Now Playing Onstage in Chicago - Week of 12/09/2012

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CHICAGO
Columbia College, School of Fine and Performing Arts
12/5-12/15/2012
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WORKING
NEW TRIER HIGH SCHOOL
12/12-12/15/2012
Based on Studs Terkel's best-selling book of interviews with American Workers, WORKING paints a vivid portrait of the men and women the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason, and the housewife, just to name a few.This new 2010 version of WORKING is a musical exploration of 26 people from all walks of life. While most of the professions have been updated, the strength of the show is in the core truths that transcend specific professions; the key is how people's relationships to their work ultimately reveal key aspects of their humanity, regardless of the trappings of the job itself. The show, still set in contemporary America, contains timeless truths. This new version of WORKING allows the audience to get a rare glimpse of the actors and technicians working to put on a show. This raw adaptation only enhances the realistic and relatable nature of the subject matter.With extremely modest set and orchestra requirements, universal subject matter, and featuring a multi-ethnic ensemble cast of variable size, WORKING is one of the most accessible, relevant and substantive musicals ever created. The new, revised 2010 version includes updated lyrics, a streamlined book and two new songs by IN THE HEIGHTS Tony Award-winning creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as favorite by Stephen Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, and James Taylor.
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LITTLE WOMEN
OVERSHADOWED THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS
11/23-12/15/2012
Based on Louisa May Alcott's own family experiences (and novel), LITTLE WOMEN, follows the adventures of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March as they grow up in Civil War America. The beloved story of the March sisters is timeless and deals with issues as relevant today as when they were written. Now, this wonderful narrative has been brought to life as an exhilarating new musical filled with glorious music, dancing and heart. LITTLE WOMEN embodies the complete theatrical experience, guaranteeing a night filled with laughter, tears, and a lifting of the spirit. This powerful score soars with the sounds of personal discovery, heartache and hope -- the sounds of a young America finding its voice. In years to come, we are sure that hundreds of productions by schools and theatres throughout the world will make this stage adaptation of the American classic novel a classic musical theatre treasure in its own right.
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GUYS & DOLLS JR
MUNROE PARK Theatre Guild
12/14-12/15/2012
Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, GUYS AND DOLLS JR. introduces us to colorful characters who have become legends in the musical theatre canon: Sarah Brown, the up�right but uptight "mission doll,"; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, a nightclub performer whose chronic flu is brought on by the fact she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiance, desperate as always to find a spot for is infamous floating dice game.
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MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET THE MUSICAL
PEORIA PLAYERS
12/7-12/16/2012
Kris Kringle takes on the cynics among us in this musical adaptation of the popular holiday favorite. In his inimitable style, Meredith Willson, the author of "The Music Man" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," tells us the classic story of the year. A white-bearded gentleman claiming to be the real Santa Claus brings about a genuine "Miracle on 34th Street," spreading a wave of love throughout New York City, fostering camaraderie between Macy's and Gimbel's Department Stores, and convincing a divorced, cynical single mother, her somber daughter and the entire state of New York that Santa Claus is no myth.brbrFilled with humor, spectacle (the opening scene takes place at none other than Macy?s famous Thanksgiving Parade) and such beloved songs as ?Pinecones and Hollyberries,? ?It?s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas? and ?My State, My Kansas,? this joyous, heart-warming musical is pure family entertainment, wholesome without being cloying. With its built-in audience base, ?Miracle on 34th Street? is the perfect holiday treat for any theatre!br
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WHITE CHRISTMAS
Bloomington Community Players
11/29-12/16/2012
Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features seventeen Irving Berlin songs and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake. Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil's former army commander. The dazzling score features well known standards including Blue Skies, I Love A Piano, How Deep Is the Ocean and the perennial favorite, White Christmas. WHITE CHRISTMAS is an uplifting musical worthy of year-round productions.Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin; Based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank; Book by David Ives & Paul BlakeFor more information on Bloomington Community Players, click hereFor more information on White Christmas, click here
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WHITE CHRISTMAS
Springfield Theatre Centre
11/30-12/16/2012
Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features seventeen Irving Berlin songs and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake. Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil's former army commander. The dazzling score features well known standards including Blue Skies, I Love A Piano, How Deep Is the Ocean and the perennial favorite, White Christmas. WHITE CHRISTMAS is an uplifting musical worthy of year-round productions.Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin; Based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank; Book by David Ives & Paul BlakeFor more information on Springfield Theatre Centre, click hereFor more information on White Christmas, click here
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RENT-SCHOOL EDITION
INFINITY ARTS ACADEMY
12/15-12/16/2012
Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT SCHOOL EDITION is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, RENT SCHOOL EDITION follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.RENT SCHOOL EDITION is exuberant, passionate, and joyous. Schools will love the freedom and flexibility that this show offers; minimal costuming and sets are required.This adaptation has been carefully done, working with the Larson estate to retain the dramatic intent of the groundbreaking rock musical, and consists of minimal changes to language and the removal of one song ("Contact") to make it possible for many schools to perform this piece. RENT RETURNSVisit the official "Site for Rent" for NYC ticketing and more information on this new production.
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FOREVER PLAID
HEART AND SOUL PRODUCTIONS
12/14-12/16/2012
FOREVER PLAID is one of the most popular and successful musicals in recent memory. This deliciously goofy revue centers on four young, eager male singers killed in a car crash in the 1950's on the way to their first big concert, and now miraculously revived for the posthumous chance to fulfill their dreams and perform the show that never was. Singing in the closest of harmony, squabbling boyishly over the smallest intonations and executing their charmingly outlandish choreography with over-zealous precision, the "Plaids" are a guaranteed smash, with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps audiences rolling in the aisles when they're not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950's.
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COMPANY
CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
12/14-12/16/2012
The clashing sounds and pulsing rhythms of New York City underscore this landmark "concept" show, considered by many to have inaugurated the modern era of musical theatre. COMPANY follows our anti-hero bachelor Robert as he makes his way through a series of encounters with April (the stewardess), Kathy (the girl who's going to marry someone else), Marta (the "peculiar" one), as well as with his married friends. On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert Contemplates his unmarried state. In vignette after hilarious vignette, we are introduced to "those good and crazy people," his married friends, as Robert weighs the pros and cons of married life. In the end, he realizes being alone is "alone, not alive."An honest, witty, sophisticated look at relationships, COMPANY is as contemporary and relevant as ever (witness the recent hit revivals on Broadway and the West End). It features a brilliant energetic score containing many of Stephen Sondheim's best-known songs (including "Another Hundred People," "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive").
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LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
Athenaeum Theatre
11/1-12/19/2012
Considered to be an autobiographical piece which was published and produced posthumously, Long Day's Journey Into Night centers on the Tyrone family. James Tyrone, a semiretired actor, is vain and miserly; his wife Mary feels worthless and retreats into a morphine-induced haze. Jamie, their older son, is a bitter alcoholic. James refuses to acknowledge the illness of his consumptive younger son, Edmund. As Mary Sinks into hallucination and madness, father and sons confront each other in searing scenes that reveal their hidden motives and interdependence.
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ANNIE JR
KIDZ KABARET
12/1-12/20/2012
Leapin' Lizards! The popular comic strip heroine takes center stage in one of the world's best-loved musicals. With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan ANNIE charms everyone's hearts, despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, ANNIE escapes to the wondrous and magical world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, ANNIE foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations and befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.ANNIE JR. is ideal for productions involving different grade levels, or for middle schools where students may be maturing at different rates. The cast size and age range of the parts are flexible and the bright, tuneful score is easy to sing and filled with familiar numbers.
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DISNEY'S CINDERELLA KIDS
FOX VALLEY REPERTORY-AMATEUR DIVISION
12/8-12/22/2012
The timeless fairy tale meets the magic of Disney in this adaptation of the treasured animated film. Poor Cinderella is endlessly mistreated by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, and denied a chance to go to the Royal Ball. With a little help from her mice friends, and a lot of help from her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella goes to the ball, meets the Prince, and falls in love! With a beautiful score including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and the classic "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," Disney's CINDERELLA KIDS will charm its way into your heart, and remind you that dreams really can come true.
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PLAID TIDINGS
Theatre At The Center
11/15-12/23/2012
Plaid Tidings, the holiday sequel to Chicago's longest running musical Forever Plaid, entertains Theatre at the Center audiences November 15 through December 23. Summoned by the angelic Rosemary Clooney, Jinx, Frankie, Smudge and Sparky are sent back to Earth to stage a nostalgic holiday extravaganza. A show for the whole family, Plaid Tidings combines favorite tunes from the �50s and �60s with traditional holiday songs and carols, a hilarious tribute to The Ed Sullivan Christmas Spectaculars, and plenty of winning references to the era and its sounds � including some singing by Perry Como himsellf!
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PIPPIN
CIRCLE THEATRE
11/10-12/23/2012
Once upon a time, a young prince longed to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. He sought it in the glories of the battlefield, The Temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, he found it in the simple pleasures of home and family. PIPPIN is a hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairy tale that captivated Broadway audiences and continues to appeal to the young at heart everywhere (the show has become a staple on high school and college campuses). The energetic pop-influenced score by three-time Oscar�-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (GODSPELL, CHILDREN OF EDEN, and the animated films Pocahontas, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and The Prince Of Egypt) bursts with one showstopping number after another, from soaring ballads to infectious dance numbers. Featuring a strong ensemble cast and a show-stealing song-and-dance narrator, PIPPIN is equally effective as an intimate, black-box production (as envisioned by the authors) or as original director/choreographer Bob Fosse's splashy, dance-driven spectacle, which included some of the most brilliant staging in Broadway history.
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ANNIE
Paramount Theatre
11/21-12/30/2012
Don't let the red curls, freckles and dress fool you. That adorable little girl is a true adventurer. She's been abandoned as a baby, raised in an orphanage, run away and lived with the homeless, befriended a United States' President, and found a new home with one of the wealthiest people in the country -- all in all just 11 years. Bring the entire family and join Annie, and her pint-sized cohorts, on the musical adventure of a lifetime. From "Hard Knock Life" to "Tomorrow," the music, dancing and heartwarming story make this the perfect way to spend the Holiday Season.
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CHRISTMAS SCHOONER
MERCURY THEATER CHICAGO
11/23-12/30/2012
Take a ride on THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER! This critically acclaimed holiday treat tells the true story of a Michigan shipping captain who braves the deadly winter weather to bring Christmas trees to homesick German American families in turn-of-the-century Chicago. His voyages become a yearly tradition despite his wife's misgivings-until a fateful voyage makes her realize the true importance of his mission.
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ANNIE
MARRIOTT'S LINCOLNSHIRE
10/17-1/6/2013
Leapin' Lizards! The popular comic strip heroine takes centerstage in one of the world's best-loved musicals.BRBR"Annie" is a spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finds a new family and home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy.
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GODSPELL
NAZARETH ACADEMY
10/26-1/11/2013
Conceived and originally directed by John Michael Tebelak, with music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, GODSPELL is one of the biggest off-Broadway and Broadway successes of all time.Based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew, and featuring a sparkling score by Stephen Schwartz, GODSPELL boasts a string of well-loved songs, led by the international hit, "Day By Day." As the cast performs "Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord," "Learn Your Lessons Well," "All For The Best," "All Good Gifts," "Turn Back, O Man" and "By My Side," the parables of Jesus Christ come humanly and hearteningly to life.Drawing from various theatrical traditions, such as clowning, pantomime, charades, acrobatics and vaudeville, GODSPELL is a groundbreaking and unique reflection on the life of Jesus, with a message of kindness, tolerance and love.GODSPELL RETURNSVisit the official Godpell on Broadway site for tickets and more information on this new production.
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SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
DRURY LANE OAKBROOK
11/8-1/13/2013
You remember the plot. You love the characters. You know "the song." It's no less than the stage adaptation of one of the most celebrated and beloved films of all time.brbr1920's Hollywood is the setting for this zany, light-hearted romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a movie studio found itself scrambling to salvage the career of its chipmunk-voiced silent picture star.brbrThe MGM classic has been faithfully and lovingly adapted by Broadway legends a href="http://mtishows.com/biography.asp?writerid=3526"Betty Comden/a and a href="http://mtishows.com/biography.asp?writerid=3543"Adolph Green/a from their original award-winning screenplay. Each unforgettable scene, song and dance, is accounted for, including the showstopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make strongSINGIN' IN THE RAIN/strong the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.
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MY ONE AND ONLY
Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire
11/7-1/13/2013
MY ONE AND ONLY is a captivating musical about fame in 1927 America and the unbreakable bonds of true love. Featuring an incomparable score by George and Ira Gershwin and Book by Peter Stone and Timothy S. Mayer, MY ONE AND ONLY is the Jazz Age story of Captain Billy Buck Chandler, a barnstorming aviator, and Edith Herbert, an ex-English Channel swimmer and the star of Prince Nicolai's International Aquacade. Billy's plan to be the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean is sidetracked when he falls in love with Edith. Their romantic pursuit is thrown off course by a series of unfortunate mishaps and calculated sabotage attempts, but together they are able to navigate their way to a happy ending. This tap spectacular with legendary songs "'S Wonderful," "Funny Face," and "Kickin' The Clouds Away", will have audiences floating on air.
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SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Drury Lane- Oakbrook
11/8-1/13/2013
Set in glitzy, glamorous Hollywood in the 1920s, this lighthearted and funny tale centers on Don Lockwood, a film star who finds love while navigating the ever-changing world of showbiz. Singin' In The Rain is based on the 1954 film starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, which the American Film Institute named the #1 Greatest Movie Musical of all time and The New York Times called "The happiest movie musical ever made."
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SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
DRURY LANE OAKBROOK
11/8-1/20/2013
You remember the plot. You love the characters. You know "the song." It's no less than the stage adaptation of one of the most celebrated and beloved films of all time.BRBR1920s Hollywood is the setting for this zany, light-hearted romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a movie studio found itself scrambling to salvage the career of its chipmunk-voiced silent picture star.
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ROUND LAKE AREA PARK DISTRICT COMMUNITY THEATRE
12/5-1/25/2013
Roald Dahl's timeless story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir comes to life in this special 30-minute stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which features the songs from the classic family film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.Roald Dahl's WILLY WONKA KIDS, featuring a memorable score by Leslie Bricusse (JEKYLL & HYDE, DOCTOR DOLITTLE) and Anthony Newley, follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding five golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whoever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats: the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka's rules in the factory--or suffer the consequences.This scrumdidilyumptious musical is guaranteed to delight everyone's sweet tooth. With this show's flexible cast size, your elementary school's production will take audiences on a fantasy ride into the land of pure imagination!
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THE BOOK OF MORMON
Bank of America Theatre
12/11-3/13/2013
Winner of 9 Tony Awards� including Best Musical! From Trey Parker and Matt Stone, four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of "South Park," and Tony Award-winner Robert Lopez, co-creator of the Tony Award�winning Best Musical Avenue Q, comes THE BOOK OF MORMON, a new Broadway musical that Jon Stewart of The Daily Show describes as, "a crowning achievement, so good it makes me angry" and by Entertainment Weekly as "the funniest musical of all time." Featuring choreography by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw, THE BOOK OF MORMON is directed by Nicholaw and Parker. Don't miss your chance to see what Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls "the best musical of this century." Contains explicit language.
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