Jamal Howard, director and choreographer of the company’s show for the holiday season, 8-TRACK, has announced his cast and creative team for this sung-through musical built around hit songs from the 1970s. 8-TRACK was devised by Rick Steves, who created the long-running hit revue BEEHIVE: THE 60’S MUSICAL and features the music of The Emotions, The Carpenters, Labelle, Barry Manilow, The Doobie Brothers, The Bee Gees, Helen Reddy, and more! 8-TRACK premiered at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 2001, has enjoyed long runs at Detroit’s Century Theater and St. Paul’s Ordway Center and has been a hit in regional theaters across the country. Jeremy Ramey will be music director. 8-TRACK will be performed December 3, 2021, to January 23, 2022. Press opening performances are Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 7:00 pm and Monday, December 13, 2021, at 7:30 pm.
8-TRACK tells, entirely through hit songs of the seventies, the story of four young people as they navigate their lives through the many challenges and changes of that tumultuous decade. They live through the final years of the Vietnam War, the early days of the LGBTQ rights movement, the rise of feminism, and finally enter the Disco Era and its legendary party scene. The score ranges from soft pop/rock to R&B and Motown and reflects the social consciousness of the 1970s in songs like Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” as well as its the party spirit in K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight.” The MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE called 8-TRACK “an infectious, joyous celebration — a ritual really — as each song brings up specific memories of time and place. While each individual is different, these memories coalesce into a gleeful spirit.”
Playing the four principal characters is a quartet of Theo Ubique newcomers with impressive credits in Chicago and across the US. Wesly Anthony Clergé (he/him), is a classically trained baritone whose credits include great musical theater leading roles like Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sky Masterson, as well operatic leads like Don Giovanni. Mia Nevarez (she/her), a 2020 graduate of Northwestern University has had credits at the Goodman, the Marriott, and has appeared in Porchlight’s New Faces Sing Broadway 1979. Patrick O'Keefe (he/him) has Chicago credits including MAMMA MIA! (Music Theater Works); PETER AND THE STARCATCHER (Big Noise); A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (PrideArts); HEAD OVER HEELS (Kokandy); and the premiere production of Michael Potsic's FLIGHT (Beverly Arts Center). Jasmine Lacy Young (she/her) was most recently seen in LEGALLY BLONDE and MY WAY: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA at Metropolis PAC. They will be joined by ensemble members Alli Atkenson (she/her), Chamaya Moody (she/her), Matt Patrick (he/him) & Roy Samra (he/him).
Upper Row L-R: Wesly Anthony Clergé, Mia Nevarez, Patrick O'Keefe, Jasmine Lacy Young.
Lower Row L-R: Alli Atkinson, Chamaya Moody, Matt Patrick, Roy Samra.
The production team will include Mara Ishihara Zinky (she/her, Scenic Designer), Jazmin Aurora Medina (she/her, Costume Designer), Piper Kirchhofer (she/her, Lighting Designer), Stefanie M. Senior (she/her, Sound Designer), Kaitlyn Souter (she/her, Stage Manager), J Alan (J/she, Assistant Director/Assistant Choreographer), Nicholas Reinhart (he/him, Production Manager), Christopher Pazdernik (any, Managing & Casting Director), Fred Anzevino (he/him, Artistic Director).
Director/Choreographer Jamal Howard says 8-TRACK will be “an honest look at the ‘seventies that celebrates, not satirizes, the decade. While people today poke fun at the ‘seventies for their flamboyant and now-dated fashions and hair styles and party scene, it was a time of major changes in society that affected the lives of most everyone. The ‘seventies were much like our current decade in terms of their pace of change – and I think our show’s themes will resonate as much for audiences who weren’t around during the ‘seventies as for those who were.” He promises a show with lots of dancing – “and not just disco, though there will be a good dose of that, but also the signature moves of Motown and 1970’s stage and screen musicals. Our dances will be inspired as much by The Temptations or CABARET and A CHORUS LINE as by disco.”
As the LOS ANGELES TIMES said, “8-TRACK replays good times of ’70s. Life may not be a musical comedy, but everyday existence does unfold to a sort of soundtrack: the songs that follow you around from car radio to home stereo. These tunes acquire a resonance as they become associated with events of the day. They become, in essence, little time capsules, capable of transporting listeners back in time.”
Single tickets for 8-TRACK will go on sale beginning November 3rd at www.theo-u.com. Prices are $35.00 for previews December 3-12, and $42 - $54 for regular performances December 13 – January 23 except that ticket prices for the New Year’s Eve show (including a champagne toast) are $70 for the show only. Optional three course prix fixe dinners are available for $29.00 per person, per show. 3-show subscription prices: Previews:$75, Thurs/Sun: $110, Fri/Sat: $125. Dinner subscriptions $75 additional.
The menu for 8-TRACK, catered by Good To Go Jamaican Cuisine at 711 Howard Street next to Theo Ubique, is:
Appetizers
Jerk chicken wings OR
Veggie spring rolls
Entrees*
Curry chicken OR
Curry veggies
*All entrees are served with Rice & peas, fried plantains, and steam cabbage.
Desserts
Caramel cake
Dinner reservations must be placed one week in advance of the desired performance date.
Following 8-TRACK in the season will be the musicals ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, playing March 11 – May 1, 2022; and GODSPELL, playing June 10 - July 31, 2022. Season packages for the remaining three shows are available. Preview subscriptions are $75 for show-only and $150 for dinner and show; regular performances are $110 show-only and $185 for dinner and show on Thursdays and Sundays; and $125 show-only and $200 for dinner and show on Fridays and Saturdays.
Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
LISTING INFORMATION
8-TRACK: The Sound of the 70's
In Concert
Conceived by Rick Seeber
Directed and choreographed by Jamal Howard
Musical Direction by Jeremy Ramey
Musical Arrangements by Michael Gribben
December 3, 2021 - January 23, 2022
Press Opening Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 7 pm and Monday, December 13, 2021, at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices previews (Fridays – Sundays, December 3 – 12): All seats $35.00
Ticket prices regular run (Thursdays – Sundays, December 16 – January 23, except Friday, December 31): Thurs. & Sun. $42 bar seats, $45 riser seats, $50 table seats; Fri & Sat: $46 bar seats, $49 riser seats, $54 table seats. Dinner is $29 additional, with reservations required one week in advance.
Ticket prices for the New Year’s Eve performance at 7:30 pm on Friday, December 31, which includes a champagne toast, are $70 show-only and $99 per person including a three-course prix fixe dinner.
Senior discount (65+) $5.00 off ticket prices.
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 7:00 pm.
No performances Christmas week Thursday, December 23 through Sunday, December 26.
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-939-4101 Weds-Sun Noon – 5 pm.
Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
(Starting one hour before curtain, all unsold seats will be released for $20.)
With its propulsive rhythms and dazzling harmonies, 8-TRACK is a fast-paced musical journey through one of the most impassioned decades of the 20th Century as lived by four young adults who navigate the changes of those times. Their story is told through the music of The Emotions, The Carpenters, Labelle, Barry Manilow, Marvin Gaye, The Doobie Brothers, The Bee Gees, Helen Reddy, KC and the Sunshine Band, and more! Rediscover the heart and soul of the forgotten decade with this joyously rousing, moving, and often downright hilarious musical in concert. “An electric, energetic, and powerful good time!” – LOS ANGELES TIMES
BIOS
Jamal Howard (He/Him, Director/Choreographer). Jamal is the co-Artistic Director of New American Folk Theatre (NAFT) and served as Associate Artistic Director at Emerald City Theatre (ECT). He made his Theo Ubique debut as Choreographer and Associate Director of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD. Chicago: THE WIZ (Director/Choreographer, ECT), CORDUROY (Director, ECT), MAGIC TREE HOUSE: SHOWTIME WITH SHAKESPEARE (Director/Choreographer, ECT), SCRAPS (Director, NAFT), DIRTY GIRL (Director/Choreographer, NAFT), DARK OF THE MOON (Director, NAFT), FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Choreographer, ECT). Other companies Jamal has worked with include T.U.T.A., The Den Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, Filament Theatre, Mudlark Theater, Facets, The Beverly Arts Center, Children's Musical Theatre San Jose, and Quest Theatre Ensemble.
Jeremy Ramey (He/Him, Resident Music Director) is a concert pianist, conductor and music director based in Chicago. In 2019, Jeremy received his tenth Jeff nomination and sixth Jeff Award for his work on THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. He had previously received Jeff awards for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE, RENT, and THE MOST HAPPY FELLA all with Theo Ubique. In 2016, he won his second Broadway World Award for Music Direction for his work on BETTE, LIVE AT THE CONTINENTAL BATHS with the production company Hell in a Handbag. He received his training in piano performance and music at Rhodes College, Northwestern University and The Juilliard School of Music.
Rick Seeber (Conceiver) is a nationally known theatrical and audio producer/director. He produced THE SINGULAR DOROTHY PARKER Off Broadway. 8-TRACK, THE SOUNDS OF THE 70'S, conceived and directed by Mr. Seeber, premiered at Milwaukee Rep and has enjoyed long runs in over thirty-five cities, including at the Ordway Center, St. Paul, MN, the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, CA, the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, Bridgeport, CT, the Pittsburgh CLO, Capital Rep Albany, NY, and the Derby Dinner Playhouse Louisville, KY. His many productions of BEEHIVE, THE 60'S MUSICAL began with a year-long run in Denver followed by two coast to coast national tours, the most recent touring to 70 cities. Other engagements of Beehive include the Luxor Hotel Las Vegas, Harrah’s Atlantic City, the Gem Theatre Detroit, Theatre Under the Stars Houston and Stagewest, Toronto. Mr. Seeber's production of A BRIEF HISTORY OF WHITE MUSIC ran for a year in Denver followed by numerous productions including Milwaukee Rep, WaterTower Theatre, Dallas, TX, MusicalFare, Buffalo, NY and the Oregon Cabaret Theatre. The national tour played in cities as diverse as Aspen, CO, Billings, MT and Springfield, MA. His newest show, COUNTRY IS -THE MUSIC OF MAIN STREET, recently premiered at the PACE Center in Colorado. www.rickseeber.com PKS:M2Y
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 sixty shows and won 64 Jeff Awards, having received 154 nominations. The company also earned three After Dark Awards.