Chicago Premiere of Last Night and the Night Before Via Steppenwolf April 6 – May 14, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago premiere of Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ 

Last Night and the Night Before

 at Steppenwolf Theatre April 6 – May 14, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere of Last Night and the Night Before includes (top, l to r) ensemble member Namir Smallwood with Ayanna Bria Bakari and Sydney Charles (bottom, l to r), Aliyana Hamood, Kylah Renee Jones and Jessica Dean Turner.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to continue its 47th season with the Chicago premiere of Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ Last Night and the Night Before, a powerful, poetic exploration of what it takes to create a future from a past you long to forget. Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, Last Night and the Night Before will play April 6 – May 14, 2023 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. I'll be out for the press opening, April 16th, so check back soon for my full review.

Last Night and the Night Before will feature ensemble member Namir Smallwood with Ayanna Bria Bakari, Sydney Charles, Aliyana Hamood, Kylah Renee Jones and Jessica Dean Turner.

Monique is on the run. From what, she will not say. Showing up on the doorstep of her sister’s Brooklyn brownstone with her timid daughter Sam – and without her husband – their arrival raises more questions than it answers. As the specter of their abandoned life in Georgia creeps back into focus, the family is forced to consider what must be sacrificed to break a cycle of despair. Poetic and heartbreaking, Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ stunning portrait of Black Love explores what it takes to nurture family in an often-cruel world. 

Single tickets for Last Night and the Night Before starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.

Steppenwolf 2022-23 Flex Memberships are currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production, and Red Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30.  

The creative team includes Regina García (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design) Mary Louise Geiger (Lighting Design), Larry Fowler (Sound Design), Kirsten Baity (Intimacy Choreographer), Gigi Buffington (Company Voice & Text Coach), Tom Pearl (Producing Director), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting Director), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, visit steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons-/2022-23/last-night-and-the-night-before/.

 

Artist Biographies:

Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Playwright) is the author of Where We Stand (Lucille Lortel, Drama League, and AUDELCO award nominee), Last Night and the Night Before, Warriors Don’t Cry, Laid to Rest and The Review or How to Eat Your Opposition. She is the recipient of The Whiting Award for Drama, Helen Merrill Playwright Award, The National Theater Conference’s Stavis Playwright Award, Lilly Award, Todd McNerney National Playwriting Award and the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. For television, she has staffed on Spectrum’s Manhunt, FX’s Y: The Last Man and served as Executive Story Editor on Joe Vs. Carole for Peacock. Broadway acting credits include The Skin of Our Teeth, In The Next Room, or the vibrator play and Well. Off-Broadway: Where We Stand (WP Theater/Baltimore Centerstage), Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons/Clubbed Thumb) O, Earth (The Foundry Theatre), In the Footprint (The Civilians, as an Associate Artist) and Shipwrecked! An Entertainment (Primary Stages). Film: The Book of Henry, Wild Canaries, The English Teacher and The Wrestler. TV: Recurring roles on New Amsterdam, Happy, Rubicon, Mercy and Law and Order: SVU. And guest starring roles on High Maintenance, The Night Of, Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, A Gifted Man, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI and The Sopranos.

Valerie Curtis-Newton (Director) is currently Head of Directing at the University of Washington School of Drama and serves as the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. She has worked with professional theatres across the country including: The Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, Playmakers Repertory Company, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop and Southern Repertory Theatre, among others. Awards: 2020: Seattle Times Most Influential People of the Last Decade; 2019: Theatre Puget Sound - Gregory Falls Award for Sustained Achievement; 2016: Seattle Times Footlight Award (Best in Show); 2014: Stranger Genius Awards in Performance and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture; 2012: Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Excellence in Direction; 2001: Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s (SDCF) Gielgud Directing Fellowship; 1997-1999: NEA/TCG Career Development Fellowship for Directors.

 

The Expanded Steppenwolf Campus

Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s trailblazing new 50,000 square foot theater building and education center, the Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts and Education Center, was designed by world-renowned architect Gordon Gill FAIA of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, with construction by Norcon. The centerpiece of the new Arts and Education Center is the new 400-seat in-the-round Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell—one of its kind in Chicago—with theater design and acoustics by Charcoalblue.

The expanded Steppenwolf campus is a cultural nexus for Chicago, offering bold and ambitious opportunities for creative expression, social exchange, unparalleled accessibility, and arts-driven learning for Chicago youth in The Loft, Steppenwolf’s first-ever dedicated education space. The campus expansion also features bright new lobbies and two new full-service bars for socializing designed by fc STUDIO, inc. The $54 million new building is part of Steppenwolf’s multi-phase $73 million Building on Excellence expansion campaign. Learn more about Steppenwolf’s campus expansion at steppenwolf.org/buildingonexcellence.

A Safe Return

As the Chicago theatre community continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Steppenwolf Theatre remains committed to the safety of its patrons and staff. For the most up-to-date information on our venue’s COVID precautions, please visit steppenwolf.org/welcomeback.

Accessibility

Steppenwolf offers accessible services to ensure all audience members have access to our work, including American Sign Language interpretation, Spanish Language captions, wheelchair accessible seating and more. With questions, email access@steppenwolf.org.

Sponsor Information 

Last Night and the Night Before is supported in part by Conagra Brands Foundation. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from Northern Trust, Allstate Insurance Company, Amazon, ComEd, JPMorgan Chase, PNC and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theater that is home to America’s ensemble. The company began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park, IL church—today Steppenwolf is the nation’s premier ensemble theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Deeply rooted in its ensemble ethos, the company is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to all. Groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County to Downstate and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony® Awards—have made the theatre legendary. Artistic programming includes a main stage season; a Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; LookOut, a multi-genre performance series; and the Steppenwolf NOW virtual stage. The nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education engages more than 20,000 participants annually in Chicagoland communities promoting compassion, encouraging curiosity and inspiring action. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. 2021 marked the opening of Steppenwolf’s landmark Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts & Education Center—deepening the company’s commitment to Chicagoland teens and serving as a cultural nexus for Chicago. Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis are the Artistic Directors and E. Brooke Flanagan is Executive Director. Keating Crown is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees.

Steppenwolf’s Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.        

 

BTE Presents "Andy Warhol's Tomato" Feb. 2 Through March 5, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Andy Warhol's Tomato

Directed by Steve Scott 

Please note: This play contains adult themes and language.

In anticipation of the upcoming exhibition “Warhol: Featuring Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop / Works from the Bank of America Collection” hosted by the Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and McAninch Arts Center (MAC), Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE), the professional Equity company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center presents Vince Melocchi’s “Andy Warhol’s Tomato.” Guest director Steve Scott directs this 80-minute fictitious tale of unlikely friendship and inspiration

 running Feb. 2 – March 5.

It is 1946 in Pittsburgh. An 18-year-old Andy Warhol finds himself in the basement of the working-class bar. Over a summer, Andy gives and gets inspiration, guidance, and friendship from a surprising source. Splash Magazines calls “Andy Warhol’s Tomato,” “a not-to-be-missed study of what goes into achieving the goals of self-understanding and acceptance…an entertaining and often humorous evening out.” The Santa Monica Press says, “If you didn’t know this was fiction, you’d think you were watching Andy’s origin story. A Delicious Tomato.”

“With the highly anticipated ‘Warhol’ exhibition coming the CCMA and MAC later this year, this is the perfect time for BTE to produce this play,” says BTE Managing Artistic Director Connie Canaday Howard. “And in the hands of guest director and long-time BTE friend Steve Scott, the play’s timely message of understanding and tolerance will transform into something audiences will find highly entertaining.”

Melocchi’s first draft of “Andy Warhol’s Tomato” featured a cast of seven. Based on workshop audience feedback, subsequent drafts reduced that to five, then four and ultimately two. This version received its world premiere as part of the Road Theatre Company’s 1981 Summer Playwrights Festival, ushering in the Pacific Resident Theatre’s 1999-2000 season. Said Melocchi in an Aug. 19, 2019 interview in Stage and Screen, “I do hope people walk away from ‘Andy Warhol’s Tomato’ looking at not only Andy in a different light, but also all artists from all walks of life.”

BTE’s production of “Andy Warhol’s Tomato” features BTE Ensemble member and Glen Ellyn’s Bryan Burke +* as Mario "Bones" Bonino, and Wheaton’s Alexander Wisnieski as Andy.

The design team hails from Chicago and Naperville, Ill. and Stoughton, Wisc. and includes Steve Scott (Direction), Jack Magaw (Scenic Design), Rachel Lambert (Properties Design), Aly Renee Amidei+^ (Costume Design), Garrett Bell (Lighting Design) and Christopher Kriz+^ (Sound Design). Stage Manager is Jennifer J. Thusing*. Assistant Stage Manager is Christopher Lindquist. Student Assistant Stage Manager is Carolyn Goldsmith.

Tickets

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble presents Vince Melocchi’s “Andy Warhol’s Tomato” in the Playhouse Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage Feb. 2 – March 5. There will be a preview performance 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. Press opening is 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday – Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $42. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For group sales information email sarther@cod.edu or call 630.942.4525. For more information about BTE’s season, visit AtTheMAC.org or call the Box Office 630.942.4000. The Box Office is open Tuesday-Saturday noon-6 p.m. and three hours prior to performance.

Related Special Events:

• Pre-show discussion with director and designers: 6:30 – 7:15 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2

• Post-show discussion with director, actors and crew: Friday, Feb. 10.

ASL (American Sign Language) Performance: Thursday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m.

ASL interpreters will be located near the stage for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing, seated in an area of the theater that gives the best sight lines to follow the interpretation and the action on stage. To access reserved seating in view of the interpreters for a signed performance, call the Box Office at 630.942.4000 or 630.858.9692 (TDD), or visit AtTheMAC.org for additional information.

About Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

The mission of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is to provide a forum in which artists, scholars, writers, students and community members explore new ideas and provocative issues through the production of quality theater for the enjoyment of its audiences. Since 1986 BTE has staged more than 120 productions.  

The Ensemble members are Aly Renee Amidei, Robert Jordan Bailey*, Amelia Barrett* (Associate Artistic Director), Bryan Burke* (Business Manager), Robyn Coffin, Rebecca Cox, Lisa Dawn, Nick DuFloth, Jon Gantt, Loretta Hauser, Connie Canaday Howard* (Managing Artistic Director), Christopher Kriz^, Kimberly Morris, Michael W. Moon, Kurt Naebig*, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Galen G. Ramsey*, William “Sandy” Smillie, Kelli Walker and Norm Woodel. For more information about BTE, visit btechicago.com.

*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity; +Denotes member of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble; ^Denotes member of United Scenic Artists

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The DuPage Foundation, Benevity, Choose DuPage, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, The Norm Woodel Inspiration Fund, The Illinois Arts Council, and a gift from Dr. Thomas R. Scott and the late Shirley Klein Scott of Glen Ellyn through the College of DuPage Foundation and the generous support of the College of DuPage Trustees and the McAninch Arts Center Staff.

About “Warhol" Featuring Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop / Works from the Bank of America Collection (June 3 – Sept. 10, 2023)

The Warhol exhibition will feature 94 works from “Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop / Works from the Bank of America Collection” on loan through Bank of America’s Art in our Communities® program. In addition to the Bank of America collection, which will be on display in a dedicated space in the exhibition, there will also be over 100 works from the College of DuPage Permanent Art Collection.

The exhibition will encompass both the CCMA and the MAC, unfolding across roughly 11,000 square-feet of exhibition space. Educational and interactive elements will include a biographical exhibition highlighting key points in Warhol’s life and career, video installation, interactive mural, children’s print factory area, Studio 54 and Silver Cloud Room experiences and Central Park-inspired outdoor café, creating an immersive, multifaceted exhibition focused on the life and work of one of the most influential artists of the past century. For more information visit Warhol2023.org.

About The MAC

McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.  For more information visit AtTheMAC.org.

 

Biographies

Vince Melocchi (Playwright) is originally from Western Pennsylvania. While attending Penn State University, and short on credits, he took the only class still open, "Principles of Playwriting." Having never written a play before, he called his late father Ronald who advised him, "Write what you know, son." That night Melocchi began work on his one-act play "Making Moves", about a group of janitors in a Western Pennsylvania hospital. "Making Moves" was produced at Penn State the next year. He went on to attend the Professional Training Program for actors at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco. While at ACT, he worked in the "Plays in Progress" unit, focusing on the reading and development of new plays. Eventually, he moved to Southern California to act professionally in film, television and stage. Soon, Melocchi become a member of the award-winning Pacific Resident Theatre Ensemble (PRT), where he was given a chance to hone his skills as both actor and writer. As a member of PRT, Vince co-created "The Writers Group at PRT" with fellow actor/writer Valerie Dillman. It was in that writer’s workshop that his critically acclaimed, Ovation award-nominated full play "Lions" was born. After various workshop stagings and readings, “Lions” was produced as part of PRT's 2008 season. After its sold out run at PRT, "Lions" was published by Samuel French. Along with his full-length plays, “Julia,” “Lions,” “Figures,” “The Pact,” “Andy Warhol’s Tomato” and “Saints,” Melocchi’s writing includes a number of one act plays, including: “Bully,” “The Last Linen Day” and “Making Moves.” Melocchi is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Steve Scott (Director) returns for his ninth production at BTE, where he most recently directed “The Cake” in 2019. For over 30 years he served as Producer at the Goodman Theatre, and is currently an artistic associate and board member at the Goodman. His directing credits there include “The Santaland Diaries,” “Ah, Wilderness,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” Horton Foote’s “Blind Date,” the world premiere of Tom Mula’s “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” and six editions of “A Christmas Carol.” Scott has directed at a wide variety of professional companies in Chicago. Recent productions include “Mothers and Sons” at Northlight, “Richard III at Promethean,” “King Lear” and “The Humans” at Redtwist (where he is a company member), “Why Torture is Wrong…and the People Who Love Them” at Eclipse Theatre, “Next to Normal” at the Dunes Summer Theatre (where he is artistic director),” Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Skokie Theatre, and “Summer and Smoke” and “Stage Door” at the Theatre Conservatory of the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where he has been on the faculty for over two decades. He has also taught at Columbia College Chicago, Loyola University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, and the Latin School of Chicago; and serves on the board of Season of Concern. For his work as a director, Steve has received six Jeff nominations, an After Dark Award, and numerous Broadway World nominations. He received the 2017 Special Jeff Award for his contributions to the Chicago theater community and the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of Chicago Theatres.

FREE Streaming and Cheap In Person Adult Puppet Fun With Nasty, Brutish and Short: A Puppet Cabaret.

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Chicago Puppet Fest, Rough House, and Links Hall present:

Nasty, Brutish & Short

January 20-21 & 27-28, 2023 at 10:30pm

Suggested for Ages: 16 and up

 

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Chicago's being taken over by a puppet invasion for the now annual Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Don't miss this! We caught Friday night's Nasty, Brutish & Short (named for Thomas Hobbes infamous 1651 quote on life without art and society) and were well entertained by this adult puppet cabaret.

Acts ranged from shadow puppets to life-sized 3D creations, potty mouthed muppet types on MC duty, a giant plush vagina with a chatty clit, a female puppet doctor taking actual medical questions from the audience, and more. Our favorite piece was Mother Water, a gorgeous and moving shadow puppet film. Check out all the nights of on Nasty, Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret on YouTube, now available for free streaming any time HERE.

BRITTANY CLEMONS & MAISIE O'BRIEN: "Mother Water" is a shadow puppetry short film pilot exploring racism, African-American and African folklore and Reconstruction through a supernatural lens.

Puppet cabaret line-up this Friday (Jan 20) at 10:30pm! Links Hall Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

LINDSEY BALL: This shortened version of "Kopfkino" features a suitcase crankie story of the real history and science of crickets, infusing them with a heroic sweetness and a bit of magic.

(photo by Evan Barr)

MYRA KALAW: "The Soup & the Crumbs" is a shadow puppetry piece about two mismatched creatures caught in an act of communion.

MADIGAN BURKE: Magican is a filmmaker, artist, and engineer whose work aims to explore queerness, encourage curiosity, and spread joy.

Also check out Les Anges, Rocio "Chio" Cabrera, Dana Kogan and more!

If you're short on time and/or money, Chicago’s favorite late-night puppet cabaret, Nasty, Brutish & Short at Links is a great place to start. This special festival edition, featuring the charming and furry host, Jameson, is home to raucous, raunchy, dark, sassy, sad, and mostly hilarious puppet theater, highlighting more experimental work by out of towners as well as local favorites in four different nights of puppet revelry. Every night features a different lineup and all are available live as a ticketed event or streaming free. Catch the live stream show nights at 10:30 on YouTube or watch later at your leisure.

Location: Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave.

Cost: $18/$15 students & seniors

Running Time: 85 mins

ADA Accessible

Extend your festival experience by hitting Chicago’s favorite late-night puppet cabaret, Nasty, Brutish & Short. This special festival edition, featuring the charming and furry host, Jameson, is home to raucous, raunchy, dark, sassy, sad and mostly hilarious puppet theater, highlighting more experimental work by out of towners as well as local favorites in four different nights of puppet revelry.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've been catching Nasty, Brutish & Short year round for nearly a decade. Some of the off season shows are uneven, with some brilliant pieces and some that... need work. Still, that's the point. Like everything, puppetry takes practice, and we love that Nasty, Brutish & Short is a place where beginners as well as seasoned professionals come to play together in a safe place to workshop new material or puppet for the first time. During the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival most of the pieces are phenomenal and it's a great place to catch excerpts from multiple International show that are playing around town. Highly recommended.

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, videographer, actress, artist and Mama. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).

Nasty, Brutish & Short

January 20-21 & 27-28, 2023 at 10:30pm

January 20th at 10:30pm

January 21st at 10:30pm

January 27th at 10:30pm

January 28th at 10:30pm

(and streaming any time HERE)

About the Co-Presenters

Rough House connects individuals and communities through art that celebrates the weird things that make us unique, and the weirder things that bring us together. We create puppet art that captures the heart through the eye. Our work use puppetry, music, and human performance to tell stories that are intimate, strange, and sincere. Based in Chicago, Rough House has been presented at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, The National Puppetry Festival, Physical Festival Chicago, and Open Eye Figure Theater’s Toy Theater After Dark. Rough House has toured across the United States, performing in auditoriums, lotion factories, funeral homes, basements, bars, galleries, punk houses and even the woods of Appalachia. Through Collaboration, Education, Art-making, Curating and Performance, Rough House seeks to make a bizarre and loving home for puppet makers and audiences alike. roughhousetheater.com

Links Hall encourages artistic innovation and public engagement by maintaining a facility and providing flexible programming for the research, development and presentation of new work in the performing arts. Through its residency programs, artist-curated festivals, co-presentations with self-producing artists, cabarets, performance series, workshops, and low-cost studio rentals, Links provides a home for artists across all performance disciplines, at all stages of their careers. Founded in 1978 by choreographers Bob Eisen, Carol Bobrow, and Charlie Vernon, Links Hall became a National Performance Network partner in 1998 and received a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions in 2016. In April 2013, Links and musician/presenter Mike Reed created a collaborative arts venue as the shared home of Constellation Arts and Links Hall. See Chicago Dance named Links Hall as the “Fearlessly Inspired” organization of 2020 noting the adaptive spirit and unfailing desire to support artists of all kinds. www.linkshall.org

Hell in a Handbag Productions’ Chicago premiere of I Promised Myself to Live Faster

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Premiere!

I PROMISED MYSELF TO LIVE FASTER

Conceived and Created by Pig Iron Theatre Company

Text by Greg Moss and Pig Iron

Directed by JD Caudill

March 23 – April 16, 2023 at The Chopin Theatre

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Hell in a Handbag Productions’ Chicago premiere of I Promised Myself to Live Faster includes (top, l to r) Kim Boler, David Cerda, Taylor Dalton, Lolly Extract and Sydney Genco (bottom, l to r) Caitlin Jackson, Tyler Anthony Smith, Emmanuel Ramirez, Ben Stacy and Robert Williams.

 

Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to continue its 21st season with the Chicago premiere of I Promised Myself to Live Faster, an intergalactic queer extravaganza featuring closeted extraterrestrials, high stakes pursuits and nuns from outer space, created and conceived by Pig Iron Theatre Company, with text by Greg Moss and Pig Iron and directed by JD Caudill*. I Promised Myself to Live Faster will play March 23 – April 16, 2023 at The Chopin Upstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are now on sale at buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/825817 or handbagproductions.org. I'll be out for the press opening March 26th, so check back shortly after for my full review. 

The cast includes ensemble members David Cerda*, Sydney Genco*, Caitlin Jackson*, Tyler Anthony Smith* and Robert Williams* with Kim Boler, Taylor Dalton, Lolly Extract, Emmanuel Ramirez and Ben Stacy. Understudies include Connar Brown, Andres Coronado, Abbey Demorow, Ashley Graham, Rebecca Husk, Brian Knoll, Michael Radford and Scott Sawa (performing March 30 – April 2).

This space epic tells the tale of our reluctant hero Tim (Robert Williams*) who’s been put through an emotional ringer these past few months. Tim’s life takes a radical turn when an order of intergalactic nuns charge him with a quest: retrieve the Holy Gay Flame from the clutches of the evil emperor to save the race of Homosexuals and restore the balance of power in the universe. Once Tim is captured by the fabulously androgynous Ah-Ni (David Cerda*), Tim goes places he never dreamed in this ridiculous and delirious allegorical adventure.

The production team includes Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (Scenic Designer), Beth Laske-Miller and Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Designers), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Danny Rockett (Sound Designer), Bren Coombs (Props Designer), Jamal Howard (Choreographer), Lolly Extract/Jabberwocky Marionettes (Puppet Designer and Puppetry), Sydney Genco* (Make-up Designer), Keith Ryan* (Wigs Designer), Carly Belle Cason (Violence Designer), Spencer Douglas Clark (Intimacy Designer) and Leo Batutis and Scott Sawa (Assistant Directors).

*Denotes Handbag Ensemble Member

COVID safety: Masking is recommended, but not required. COVID guidelines may change in accordance with public health guidelines.

Cast (in alphabetical order): Kim Boler (Mother Superior), David Cerda* (Ah-Ni), Taylor Dalton (Nun #2), Lolly Extract (Ensemble/Puppetry), Sydney Genco* (King Trout), Caitlin Jackson* (Nun #1), Tyler Anthony Smith (Movie Star Boy), Emmanuel Ramirez (Ensemble), Ben Stacy (Ensemble) and Robert Williams* (Tim).

Understudies: Connar Brown (Ensemble/Puppetry), Andres Coronado (Movie Star Boy), Abbey Demorow (Nun #1), Ashley Graham (Mother Superior), Rebecca Husk (King Trout), Brian Knoll (Tim), Michael Radford (Ensemble) and Scott Sawa (Ah-Ni, performing March 30 – April 2).

Location: The Chopin Downstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

Previews: Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 pm, Friday, March 24 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 pm

Opening/Press performance: Sunday, March 26 at 7 pm

Regular run: Thursday, March 30 – Sunday, April 16, 2023

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm

Tickets: $24 previews. $42 general admission ($25 Thursday special), $61 VIP/reserved seating with drink ticket. Group rates $34 for 10 or more. Tickets are now on sale at buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/825817 or handbagproductions.org. 

About the Artists     

Pig Iron Theatre Company (Creator, Text) has been creating original performance works in Philadelphia since 1995, making plays about live music, dead people, neuroscience and thwarted love affairs. A unique method of performance research and collaborative creation, plus a signature physical approach to character, has led to 29 plays, cabaret-ballets, hoaxes and installations over two decades. Past collaborations include work with the legendary director Joseph Chaikin, playwright Toshiki Okada, choreographer David Brick, composer Cynthia Hopkins and the rock band Dr. Dog. Pig Iron's work has been presented by FringeArts in Philadelphia and by theatres and festivals around the world. The company has won two Obie Awards, a Total Theatre Award and eight Barrymore Awards. Other scripts by Pig Iron are anthologized in Pig Iron: Three Plays, published by 53rd State Press. pigiron.org

Greg Moss (Text) is a writer, educator and performer from Newburyport MA. His work has been produced at Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep, Steppenwolf, La Comédie-Française, EST-LA, Clubbed Thumb, Capital T Theatre and South Coast Rep, among others. His plays include Indian Summer, punkplay, Reunion, Billy Witch, House of Gold and sixsixsix. Upcoming: The Unauthorized Unofficial Hunter S. Thompson Musical at La Jolla Playhouse in September 2023. gregorymoss.com

JD Caudill (Director) is a queer director, artistic director, literary manager and music director, whose recent direction includes After the Blast (Broken Nose Theatre), Southern Comfort (Pride Films and Plays), Bechdel Fests 4-6 + 8 (Broken Nose Theatre), Book of Shadows (Broken Nose Theatre) and other plays at The New Colony, Haven Theatre, The Runaways Lab Theatre, New American Folk Theatre, Hobo Junction, 20% Theatre, Paragon Theatre, Otherworld Theatre, Arc Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Stage Left, The Syndicates and Red Theatre. They are a proud ensemble member of Hell in a Handbag, where they have music directed countless shows, and recently became interim artistic director of Broken Nose Theatre, where they’ve served as a literary manager and ensemble member for the past five years.

 

About Hell in a Handbag Productions

Hell in a Handbag is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage. Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit. For additional information, visit handbagproductions.org.

 

Barbara Gaines' Final Production as Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Artistic Director: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS March 9–April 16, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces 

the cast and creative team of

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 

March 9–April 16, 2023

Barbara Gaines celebrates a legacy of joyful collaboration in her final production as artistic director

 

In her final production as Chicago Shakespeare Theater artistic director, Barbara Gaines stages Shakespeare’s riotous The Comedy of Errors, imprinting her legacy of inventive and captivating interpretations of the Bard’s work for today’s audiences. The production features original framing scenes penned by Second City veteran Ron West and showcases an ensemble cast of beloved Chicago Shakespeare collaborators whose combined credits span the Theater’s 37-year history—from the first production on the rooftop of the Red Lion Pub to last fall’s searing Measure for Measure. The Comedy of Errors runs March 9–April 16, 2023, in the Courtyard Theater.

An eccentric group of stage and screen actors gather on a London movie set in 1941 to film Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors as much-needed comic relief for the troops. Backstage antics and hilarious complications abound as Antipholus and Dromio search for their long-lost identical twins. In over three decades with Chicago Shakespeare, Gaines has directed scores of productions, including nearly all of Shakespeare’s 38 plays and six world premieres. She now revisits Shakespeare’s high-spirited comedy with longtime collaborator Ron West, newly adapted from the Theater’s 2008 production.

"This project is a love letter to theater making—that ineffable process of an ensemble coming together to create something wholly new and magical," said Gaines. "That’s true in our framing of Shakespeare’s comedy on a film set, but it’s also reflected in our incredible company, a group of esteemed artists that I so admire and who embody the collaboration that has infused my time in the theater with joy and love."

Each cast member performs both a role on the London movie set and a character in The Comedy of Errors. The cast includes: Breon Arzell (David/Angelo), Adia Bell (Fanny/Merchant), Melanie Brezill (Alice Boggs/Luciana), Lillian Castillo (Marian/Courtesan), Dan Chameroy (Phil Sullivan/Antipholus of Ephesus), William Dick (Charles Chittick/Second Merchant), Kevin Gudahl (Brian Hallifax/Dromio of Ephesus), Ora Jones (Doris/Aemilia/Abbess), Bill Larkin (Eddie Philpot/Dr. Pinch), Ross Lehman (Dudley Marsh/Dromio of Syracuse), Michael E. Martin (Tom/First Officer), Steve McDonagh (Cyril/Nell), Russell Mernagh (Patch/Balthasar), Susan Moniz (Veronica Marsh/Adriana), Robert Petkoff (Emerson Furbelow/Antipholus of Syracuse), Maya Vinice Prentiss (Priscilla/First Merchant), Greg Vinkler (Admiral Philpot/Egeon), and Bruce A. Young (Monty/Duke Solinus). Understudies include Isabella Abel-Suarez, Michael Joseph Mitchell, Ian Reed, and Jonathan Schwart.

As long-separated twins the Dromios, Jeff Award-winners Ross Lehman and Kevin Gudahl boast over 75 Chicago Shakespeare credits combined. Lehman’s notable roles include Feste in Twelfth Night and the Fool in King Lear, and he appeared on Broadway in The Tempest, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Gudahl was recently seen on the Chicago Shakespeare stage in Measure for Measure and As You Like It; other memorable credits include Hal in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Fredrik in A Little Night Music, and title roles in Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Troilus and Cressida. The play’s other set of twins, both named Antipholus, will be played by Dan Chameroy—who has performed in 15 seasons at the Stratford Festival and as Miss Trunchbull in the US national tour of Matilda the Musical—and Robert Petkoff, whose Chicago Shakespeare credits include Buddy in Follies, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and title roles in Sunday In the Park with George, Hamlet, and Troilus and Cressida. Petkoff appeared in Broadway’s Anything Goes and Ragtime and the US tours of Fun Home and Spamalot.

Jeff Award-winner Susan Moniz was last seen on the Chicago Shakespeare stage in an acclaimed performance as Sally in Follies and has played feature roles in US tours of Fun Home and The Phantom of the Opera, and on Broadway in Grease. In addition to appearing in last season’s hit As You Like It, Melanie Brezill’s credits include work at Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Writers Theatre, along with the Broadway production and US Tour of The Book of Mormon. In addition to appearing on Broadway in Matilda the Musical and Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Ora Jones has been on the Chicago Shakespeare stage numerous times in roles such as Katherine of Aragon in Henry VIII, Queen Charlotte in The Madness of George III, and Maria in Twelfth Night, and most recently as the Countess of Rossillion in last season’s All’s Well That Ends Well. Lillian Castillo, recently seen in Drury Lane’s Steel Magnolias, appeared in Gaines’ The Taming of the Shrew and the US premiere of Ride the Cyclone at Chicago Shakespeare.

Bruce A. Young memorably spoke the first line of Chicago Shakespeare’s inaugural production of Henry V at the Red Lion Pub. He has returned to Chicago Shakespeare many times and performed on Broadway in Macbeth. Greg Vinkler has performed in dozens of Chicago Shakespeare productions, including as Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Falstaff in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and titular roles in King John and King Lear. William Dick’s Chicago Shakespeare credits include last year’s All’s Well That Ends Well, The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and many more; he recently performed in the Jeff Award-winning ensemble of Choir Boy at Steppenwolf Theatre.

Bill Larkin is a comedian and actor who has performed with the Second City and played Genie in Chicago Shakespeare’s production of Aladdin. Russell Mernagh appeared in Chicago Shakespeare’s Ride the Cyclone and was last seen in Broadway in Chicago’s The Play That Goes Wrong. An actor and choreographer, Breon Arzell was recently listed as one of Newcity’s 50 Players of 2023—he has worked with theaters across the city and performed with Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks in 2021. Adia Bell performed in last summer’s Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks ShakesFest and her additional credits include work at Paramount Theatre and Music Theater Works. Both an actor and a Jeff Award-winning fight choreographer, Maya Vinice Prentiss has worked with Chicago Shakespeare in both capacities, most recently on Measure for Measure. Rounding out the cast are Steve McDonagh—a celebrated Food Network chef and actor with credits at the Kennedy Center, Royal George Theatre, and Drury Lane—and Michael E. Martin, who has appeared at Paramount Theatre and in the Jeff Award-winning ensemble of United Flight 232 at the House Theatre of Chicago.

Ron West has created new dialogue for the production to frame Shakespeare’s play. West’s illustrious career includes writing for shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? and serving as writer and associate artistic director at The Second City. West collaborated with Gaines on an earlier adaptation of The Comedy of Errors, which garnered Jeff Awards for Best Production and Best Adaptation, as well as The Taming of the Shrew in 2017. West also wrote The Second City’s Romeo and Juliet Musical: The People vs. Friar Laurence, The Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet, which had a wildly popular run at Chicago Shakespeare.

Joining Gaines on the creative team are Scenic Designer James Noone, Costume Designer Mieka van der Ploeg, Lighting Designer Ken Posner, Composer & Sound Designer Lindsay Jones, Hair & Make Up Designer Richard Jarvie, Verse Coach Larry Yando, Music Director Charlotte Rivard-Hoster, Associate Director Peter G. Andersen, Intimacy Director Gregory Geffrard, Fight Choreographer Bruce A. Young, Dialect Coach Kathy Logelin, Dramaturg Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Assistant Intimacy Director Courtney Abbott, Production Stage Manager Katrina Herrmann, and Assistant Stage Manager Elisabeth Schapmann.

Chicago Shakespeare makes its facility and performances accessible to all patrons through its Access Shakespeare programs. Accessible performances for The Comedy of Errors include:

Audio-described Performance – Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

A program that provides spoken narration of a play’s key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision.

Open-captioned Performance – Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 1:00 & 7:30 p.m.

A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

ASL Duo-interpreted Performance – Friday, April 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters.

For more information, visit www.chicagoshakes.com/comedy or on social media at @chicagoshakes at #cstComedy.

The Comedy of Errors will be presented March 9–April 16, 2023, in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater. Single tickets ($35–$92) are on sale now. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, the Theater’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. Chicago Shakespeare is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, the Theater works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On the Theater’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com.

THEO UBIQUE CABARET THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THEIR SPRING PRODUCTION OF THE THREEPENNY OPERA March 23-April 30, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Artistic Director Fred Anzevino directs the Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht classic for Theo’s 25th Anniversary in tribute to the revues that were a part of the company’s founding cabaret years.

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre announced today the cast and creative team for their upcoming production of The Threepenny Opera playing at Theo’s Howard Street Theatre March 10 through April 30, 2023. Arguably the pinnacle production of Theo’s 25th Anniversary season, the show reunites Artistic Director Fred Anzevino with Music Director Ryan Brewster, both of whom won back-to-back Jeff Awards for their collaboration on Theo’s Evita and Chess. Returning for her fourth production with Theo is Jeff Award-winning choreographer Jenna Schoppe as Associate Director/Choreographer (choreographer for Theo’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Godspell and Once Upon a Mattress.)

As a tip of the hat to the company’s 25th Anniversary season, this production of The Threepenny Opera honors the theatre’s founding history with Kurt Weill. Theo originally opened its doors at the No Exit Cafe in Rogers Park with A Kurt Weill Revue: Songs of Darkness and Light during the 2004-2005 season, marking the beginning of the working relationship with the Kurt Weill Foundation. Notably, the company later gained permission to create an original cabaret show featuring two sets of Weill music; the first act focusing on Weill's Berlin years and the second act featuring Weill's time and experiences in New York and on Broadway.

“The Threepenny Opera is the "mother" of all cabaret shows,” says Anzevino. “I'm excited to be revisiting this show primarily because it touches on many of the same issues that we, as a society, are dealing with today, particularly political corruption and the growing gap between the haves and have nots. This will be Theo's third Kurt Weill production - audiences have always been very enthusiastic with our attempts in re-imaging his work.”Audiences will yearn for more as the cast brings life to bold text and Weill’s sexy songs that have evolved into classic standards including “Mack the Knife,” which has been covered by everyone from Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble.

The crooner cast welcomes the return of familiar Theo faces; Carl Herzog (he/him) in the role of Macheath, Megan Elk (they/she) playing Mrs. Peachum and Chamaya Moody (she/her) as Polly Peachum. Also returning to Theo is Nathe Rowbotham (they/them) as Lucy Brown and Liz Bollar (she/her) as Jenny. Making their Theo debuts are Thomas M. Shea (he/him) as Mr. Peachum, Michael Mejia (they/them) as Tiger Brown, Rusty Allen (he/him) as Filch along with Tyler DeLoatch (he/they), Isabel Garcia (they/them), Peter Stielstra (he/him) and Luiza Vitucci (she/her) in the Ensemble. Rounding out the cast are Danielle Kerr (she/her) and Larry D. Trice II (they/them) as Swings.

Howard Street Theatre will transform to the world of Macheath at the hands of scenic designer Mara Ishihara Zinky (she/her), lighting designer Maggie Fulliulove-Nugent (she/her), costume designer Cindy Moon (she/her), properties designer Lonnae Hickman (she/her), and sound designer Daniel Etti-Williams (they/he). The production team also includes production manager Matthew R. Chase (he/him), stage manager Caitlyn Birmingham (she/her), intimacy and violence director Charlie Baker (they/he), dialect coach Kathy Logelin (she/her), assistant music director Isabella Isherwood (she/her), technical director Manuel Ortiz, production electrician Josiah Croegaert (he/him) and audio engineer Isaac Mandel (he/him).

The Threepenny Opera is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera, and four ballads by François Villon, with music by Kurt Weill. 

Tickets can be purchased online at theo-u.com or via phone at 773-939-4101. Single tickets are $35 for preview performances, and range between $45-$55 during the regular run of performances. Box office hours are Wednesday-Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Theo continues to offer its one-stop dinner and theatrical experience with pre-show dinner courtesy of a local Evanston restaurant partner. All performances take place at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre located at 721 Howard Street in Evanston.

The Threepenny Opera

By Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill

In collaboration with: Elisabeth Hauptmann

Based on “The Beggar’s Opera,” by John Gay

English translation: by Marc Blitzstein

Director Fred Anzevino

Associate Director/Choreographer Jenna Schoppe

Music Director Ryan Brewster

Previews: March 10-18, 2023 (Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Run: March 23-April 30, 2023 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

The Threepenny Opera is a biting satire of the post-war rise of capitalism, wrapped up in Kurt Weill’s jazzy score, and the tale of Macheath, a debonair crime lord on the verge of turning his illegal empire into a legitimate business. Songs from Threepenny have become classic standards, including “Pirate Jenny” and, most notably, “Mack the Knife,” which has been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble. Theo’s Artistic Director Fred Anzevino will direct this production for our 25th Anniversary Season, in honor of the many Kurt Weill revues that were part of the company’s founding years.

ABOUT THEO UBIQUE

Theo Ubique was founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Fred Anzevino. Productions were first staged at the Heartland Studio Theatre, and from 2004 to May 2018, at No Exit Café, where the company began focusing on musicals and revues, reigniting the cabaret theatre trend in Chicago. The company moved to the Howard Street Theatre, a venue owned and developed for Theo Ubique by the City of Evanston, in fall of 2018. Theo Ubique has produced more than 60 shows and won 64 Jeff Awards, having received 154 nominations. The company also earned three After Dark Awards. theo-u.com



SASHA VELOUR ANNOUNCES “THE BIG REVEAL LIVE SHOW!” BOOK TOUR

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The critically acclaimed drag queen will perform in Chicago on a tour of the United States and Canada in support of her upcoming, debut book, 

The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S

BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE

APRIL 29, 2023

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that SASHA VELOUR: THE BIG REVEAL LIVE SHOW! will play Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse for one night only on April 29. Individual tickets for SASHA VELOUR: THE BIG REVEAL LIVE SHOW! will go on sale Thursday, January 19.

Internationally renowned drag queen, visual artist, and newly minted author Sasha Velour has announced her upcoming book tour, THE BIG REVEAL LIVE SHOW! This news follows the announcement of her forthcoming, debut book, The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag, (HarperCollins) premiered exclusively by Entertainment Weekly on November 29, 2022, and set to hit bookstands on April 4, 2023.

Billed as a first-of-its-kind, “spellbinding” book, The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag thoughtfully weaves memoir, history, and theory into a living portrait of an artist and an art. Throughout the book, Velour illuminates drag as a unique form of expression with rich history and a revolutionary spirit as she recalls her own journey and uncovers the history of queer life around the world that made it all possible. The new work by Velour will highlight both intellect and imagination, featuring photos and her own original artwork intertwined with insightful critical theory, riveting LGTBQ+ history, personal memoir, and all-engrossing camp.

In support of the book’s release, Velour will stage exciting new performances across major cities in the United States and Canada. The show will present an immersive evening of drag, storytelling, and live art, bringing Velour’s book to life, featuring iconic new performances from Velour herself, an in-person conversation with a special guest star, an audience Q&A, and book signings.

Of the upcoming tour, Velour says, “I can’t believe I wrote a book without a ghostwriter! Who do I think I am?! A drag queen with things to say, apparently… That’s why I wanted to translate this book to the stage and open it up for conversation with you! Let’s celebrate the big reveals, the artistry, and the human stories that brings us together!”

THE BIG REVEAL LIVE SHOW! will run for 90 minutes with no intermission, and tickets will be available for purchase beginning January 19, 2023. VIP tickets will also be available, which will include exclusive art prints from the book and a meet-and-greet/photo-op with Velour before the show. Books are not included with ticket purchase; however, purchase of the book is not required. Copies of The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag will be available for sale in the lobby at all show venues from local sellers, as well as online. Books are available for preorder in the US (https://bit.ly/3HDau4X) and Canada (http://bit.ly/3GVe49E).

About Sasha Velour

As a modern-day pioneer of innovative, emotive, and provocative drag aesthetics, Sasha Velour continues to raise the bar for the art of drag performance across the globe. Velour is most notably recognized as the winner of season nine of the Emmy-nominated RuPaul’s Drag Race on VH1 in 2017, where her lip-sync performance to Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional” made history and was hailed as “the performance of the year” by The A.V. Club and named one of “TV’s Best Musical Moments on Television” by Entertainment Weekly. The act cleverly featured an elaborate reveal full of rose petals hidden in her gloves and wig and is now widely regarded as one of the most iconic performances in the show’s history. Ingenuity is not something new to Velour, as her live performances have been renowned by critics as “an entirely new level of performance art” (Yahoo!) and “heart-wrenching” (Billboard). Her first one-queen drag show Smoke & Mirrors toured from 2019-2022 to over 80 cities around the world including sold-out performances at the prestigious London Palladium and the Folies Bergère in Paris. Velour’s esteemed drag show NightGowns, founded in 2015, has hosted some of the world’s greatest drag performers before being adapted into a docu-series directed by Sophie Muller and The Documentary Group in 2020. In 2021, the cast released two original NightGowns films: NightGowns Forever, an anthology of past shows, and NightGowns the Musical, an original comedy set in 1966, adapted from a live show performed Off-Broadway. 

Velour’s talents also expand beyond the drag universe, as her artist profile continues to transcend boundaries and mediums untouched by many other queens. Her studio and illustration work has been the subject of two acclaimed solo gallery shows in New York in 2014 and 2016 before being tapped by Google to draw their homepage search engine doodle of the late Marlene Dietrich in celebration of her 116th birthday in 2017. Together with her partner Johnny Velour, she also self-published and designed the art magazine Velour, which celebrates the art of drag through visual art, poetry, photography, and essays. Velour frequently uses her platform to discuss politics, queer history, and LGBTQ+ issues in an educational format, having transformed her into a highly sought-after public speaker. She has graced the stages at prestigious venues, including The Smithsonian for The Long Conversation, an event with thought leaders from around the world, the US Embassy in Singapore, and many distinguished universities including Purdue, The University of Illinois, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Columbia. 

For more information about Sasha Velour, please visit www.sashavelour.com.

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Show Dates (with additional dates to be announced)

April 6, 2023 – San Francisco, CA (Palace of Fine Arts)

April 7, 2023 + April 8, 2023 – Portland, OR (Winningstad Theater)

April 10, 2023 – Seattle, WA (Neptune Theater)

April 20, 2023 – Newark, NJ (Victoria Theatre, NJPAC)

April 29, 2023 – Chicago, IL (Broadway Playhouse)

May 4, 2023 – Montreal, Canada (Mtelus)

May 5, 2023 – Ottawa, Canada (Bronson Music Centre)

May 6, 2023 – Toronto, Canada (Bluma Appel Theatre)

May 8, 2023 – Boston, MA (The Wilbur)

May 9, 2023 – New York, NY (Skirball Center)

May 11, 2023 – Edmonton, Canada (The Maclab Theatre)

May 12, 2023 – Calgary, Canada (Bella Concert Hall)

May 13, 2023 – Vancouver, Canada (Vogue Theatre)

May 18, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA (Perelman Theater)

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

The one night only performance will be Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for THE BIG REVEAL LIVE SHOW will go on sale to the public on Thursday, January 19 and range from $45.00 - $70.00 with a limited number of VIP tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 22 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 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 Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

COVID-19  PROTOCOL

We recommend our audiences wear masks throughout the theatre. Visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com/covid19 for further details.

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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