Bailiwick Chicago Announces Concert Performance Of BLOOM 4/16, 4/17

Bailiwick Chicago's Executive Director, Kevin Mayes, announced today that the company is producing a development workshop and subsequent concert performances of a new musical comedy, titled BLOOM, with music by Peter Foley, lyrics by Matthew Heimer, book by Andy Siegel, and story by Kevin Mayes. Performances are scheduled on April 16 at 7:30pm and April 17 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green Street in Chicago. Tickets are available via the company's web site, www.bailiwickchicago.com.

Everyone is in the game, but will the bubble burst? An entire nation bets its financial future, not on tech stocks or real estate... but tulips. The year is 1636, the place is Holland, and the shoes are wooden. Together a thrifty hat-maker and reckless painter set out to fulfill their dreams in a world of Rembrandt masterpieces, Puritan elders and bawdy beer halls. On a quest for wealth, power, fame and love, set to a baroque pop score, they discover what it means to catch Tulip Mania.

The BLOOM cast includes Beth Allin, Jayson Brooks, Jim DeSelm, Kevin M. Grubb, Annie Fitch, Michael Harnichar, Sarah Hayes, Ryan Lanning, Laura McClain, Julie Burt Nichols, Rus Rainear, Abby E. Sammons, and Jonathan Verge. Elizabeth Margolius (Artistic Director of Directors Lab Chicago) directs, with musical direction by Brett Rowe (ALTAR BOYZ, TOMORROW MORNING).

A talk-back with the writing and directing team will follow each performance. Further details about the project, including audio clips and a daily blog that reports on the development process, can be found on the company's website, www.bailiwickchicago.com.

Peter Foley (Music) is a composer/lyricist whose songs have been performed at NY Theater Workshop, Public Theater, Lincoln Center's American Songbook, NYC's Symphony Space, Joe's Pub and many other venues. He received the Richard Rodgers Award, the Stephen Sondheim Award and a Jonathan Larson Foundation grant for THE HIDDEN SKY, is developing INCONNU at the Public with writer Ellen McLaughlin and director Michael Greif, and was commissioned to write a new musical for Signature Theater (VA).

Matthew Heimer (Lyrics) is a writer and musician in New York City. He wrote lyrics for THE WATER COOLERS (Off Broadway) and original songs for the pop group Five Floor Monica. As a journalist, he is the deputy editor at SmartMoney magazine, has contributed to Esquire and The Wall Street Journal, and is a frequent financial commentator on television and radio. Matt holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Yale, where he was a Knight Fellow in Journalism and Law.

Andy Siegel (Book) is a writer, actor, singer and composer based in LA. After graduating from Yale, he sold a script to the ABC series CROSSROADS and worked as a researcher for director Michael Apted. He wrote a one-man musical comedy, JEWISH BOY EXPLODES, that he's performed at several theaters, and his play THE LATE SHOW saw a staged reading at Edgemar Center for the Arts. He acted in many TV shows (including COMMUNITY, PARTY DOWN, and MY NAME IS EARL), movies and commercials.

Kevin Mayes (Story) is the Executive Director of Bailiwick Chicago, works as an actor and director, and twice has been Jeff nominated for Best Actor in a Musical. He began his career as an assistant to Lloyd Richards at the O'Neill Theater's Playwrights Conference after graduating from Yale with a BA in Music and Theatre. He was the musical arranger / coordinator for the original production of Wendy Wasserstein's THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG at Lincoln Center.

Bailiwick Chicago was formed by a group of dedicated actors, directors, and production professionals when Bailiwick Repertory Theater closed its doors in September 2009. This group, called the "Collective," is responsible for developing, implementing, and upholding the artistic mission and vision of the company. Bailiwick Chicago's mission is to tell stories that stimulate our audience and celebrate our diverse community, enhancing our understanding of ourselves and others.

To post a comment, you must register and login.