Brightside Theatre To Perform CHESS IN CONCERT February 9-18

Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass and Executive Director Julie Ann Kornak are excited to continue BrightSide Theatre's SEASON 12 – The Season of Passion – with the masterful musical CHESS IN CONCERT.

Cass is directing the concert, with musical direction by Aaron Zimmerman. Cast in the central roles of the love triangle between two chess grandmasters who love the same woman are Michael Metcalf, Julie Ann Kornak and Justin Miller. Metcalf, who will play the American Grandmaster Freddie Trumper, was seen last year as King Arthur in CAMELOT, Lord Farquaad in SHREK (both with Music Theater Works) and Lonny in ROCK OF AGES (Mercury Theatre). Kornak, cast as Trumper's manager and lover Florence who becomes involved with Freddie's Russian rival Anatoly, has played such roles as Tanya in MAMMA MIA, Muriel in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, and Francesca in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, all with Brightside Theatre.

Miller played Robert Kincaid opposite Kornak in Brightside's THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and alos appeared in the national tour of FINDING NEVERLAND. Other performers in key roles are Edward MacLennan of Bolingbrook (Molokov/Alexander/Male Ensemble), Jim Heatherly of Bloomingdale (Walter Anderson/Male Ensemble), Meg McGarry of Plano, (Svetlana Sergievsky/Female Ensemble), Zach Gibson of Warrenville (The Arbiter/Male Ensemble), Stan Austin of Winfield (Gregor Vassy), Wren Harrington of Westchester (Young Florence). Additional members of the male ensemble are Henry Alloway (Chicago), Andrew Buel (Montgomery), Bob Bullen (Chicago), and Nicholas J. Greanias (Lemont). The female ensemble also includes Amy Bamberger (Naperville), Kristina Drendel (Hampshire), Marianne Embree (Arlington Heights), Meghan Kessel (Chicago), Christine Ronna (Wilmington), and Amy Steele (Naperville).

The production team also includes De Haddad (Stage Manager/Assistant Director) and Tim Elliott (Sound Mixer). 

 

CHESS IN CONCERT

 

Brightside Theatre
February 9 – 18
Madden Theatre, North Central College
171 Chicago Avenue, Naperville IL
 
Performances
 
Friday, February 9 – 8 pm
Saturday, February 10 – 8 pm
Sunday, February 11 – 2 pm
Friday, February 16 – 8 pm
Saturday, February 17 – 2 pm and 8 pm
Sunday, February 18 – 2 pm
 
www.brightsidetheatre.com, or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).
$37 for adults/$32 for seniors and students.
 
Composed by the men of supergroup ABBA and the smash hit Mamma Mia! featuring ‘80s hits One Night in Bangkok, I Know Him So Well, and Anthem, CHESS IN CONCERT is a modern classic that explodes into life.  It's the 1980s and the Cold War is at its darkest.  Two chess masters meet in Bangkok to battle for the world championship, but their greatest contest is for the love of one woman. In this story of love and political intrigue that takes us from Bangkok to Budapest where the players, lovers, politicians, and spies all struggle to get the upper hand.  BIOS

Jeffrey Cass (Artistic Director/Director) is a Joseph Jefferson Award Nominee. He has successfully directed over 25 Productions for BrightSide Theatre, most recently including A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, SHE LOVES ME, CITY OF ANGELS and GYPSY.  He played Edna in BST's production of HAIRSPRAY. He holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theater Performance from Roosevelt University.  He previously served as the Producing Director for Circle Theatre where he directed 8 Productions including THE WHO'S TOMMY (6 Joseph Jefferson Nominations including Best Musical and Best Director).      AARON ZIMMERMAN (Music Director/Vocal Director/Keys 1) (He/Him) is a music director, pianist, and composer. Favorite past music direction credits include TITANIC, (WDI), SWEENEY TODD (WDI, NRP), RAGTIME (Metropolis PAC), COMPANY (Point2Productions). 
 
Benny Andersson (Music) Born 16 December 1946 in Stockholm. 1952: Received accordion lessons from his father and grandfather. 1964-68: Member of the Hep Stars, Sweden's most popular rock band in the 1960's. During this time, he began composing music. "Sunny Girl" and "Wedding" were huge hits for the Hep Stars. 1972-82: ABBA.  1982-84: Composed the music (together with Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice) for the musical CHESS.  1987: Began collaborating with Orsa Spelmän. Recorded three albums deeply rooted in Swedish folk music: Klinga Mina Klockor, November 1989 and Fiolen Min. In 2001, this collaboration led to the formation of Benny Andersson's Orchestra, a 16-man constellation with vocalists, Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg. Thus far, this has resulted in five CD albums and several summer tours.  1990-95: Composed the music to KRISTINA FROM DUVEMALA. Premiered in October 1995.  1995: Received the title of professor from the Swedish government. Inducted to in the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2007. Appointed Honorary Doctor of the College of Humanities at Stockholm University in 2008, and at Luleå University of Technology in 2012.  Married to former TV producer, Mona Nörklit. They have one child, Ludvig Andersson. Benny Andersson also has two children from a previous marriage, Peter Grönvall and Helene Odedal. He has five grandchildren: Charlie, Felix, Fabian, Malin and Viola.
 
BJÖRN ULVAEUS (Music/Lyrics) was born in 1945 in Gothenberg on the west coast of Sweden. After a successful local career in Sweden with a folk group in the mid 1960s, he started his collaboration with Benny Andersson. They then went on to form ABBA with Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Even during the ABBA years, the idea of writing a musical seemed appealing and, in 1981, Björn and Benny met Tim Rice and co-wrote CHESS with him, which opened in the West End in 1986. In 1995 Björn and Benny opened a new musical called Kristina Från Duvemåla, which played for three years in Sweden. Their most recent musical is the Stockholm production Hjälp sökes, which opened in 2013. Bjorn is one of the producers for MAMMA MIA! The Party, which opened in Stockholm in January 2016.

Tim Rice (Lyrics/Book) born November 10, 1944, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England is a lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Disney on ALADDIN, THE LION KING, the stage adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and its live-action film adaption, and the original Broadway musical AIDA. He wrote CHESS with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA. With Andrew Lloyd Webber he wrote JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and EVITA. He also wrote lyrics for the Alan Menken musical KING DAVID, and for DreamWorks Animation's THE ROAD TO EL DORADO. 

Rice was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music in 1994. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a 1999 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is the 2023 recipient of its Johnny Mercer Award, is a Disney Legend recipient, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In addition to his awards in the UK, he is one of eighteen artists to have won an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy and Tony in the US.

BrightSide Theatre is committed to Enlighten, Educate, and Entertain through comedies and inspirational stories from across the globe.  A unique blend of award-winners, premieres, modern works and timeless classics meant to reflect upon and inform our community inhabit BrightSide's stage.  BrightSide Theatre is partially supported and funded by a generous SECA Grant, the DuPage Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the Saints. 

For more information on BrightSide Theatre, please visit www.brightsidetheatre.com.

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