Designed to provide theatergoers with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of Chicago, the latest "Talkback Tuesdays" offering took place on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. It featured a post-show conversation with five-time Tony Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long.
With more than 50 Broadway productions to his credit, William Ivey Long is currently represented on Broadway with the costume designs for Chicago, Hairspray and Young Frankenstein. He has received Best Costume Design Tony Awards for Nine, Crazy for You, The Producers, Hairspray andGrey Gardens.
Other career highlights include Lend Me a Tenor, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Cabaret (revival), Annie Get Your Gun (revival), Contact, The Boy from Oz, Little Shop of Horrors, The Frogs, La Cage aux Folles, A Streetcar Named Desire, Sweet Charity, Curtains and The Ritz.
This season, he will design costumes for the Broadway revival of Pal Joey and the new musical 9 to 5. Long has also designed for the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour and for Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage Hotel. He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in January 2006.
Tickets for the Tuesday, October 28 "Talkback Tuesdays" performance are available by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Ambassador Theatre Box Office, located at 219 W. 49th St. Regular Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Now celebrating eleven glorious years of girls, glitz and glamour on the Great White Way, the record-breaking smash hit musical Chicago is currently the eighth longest-running production in Broadway history, as well as Broadway's longest-running musical revival...and it shows no sign of ever slowing down!
Currently playing at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.), Chicago stars Michelle DeJean as Roxie Hart, Tony Award nominee Brenda Braxton as Velma Kelly, two-time Tony Award nominee Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart andCarol Woods as Matron "Mama" Morton.
With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Chicago is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.
Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, Chicago is directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Ann Reinking, and features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by KenBillington and sound design byScott Lehrer. The production also features orchestrations by Ralph Burns, supervising music direction by Rob Fisher and music direction by Leslie Stifelman.
Photos by Peter James Zielinski
William Ivey Long and moderator Adrienne Onofri
William Ivey Long
William Ivey Long displays artwork from the Chicago history...
The inspiration for the shows leading ladies, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner
A photo of Maurine Watkins, the original playwright for Chicago
A poster of the 1942 Ginger Rogers film
Artwork for the 1975 Orginal Broadway Musical Chicago
A poster for City Center Encores production of Chicago in 1996
The 2002 Original Movie Musical Poster
Artwork for the current Broadway incarnation
William Ivey Long
A photo of Karen Ziemba as Roxie in 1998
William Ivey Long and Adrienne Onofri
