All-Chicago Cast Set for 'Thrones! The Musical Parody' at Apollo Theater

"Thrones! The Musical Parody" sweeps through the Windy City once again this fall at Apollo Theater Chicago (2540 N Lincoln Ave) with a talented ensemble of Chicago up-and-comers bringing the "Game of Thrones" send-up to life. Under the direction of Hannah Todd, the cast of "Thrones! The Musical Parody" includes Caitlyn Cerza, Nick Druzbanski, Madeline Lauzon, Beau Nolen, Victoria Olivier and Christopher Ratliff. This all-Chicago cast combines comedic talents and "knockout vocal harmonies" (Chicago Reader) to bring all six seasons of the HBO hit to the stage, recounting the journey of well-known characters such as Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, the Stark family, Daenerys Targaryen and more. Performances for the fall run of "Thrones! The Musical Parody" begin September 15; tickets ($29-$59) are on sale now and can be purchased at ApolloChicago.com or by calling the box office at 773.935.6100. The press performance takes place on September 21. Headshots and imagery can be accessed here.

"After seeing this brilliant cast of Chicago actors on the stage this summer, we couldn't think of another way to begin this new run here at the Apollo," said Executive Producer Emily Dorezas. "This group embraced the material with passion and care to create a seamless comedy that makes audiences laugh night after night, and we look forward to seeing what new surprises they bring to the performance this fall."

From the creators of "Baby Wants Candy" and "50 Shades! The Musical Parody," "Thrones! The Musical Parody" blends together 21 original songs and the entire six seasons of "Game of Thrones" into one "darkly humorous and beautifully vulgar" (Edinburgh Festival Magazine) comedy. The parody musical asks audiences: Will Tyrion's accent ever improve? Can Jon Snow possibly know more than nothing? Just how red can the Red Wedding get? With "Game of Thrones" references (read: spoilers), re-live the journey with sword-wielding men battling White Walkers, ravishing women riding fire-breathing dragons, and the infamous Walk of Shame-all set to an original score. "Thrones! The Musical Parody" debuted to completely sold-out performances in August 2015 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, followed by a sold-out, limited run at London's Leicester Square Theatre and was hailed as "A resounding success!" by theSunday Times Scotland.

"Thrones! The Musical Parody" is written by Chris Grace, Zach Reino, Al Samuels and Dan Wessels. The production is directed by Hannah Todd, choreographed by Tyler Sawyer Smith and produced byEmily Dorezas, Rob Kolson, and Al Samuels. The creative team includes Thomas O. Mackey III (Set Designer), Eric Backus (Sound Designer), Amanda Gladu (Costume Designer), Patrick Ham (Prop Designer) and R&D Choreography (Violence Design). Understudies for the production are Dakota Hughes and Nicholas Semar.

Performances for "Thrones! The Musical Parody" are Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. To learn more about "Thrones! The Musical Parody" visit the website, and follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Ensemble of "Thrones! The Musical Parody"
Caitlyn Cerza was most recently seen as the Stoner Chick in Kokandy's production of "Heathers." Cerza's past theater credits include roles in "Dog Sees God," "Legally Blonde" and "Rent." Cerza has a BFA in Musical Theatre at Roosevelt University.

Nick Druzbanski's previous Chicago credits include "High Fidelity" (Refuge Theater), "The Producers," "Victor/Victoria" (NightBlue Theater), "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (Theater Hikes), "The Gold Ball" (The Bridge), "Pr0ne" (Underscore Theater), "Henry III" (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and "Assassins" (Viaduct Theater). Regional credits include "LES MISERABLES" (Alliance Theater; Atlanta, GA), "Oliver!" (Schuler Theater, PA), "Elephant Man" (Strand Theater; Marietta, GA), plus national tours for "Sound of Music" and "Ragtime." Nick graduated from Roosevelt University in 2013 with a BFA in theater.

Madeline Lauzon has worked with Davenport's Piano Bar, 20% Theater and The Annoyance. Notable roles include Prospero in "The Tempest," Adult Woman in "Spring Awakening," Adriana in "The Comedy of Errors" and a deviser and ensemble member of "A Reconsolidated Life."

Beau Nolen was seen most recently in "Tapped: A Treasonous Musical Comedy" with Fourth Story Productions. Nolan was also on the short-lived ABC reality competition show, "Take the Money and Run." He began his singing career in Germany after attending the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria. In the U.S., Nolan has performed with the Cleveland Opera, the Sarasota Opera, and the Nashville Opera. Nolan recently graduated from the Music Improv Conservatory at the Second City Training Center.

Victoria Olivier moved to Chicago a year ago from Lafayette, Louisiana. Since then, she has appeared in "Blood Brothers" (Theo Ubique), "Blue Nativity" (Quest Ensemble Theatre), "The Rise and Fall of the Mad King Of Scotland" (Nothing Special Prods.) and "Haymarket: The Anarchist's Songbook" (Underscore Theatre).

Christopher Ratliff's Chicago credits include "Pygmalion" (Rogue Theatre), "Treasure Island" (EDGE Theatre) and "Little Women" (20% Theatre). Some of Ratliff's previous credits include roles in "Avenue Q," "Into the Woods" and "Urinetown."

About Baby Wants Candy
"Baby Wants Candy" has performed over 2,000 completely improvised musicals to thousands of fans from Chicago to New York to Singapore to Scotland. Currently, "Baby Wants Candy" runs in Chicago at the Apollo Theater, in Los Angeles at UCB Sunset and tours internationally. A cutting edge theatrical experience, the performance features a revolving cast of A-list comedic performers and a full band.

"Baby Wants Candy" begins with the cast asking the audience for a suggestion of a musical that has never been performed before. Accompanied by a full band, the first title that the group hears becomes the title and theme for that evening's 60-minute show, featuring a roller coaster ride of spontaneously choreographed dance numbers, rhyming verses, and witty jaw-dropping comedy. Each performance is its own opening and closing night, and by design every show is completely unique and a once-in a lifetime premiere.

"Baby Wants Candy" has received rave reviews in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Onion, the Chicago Sun-Times, TimeOut New York and more and has received numerous awards and was the Winner of FringeNYC's Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience, Best Improv Ensemble by Chicago Magazine, the Best Visiting Comedy Ensemble by TimeOut New York, the recipient of the Ensemble of the Year Award at the Chicago Improv Festival, a rare Sixth Star Award Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

"Baby Wants Candy" has included several notable performers including Peter Gwinn of Colbert Report, Rachel Dratch and Aidy Bryant of Saturday Night Live; Stephnie Weir of MadTV; Nicole Parker of MadTV and Elphaba in WICKED on Broadway; Jack McBrayer of 30 Rock; Al Samuels and KEVIN FLEMING of Sports Action Team; Thomas Middleditch of Silicon Valley; Garry W. Tallent of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band; Mark Pender of The Max Weinberg 7 and Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band; and Johnny Pisano of the Jesse Malin Band and The Marky Ramone Band. Members of Baby Wants Candy have recently written the hit Off Broadway show "50 Shades! The Musical Parody"

About Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater, located in the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Park since 1978, has been home to many of the city's biggest hits including the recent Million Dollar Quartet, which holds the record for the longest-running Broadway musical in Chicago history. Resident companies of the Apollo Theater include Emerald City Theatre Company and Baby Wants Candy, and many up-and-coming companies can be seen nightly in the theater's 50-seat downstairs studio. Recently renovated and fully accessible, the Apollo Theater's intimate 435-seat mainstage continues to deliver world-class theater as one of the city's premiere off-Loop houses.

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