REVIEW: A Man of Good Hope at Chicago Shakespeare

South Africa's Isango Ensemble has brought a very entertaining and very deep production to Chicago Shakespeare that tells the odyssey of a young Somali refugee who battles poverty, crime, racism, and xenophobia in his journey across Africa.  The story is told through song and dance, and the 20 member company really works as an ensemble to tell this true story, based on a book by Jonny Steinberg.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents Isango Ensemble’s A Man of Good Hope, based on the book by Jonny Steinberg and adapted and directed by Mark Dornford-May, in the Courtyard Theater, October 4–13, 2019. Photo by Keith Pattinson.

The show features the story of Asad Abdullahi, an 8-year-old boy whose mother is murdered in front of him.  He realizes the need to leave his native Somalia, and follows a path throughout Africa, ending in a township in South Africa where he is bullied and attacked for being Somali.  Despite his travails, he manages to keep his dignity and to persevere.



The performance of the ensemble is stunning, with a number of characters taking on multiple roles, including Asad at various ages.  The direction is simple but effective, and music and dance are throughout the show.  One of my favorite aspects of the show happened as he journeyed through each country-- the country was displayed by the music and dance of that country.  Seeing that was a vivid and immediate reminder of how different each countries culture is.

One of the most moving and enlightening things about the show from a cultural perspective is seeing how South Africans feel about Somalian refugees.  There's a scene in this play that could have been in a play about 1930's Germany.   

Poor native South Africans blame the refugees for taking their jobs, and for the ills and problems that they face, even when they are simply outworking and outhustling them.  Asad and his cousin have their shop ransacked by their customers, who bandy about the word Friend as if it were a weapon.  It was pretty chilling.

Despite the tragedy, there's also a lot of comedy in the show.  The show has an operatic feel, with many of the words being sung.  This makes sense as it is a co-production of the Young Vic and Isango and the Royal Opera.  Almost all of it is in English. 

This is a show worth seeing, and one that will give you a really interesting insight into the life of refugees-- something that is sadly very relevant to our lives today.

A Man of Good Hope is presented at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theater for a limited engagement, October 4–13, 2019. Single tickets ($60–$90) are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

For more information, visit chicagoshakes.com/goodhope.

Review: The Lyric's West Side Story is Amazing.

We saw West Side Story at a matinee production last week at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and it was very well done.  It was well worth seeing.

The musical is itself a re-telling of the story of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York in the 1930's, and adding a Latino/whites race war element.

It's one of the top musicals ever, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Steven Sondheim and the book by Arthur Laurents.

This production is extra special, as it is a revival of the direction and choreography of Jerome Robbins, classic ballet and musical director.

Here's the promo reel.

As can be expected from the Lyric the voices were rich, the sets were well done, and the music was exceedingly well-played.  The choreography was great (although my 10 year old son complained that the fight scenes were too dancy, but that was exactly Robbins point-- to use ballet in the fight scenes and to make them graceful.)  Our modern sensibility demands realism, but when this production was first created in the late 1950's that was not the case.

Mikaela Bennet as Maria and Corey Cott as Tony. Photo courtesy of Lyric Opera website.

The thing that blew me away about this production was the acting.  While I do expect the sets to be sumptuously designed and the voices to be great, the acting at the Lyric is not always up to snuff.  And of course the songs are all great and recognizable.  GET THE SOUNDTRACK ON AMAZON.

The beautiful voices often carry the acting.  In this case, the acting is phenomenal, especially of the four main characters (Tony and Maria, the star crossed lovers (played by Corey Cott and Mikaela Bennett), and her brother Bernardo (Manual Stark-Santos)and his lover Anita (Amanda Castro.)





Usually when I've seen either this play or R and J (or really, any star-crossed lovers play) the lovers are seen as tragic figures, and their love is usually solemn.  When Tony and Maria meet at the dress shop where she works, they are both positively giddy with love.  They are loopy-- you can see the effect that their love has on them, and it shows.  I 100% bought their love, (and when they start pretending that the dress forms are their parents, and what they'll say about each other, it's magical.)  This sets up the whole set of strange optimistic bad decisions that they make.

Likewise, when Anita storms into Maria's room looking for Tony (he has just left) she immediately goes to the window to find him.  When she turns around, she is angry and sad and she sings:

A boy like that who'd kill your brother
Forget that boy and find another
One of your own kind
Stick to your own kind

A boy like that wants one thing only
And when he's done he'll leave you lonely
He'll murder your love, he murdered mine, just wait and see
Just wait, Maria, just wait and see

I had chills.

Bernardo didn't have a stand out scene per se, but he commanded every scene that he was in, and embodied that young male rage and sense of injustice.  He sings, he dances, he acts.  He is great! 

In this production, it is clear that the cops and the Jets have it in for him and his gang, and his outrage and anger are palpable throughout.  

That leads me to the other point about this musical, is that its themes of racism, antagonism, and xenophobia still ring true 70 years later.  Not sure if that points out that people haven't changed that much or that we just still have a long way to go as a society before "Justice For All" becomes a reality.

For all these reasons, I highly recommend seeing the show before it closes on June 2.

Performances run through June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets are on sale now starting at $29 and can be purchased at lyricopera.org/wss or by calling 312-827-5600.

West Side Story is a coproduction with Houston Grand Opera and Glimmerglass Festival.

Review: Chicago The Musical at the Cadillac Palace

Chicago is a great musical- it's got juicy roles for women, avante-garde choreography, memorable songs, three great roles for men , and everything seems to fit together perfectly, like a well-designed puzzle.

It's also been properly acknowledged. It's the #1 Longest Running American Musical and the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival and won the Grammy award for Best Musical Cast Recording.






The current Broadway tour, which is in Chicago now through May 12, is a fun production that puts the music center stage- literally.  There's a 13 piece orchestra featuring trumpets, trombones, and a tuba right in the center of the stage and visible for almost the entire show.

The performers are all great, especially Lana Gordon as Velma and Dylis Croman as Roxie, who both managed to sell their sexiness as actors without seeming cheap or insulting.

Sexy is definitely part of the allure of the musical.  I took my 10 year old to the show, and was a little glad that he fell asleep during a couple of the scenes that were a little more risque than I remembered.   There's nothing X-rated or even R-rated, but PG-15 is more like it.  There's a lot of sexual talk.

I also really appreciated former NFL standout Eddie George as razzle dazzle lawyer Billy Flynn.  He exceeded all expectations (which, to be fair, were not particularly high)  I assumed he was a celebrity casting, put in as a concession to men who might not want to go to a musical.. He was really good, with a great voice, good comedy instincts, and hit every mark.

The  song "We Both Reached For The Gun" in which he puts Roxie Hart on his knee and operates her like a ventriloquist doll, was particularly well done.  I was hoping for a little more, well, Razzle Dazzle in the song Razzle Dazzle, and while it wasn't quite there, overall he did a great job.

I left the place humming the songs and feeling great, which is EXACTLY how you should leave a Broadway Musical.

Performances continue today through May 12.   Individual tickets are currently on sale and range in price from $30-$100 with a select number of premium tickets available.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

REVIEW: You Think It's Easy Being The Tooth Fairy?

We got an opportunity to see the World Premiere of a new kid's musical last week called You Think It's Easy Being The Tooth Fairy?  It's at the Lifeline Theatre in Rogers Park until April 22 on Saturdays and Sundays, as part of their KidSeries.

 The show was fun and funny and well done and worth seeing!  It's aimed at kids that are five and over, although I think that younger kids with attention spans would like it, and my son (age 9 going on 19)  liked it too, although he thought it might be a little babyish. But the show is funny enough to be compelling for all ages.

The Tooth Fairy and her faithful helpers the Fireflies.

Get the book on Amazon.

It's based on the book by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt.  The basic story is that a brand new fairy named DewDrop auditions to be the next Tooth Fairy.  She has all sorts of ideas about what it will entail (mostly glamor and dresses and adoration from children)  But as she learns, things are not always what you expect.  Being the Tooth Fairy is not all glitz and glamor.  In fact it's mostly not.  You have to sneak into children's houses while they are asleep, avoid their pets, find the tooth and extract it from the pillow and leave the quarter behind. And it takes muscles to lift quarters and teeth when you are a fairy.  But through grit, determination, fast thinking improvisation, and  the help and encouragement of the Tooth Fairies firefly assistants, she manages to get the job done... But will she be happy?


The acting is mostly delightful, and the plot and music moves along.  The music is not very Broadwayesque-- more gospelly R&B.  The singers do a great job, and while the songs themselves are not particularly memorable (I don't think I can hum one right now) they tell the story really well, and deliver laughter when required.    All of the actors do a great job, especially the three lighnting bugs (all male) who do a sort of reverse parody of a girl group.  The three bugs also have very distinct and comical personalities.

The only real problem for us is that I think that we've told my son different things about the Tooth Fairy than what is in the show.  But he's 9.5, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't actually believe in the tooth fairy anymore (but he says he does, because he loves to receive financial rewards!)  And we've graduated to a dollar rather than a quarter per tooth.  He still enjoyed the show (and he'd lost two teeth the week before, so it was particularly apropos) But for younger kids especially kids who are still believing, this show is engaging, fun, funny, and a winner.

Dewdrop has to do some serious training for the rigors of being the Tooth Fairy

I also want to commend Lifeline for doing great work to make sure that they are accessible to all audience members.  The theater is wheelchair accessible.  They also offer a number of accessible performances.  This weekend they will have performances accessible to blind and deaf patrons.  Saturday March 24, both shows (11 am and 1 pm) will feature open captioning for deaf or hard of hearing patrons. On Sunday March 25, the 11 am show will have a pre-show touch tour as well as live audio description for patrons who are blind or have low vision.   And there will be an added autism/sensory-friendly performance on Sunday, April 15 at 3 p.m. for patrons with social and/or cognitive disabilities. For more information about Lifeline’s accessibility services, please contact Accessibility Coordinator Erica Foster at 773.761.4477 x703 or at access@lifelinetheatre.com

Here's a sample video:


You Think It's Easy Being The Tooth Fairy? (excerpt from "Lookin' Good" song)

You Think It’s Easy Being The Tooth Fairy? runs through Sunday, April 22 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. Regular performance times are Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Previews are Saturday, March 17 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and Sunday, March 18 at 11 a.m.)
Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Lifeline Theatre also offers “Name Your Price” tickets a half-hour before the show (subject to availability), group rates and other discounts available upon request.

 At 12 pm in between shows there will be a special Stories Come Alive! Hour. Children will enjoy an interactive storytelling session and on-your-feet theatre games. The cost is only $5 per child. Reservations for this extra session are recommended, though not required.

Hedwig and the boundaries of transgression

PLEASE NOTE:  this post contains adult content not typical of the rest of my blog. If that kind of stuff is offensive to you, you should probably skip the post.   There's nothing objectionable per se, but I am discussing transgressive behavior, and I do mention porn. Scroll down to read.  Thanks!

This is the Broadway program, not
ours, but ours didn't have an image.

We went on a date night recently to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  It was a date night at the lovely Oriental Theater, currently on tour and starring Euan Morton as Hedwig, formerly Hansel, a transsexual singer who has had a botched operation (hence the Angry Inch) which is also the name of his/her band, and is now in a liminal state of being simultaneously man and woman physically as well as emotionally and is stalking his former lover/babysittee as he became a national rock sensation.

I'm sad to report that I didn't like the show very much, although I thought it was well acted and well played.

 Morton prances around the stage with a lot of energy, has some funny one-liners, as does his now husband, Yitzkak, who is played with a very comic sad sack quality by Hannah Corneau.  And the band all does what they do just great.

But the show itself failed in allowing me into the story, and as a result, I was just kind of uninterested in what was going on.  I said to my wife after the show that I felt like I was at a rock concert where I didn't know any of the songs.  There was a lot of energy, but without a connection, it signified nothing.

Some of that has to do with the architecture.  The Oriental Theatre seats 2200 and I was way up in the balcony.  I could imagine feeling more involved in a tiny theatre, where the actor was in front of me, sweating on me, getting me involved, where I could get immersed in the show. Part of that was the overly loud sound, the relentless strobe lights, and the set design, which was great for filling this giant theatre with everything except for true connection.

Some of it has to do with me.  I can't like every play that's out there, and for whatever reason, I didn't connect/care too much about the story.  I'm sure others had a different reaction.  The place was full and people were laughing and cheering at the end. I guess I'm just not a Hedwigian.

Tim Curry as Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror.

On the way back from the theatre, my wife and I had a great conversation about transgressive musicals.

When I was a kid, the thing that turned you on to "alternative lifestyles" was Rocky Horror.  It broke the norms of sexual behavior, and as a teen that was what was exciting and forbidden.  It opened up (for me) a whole new exciting world that I knew nothing about.  I think for the era before me, it might have been Hair that did the same.  I think Hedwig was the transgressive musical of the 90's.  And maybe 50 Shades was it during the 2000s?  (Although as far as I know it is not a musical. Which is a transgression in and of itself!)

Anyway, we started talking about what was going to be transgressive now, when transsexualism and BDSM are mainstream, when Burlesque is available just about everywhere, and when all sorts of lascivious pleasures are available to anyone with half a brain and the gumption to say that they are over 18.

And the fact that kids who are watching hardcore porn have a very misleading idea of what sex is, should be, can be, and what their roles are within it.

Not sure what's transgressive now, but from my experience last night, Hedwig wasn't it.

If you've got a pointer to transgressive musicals/media of 2017, please let me know!  (I will not accept urine-soaked video of Donald Trump as an answer!)

Find out more about Hedwig and where it's touring to  HERE

DATE NIGHT IDEA: Xanadu at the American Theater Company

American Theater Company's production of "Xanadu."
Image by Michael Brosilow. 

Now through July 17, the American Theater Company will be presenting the classic camp musical Xanadu. 

 It's the first production of its Legacy season, presented as a tribute to ATC's late Artistic Director PJ Paparelli, who was a huge fan of this camp classic, which is based on the 1980 Universal Pictures film, also called Xanadu. 

The production has music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne (of E.L.O.) and John Farrar (of British group The Shadows, and producer of Olivia Newton-John's work) and the book is by playwright Douglas Carter Beane.

Xanadu takes place in Venice, California in 1980. Struggling artist Sonny Malone seeks to create his own version of the American dream by renovating an abandoned warehouse into a venue for world-class entertainment – a roller disco!  He manages to succeed with the help (and hindrance) of some Greek deities. A hilarious and modern update of the 1980’s camp classic, Xanadu celebrates the artist’s muse, even when it comes from the most unlikely of places.

We saw this when it was on Broadway and it was a very fun (and funny) musical.  If you are a fan of the 1980's, of camp, and of roller-skating, then this will be a sure fire winner for you.

Here's the promo video for your perusing pleasure:

The Sirens in American Theater Company's production of "Xanadu."
Image by Michael Brosilow.

Single tickets for Xanadu range from $48-$58. Student tickets are available for $15 with valid student ID in-person at the Box Office. More information and tickets are available by visiting the ATC Box Office at 1909 W. Byron Street, by calling 773-409-4125 or visiting www.atcweb.org. 

Xanadu Performance Schedule

Regular Run: June 7–July 17: Tuesday–Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

DATE NIGHT: The World On A String: Harold Arlen Revue

This Tuesday we'll be attending the opening of a new musical revue right near our house (in the Edgewater neighborhood) City Lit Theatre company is producing the world premiere of a Harold Arlen song revue. The revue, entitled I've Got the World on a String: Harold Arlen's Songs of Love and Loss, features 23 of Arlen's most famous songs.

NOTE: This is the start of a new occasional feature on Dadapalooza, where I review and feature cultural events that would be perfect for Date Nights. A lot of the cultural reviewing I've been doing has been kid-friendly, but I've been wanting to review and bring to your attention great cultural and culinary opportunities for you and your spouse to re-connect as adults. This may be even MORE important than finding great cultural things for your kids! So drop the kid off with your in-laws, hire a babysitter, and let's get to DATE NIGHT! PS--If you've got an idea for a great date night in Chicago, let me know, and I'll check it out. Thanks for reading!

In case you were unaware, Harold Arlen was one of the most popular song composers of the 20nth century.  He wrote for Broadway, film (including The Wizard of Oz), vaudeville, and for musicians around the world.  Many of his songs are now jazz standards.


 I've been a fan of many of his songs for a long time!

Here are just a few of the songs that will be featured in the revue:

• Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive
• As Long as I Live 
• Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 
• Down with Love 
• Fun to Be Fooled 
• I Love a Parade 
• If I Only Had a Brain 
• It's Only a Paper Moon
• I've Got the World on a String 
• Let's Fall in Love 
• Lydia the Tattooed Lady 
• Over the Rainbow
• Stormy Weather
• That Old Black Magic

Arlen wrote the music for all these songs, and collaborated with many top lyricists including Yip Harburg, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin, and Ted Koehler.

The show, which is set in a Manhattan bar in the 1940's, features 3 men and 3 women (and 1 piano player, of course.)  It sounds like a great concept, and I'm looking forward to connecting with my wife in an adult way over these wonderful classic songs.

After you see the show, you'll definitely want to read more about Harold Arlen, and probably listen to him as well (or maybe even before you see the show!)

I highly recommend the following books and albums (available from Amazon):
(These are good places to start)


INFORMATION

DATES:  March 4- April 10, 2016
The show has a slightly complicated schedule:
    Tuesday, March 8 7:00 PM (OPENING)
    Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm
    Mondays March 21, 28 and April 4th at 7:30 pm
    Sundays at 3:00 pm  *No Show Sunday, March 27th*
    Final two performances April 9th and 10th will be at 5pm

WHERE: CityLit Theatre Company, 1020 W Bryn Mawr, Chicago, IL 60660
City Lit Theater is located on the second floor of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Kenmore.

COST:  Tickets are $29 each, with discounts for Students, Military, and Seniors.

MORE INFO:  Call the box office 773-293-3682 or visit http://www.citylit.org

SchoolHouse Rock Live at the Apollo

It turns out this will be a busy week for us, culture wise.

 I already posted about the show we are going to see on Sunday [The Explorers Club].

Well, it turns out that we got invited on Saturday, February 26 to the Opening Day celebration of Emerald City Theatre's SchoolHouse Rock Live, billed as a "Rock and Roll Rumpus"

The show, which is a distillation of some of the best songs of the Emmy Award winning 1970's television series,  is performing at the Apollo Theatre at 2540 North Lincoln Avenue through June 5.

We're pretty excited about it! We've seen a number of Emerald City shows previously, and they've always been high quality.
SEE POSTS ABOUT PREVIOUS SHOWS


We are big fans of SchoolHouse Rock, and often play the songs around the house.  Some of our favorites are of course Three Is A Magic Number, Conjunction Junction, and I'm Just A Bill. But there are tons of great songs from the series.
SEE THE ALBUM ON AMAZON.

The show will run approximately 50 minutes long. They are billing it as appropriate for ages 3-13, which is a very wide age range.


Tickets are available online via TICKETMASTER.  Tickets range in price from $10-$25.  You can also call the Box Office directly to avoid the online fees  773.935.6100.

 To find out more about the show, visit the Emerald City Website: SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE

REVIEW: Guys & Dolls at the Light Opera Works CLOSES 1/3/2016

We went yesterday afternoon to see the Light Opera Works show of Guys and Dolls (I previewed the show earlier on the blog).  The show is great, and sadly ends this week, so by all means, if you have the opportunity, you should go!

Light Opera Works is a professional theatre in residence at the Cahn Auditorium on Northwestern's campus.  They produce 4 main shows a year, starting in the summer, and ending in December.  They specialize in musical theater works.  This year their holiday show is Guys and Dolls, next year it will be Die FleiderMaus.  Other shows for next year include My Fair Lady and Mame.  (On a side note, at the curtain speech the executive director said they are looking for a new name for the theatre, and are soliciting suggestions from the public.  If you've got an idea, send it their way!)

Steve Silver (left) as Nathan Detroit betting with Justin Adair
(Sky Masterson)  Nathan couldn't remember the color of his tie.
photo by Mona Luan.

Guys and Dolls is a great and classic musical, with lots of great songs and characters.  I explained the show to my 7 year old son (who saw the show with us) like this:

 Nathan Detroit is a gambler who doesn't have the money to rent a space for his illegal gambling game.  To get the money, he bets his friend Sky Masterson that he can't get a lady who works at a church (Sergeant Sarah) to kiss him.  While Sky is trying to win the bet, he and the lady fall in love.  (It misses a lot of the plot points, but gets the gist across! And manages to avoid the sexual-political mine pits of taking a doll to Havana!)

The show, which featured a full orchestra, was very well-done.  The cast were all in fine form, and all of the main characters had excellent singing voices.  I was particularly enamored of some of the bit players, especially Cary Lovett who played Nicely Nicely Johnson.

Jim Heatherly and Cary Lovett as Benny and Nicely.

 photo by Mona Luan

He had a great stage presence, a wonderful voice, and seemed to be channeling Buddy Hackett.  His revival showstopping piece Sit Down Your Rocking The Boat was great, as was the Fugue for Tin Horns and Guys and Dolls with partner Jim Heatherly as Benny Southstreet.  I also thought that the chorus of dancers and swings did a great job of making 1930's Time Square come to life.

Both of the actors that played Sky and Sarah Brown also did a great job.  Their scenes in Havana and the songs If I were a bell/ My Time of Night both rang true, as did Sky's song "Luck Be A Lady"  One song that was well sung, but is now a little dated was the denouement song "Marry The Man Today"  In it, Adelaide and Sarah get the idea to marry today, and change their husbands tomorrow.

Here's some of the lyrics:

The two sets of lovers:
Sarah & Sky above (Elizabeth Telford/Justin Adair)
Nathan & Adelaide below. (Steve Silver/Sarah Larson)
photo by Mona Luan

Marry the man today.
Trouble though he may be
Much as he likes to play
Crazy and wild and free
Marry the man today
Rather than sigh in sorrow
Marry the man today
And change his ways tomorrow.
Marry the man today.
Marry the man today
Maybe he's leaving town
Don't let him get away
Hurry and track him down
Counterattack him and
Marry the man today
Give him the girlish laughter
Give him your hand today
And save the fist for after.





As I said to my wife at the end of the show, "How'd that work out for you?"  My point being that getting married with the expectation that your partner will change is a 1940's concept.   Now you need to accept your partner for who they are.  And if you don't, divorce is in your future. But that's a quibble.

In short this is a great production of a classic musical, and you will leave humming the classic songs, just like we did.

Go if you can, it closes January 3!

SHOW TIMES:
Sunday, December 27 at 2 pm
Wednesday, December 30 at 2 pm
(Family matinee -- meet the cast after the show)
Thursday, December 31 at 8 pm (New Year's Eve)
Friday, January 1, 2016 at 8 pm
Saturday, January 2 at 8 pm
Sunday, January 3 at 2 pm

Tickets start at $34.  (Ages 21 and younger are 1/2 price!)  They suggest that this show is suitable for kids ages 8 and older.

Production is at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson Street in Evanston.

You can purchase tickets by calling (847) 920-5360 or by visiting their website.

MORE INFORMATION: http://www.light-opera-works.org/Guys.html

Guys and Dolls in Evanston- NOW-January 3

This is late notice, but I just discovered an upcoming show that sounds fabulous, perfect for families, and might fit into your holiday plans:

The Light Opera Works company is performing Broadway classic Guys and Dolls at the Cahn Auditorium now through January 3.

This story, based on iconic Broadway journalist, writer and raconteur Damon Runyon's fantastic set of stories set in Times Square, has lots of classic songs, including "Luck Be a Lady Tonight," "My Time of Night" and "If I Were A Bell."  Like all of their mainstage productions, the show is being produced with a full orchestra.

Light Opera Works is an Evanston-based professional theatre company that specializes in producing musical theater from a variety of world traditions, including opera, Broadway, and revues.  Founded in 1980, they've presented over 100 mainstage productions, many second stage productions, and taught thousands of workshops and classes.  They've also been recognized for excellence many times in local media and press.

This production is directed by the Light Opera Works artistic director.

Sky Masterson & Company.  Photo by Mona Luan.

SHOW TIMES:
Sunday, December 27 at 2 pm
Wednesday, December 30 at 2 pm
(Family matinee -- meet the cast after the show)
Thursday, December 31 at 8 pm (New Year's Eve)
Friday, January 1, 2016 at 8 pm
Saturday, January 2 at 8 pm
Sunday, January 3 at 2 pm

Tickets start at $34.  (Ages 21 and younger are 1/2 price!)  They suggest that this show is suitable for kids ages 8 and older.

Production is at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson Street in Evanston.

You can purchase tickets by calling (847) 920-5360 or by visiting their website.

MORE INFORMATION: http://www.light-opera-works.org/Guys.html