Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass and Executive Director Julie Ann Kornak are proud to announce BrightSide Theatre's 2019-2020 Season - Season Nine Guilty Pleasures From the pleasure of a holiday favorite A Christmas Carol the Musical, to the pleasure of the women in Nine the Musical in Concert, to the hilarious and touching story of 6 Southern women in Steel Magnolias, and to the guilty enjoyment of the music of ABBA in the musical that has entertained over 60 million people around the globe Mamma Mia!, Season Nine is sure to keep you theatrically satisfied.
A Christmas Carol the Musical
Music Alan Menken | Lyrics Lynn Aherns | Book Mike Okrent & Lynn Aherns
Director Jeffrey Cass
November 29 December 15, 2019
Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth in Naperville
The holiday season is just not the same without a bit of Scrooge! Playing for ten years at New York's Madison Square Garden, Charles Dickens' classic gets the full Broadway treatment by Broadway heavy hitters, Alan Menken (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act) and Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical, Once on This Island) as they reawaken the true spirit of Christmas with a heart-stirring tale of beauty and redemption.
A Christmas Carol the Musical is a spectacular adaptation of Charles Dickens' well-known story of Ebenezer Scrooge as a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others, greeting Christmas cheer with an infuriated "Bah! Humbug!" However, thanks to the guidance of three ghosts, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful, "Happy Christmas!" A Christmas Carol the Musical is an ideal Guilty Pleasure for your family to create a beautiful holiday experience.
Nine in Concert
Music & Lyrics Maury Yeston | Book Arthur Kopit
Director Jeffrey Cass
February 7-9, 2020
Madden Theatre at North Central College, 171 Chicago Ave in Naperville
This season we are excited to announce our new Concert Series. Performed in the Madden Theatre we will transform the space into an intimate cabaret room where with a live orchestra and a cast of talented actors performing a concert version of the Tony Award winning musical Nine.
From Broadway to Film and back to live Theatre, NINE, is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8 . The famous Italian film director, Guido Contini, has turned forty and faces double crises: he has to shoot a film for which he can't write the script, and his wife of twenty years, the film star Luisa del Forno, may be about to leave him if he can't pay more attention to the marriage. As it turns out, it is the same crisis. Guido's mind becomes increasingly preoccupied with his Guilty Pleasures, fantasy and reality become inextricably intertwined by the power of women answering the question, What are women to men?
Steel Magnolias
March 6-22, 2020
Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth in Naperville
Guilty Pleasure movie Steel Magnolias based on this play of a classic story of family, strength in women, and big southern hair, is the perfect way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Steel Magnolias.
Within the walls of Truvy's beauty shop, the lives of six strong women increasingly hinge on the existence of one another. Together, they absorb the passing seasons, just like the weathered wooden structure of the salon home that they share. At times both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Steel Magnolias reveals the strength of the human condition and our shared need for companionship. Fall in love with the kind-hearted group of gossipy Southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor. Alternating between hilarious and touching, celebrate the story of those iconic and lovable characters of Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana.
Mamma Mia!
Music & Lyrics Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus | Book Catherine Johnson
Director Jeffrey Cass
Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth in Naperville
Prepare to have the time of your life at Mamma Mia! Sophie, a 20-year-old bride-to-be, is on the search for her father. After reading her mother's diary, she discovers there are three potential suitors. Unbeknownst to her mother, Donna, Sophie invites each of them in hopes of having one of them walk her down the aisle. As the big day draws near, surprises abound with old flames and old friends. Get ready for a big cast, big dance numbers, and a whole lot of laughs through the infectious catchy score of ABBA chart-toppers Mamma Mia! packed with 22 ABBA hits, including Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, Take A Chance on Me, and The Winner Takes It All. This worldwide Guilty Pleasure megahit will have you shouting Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! more!
Affordable tickets starting at $25 are available for BrightSide Theater's 2019-2020 Season, providing opportunities for Season Subscribers, Groups and Individuals to enjoy our Season Nine Guilty Pleasures as only BrightSide Theatre can produce. Subscriptions on sale now. Individual tickets will go on sale July 15, 2019. For more information on purchasing tickets, visit us at www.BrightSideTheatre.com or call the Box Office at 630-447-TIXS (8497)
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