OPENING: World Premiere of Hazel A Musical Maid in America at Drury Lane Theatre

Drury Lane Theatre opens its 2016-2017 season with

the World Premiere of the 1960s musical comedy starring Klea Blackhurst

Hazel

A Musical Maid in America

Music by Ron Abel

Lyrics by Chuck Steffan

Book by Lissa Levin

Directed and Choreographed by Joshua Bergasse

 March 31 – May 20, 2016

Drury Lane Theatre opens its 2016-2017 season with the World Premiere musical comedy Hazel, A Musical Maid in America, based on the character from the Saturday Evening Post comic strip and the 1960s TV comedy series starring Shirley Booth. Hazel features a book by Lissa Levin, music by Ron Abel, and lyrics by Chuck Steffan. This new musical is directed and choreographed by Emmy and Tony Award-winner Joshua Bergasse with musical direction by Roberta Duchak. Hazel runs March 31 – May 29, 2016 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. 

It's the 1960s, a time of great change for America, but not all of the Baxter family is on board. What George Baxter finds not so funny about his wife joining the work force and his maid taking over his household and his life – is a laugh riot. Directed and choreographed by Emmy Award winner Joshua Bergasse, "Hazel" asks the question: can a simple maid debone a turkey, save a marriage, uncover a matter of national security and lead a conga line? She can if she's Hazel!

Tickets:  

Previews: $43 - $58

Single Tickets: $45 - $60

Wednesday and Thursday matinees are priced at $45, Thursday and Sunday evenings at $55, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinee performances at $60.

Student group tickets start at $30

Senior Citizens start at $40 for matinees.

Dinner and show packages available

Box Office: 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace

630.530.0111, TicketMaster at 800.745.3000

or visit DruryLaneTheatre.com.

"From the moment we discovered Hazel, we fell in love with it,” said Kyle DeSantis, President of Drury Lane Productions. “The production solidifies our commitment to fostering new work we believe in. Under the incredible direction of Joshua Bergasse, Hazel promises to delight and surprise our audiences.”

Hazel is based on one of the most beloved and enduring characters in American popular culture. Hazel, a saucy maid with a wry sense of humor, timeless wisdom, and a heart of gold, was created by cartoonist Ted Key and has been adored for more than 60 years. She first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943 as a single-panel cartoon and continued to delight readers of all ages until the magazine went out of print in 1969. Hazel was brought to life by Academy Award winner Shirley Booth on a TV sitcom of the same name, and ran for five award-winning seasons.

The cast of Hazel includes Klea Blackhurst (Hazel), Ken Clark (George Baxter), Summer Naomi Smart (Dorothy Baxter), Casey Lyons (Harold Baxter), Tyler Martin (Scotty Ferber), Ava Morse (Benedetta Bomicino), Rowan Moxley (Reuben Steuben), and Ed Kross (Bonkers Johnson). The ensemble includes Bill Bannon, Johnson Brock, Courtney Cerny, Brian M. Duncan, Roy Gantz, Rhett Guter, Terrance Martin, Shari Mocheit, Meghan Murphy, Kristen Noonan, Gerard Salvador and Holly Stauder.

The creative team includes Kevin Depinet (Set Design), Sully Ratke (Costume Design), Lee Fiskness (Lighting Design), Christopher Ash (Projection Design), Ray Nardelli (Sound Design) and Lucia Lombardi (Production Stage Manager).

2016 – 2017 Season and Subscription Information

Following Hazel, Drury Lane's 2016 - 2017 season of will continue with Ira Levin's murder mystery Deathtrap, June 9 - August 14, 2016, followed by Smokey Joe's Café, featuring the iconic songwriting of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, September 1 - October 23, 2016, and the feel-good Gershwin musical Crazy For You, November 3, 2016 - January 8, 2017.  The season will conclude with a revised version of Saturday Night Fever, based on the popular ‘70s film with music by The Bee Gees, January 19, 2017 - March 19, 2017.

Subscriptions for the 2016 - 2017 Season are priced from $144.60 to $175.80.  Subscribers receive special offers on dining, flexible ticket exchanges and early notification and priority seating for added events and concerts. For more information, visit DruryLaneTheatre.com.

About Drury Lane Theatre

Under the leadership of President Kyle DeSantis and Artistic Director William Osetek, Drury Lane Theatre is a major force in the Chicagoland theatre scene, presenting world-class productions in collaboration with some of the nation’s leading actors, artists, writers and directors. Over the past 30 years, Drury Lane has staged more than 2,000 productions and has been nominated for more than 350 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Drury Lane is committed to breathing new life into beloved classics and introducing audiences to exciting new works.

Throughout its 30-year history, Drury Lane has employed more than 7,500 actors and 10,000 musicians, designers and crewmembers to entertain upwards of nine million audience members. Originally founded by Anthony DeSantis, Drury Lane Theatre remains a family-run organization known for producing breathtaking Broadway classics, top-rated musicals, bold new works, hilarious comedies and unforgettable concert events.

INCOMING: Boolean Knife at Debonair Social Club 3/4

Veteran Chicago musician/producer William Steffey (Marathon Man, The Blue Meanies) has assembled a new band called Boolean Knife. The four-piece has dropped their debut EP, Astrid and the Killer Penguin, and will be playing at Debonair Social Club on Friday, March 4. Click HERE for full show details.

EP streams at https://booleanknife.bandcamp.com/album/astrid-and-the-killer-penguin and https://soundcloud.com/boolean-knife-1/sets/astrid-and-the-killer-penguin.

Check out the band's site HERE then get out and see them LIVE this Friday.

INCOMING: City Winery Hosts Chicago’s Las Guitarras de España and Musician/Composer Ronnie Malley

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Chicago’s Las Guitarras de España will be collaborating with musician/composer Ronnie Malley for a truly multicultural show at City Winery on Monday, March 7.

Ronnie Malley

The collaboration will explore music from the shared cultural history of the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. The special program will also feature flamenco and Indian dance with music from the ensemble Surabhi featuring Sara Ranganathan (veena), Chihsuan Yang (violin, erhu) and Carlo Basile (guitar) just returning from Shanghai, Taiwan, and Hanoi to explore music from the Silk Road tradition. Click HERE for full show details, and to purchase tickets.

OPENING: The World Premiere of UNITED FLIGHT 232 at The House Theatre

THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE WORLD PREMIERE OF 

UNITED FLIGHT 232 

ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY VANESSA STALLING AND BASED ON THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BOOK BY EVANSTON’S LAURENCE GONZALES

The Production Runs March 11 – May 1 at the Chopin Theatre

Opening Night is Sunday, March 20 at 7 p.m.

The House Theatre of Chicago is proud to announce the world premiere adaptation of Laurence Gonzales’ book Flight 232, adapted and directed by Vanessa Stalling. United Flight 232 tells the story of the harrowing July 19, 1989 flight bound for Chicago’s O’Hare airport. United Flight 232 runs March 11 – May 1, plays at Chopin Theatre’s Upstairs Theater, 1543 W. Division St.  Previews begin Friday, March 11 at 8 p.m. and run through Saturday, March 19, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. 

Regular performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., from March 25 – May 1. Preview tickets are $15 and regular run tickets range from $30 to $35. $10 same-day tickets for students and industry professionals are available for all dates, seats permitting. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.thehousetheatre.com or call 773.769.3832.

“I love you, hurry home. I love you.” On July 19, 1989, a DC-10 headed for O’Hare with 296 aboard is paralyzed mid-air. For 44 minutes, the aircraft descended towards an emergency landing and crashed at Sioux City Gateway airport. To the astonishment of all who witnessed the event, 184 of 296 passengers and crew survived. Drawing on the interviews and research conducted by Evanston author Laurence Gonzales for his critically acclaimed book, Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival, this brand new play, United Flight 232, is a reflection on how to comprehend tragedy and celebrate human ingenuity in the face of overwhelming challenges.

The House Theatre of Chicago Company Members Brenda Barrie and Johnny Arena join the cast, along with guest artists Echaka Agba, Alice de Cunha, Elana Elyce, Rudy Galvan, James Doherty, Kroydell Galima, and Michael Martin.

San Francisco Chronicle called Laurence Gonzales’ book, “A richly detailed story that is equal parts heartbreaking [and] inspiring…”

 The Washington Post said, “Flight 232 stands alone for its absolutely riveting depiction of the flight’s last minutes and the horrendous aftermath: for its vivid sympathetic portraits of many of those aboard the plane, the crew most particularly.”

The Chicago Tribune called it, “Astonishingly in-depth…”

To learn more about Laurence Gonzales’ book, please visit his website at laurencegonzales.com/232.html.

United Flight 232 was commissioned and developed by The House Theatre of Chicago and the Chicago Performance Lab through the Theatre and Performance Studies Program at the University of Chicago.

ABOUT LAURENCE GONZALES, author

Laurence Gonzales was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Houston and San Antonio, Texas. His book about the crash of United Flight 232 at Sioux City, Iowa, July 19, 1989, Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival, from W.W. Norton, was published on July 7, 2014. He is the author of numerous books, including the bestseller Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why and the sequel, Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience (both from W.W. Norton). Gonzales has won many awards, including two National Magazine Awards and the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. He has appeared as a speaker before groups ranging from the Santa Fe Institute to Legg Mason Capital Management, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also on the adjunct faculty at Northwestern University in the Medill School of Journalism. His most recent novel is Lucy (Alfred A. Knopf). His essays are collected in the book House of Pain (University of Arkansas Press). He is a fellow of the Santa Fe Institute.                                                

ABOUT VANNESA STALLING, adapter and director

Vanessa Stalling is a Chicago freelance director. Recently, Stalling directed The America Play at Oracle Productions and Mutt, by Christopher Chen, a co-production between Stage Left and Red Tape. Other recent work includes Circuscope, Actors Gymnasium, The Normal Heart, Boston University and Pullman W.A, Illinois State University. She is most known for her work as associate artistic director at Redmoon, where she enjoyed directing and choreographing several productions including a remount of The Cabinet, Last of My Species, Winter Pageant, Princess Club, and Twilight Orchard. She is adjunct faculty at Columbia College Chicago and University of Chicago. She is a recipient of the Outstanding University Teacher Award and an Impact Award for her service as an Instructor at Illinois State University.

ABOUT THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO
The House is Chicago's premier home for intimate, original works of epic story and stagecraft. Founded and led by Artistic Director Nathan Allen and driven by an interdisciplinary ensemble of Chicago’s next generation of great storytellers, The House aims to become a laboratory and platform for the evolution of the American theatre as an inclusive and popular artform.

The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends to explore connections between Community and Storytelling through a unique theatrical experience. Since becoming eligible in 2004, The House has been nominated for 60 Joseph Jefferson Awards (21 wins), became the
first recipient of Broadway in Chicago’s Emerging Theater Award in 2007, and was awarded a
2014 National Theatre Company Grant by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. Now in its 14th year of original work, The House continues its mission to unite Chicago in the spirit of Community through amazing feats of Storytelling.

OPENING: New Play THE BACHELORS at Cole Theatre

COLE THEATRE PRESENTS NEW PLAY

 THE BACHELORS 

AS ITS SOPHOMORE PRODUCTION

Erica Weiss directs a pitch-black comedy on the madness of modern masculinity

March 17-April 10 at the Greenhouse Theater Center

After launching in 2014 with Mike Leigh’s English comedy Ecstasy, Cole Theatre is proud to announce its second production will be the Midwest premiere of The Bachelors, a new dark comedy with an all-male cast by Caroline V. McGraw.  Erica Weiss (A Twist of Water, The Downpour) directs a dangerously fast one-act that cunningly explores three stunted young men’s behaviors toward women, and the wreckage caused to both in the wake of a long-lived patriarchy. The Bachelor runs March 17-April 10, 2016 at The Greenhouse Upstairs Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. 

The Bachelors

A new play by Caroline V. McGraw
Directed by Erica Weiss

March 17-April 10 at Greenhouse Upstairs Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

Tickets, $25 at www.coletheatre.org

Inside a house on a fraternity row live three roommates far past their college days. It’s Friday evening, and Laurie (Shane Kenyon) has just returned from a business trip, buddy Kevlar (Nicholas Bailey) is already wasted and cellular biologist Henry (Boyd Harris) is just getting started to party. A thousand girlfriends come and gone, a thousand drinks downed, a thousand parties crashed – every night the same, until now. There’s a party tonight, but it is not the blaring music that makes sleep impossible. Tonight, these bachelors will understand what their choices have really gotten them.

“The Bachelors is a sharply funny and disturbingly thrilling portrait of seemingly privileged guys, each differently stunted, who detonate in hilarious, haunting and tragic ways," says Harris, Cole Theatre’s founder and artistic director.

"It really surprised me," reveals director Erica Weiss. "I would not have thought that my next passion project would be a play about three men – and then Caroline's creation hit me with razor sharp wit and empathetic insight into the perils and pitfalls of contemporary masculinity. Not only is it incredibly entertaining, this play is incredibly relevant to my interest in featuring the voices of female perspectives and challenging preconceived notions about what topics women can take on. It makes me laugh, it makes me gasp, and it makes me grapple with my capacity for empathy. Caroline V. McGraw is a playwright Chicago needs to know, and I am beyond thrilled to make this introduction."

“I wanted it to be gross and funny and really milk the boys-will-be-boys tropes, but have an unabashedly feminist perspective always lurking under the surface,” says McGraw of her one-act play. “I wanted this to be a night at the theater that's enjoyable in a lot of ways, but where the characters' damaged relationships with women cause the play world to open up in unexpected ways."

The production will feature work by Bethany Arrington (assistant director), Eric Backus (sound design),  Matthew Bonaccorso (assistant stage manager), Alarie Hammock (costume design), Cori James (stage manager), Dillon Kelleher (actor cover), Richard Latshaw (prop design),  Rachel K. Levy (lighting design), Grant Sabin (scenic design), Martha Templeton (master electrician), and David Woolley (fight choreography).

About the Playwright:

Caroline V. McGraw’s plays include Believeland, Ultimate Beauty Bible, Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys, The Vaults, Debut Track One Chord One Verse One (or, The Shed), The King is Dead and Baby No More Times (a pop musical co-written with Mary Birnbaum and Melissa Lusk). Her work has been produced and developed at theaters around the country, including the Cherry Lane Theatre by Young Playwrights Inc., New Georges, Washington Ensemble Theatre, The Yale Cabaret, AracaWorks, Naked Angels, Washington National Opera/The Kennedy Center, Second Stage, Studio 42, Page 73, IAMA Theater Company, and Ars Nova ANT Fest. She has been in residence at Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival, Wordbridge Playwrights’ Lab, and SPACE on Ryder Farm.  She is an alum of the New George’s Jam, Interstate 73 and the Civilians R&D Group, and a member of the Primary Stages Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group. She is working on a new play commission from Yale Rep. Caroline was the 2013 Page 73 Playwriting Fellow.  She is a graduate of the Playwriting MFA program at the Yale School of Drama, where she studied under Paula Vogel.

About the Director:

Erica Weiss is a Chicago-based theatre and film director and an ensemble member with The Gift Theatre Company. She has a background in new play development and dramaturgy, and has been privileged to work with fantastic companies of all sizes in the Chicago Theatre community, including Victory Gardens Theatre, Steep Theatre Company, Bailiwick Chicago, and Route 66 Theatre Company, where she was the Associate Artistic Director from 2011-2015. She made her off-Broadway directing debut in 2012 at 59E59, and was the 2013-2014 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at The Goodman Theatre. She is a nominee for the 2014-15 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Director and Best Production. She and creative partner Caitlin Parrish are the founders of Teleporter Productions, and recently completed their first feature film, The View From Tall.

About Cole Theatre

Cole Theatre Company, established in 2013, works with thrilling, under-sung artists to make theatre illuminating joy, horror, humor, sadness, triviality and injustice. For more information about Cole Theatre’s productions and programs, visit www.coletheatre.org, call  (773) 747- 6821, or email boyd@coletheatre.org

OPENING: Tom Stoppard's Arcadia Inaugural Offering at Writers Theatre's New Digs

Writers Theatre inaugurates new theatre center with

Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam

EXTENDED: New dates added, due to popular demand!

Now playing March 16, 2016 – May 1, 2016

Arcadia is first production at Writers Theatre’s new home designed by Studio Gang Architects

Writers Theatre, under leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, presents the first production in their new home, Arcadia, written by Tom Stoppard, directed by Michael Halberstam. The production, which begins performances on March 16, 2016 has already been extended by one week, and will now play through May 1, 2016 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre in Writers Theatre’s new theater center at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 

                        

Schedule: Tuesdays - Fridays: 7:30pm (with select 3:00pm Wednesday matinees)

Saturdays: 3:00pm and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm

Prices: Tickets start at $35. Purchase early for best prices     

Box Office:  The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 

847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org

In the heart of a 19^th century English country estate awash in secret desires, illicit affairs and professional rivalries, a brilliant young student proposes an earthshaking scientific theory. Two hundred years later at that same estate, academic adversaries Hannah and Bernard race to unravel the enticing mysteries left behind in a heated battle for intellectual and sexual dominance.

Part detective story and part comedy of manners, Tom Stoppard's elegant, time-jumping masterpiece forges a complex comedy of wit, romance, poetry, sex and scientific theory, introducing characters whose lives and passions intersect across the centuries.

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam, who previously helmed WT’s hit productions of Stoppard’s The Real Thing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Rough Crossing Arcadia serves as an ideal first production in Writers Theatre’s new home, serving as bridge between the Theatre’s celebrated past and its exciting future.

*Arcadia marks the 100^th production in Writers Theatre history and the first production at the Theatre’s new home at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. It will be staged in the 250-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, designed by Studio Gang Architects, led by Founding Design Principal Jeanne Gang.*

“I cannot think of a more fitting way to embrace our new home than with a production of Tom Stoppard’s beautiful ode to the past, the present and the future,” said Artistic Director Michael Halberstam. “It is a play that stands at the core of our mission to focus on intimate engagements with text and artist. It takes advantage of the epic canvass that our beautiful new Nichols theatre can encompass while highlighting the intimate relationship that can be articulated between audience and actor. Our cast and production team is rooted firmly in Chicago and embodies the remarkable breadth of artistry that lies at the heart of our very unique and exciting community."

*In 2006, the Royal Institution of Great Britain named Arcadia one of the best science-related works ever written.*

The cast of Arcadia includes Greg Matthew Anderson (Septimus Hodge), Chaon Cross (Lady Croom), Kate Fry (Hannah Jarvis), Torrey Hanson (Jellaby), Nathan Hosner (Capt. Brice, RN), Callie Johnson (Chloë Coverly), Scott Parkinson (Bernard Nightingale), Gabriel Ruiz (Richard Noakes), Alistair Sewell (Gus Coverly/Agustus Coverly), Christopher Sheard (Valentine Coverly), Elizabeth Stenholt (Thomasina Coverly) and Rod Thomas (Ezra Chater).

The designers are Collette Pollard (Scenic Designer), Rachel Anne Healy (Costume Designer), John Culbert (Lighting Designer), Josh Schmidt (Sound Designer) and Scott Dickens (Properties Master).  The Stage Manager is David Castellanos, and the Dialect Coach is Eva Breneman.

 

Chicago is Bitten by the Bard Bug With Shakespeare 400 All Year

Last night we were thrilled to cover opening night of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's compelling modern adaptation of Othello. Earlier this week we were enamored with opening night of Gounod's opulent Romeo and Juliet at Lyric Opera. Check back with ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows for Shakespeare 400 news, reviews, and photo filled features all year long. 

From concerts to ballet, opera and theater, Chicago is bitten by the bard bug! Shows we are reviewing are in bold. This week, Harris Theater for Music and Dance presents the first dance performances of the festival: Hamburg Ballet’s Othello , while the Moor’s story also unfolds as a gripping psychological thriller at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The world's most celebrated love story finds new dimension in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet at Lyric Opera, just as two concerts at Rockefeller Chapel explore popular styles of music from Shakespeare’s time. Looking to shake things up? A handful of tickets remain to catch (In) Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare at the Museum of Contemporary Art this week. And there’s much more to come! In March, the UK’s Filter Theatre brings its rock-and-roll Twelfth Night to Chicago Shakespeare; Harvard Professor Michael Sandel hosts a lively town hall-style conversation; Gift Theatre performs its Richard III at Steppenwolf's Garage; and Logan Center for the Arts screens two masterful films of King Lear. Across our great city, with Shakespeare as their guide, the best international and Chicago talents remind us of life’s endless possibilities and the universality of the human condition. There’s so much to enjoy—come play your part! Follow the hashtag #ChiShakes400. Explore More More ChiIL Shots From ChiIL Mama's Adventures at Othello, Opening Night. Chicago Shakespeare Theater: