTY - 5:30PM 

We are honored to be a part of Old St. Pat's World's Largest Block Party. We will kick off the festival on the main stage at 5:30pm. Following us will be PUNCH BROTHERS and EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROES. We are giving away 2 FREE tickets via our Facebook & Twitter accounts. Please click through the links for a chance to win. 

Ticket Link

http://worldslargestblockparty.com/facts/

http://www.theshamsband.com/

http://vintagebluemusic.com/

+ SUNDAY, JUNE 30TH - ULTRA VIOLET PETTING ZOO - 6:30PM

The 'Ultra-Violet Petting Zoo' is back in its third year at The Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club Carnival on June 28 and 30 -- commemorating the carnival's 66th anniversary as Chicago's largest and longest running carnival. We play at 6:30PM | $5 Donation

+ SATURDAY, JULY 6TH - AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL - FITZGERALD'S NIGHTCLUB

We are so excited to be a part of our home town summer music Festival. We've been playing Fitzgerald's from day one and are honored to play American Music Festival. 

Here is the lineup for the day:

IN THE CLUB: Jimmy LaFave (11 pm), NRBQ (9 pm), Dolly Varden (7:30 pm), Warren Hood Band (5:45 pm), The Shams Band (4:15 pm), Expo '76 (2:30 pm)

IN THE TENT: Tributosaurus becomes Tom Petty (10:15 pm), Marcia Ball Band (8:15 pm), Max Baca & Los Texmaniacs (6:30 pm), Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet (4:45 pm), Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys (3 pm), Girl Group Chicago (1:30 pm)


WEEKEND OF SHAMS - SCHUBAS TAVERN - AUGUST 16TH & 17TH

Save the dates! We headline Schubas for two nights in August. Last Summer, our July residency was so successful (thanks to you), that we are back to headline Schubas for the first time ever on a weekend. We'll be bringing up our good friends Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes + The Howlin' Brothers from Nashville, TN. Plus two more bands TBA

We will be promoting this event for the entire summer and we ask that you save yourself some money right now and purchase the limited $20 Two-Day Pass to our weekend celebration. 

http://www.ticketfly.com/event/292769-shams-band-chicago/

That is it for now. We hope to see some folks out at our upcoming street festivals. Thank you for your support and continue to dance and enjoy yourselves at our shows. That is what music is all about.

HELP OUT: The Luck of Eden Hall Kickstarter for London Gig With Limited Edition Vinyl Premiums

Chicago’s The Luck of Eden Hall will be opening for the legendary band The Pretty Things at The Borderline in London on August 10! 

The band has set up a Kickstarter campaign with some amazing limited edition vinyl premiums to raise money to get across the pond: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353737515/the-luck-of-eden-hall-london-calling

They've just made what they need for the trip but you have a chance to score sweet collector vinyl till their campaign ends on June 30th.

Click here for ChiIL Live Shows prior coverage on The Luck of Eden Hall including live show shots.

Here's our interview with Curvey and his young daughter, Seda.

Click here for the band's main site.

ACT OUT OPENING TONIGHT: Piccolo Teatro di Milano's Inner Voices at Chicago Shakespeare

Chicago Shakespeare joins the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago to commemorate the 2013 Year of Italian Culture in the U.S.

We've been excited about this acclaimed production since our first posts about Inner Voices back in December.   Tonight's the night we'll finally be there to review.   The macabre premise of a man who dreams so vividly of a murder that he convinces himself that it actually occurred is so compelling.   We love black comedies and we'll bring you the full scoop soon.   This is a short 5 day run at Chicago Shakespeare, so book your tickets today!

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   It was our great pleasure to kick off the "Year of Italian Culture in the US" with a luncheon at the Chicago Cultural Center with Italian dignitaries, multicultural poets and members of the press.   We'll have much more to come on the wonderful Italian theatre, art, food and cultural events in store for Chicago in the months to come.

Click here to check out the Inner Voices Photo Gallery.

by Eduardo De Filippo
directed by Toni Servillo

in CST's Courtyard Theater
June 25–29, 2013

A World’s Stage Production from Italy

Performed in Italian with projected English translation.

co-production Piccolo Teatro di Milano-Teatro d’Europa/Teatro di Roma/Teatri Uniti
preview at Théâtre du Gymnase, Marseille, European Capital of Culture 2013

“Toni Servillo is divine...supported by a razor-sharp piece and surrounded by talent. ” –La Marseillaise (France)

“Genius...moments of pure comedy within a noir frame.”
–Avvenire (Italy)

Chicago Shakespeare joins the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago to commemorate the 2013 Year of Italian Culture in the U.S. First written and performed in Milano in 1948, Inner Voices tells the story of a man who dreams the murder of a friend so vividly that he believes the crime has actually been committed by his neighbors’ family. This gripping production features Toni Servillo, hailed by The New York Times as “the best Italian stage and screen actor of his generation,” leading a multi-generational cast of celebrated Neapolitan actors. It also marks the return of Italy’s renowned Piccolo Teatro di Milano, which last played Chicago in 2005 when CST presented Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters. Inner Voices has been coproduced with Teatri Uniti from Naples and Teatro di Roma.

Approximate Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes (no intermission)

Inner Voices is presented in the Jentes Family Auditorium.

International programming at Chicago Shakespeare Theater is supported, in part, by the Julius Frankel Foundation.

"Inner Voices". Between dreams and reality with the Servillo brothers

"The tragedy of Italy is not having revolted, of not having killed the father, as Umberto Saba said, and suddenly we have become fratricidal" - this is one of the acute considerations that Toni Servillo makes on the ethical dispute between what is admissible and what is not in the post-war period lived by our country as described by Eduardo De Filippo in Inner Voices, a play with which the actor-director has recently debuted in Marseilles and which is now at the Piccolo Teatro, Milan, before departing for the Argentina in Rome on Tuesday 7. "For a certain loss of sense and rules of civil living, the people of today have also fallen into a relationship crisis from which it seems difficult to escape" says Servillo, who returns after 11 years to take on Eduardo, after the exceptional Saturday, Sunday and Monday The opportunity here is provided by a weaving of nightmares and evil deeds presumed real, in a climate of monstrosity and restless sleep. "Alberto Saporito, my character, unmasks his own guilty conscience and that of everyone else when he accuses a neighbouring family, which he sees as irrefutably guilty, of a crime, a crime which he then realises he has only dreamt of. It is however too late, and the bad situation creates further reciprocal suspicions, accusations and betrayal." Here it is, an intense theme ofInner Voices: disloyalty, u-tums, mistrust, even between relatives or cohabitants..."

Rodolfo Di Giammarco, La Repubblica

The restless sleep of monsters

They begin and end in sleep, the Inner Voices with which Toni Servillo returns to Eduardo, a few years after that Saturday, Sunday and Monday which seemed to us to have been the most beautiful and moving treatment of a piece by the Neapolitan master since his death. And we all know well what sleep can create when the grip of reason is loosened. It is a black comedy of dreams, shadows, visions, nocturnal nightmares, Inner Voices. The restless souls of the dead nest, they creep into the house, into the nooks and crannies, even, shamelessly, into clothes- into the tie which will not knot. The maid Maria - who we see at the beginning lying on a chair at the kitchen table - dreams, unable to work in the early hours of the morning. And even in her young innocence, the dream is a surreal film of images which drip blood. Alberto Saporito dreams. And in this dream he is convinced that his neighbours - the good family Cimmaruta which lives off the work of its womenfolk- have killed his friend Aniello Amitrano. He spied on them, he saw how they had drawn him into a trap and where they had hidden the blood-soaked shirt and the incriminating documents: in a hole behind the dresser. He thus hastens to formally accuse them and now there in their kitchen he waits together with his brother for the arrival of the police, stealing glances at the clock which prolongs the cruel pleasure of being able to openly throw in their faces the still concealed rancour. Bum them alive, he cries, with the zeal of a religious inquisitor, as they are lead away. But did Alberto Saporito really dream? He himself is no longer sure. He no longer knows what is real in this melting pot of reality and dream, in front of the procession of relatives who accuse each other of the crime. They believed it possible, they accepted it, maybe they were ready to commit another, as he claims in the moralistic finale, when a blinding light floods the stage and brings what should be the moment of truth. Everyone thinking that he withdrew out of fear. Everyone repeating to him, produce the documents, there's no point saying he doesn't have them.

Gianni Manzella, 11 manifesto

Eduardo, Servillo, and the "moral postwar" of today.

On Sunday afternoon I went to the Piccolo Teatro di Milano to enjoy Inner Voices by Eduardo De Filippo with a Toni Servillo who speaks with his eyes and hands, his brother Peppe, a white table, a dresser and a couple of chairs. A neo-realist joumey through the guilty conscience of humanity which begins in the rubble ofthe Second World War and which strips bare the fall of the values of the "moral postwar" of today. Small and great miseries take to the stage, characters with their vileness and suspicions, stains of hatred and the usual dose of hypocrisy, gestures and (bitter) portraits of a "guilty conscience" of both the young and the old. A piece of miraculous foresight which only the talent of Eduardo could have conceived in 1948, and which only the talent of Servillo could interpret so faithfully as to conduct us through the meanders of a soul devoured by envy and the (unfortunately) evermore frequent trails of the moral corruption of today..."

Roberto Napoletano, II Sole 24 Ore

The soul of Eduardo in the clothes of The Tramp

"It is clear that the Inner voices, the voices of conscience, reflect the traumas of a country where everyone suspects everyone else, where values seem to have disappeared, where the wisest prefer to remain silent because they know they will not be understood; such as the old and almost invisible Uncle Nicola who communicates to the world by letting off firecrackers and who only Alberto can understand. The world of dreams here mixes and is confused with reality, and this is expressed well (the second act played in chiaroscuro is wonderful) through Toni Servillo's direction which translates everything with subtle intelligence into a metaphor. With moments of pure comedy within a noir frame, Toni Servillo excels: dressing in that baggy suit "à la Tramp", he gives his character that Chaplin touch. This too is genius."

Domenico Rigotti, Avvenire

Divine Comedy
"As a director, Servillo shines for his winning attitude, for which Naples "understands more that one sees". Suddenly, the simple costumes serve only to define the era, in the same way that the minimalist scenery enhances the musicality of the Neapolitan dialect. A dialect which Servillo and the dozen actors who accompany him (among them his real-life brother, Peppe, a perfect bigot, more suited to scrounging than bowing) play with, dragging the words and transforming the consonants to better prolong the vowels. Although the subtitles at times delay the reactions of the audience by a few moments, they are reduced to a minimum, just enough to help follow the conversation without interfering with the acting. Apropos the acting: Servillo stands out for all that he is, one of the most talented Italian actors, able to transmit to all the lowliness of humanity of the post-war period simply by holding his head in his hands. Supported by a razor-sharp piece and surrounded by talent, he is divine."

Paul Goiffon, La Marseillase

The ruin of Italy as seen by De Filippo
Toni Servillo stages "Inner Voices", written in 1948, which recalls the current crisis.
"In Naples it is raining. Italy has never seemed so confused, irritable, divided, such a caricature, than after the elections of 24 and 25 February. In Genova, an elderly comic, Beppe Grillo, holds politics hostage. In Milan, the deathwatch of members of Silvio Berlusconi's party, among them an ex minister of justice, have demonstrated against the judiciary. In Rome, the search is on for a government. A little light is needed. We enter the theatre in order to see better ( ... ) "I had already staged Saturday, Sunday and Monday by De Filippo - explains Servillo - a perfect play which foresaw the economic boom of the 1960s. This is darker, more difficult to stage. Written in 1948, at the end of the war, it speaks of the moral ruin which followed the material ruin of Italy. I chose to tell of this precipice in which truth and lies, legal and illegal, are confused. The war changed the nature of man and we no longer know how to communicate or understand each other." One of the characters, who expresses himself simply by lighting firecrackers, illustrates this abyss: he has chosen silence "because the world is deaf.'"

Philippe Ridet, Le Monde