Porchlight Music Theatre announces its latest virtual offerings including the extension of New Faces Sing Broadway 1987 through Sunday, Dec. 13, the extension of L.A. Theatre Works’ Working through Sunday, Dec. 6 and the Porchlight premieres of L.A. Theatre Works’ Zoot Suit, an audio recording available Friday, Nov. 27 - Sunday, Dec. 20; the holiday streaming premiere of The Ruffians’ Burning Bluebeard, available Friday, Dec. 4 - Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021; Shoshana Bean and guest stars performing Sing Your Hallejuah, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. CST and Hershey Felder - Live from Florence, Tchaikovsky, Sunday, Dec. 20 - Sunday, Dec. 28. Tickets for each of the online events are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. Links are available for viewing 72 hours after purchase. Porchlight also announces the return of the popular series celebrating the 90th birthday of Stephen Sondheim, Sondheim@90 Roundtable with Michael Weber. The series returns Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CST with a discussion on Road Show with guests Deanna Dunagan, Chris Jones and Michael Mahler.
Porchlight Music Theatre’s December Offerings:
New Faces Sing Broadway 1987
EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 13
Director: Christopher Pazdernik
Music Director: David Fiorello
Host: Larry Adams
Cast: Anna Marie Abbate, Isabella Andrews, Ciera Dawn, Taylor DiTola,
Timothy Foszcz, Cameron Goode, Garrett Griffin, Parker Guidry, Devon Hayakawa and Kelan Smith
Production team: Christopher Pazdernik (director); David Fiorello (music director/accompanist); Alex Rhyan (director of production); CastleLight Productions (video, editing and audio services) and Michael Weber (artistic director)
Ticket Price: $25-$50 (suggested ticket price: $50)
Tickets on sale now at www.PorchlightMusicTheatre.org
Filmed on-site at Chicago’s historic Studebaker Theatre, the popular New Faces Sing Broadway cabaret series returns, virtually, this fall with host Larry Adams and a line up of up-and-coming performers from Chicago’s music theatre scene. New Faces Sing Broadway 1987 is an entire Broadway season in 90 minutes and includes hit songs from Les Miserables, Into the Woods and other musicals from the 1987 Broadway season.
Working
In collaboration with L.A. Theatre Works
EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 6
By Studs Terkel
Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso
Songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor
Director: Scott Shwartz
Original Music by Dave Ossman, on piano, and John Harvey, on percussion
Cast: Eileen Barnett, Orson Bean, Harry Groener, Kaitlin Hopkins, Michael Kostroff, Kenna Ramsey, Vickilyn Reynolds, Vincent Tumeo and B.J. Ward with the chorus including James Donato, Leilani Hays, Melissa Justin, Steve Kirwan, Linda Langford, Steve Lanter, Lynsey Shmukler Jones, Michael Shutt and Jodie Verdu
Original Music: Dave Ossman, on piano, and John Harvey, on percussion
Ticket Price: FREE
Tickets on sale now at www.PorchlightMusicTheatre.org
In a special arrangement with L.A. Theatre Works, Porchlight will host the first revised and updated version of this 1970s cult classic based on the legendary book by Studs Terkel. With a cast of twenty Working is a rousing musical for anyone who has ever punched a clock, a cow or a supervisor—or wanted to.
This is the original radio broadcast recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in March 1999.
Zoot Suit
In collaboration with L.A. Theatre Works
Available for streaming: November 27 - December 20
Debuts: Friday, Nov. 27 at 12 p.m. CST
By Luis Valdez
Incidental Music by Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero
Director: Luis Valdez
Music Director: Daniel Valdez
Cast: Marco Rodriguez, Kinan Valdez, Daniel Valdez, Alma Martinez, Primavera Flor-Valdez, Lakin Valdez, Gregory Itzin, Xochiquetzal Candelaria, Estrella Esparza, Ruben C. Gonzalez, Raul Cardona, Daniel Chacón, Katrina Valdez, Seth Millwood, Spencer Garrett and Al Ruscio
Ticket Price: FREE
In a special arrangement with L.A. Theatre Works, playwright Luis Valdez masterfully uses the Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the unrest in Los Angeles following 12 Latino youths being unjustly convicted by a biased judge to examine the zoot suit culture of the 1940s. Passionate and provocative, Zoot Suit pulses with the beat of big band music and traditional Latin songs.
This is the original radio broadcast recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in July 2001.
The Ruffians’ Burning Bluebeard
Friday, Dec. 4 - Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021
Available for streaming: Friday, Dec. 4 at 12 p.m. CST
Director/Playwright: Jay Torrence
Cast: Pamela Chermansky (Fancy Clown); Anthony Courser (Henry Gilfoil); Jay Torrence (Robert Murray); Leah Urzendowski (Nellie Reed); Ryan Walters (Eddie Foy) with Crosby Sandoval (Faerie Queen)
Production team: Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (lighting design); Robert Hornbostel (associate sound design); Jeffrey D. Kmiec (set design); Bill Morey (costume coordination); Mike Tutaj (original sound design); Leah Urzendowski (choreography); Ariel Etana Triunfo (additional 2019 choreography); Sam Moryoussef (production manager); Justine Palmisano (stage manager) and Alex Rhyan (production and operations director).
Ticket Price: $15-$50 (suggested ticket price: $50)
Tickets on sale now at www.PorchlightMusicTheatre.org
Burning Bluebeard, now in its ninth year, was created and performed by the critically acclaimed theatre troupe The Ruffians. A magical story is told with music, clowning, tumbling, acrobatics and dance, Burning Bluebeard is a physical-performance phenomena inspired by the true story of Chicago’s former Iroquois Theatre and the unforgettable events that resulted in tragedy for 600 theatergoers at Christmastime in 1903.
Each performance is a vaudevillian musical delight with a story that excavates the poetic and poignant remains of a piece of Chicago’s rich history and leaves the audience with an unforgettable experience. This online offering is the filmed version that ran at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in 2019.
Shoshana Bean in Sing Your Hallelujah
Saturday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. CST
Director: Amy Segal
Music Director: David Cook
Cast: Shoshana Bean is joined by Broadway and Television star Jeremy Jordan, Tony Award Nominee Daniel J. Watts (Tina), Tony Award Winner Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly), Britain's Got Talent Finalist/#1 Billboard Artist Connie Talbot, recording artist Shayna Steele and tap dancer phenom Jared Grimes.
Produced by Shane Scheel for For The Record Live and David Haring.
Ticket Price: $30 per ticket
Tickets on sale now at www.PorchlightMusicTheatre.org
After sold out engagements in 2018 and 2019 at Harlem’s world-famous Apollo Theater, Shoshana Bean returns to the legendary stage, this time for a global audience. Sing Your Hallelujah reimagines the Christmas television special of long ago. With fresh interpretations of holiday classics, intimate collaborations with special guests and honest reflections of an unprecedented year in history, Bean gets to the heart of what is essential: connection, tradition, and the power of love.
Hershey Felder - Live from Florence
Tchaikovsky
Starring Hershey Felder
Directors: Hershey Felder and Stefano Decarli and based on the stage play directed by Trevor Hay
Sunday, Dec. 20 - Sunday, Dec. 28
LIVE PREMIERE - Sunday, Dec. 20
Available for streaming: Friday, Dec. 4 at 12 p.m. CST
Production team: Felder (production design); DeCarli Live Film Company (film production and live editing); Erik Carstensen (live broadcast and sound design production); Meghan Maiya (historical and biographical research); Isabelle Gerbe (costumes and hair) and Pierre Gerbe (scenic construction)
Ticket Price: $55 per household
Tickets on Sale: Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 12 p.m. CST at www.PorchlightMusicTheatre.org
Debuting during the holiday season, Tchaikovsky is based on Felder’s original Our Great Tchaikovsky and now has an extended focus on The Nutcracker ballet.
This December, Porchlight continues to offer free programming via its social media channels including Youtube.com. The continuing online Porchlight programming is:
Sondheim @ 90 Roundtable with host Artistic Director Michael Weber
RETURNS SATURDAY, DEC. 5 -Every Saturday at 7 p.m. Central
FREE
Debuts on Facebook and YouTube
Stephen Sondheim’s storied career is discussed show by show every Saturday at 7 p.m. CST with special guests from the worlds of Chicago’s theater scene, Broadway and national music theatre presenters.
The fall season launches with Weber talking with Deanna Dunagan (Tony Award-winning actor for August: Osage County, who appeared in the world premiere of Bounce at the Goodman, directed by Hal Prince), Chris Jones (Chicago Tribune chief theater critic and culture columnist, New York Daily News Broadway and WBBM-TV critic) and Michael Mahler (Jeff Award-winning actor, music director, composer/lyricist whose credits include creating additional lyrics for the Broadway revival of Miss Saigon as well as music direction for Road Show at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) about Sondheim’s Road Show. Previously titled Bounce and before that Wise Guys and Gold!, Road Show, with music and lyrics by Sondheim and book by John Weidman has a fascinating history, a complex evolution and has never appeared on the Great White Way but had productions in Chicago, Washington D.C. and off-Broadway.
Porchlight presents some complementary content, with a cocktail: I’ll Drink to That. A new episode of this series hosted by Porchlight Board Member and Hearty Boy Steve McDonagh debuts each Friday before a Sondheim episode. McDonagh, in his own original way, shares a cocktail recipe, pairing it with that week’s Sondheim @ 90 Roundtable with host Michael Weber's episode.
- Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CST: Road Show with special guests Deanna Dunagan, Chris Jones and Michael Mahler
- Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. CST: A Little Night Music with special guests Brianna Borger, Nick Bowling and Christie Chiles Twillie
- Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. CST: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with special guests Anika Chapin, Ross Lehman and Linda Madonia
- Saturday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. CST: The Frogs with special guests Victoria Bussert, Christie Chiles Twillie and Christopher Pazdernik
- Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021 at 7 p.m. CST: Assassins with special guests Anika Chapin, Jermaine Hill and Stef Tovar
Movie Musical Monday
Every Monday at 7 p.m. Central
FREE
Each week a noteworthy host and special guest join in a ZOOM conversation about a musical movie with musical and movie fans. It’s like a book club for movies where attendees are asked to watch the movie before the chat and come prepared for an hour of conversation, fun facts and more.
- Monday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. CST: “Damn Yankees” with host Jenna Schoppe (Sophisticated Ladies; choreographer, Porchlight Revisits Call Me Madam) and special guest Donterrio Johnson (Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Ain’t Misbehavin’)
- Monday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. CST: “Sweet Charity” with host Rosie Schultz (Porchlight Young Professionals) and guest Tom Vendafreddo (music director, New Faces Sing Broadway 1961, New Faces Sing Broadway NOW (2020))
- Monday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. CST: “White Christmas” with host David Girolmo (Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd) and special guest Patrick Tierney (host and creator, Chicago Artist Circle)
WPMT PRESENTS: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio
Every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Central
FREE
Debuting this past summer and continuing into fall is Porchlight’s WPMT PRESENTS: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. Artistic Director Michael Weber introduces musicals from the early to mid 20th century as they were heard on network radio programs such as The Lux Radio Theatre and The Theatre Guild on the Air, often featuring members of the original Broadway casts. A bonus feature to some of the series’ episodes are special guests joining Weber in conversation about that day’s broadcast. Past guests have included Mitchell J. Fain (discussing Strike Up the Band) and Christie Chiles Twillie (discussing Carmen Jones).
- Tuesday, Dec 8: WPMT PRESENTS: The Lemon Drop Kid
- Tuesday, Dec 15: WPMT PRESENTS: Babes in Toyland
- Tuesday, Dec 22: WPMT PRESENTS: Meet Me in St. Louis with a conversation between Weber and Angela Ingersoll
- Tuesday, Dec 29: WPMT PRESENTS: On Your Toes
ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS RUTH PAGE ARTIST IN-RESIDENCE
Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to be a member of the vibrant Ruth Page Center for the Arts community and an Artist In-Residence. Central to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programming is the Artists In-Residence program, which is designed to serve organizations looking for a home base while they grow or expand their artistic and organizational capabilities. The Center is committed to nurturing and assisting dance and other performing artists, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artistic community. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a destination for quality performing arts, accessible to a wide community regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability. An incubator of artistic energy and excellence, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the vision of its founder, legendary dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community.
ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the city’s Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimaging classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.”
Now in our 26th season, our quarter-century production history includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Porchlight’s commitment to the past, present and future of music theatre led the company to develop the Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway program series, both quickly becoming audience favorites.
Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels, and community organizations, and we love our ongoing collaboration with Chicago Youth Centers. We annually award dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form.
The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 45 Jeff awards, as well as 33 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 12 BTA awards. This past season, Porchlight Music Theatre “graduated” to the Large Theatre tier of the Joseph Jefferson Equity Awards, stiffening our competition for the Jeff committee’s recognition. Porchlight celebrated its 11 nominations in both technical and artistic categories and awards for Jermaine Hill, music direction and Lorenzo Rush Jr, solo performance, most notably Best Musical/Revue and Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies.
Through the global pandemic, Porchlight has emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim@90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances, and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. For the 2020-2021 season, Porchlight has announced all-new ticketed virtual programs including Broadway by the Decade, New Faces Sing Broadway 1987, as well as collaborations with LA Theater Works, and much more coming in the new year.
Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, Allstate, Bayless Family Foundation, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Elegant Event Lighting, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Hearty Boys, A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at Prince, the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation, The Saints, Dr. Scholl Foundation, the Stuart Family Foundation, the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
(L to R) Jay Torrence as Robert Murray; Anthony Courser as Henry Gilfoil; Pamela Chermansky as Fancy Clown; Leah Urzendowski as Nellie Reed; Ryan Walters as Eddie Foy and Crosby Sandoval as Faerie Queen in BURNING BLUEBEARD from THE RUFFIANS, presented virtually in 2020, by PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE. Photo by Michael Courier
Shoshana Bean - photo by Maxwell Poth
Hershey Felder in "Tchaikovsky"
