Gift Theatre Opens Season With World Premiere of Unseen

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere

Unseen

Feb 16 - April 9

WRITTEN BY MONA MANSOUR

DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER MAUREEN PAYNE-HAHNER

The Gift Theatre, 4902 N. Milwaukee Avenue

ChiIL Live Shows will be out to review on February 24th, so check back shortly after for our full review. We're elated Gift Theatre is tipping the scales toward presenting more female written and directed shows this season. Unseen is the first of three world premieres written by women that comprise Gift's exciting 2017 season. This tiny but might theatre is big on presenting world class, professional productions in an incredibly intimate space. They're favorites of ours and we can't wait to catch their latest.

Unseen 

The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Avenue, kicks off its 2017 Season with the world premiere of Mona Mansour’s play Unseen. Ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner directs a cast featuring ensemble members Brittany Burch (Mia) and Alexandra Main (Jane) with guest artist Ashley Agbay (Derya).  Unseen runs from February 10 – April 9, 2017 

Conflict photographer Mia wakes up in the Istanbul apartment of her on-again, off-again girlfriend after being found unconscious at the scene of a massacre she was photographing. Mia can’t even remember being there, but she wired photos of the site hours before being found. The two women resume their volatile push-pull when Mia’s well-meaning Californian mother arrives from the United States, trying to help unravel the mystery of what happened to her daughter.

“When I first read this play, it took my breath away,” says Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton. “To recognize each other’s humanity, to see each other’s pain and say ‘I love you completely for who you are’ is the highest gift we can give each other. As wars continue to rage on our planet, Unseen is a masterwork about love, trauma, and repair in the lives of those for whom war is not just a story, but real life. We are humbled and thrilled to tell this story at The Gift.”

Unseen’s design team includes Sarah Watkins (set), Rachel Sypniewski(costumes), John Kelly (lights), Sarah Ramos (sound), Sarahi Salazar (props) and Brock Alter (projections).

Performance schedule

Previews: Friday, February 10 – Wednesday, February 15

Press Opening: Thursday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Regular Run: Friday, February 17 – Sunday, April 9

Curtain: Thursdays – Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for Unseen range from $30-$40 and are available by calling the Gift’s box office at 773-283-7071 or visiting thegifttheatre.org. Season subscriptions are also on sale now and range from $75-$190, with special pricing available for members under the age of 30 

About The Gift Theatre

TEN, The Gift’s annual kickoff celebration of ten-minute plays curated by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and associate artistic director Paul D’Addario takes place in January. The all-new season consists of three world premieres and kicks off in February with Mona Mansour’s war-torn drama Unseen, directed by ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner (February 10–April 9), followed by Claire Kiechel’s futuristic Pilgrims, co-directed by ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton and guest artist Jessica Thebus (June 2-July 30). The  season closes with Janine Nabers’ time-hopping love story A Swell in the Ground, directed by guest artist Chika Ike (October 13-December 10). Season subscriptions are available for as little as $75. The Gift subscribers (“Gifters”) receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night “Natural Gas” improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. 

Senior, Student, Veterans and Industry discounts available.

Come Closer on Sunday, April 2 for a talkback with the cast, drinks, and a couple of themed appetizers! Tickets to this special event are $55 and sell out quickly. Reserve your spot today.

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

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar

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

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, 

FEBRUARY 3 – MARCH 12 AT STAGE 773

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

GIVEAWAY: WIN A Pair of Tickets To First Folio Theatre's Captain Blood ($58 value)

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

“Captain Blood!”

presented by First Folio Theatre

now through Feb. 26
(Best Enjoyed By Ages 14+)

ChiIL Live Shows is partnering up with First Folio Theatre once again for a great giveaway.

ENTER HERE 

through midnight Sunday, February 5th for your shot at a pair of free tickets good for any Wednesday or Thursday performance of Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood! through February 19th. $58 value. Shows are at Mayslake Peabody Estate 1717 W. 31st Street in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Sundays and Thursdays: 3 p.m.

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays: 8 p.m.

Plus Saturdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25: 4 p.m.

Unjustly sentenced to slavery on a Caribbean island, the bold Dr. Peter Blood falls in love with the lady of the plantation, the lovely Arabella Bishop. When Blood escapes and takes up the life of a pirate, it appears fate has separated them forever — or has it? Filled with sword fights and pirate battles, love and treachery, and even a song or two, this adventure is perfect for the whole crew! 

Recommended for Ages 14 and up; under 18 with an adult. $22 – $39 per person. Purchase tickets HERE or at (630) 986-8067.

Steppenwolf To Honor Phylicia Rashad and Salute Women In The Arts Monday February 6th

Help Out:

Support Women In The Arts At 

Steppenwolf's annual fundraiser luncheon

TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR, SINGER AND STAGE DIRECTOR 

PHYLICIA RASHAD TO BE HONORED AT 

STEPPENWOLF SALUTES WOMEN IN THE ARTS FUNDRAISER 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Steppenwolf Theatre Company proudly announces stage director, singer and Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad as the 2017 honoree at the annual Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts fundraising luncheon on Monday, February 6, 2017 at 12noon at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N Columbus Dr. Ms. Rashad joins Steppenwolf Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro for a riveting conversation about her multifaceted career and her role as a leader in the field.

Phylicia Rashad is a close collaborator with the Steppenwolf ensemble, having starred as Violet Weston in the Shapiro-helmed 2009 Broadway production of August: Osage County and more recently, in ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Head of Passes alongside ensemble member Alana Arenas and directed by ensemble member Tina Landau at the Public Theater. Her powerful work on stage has garnered much acclaim. Ms. Rashad was the first African American actor to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, which she received for her performance of Lena Younger in a revival of A Raisin in the Sun in 2004.

Best known to television audiences for her groundbreaking role of attorney Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, for which she received two N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards and two Emmy nominations, Phylicia Rashad returns to television this season with a featured guest-starring role in Empire. Recent film credits include Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls and the 2015 Rocky spin-off and sequel Creed.

The eighth annual Women in the Arts luncheon brings together nearly 400 leaders from Chicago’s business and civic communities to honor Ms. Rashad for her indelible contribution to the field. The event raises funds for Steppenwolf’s professional development programs, including Steppenwolf for Young Adults, the nationally recognized education program, the School at Steppenwolf, as well as the Professional Leadership Programs, providing apprenticeships, fellowships and internships for the next generation of arts managers and producers.

Table sponsorships, starting at $5,000 for Women in the Arts are currently available. Individual tickets, start at $200. To purchase tickets or learn about table sponsorship opportunities, contact Steppenwolf’s Special Events Department at 312-654-5632 or specialevents@steppenwolf.org.

Lead sponsor of the 2017 Women in the Arts luncheon is BMO Harris Bank. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline Partner of Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Previous honorees for Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts include ensemble members Joan Allen, Laurie Metcalf and Martha Plimpton, along with Claire Danes, Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Margo Martindale, Julianne Nicholson and Mary-Louise Parker.

About the Honoree

Whether she is bringing laughter to millions of television viewers around the world, moving theatre-goers to tears, thrilling movie fans, offering new insights to students by teaching Master Classes at renowned learning institutions that include Howard University, Julliard, and Carnegie Mellon, serving on Boards of prestigious organizations, or breaking new ground as a director, Phylicia Rashad is one of the entertainment world's most extraordinary performing artists.

A native of Houston, Texas, Rashad graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University. A versatile performer, Rashad became a household name when she portrayed “Claire Huxtable” on The Cosby Show, a character whose appeal has earned her numerous honors and awards for over two decades. She teamed up with Bill Cosby again on television as “Ruth Lucas” on Cosby. Currently, she has a recurring role as “Diana Dubois'” on the popular Fox TV series Empire and is slated to appear in the upcoming Amazon series,Jean Claude Van Johnson.

While television was a catalyst in the rise of Rashad's career, she has also been a force on the stage, appearing both on and off-Broadway, often in projects that showcase her musical talent such as Jelly's Last Jam, Into The Woods, Dreamgirls and The Wiz.

Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2016, Ms. Rashad received the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play for her performance as “Shelah” in Tarell Alvin McCraney's Head of Passes at the Public Theater. She has performed on Broadway as “Violet Weston” in August Osage County, “Big Mama” in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a role that she reprised on the London Stage), “Aunt Ester” in August Wilson’s Gem Of The Ocean, (Tony Award nomination) and “Queen Britannia” in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline at Lincoln Center. Ms. Rashad received both the Drama Desk and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her riveting performance as “Lena Younger” in the Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun. She appeared in Ryan Coogler's Creed, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds and starred in Perry's highly acclaimed film version of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf.

Ms. Rashad made her directorial debut at the Seattle Repertory Theater with August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean. Critics gave her first foray into the directing world rave reviews, saying "Rashad steers Seattle Rep's show with great sensitivity and understanding - for both the text and actors."

Of her work at the helm of The Ebony Repertory Theatre’s production of A Raisin in the Sun in the Spring of 2011, the Los Angeles Times hailed Rashad’s California directing debut by stating that she “…nails the play's rich humor in a solidly rendered production." She remounted the production at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles and at the Westport County Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut. Ms. Rashad has also directed August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles (2014 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Director) and Fences at the Longwharf Theatre and the McCarter Theatre. She returned to the Mark Taper Forum in 2015 to direct Paul Oakley Stovall's Immediate Family.

Respected in the academic world, Ms. Rashad is the first recipient of the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre at Fordham University. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Spelman College where First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the 2011 commencement address. Ms. Rashad conducted Master Classes at the prestigious Ten Chimneys Foundation for the 2015 Lunt Fontanne Fellows. She also holds Honorary Doctorates from Fordham University, Carnegie Mellon University, Howard University, Providence College, Morris Brown College, Clark Atlanta University, Barber Scotia College, St. Augustine College and Brown University.

In 2015, Ms. Rashad received the BET Honors Theatrical Arts Award, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's Spirit of Shakespeare Award and the Inaugural Legacy Award of the Ruben Santiago Hudson Fine Arts Learning Center. Among the other awards that decorate her walls and shelves are the 2014 Mosaic Woman Legend Award of Diversity Woman Magazine, the Texas Medal of Arts, the National Council of Negro Women's Dorothy L. Height Dreammaker Award, AFTRA’s AMEE Award for Excellence in Entertainment, the Board of Directors of New York Women In Film and Television's Muse Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement, Dallas Women In Film Topaz Award, Peoples’ Choice Awards, several NAACP Image Awards, and the Pan African Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ms. Rashad serves on the Advisory Board of the PRASAD Project and the Board of Directors of True Colors Theatre, the Broadway Inspirational Voices, The Actors Center, the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University and the ADEPT Center which is steering the restoration of the historic Brainerd Institute.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater—redefining the landscape of acting and performance. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble has grown to 46 members who represent a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 14,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. Steppenwolf’s own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks serves coffee, cocktails and a menu curated in partnership with the Boka Restaurant Group day and night. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. 

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr

OPENING: THE BODYGUARD at Oriental Theatre Staring Deborah Cox Through Feb 12

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

NOW PLAYING THE ORIENTAL THEATRE

JANUARY 31 THROUGH FEBRUARY 12, 2017

THE BODYGUARD will play the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) for a limited two-week engagement January 31 through February 12, 2017.

Based on the smash hit film, the award-winning musical will star Grammy® Award-nominee and R&B superstar DEBORAH COX! 

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A breathtakingly romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest selling songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s Oscar-nominated Warner Bros. film and adapted by Academy Award-winner (Birdman) Alexander Dinelaris, THE BODYGUARD had its world premiere in London’s West End where it was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and won Best New Musical at the Whatsonstage Awards.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for THE BODYGUARD at the Oriental Theatre range from $19-$85. 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.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 16 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

SAVE THE DATES: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Begins April 15th at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

CHICAGO PREMIERE

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

April 15–June 11, 2017

at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

based on the screenplay by Marc Norman + Tom Stoppard

adapted for the stage by Lee Hall

directed by Rachel Rockwell

The Oscar-winning romantic comedy about Shakespeare and his Chamberlain’s Men returns to its rightful home—the stage. Imagine a young playwright on the make struggling to write his new tragic love story, “Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate’s Daughter.” The title just doesn’t have the right ring—and young Will Shakespeare knows it. He’s got writer’s block and must do something quickly. Will needs a muse, and he finds one in Viola, a vivacious beauty who will do anything—even disguise herself as a man—to audition for the stage where no women are permitted to perform. Once revealed, the torrid affair begins inspiring the completion of the most romantic tragedy ever penned. Backstage maneuverings jostle hilariously with onstage dramas in this love letter to Theater itself, directed by multiple Jeff Award winner and Chicago Shakespeare favorite Rachel Rockwell.

Riotously funny 

The Sunday Times (UK)

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Previews 

Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 16 at 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Weekday Performances

Tuesdays

May 16, 23 – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays

May 3, 17, 24, 31; June 7 – 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

May 10 – 1:00 p.m.

Thursdays

May 4, 18, 25; June 1, 8 – 7:30 p.m.

May 11 – 1:00 p.m. 

Fridays

April 28; May 5, 12, 19, 26; June 2 – 7:30 p.m.

Weekend Performances 

Saturdays

April 29; May 6, 13, 20, 27; June 3, 10 – 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. 

Sunday

April 30; May 14; June 4, 11 – 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

May 7, 21, 28 – 2:00 p.m.

Tickets: $48-$88

www.chicagoshakes.com/shakespeareinlove

Box Office: 312.595.5600 

Group Sales: 312.595.5678 (groups of 10 or more)

OPENING: Sondheim's Sweeney Todd Begins Making Meat Pies and Music This February at Paramount Theatre in Aurora

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

PARAMOUNT TO MINE BEAUTY FROM SONDHEIM'S 

DARK TALE OF BLOODTHIRSTY BARBER SWEENEY TODD, FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 19 

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've always had a taste for the macabre, and dark musicals are a delightful paradox. We'll be "road tripping" a bit south west of Chicago to Aurora, IL for the press opening, so check back shortly for our full review.

Some call Sweeney Todd Stephen Sondheim's most perfect score, filled with ravishing beauty. Others describe this Victorian melodrama as a pitch-black comedy, filled with thrills and terrors. Many herald this musical about an English barber, who murders his customers with a straight razor and, with his accomplice Mrs. Lovett, processes their corpses into meat pies, one of the single greatest achievements of American theater in the last 50 years.

Some, others, many and bloody well everyone need to strap themselves in for Paramount Theatre's bold new production of Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. 

Artistic Director Jim Corti - who staged last season's Jeff winning best musical West Side Story, winner of 2015 Jeff Awards for director and musical for Les Misérables, and the only Chicago theater artist to win Jeffs for directing, choreography and acting, will stage and choreograph Paramount's new take on Sondheim's beautiful, yet terror-filled musical. Paramount favorite Tom Vendafreddo returns for his tenth consecutive Paramount production as music director and conductor.

Previews start February 8. Press opening is Saturday, February 11 at 8 p.m.

Performances run through March 19: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Single tickets are $44 to $59. Sweeney Todd is rated PG-13.

The Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, is surrounded by affordable parking and new restaurants for pre- or post-show dining. Click HERE to purchase tickets or call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances. 

Behind-the-scenes of Paramount's  Sweeney Todd

It's just another day in 19^th Century England. Benjamin Barker has returned home. The only thing is, it's been 15 years since the once fresh-faced barber has seen his family. Barker was unjustly imprisoned on trumped up charges by the corrupt Judge Turpin, who had his leering eyes on the barber's beautiful wife. Upon his arrival to the pie shop where he and his family once lived above, Barker's old friend and confidant Mrs. Lovett unravels the events of the past decade. She explains about the seduction of his wife by the Judge, which led her to take her own life. And to sharpen the pain, she breaks the news that the Judge adopted and is raising Barker's daughter as his own. Barker vows revenge and turns to the tools with which he'll exact his plan: a razor and a barber chair. While the ensuing events are unfortunate for some, others - including Mrs. Lovett, her struggling pie shop and her customers - quickly prosper from the body count.

"Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece resonates powerfully and creepily with penny dreadful gallows humor not unlike today's political satire," said director Jim Corti. "The leads, Todd and Lovett, are examples of how ordinary humans can become monsters capable of atrocity when vengeance and survival are forced upon perfectly good, wholesome people. Poisoned and toxic, they approach us to tell their tale. It's all perfectly, grotesquely beautiful. Perfectly human."

Paul-Jorden Jansen (Sweeney Todd) 

and 

Bri Sudia (Mrs. Lovett) 

Paramount's principal cast members are Paul-Jordan Jansen as Sweeney Todd,

Bri Sudia as Mrs. Lovett, Matt Deitchman as Adolfo Pirelli, John Herrera as Judge Turpin, Cecilia Iole as Johanna, Anthony Norman as Tobias Ragg, Emily Rohm as Beggar Woman, Patrick Rooney as Anthony Hope and Craig W. Underwood as Beadle.

Ensemble members are Julie Bayer, Harter Clingman, Nathan Maurice Cooper, Evan C. Dolan, Thomas Forde, Emily Glick, Emily Goldberg, Alana Grossman, Teressa LaGamba, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp, Matthew Thomas Provencal, Rob Riddle, Dan Riley, Will Skrip, Jason Slattery and Abby Murray Vachon.

The Sweeney Todd production team includes Trent Stork, associate director; Kory Danielson, assistant music director/associate conductor; Jeff Kmiec, scenic designer; Theresa Ham, costume designer; Nick Belley and Jesse Klug, co-lighting designers; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and make-up designer; Amanda Relaford, properties designer; Patrick Ham, special effects designer; Ryan Bourque, fight choreographer; Jinni Pike, stage manager; and Nora Mally, assistant stage manager. 

Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the Victorian penny dreadful "The String of Pearls" (1846-47). Claims that Sweeney Todd was a historical person are strongly disputed by scholars, although his tale became a staple of London urban legend. 

His story has been retold many times since, including in Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, Sweeney Todd has been nominated for Tony Awards in three different decades. The original 1979 production received nine Tony nominations and brought home eight including best musical, score and book. A 1990 remount saw four more Tony nominations. Tim Burton directed Johnny Depp in the lead role in the acclaimed 2007 musical fantasy horror film. Back on Broadway, a 2016 New York revival landed six more Tony nods. Popular musical numbers include "A Little Priest," "My Friends," "Epiphany," "Worst Pies in London" and "Pretty Women."

                                                                       

Jim Corti (director) was hired in 2011 to be the first-ever artistic director in the Paramount's 80+ year history. He was instrumental in launching Paramount's inaugural Broadway Series and directed and choreographed Paramount's first self-produced Broadway Series show My Fair Lady, which played to rave reviews. Corti's 2013 Paramount production of Fiddler on the Roof was a smash hit, and his Miss Saigon was the only musical to make the Chicago Tribune's Top Ten Shows of 2013. RENT in 2014 was a critical and box office success, followed by consecutive productions of The Who's Tommy and Les Misérables ,  which collectively garnered five Jeff Awards for Paramount in its first year of eligibility, including Best Production - Musical - Large for Les Misérables and Best Director - Musical for Corti. He also staged Paramount's 2015-16 opener Oklahoma! and closer West Side Story, Paramount's second-consecutive Jeff Award winning Best Musical. Earlier this season Corti directed Mamma Mia!. Before Paramount, Corti was a seasoned Broadway veteran, appearing in the New York casts of Ragtime, A Chorus Line and Candide and national tours of Urinetown, Cabaret and Bob Fosse's Dancin'. Career highlights over three decades include being the only director in Chicago to have two productions at the same time in the Chicago Tribune's list of 10 Best Shows in 2009 - Drury Lane's Cabaret and Writers Theatre's Oh, Coward!. He remains the sole honoree to have garnered a Jeff Award as an actor (in Marriott's Grand Hotel), a choreographer (Drury Lane's Singin' in the Rain) and director (Paramount's Les Misérables, Drury Lane's Sweet Charity and Northlight's Blues in the Night).

Tom Vendafreddo (music director and conductor) is helming his tenth consecutive musical at Paramount, preceded by In the Heights, Mary Poppins, The Who's Tommy, Les Misérables (Jeff Nomination, Music Direction), Oklahoma! (Jeff Nomination, Music Direction), A Christmas Story - The Musical (Jeff Nomination, Music Direction), Hairspray - The Broadway Musical, West Side Story (Jeff Nomination, Music Direction), Mamma Mia! and Disney's The Little Mermaid. Other credits include Company and Sweet Charity (Writers Theatre); On the Town and Godspell (Marriott Lincolnshire); Road Show and Shrek: The Musical (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Spitfire Grill (BoHo Theatre - Jeff Nomination for Music Direction); and Pump Boys and Dinettes (Metropolis Performing Arts Center). Regional credits include RENT (San Diego Musical Theatre), Odyssey (Old Globe Theatre), Forever Plaid (Chestnut Fine Arts) and It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play (Cygnet Theatre). As a cabaret artist, he has performed in Chicago, New York, San Diego and Melbourne. In 2014, he became the Founding Artistic Director of the Chicago Artists Chorale, a choral ensemble of working professionals in the Chicago theatre community. He received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Eastman School of Music and a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University. tomvendafreddo.com

Paramount's 2016-17 Broadway Series is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank and The Dunham Fund. Broadway Series Orchestra Sponsor is Rush-Copley Medical Center. Broadway Series Lighting Sponsor is ComEd. Broadway Series Costume Sponsor is Gerald Kia.

More about Paramount's 2016-17 Season

 Paramount's 2016-17 season line-up is anchored by its acclaimed Broadway musical series. Following Sweeney Todd is Jesus Christ Superstar, Apr. 19-May 28, 2017. 

In addition, Paramount's 2016-17 season also includes Defending the Caveman (Jan. 20), God Save The Queen (Jan. 21), Home Free (Mar. 24), Madeleine Peyroux and Rickie Lee Jones (Mar. 25), Golden Dragon Acrobats (Mar. 26), Riverdance: 20 Years (Mar. 31-Apr. 2, five shows), Piano Men: A Tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel (Jun. 10, two shows) and Barbra and Frank: The Concert That Never Was... (Jun. 11).

Back in 2016-17 is Paramount's popular Classic Movie Monday series, presenting everyone's favorite flicks in one of Chicago's top former movie palaces on a two-story screen, for just $1. Paramount also serves the community with low-cost children's shows designed to entertain while they educate: Miss Nelson is Missing (Mar. 22) and Laura Ingalls Wilder (Mar. 23). 

For subscriptions, single tickets or more information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.

About The Paramount Theatre 

Inside the historic Paramount Theatre

The Paramount Theatre (ParamountAurora.com) is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Named "One of Chicago's Top 10 Attended Theatres" by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount, located in downtown Aurora at 

23 E. Galena Blvd., is nationally recognized for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb acoustics and historic beauty.   

The Paramount opened on September 3, 1931. Designed by renowned theater architects C.W. and George L. Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting portrayed in the art deco influence of the 1930s. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago, the Paramount offered the public a variety of entertainment, including "talking pictures," vaudeville, concerts and circus performances for more than 40 years. 

In 1976, Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased the Paramount and closed the theater for restoration. The $1.5 million project restored the Paramount to its original grandeur. On April 29, 1978, the Paramount Arts Center opened, offering a variety of theatrical, musical, comedy, dance and family programming. In 2006, a 12,000-square-foot, two-story Grand Gallery lobby was added, with a new, state-of-the-art box office, café and art gallery.

Today, the Paramount self-produces its own Broadway Musical Series, presents an eclectic array of comedy, music, dance and family shows, and on most Mondays, screens a classic movie.

The Paramount Theatre is one of three live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA). ACCA also oversees the Paramount's "sister" stage, the intimate, 173-seat Copley Theatre located directly across the street from the Paramount at 8 E. Galena Blvd., as well as RiverEdge Park, downtown Aurora's summer outdoor concert venue.

The Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.