CHICK FLICK THE MUSICAL to Premiere This Fall in Chicago
By: BWW News Desk Aug. 02, 2016
Written by newcomer Suzy Conn (Suffra-Jets, The Mercer Girls) and directed by Mary Catherine Burke, Chick Flick the Musical delivers an evening of heartfelt female friendship and empowerment wrapped in the iconic conventions of chick flicks. With a cast of four and a live band, this original, 90-minute, no-intermission musical is the perfect girls' night out. Described in testimonials as "everything you loved about Friends mixed with everything you loved about Sex and the City," Chick Flick the Musical shows us characters and friendships that are both inspirational and aspirational -- audiences feel like they are watching themselves and their friends on stage.
So join BFFs Karen, Dawn, Sheila, and Meg as they get together to take the weight of daily life off their shoulders by watching a chick flick and playing their favorite drinking game. As the festivities proceed and the beverages flow, they each divulge how their lives haven't quite turned out the way they had hoped. When they view themselves with the same kindness, humor, and reverence that their friends do, they learn how to make real life better than the movies. Proving that "friendship is the best medicine" the four friends reignite the dreams that have dwindled over the years. Whether you're a fan of romantic comedies or teary sisterhood dramas, you'll recognize the delicious tidbits of life advice that chick flicks offer these four friends on their transformative journey of empowerment.
"You need that group of friends who will pull you back from The Edge when you are about to jump off a cliff, and help you up the mountain when you're too afraid to climb," says writer Suzy Conn. "Movie quotes, makeover montages, and meet cutes have created a shared language and experience among women, and Chick Flick the Musical celebrates this phenomenon."
The quartet of Chicago-based cast members includes Landree Fleming as "Sheila," Marya Grandy as "Dawn," Sophie Grimm as "Meg," and Rebecca Prescott as "Karen."
The original, catchy, and upbeat pop score is brought to life by music supervisor Geraldine Anello with choreography by Tiffany Green. Vocal arrangements and orchestrations are by Frank Galgano and Matt Castle. This show is designed to make audiences feel like they are truly in Karen's living room, going through the characters' journey with them, with scenic design by Edward K. Ross, costume design by Hunter Kaczorowski, and lighting design by Jeff Croiter and Charles Cooper.
Chick Flick the Musical has been in development for four years and is produced by Tilted Windmills Theatricals. Managing Partner David Carpenter shares, "We are excited to be premiering in Chicagoland because it's a real theater town with great local talent and audiences that embrace new work, and it gives us the opportunity to reach as many women as possible who identify with the challenges of day-to-day life."
An initial block of tickets will go on sale to the general public on September 5 for performances through January 29 and will be available through Ticketmaster.com (312.988.9000). More information can be found at www.ChickFlicktheMusical.com or on our social media channels- Facebook www.facebook.com/ChickFlicktheMusical, Instagram at chickflickthemusical, and Twitter @chickflickmusic.
ABOUT THE CAST:
Landree Fleming (Sheila) is thrilled to be in Chick Flick the Musical! She was recently seen as Kira in Xanadu (American Theater Company). She's worked with Paramount Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Theatre at the Center, Circle Theatre, and Adventure Stage Chicago. She's a member of comedy group Off Off Broadzway. Catch her stand-up or tune in to her podcast Deep Dish. She's represented by Gray Talent.
Marya Grandy (Dawn) most recently appeared in the Marriott Theatre's production of Sister Act, and this fall she will be playing Smitty in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, also at the Marriott. Other Chicago credits include The Secret Garden at Court Theatre, Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables at the Paramount Theatre, Hildy in On the Town (Jeff Nomination-Actress in a Supporting Role), the title role in Juno at TimeLine Theatre, Roz in 9 To 5, and A Grand Night for Singing at the Mercury Theater (Jeff Nomination). Broadway and New York productions: the 2012 Off-Broadway revival of Maltby & Shire's Closer Than Ever, LES MISERABLES (2006 Revival), Damn Yankees, Bells Are Ringing (City Center Encores!), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Drama Desk Nomination), and The Water Coolers (co-author). Marya has performed regionally in Fanny Brice: America's Funny Girl (World Premiere, directed by David H. Bell), Pump Boys & Dinettes, Follies, Take Flight, Gypsy, Beehive, Smokey Joe's Café, The Honky Tonk Angels, Working, and The Water Coolers (Jeff Nomination). Television/film credits: "Rescue Me", "Conviction", "Law & Order", "Law & Order: SVU", "Denis Leary's Merry F***ing Christmas", and "Love Streams." Recordings include the Original Cast Recording of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, The Manhattan Transfer's Bodies and Souls, and Superwoman, by her own band, Five Floor Monica. Marya received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, and is a proud member of Actors' Equity.
Sophie Grimm (Meg) joins Chick Flick the Musical as a lover of girl power and times with friends in her home! You've seen her in Chicagoland area theaters including The Paramount, Marriott Lincolnshire, Drury Lane, and Chicago Shakespeare, as well as in nightclub, cabaret, and religious settings. She can't wait to showcase comedy, friendship, and musical theatre with her hilariously talented co-stars where characters and audience alike can let it ALL hang out! www.sophiegrimm.com
Rebecca Prescott (Karen) is a Chicago-based actress. Credits: Broadway: How the Grinch Stole Christmas; Select Regional: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Chicago: Morticia in The Addams Family, Mercury Theatre; Dina Beach/(us) Ethel/ (us) for I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Broadway Playhouse; credits at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane, Northlight Theatre, and Eclipse Theatre. Rebecca is a company member of Eclipse Theatre. Currently, Rebecca is working with her husband on the workshop of his original musical revue, The Squeeze.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM:
Suzy Conn (Book/Music/Lyrics) is a musical theatre composer, lyricist, and librettist interested in telling the stories of women throughout history. Her shows have been performed across the United States and in Canada. Chick Flick the Musical tells a contemporary story of female friendship. Suffra-Jets (first performed at NYMF as Plane Crazy) tells the story of the emergence of the modern women's movement set against the backdrop of the swinging '60s Jet Age. The Mercer Girls tells the story of how women civilized the Pacific Northwest. Suzy is currently working on Cocktail Nuts (the story of cocktail waitresses in the '70s); Comicon the Musical (a contemporary story of self-discovery); and a '50s Christmas musical that tells the empowering story of an under-appreciated female elf. TYA shows include The Tale of Pigling Bland; Field Trip: Journey to Mount St Helens; Larry Gets Lost in Seattle; Daisy the Firecow; Save As...; and The Last Shot. Suzy has taught musical theatre writing in the Seattle area for the Village Theatre's Kidstage program, and served as the writing mentor for three years for their Company Originals program. Suzy spent the '90s in Nashville writing country songs and leading workshops for the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI).
Mary Catherine Burke (Director) Her work has been hailed as "the next Off-Broadway hit" by The New York Times, "Extraordinary" by The New Jersey Star and "Incisive" by The Dallas Morning News. As a director, she has developed Austentatious at The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Music City, USA with five #1 Country Billboard hits, House of Baseball at EST, The Flea, nominated for two New York Innovative Awards; Diving Normal at The Fringe, winner of the Best Ensemble Award, published, On Island at 59E59. She also served as the Director of Programming at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and the Artistic Director of Millbrook Playhouse. She assistant directed for Arthur Penn on the Tony Award-winning Fortune's Fool. She is currently a SDC member.
Tiffany Green (Choreographer) is thrilled to be part of Chick Flick the Musical. Her directing and choreography credits include: The Buddy Holly Story, Nuncrackers, The Oresteia, and Hairspray. In addition to her theatrical credits, Tiffany is a recognized Director and Creative Producer for companies such as Airbnb, Laureate Universities, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Bloomberg LP, and NBC News. She can be seen as Bunny Wiles on Marvel's "Jessica Jones" (Netflix). Other film and television performance credits include: "The Family," "Hairspray," "Rescue Me," "College Road Trip," "The Underlings." Recent theatre performance credits include: Les Miz: Mme. Thenardier (St. Louis Muny), Shrek: Mama Ogre/Humpty Dumpty (St. Louis Muny), Green Gables: Mrs. Walter Pringle (Hangar Theatre). For more on Tiffany: xoxotgreen.com | @xoxoTGreen
Geraldine Anello (Music Supervisor) Born and raised in France, Geraldine Anello is a NYC-based music director, pianist, and conductor. Her Broadway credits include playing in the pit at On the Town and School of Rock, rehearsals at Matilda, Neverland, and An American in Paris. Her Off-Broadway credits include piano/conductor sub at The Fantasticks, piano at Trip of Love and rehearsal pianist for Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812. As a music director, she did the New York premiere of Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award) at the Atlantic Theatre Company, with original music by Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier. With a passion for new works, she has also been music director and associate music director on multiple readings, including Len Moors' Petrified, By Wing and By Wheel directed by Jayne Atkinson from "House of Cards," and most recently of The Names We Gave Him at New York City's Public Theater. Recently, she was also the associate music director of How the Grinch Stole Christmas at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry; and the music director of the world premiere of Head Over Heels at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. MM: WMU; DMA: Boston University.
Edward K. Ross (Scenic Designer) is a scenic designer for theatre, fashion shows, live events, and installation art. He has previously designed for Bloomsberg Theatre Ensemble, Jobsite, Book It, Surflight Theatre Company, Millbrook Playhouse, University of Scranton, Cornish College of the Arts and Bleecker Street Theatre. He currently designs events for Refinery29, including Refinery29Rooms installation and upfront launch events. He has worked with Omega, Victoria Beckham, Margiela, Diesel, Kith, Thom Browne and many other designers through his time as the Technical Director and Partner at Eyesight.
Hunter Kaczorowski (Costume Designer) Hunter is a New York City-based designer. New York credits include: Stet (Abingdon Theater, dir. Tony Speciale), HAM (Ars Nova, dir. Billy Porter), Before Your Very Eyes (Gob Squad at The Public Theater), Sense of An Ending (Kef Productions at 59E59), several productions with Astoria Performing Arts Center, HERE Arts Center, Dixon Place, Joyce Soho, The New School for Drama, Lee Strasberg Institute, Vital Children's Theater, and The Gallery Players. Regional: The Fix (Signature Theater, dir. Eric Schaeffer), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Design for Living, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Berkshire Theater Festival), A Streetcar Named Desire (Yale Rep), AfterLife and Josephine (Urban Arias DC, dir. Alan Paul), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Barrington Stage), as well as Millbrook Playhouse, Red House Theater, Kitchen Theater Company, Luna Stage Company, The Yale Baroque Opera Project and Muhlenberg College. MFA, Yale School of Drama. www.Huntersk.com
Jeff Croiter (Co-Lighting Designer) Broadway: Something Rotten, Penn &Teller, Peter and the Starcatcher (Tony Award), Disaster, Newsies, Mothers and Sons, A Time to Kill, Soul Doctor, Jekyll and Hyde, The Anarchist, The Performers, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Next Fall, Kiki and Herb. Other NYC: Head of Passes; Parade; A Month in the Country; Fly By Night; Last Five Years; Much Ado About Nothing; King Lear; Loves Labors Lost; Old Jews Telling Jokes; Silence; Love, Loss, and What I Wore; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Rapture Blister Burn; A Lie of the Mind; Ordinary Days; Family Guys Sings; The Voysey Inheritance; The Internationalist; Jacques Brel; Almost Maine; The Dazzle; Jennifer Muller The Works. Jeff is the lighting designer for Penn & Teller in Las Vegas.
Charles Cooper (Co-Lighting Designer) Recent: Bye Bye Birdie, Hairspray, Curtains, and Sleeping Beauty (Drury Lane), Woody Sez and Gutenberg! The Musical (Milwaukee Rep); A Wrinkle In Time (First Stage Children's Theatre); Grapes of Wrath and Good for Otto (The Gift Theatre); Murder Ballad (Jeff Award, Outstanding Lighting Design), Carrie, and Mahal (Bailiwick Chicago); Old Jews Telling Jokes (Chicago Company); The Clean House and Creditors (Remy Bumppo); The Rose Tattoo, Mill Fire (Jeff Nomination) and Orpheus Descending (Shattered Globe); Love, Loss, and What I Wore (Asolo Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Co, San Jose Rep, Broadway in Chicago,1st National Tour, Second National Tour); Do The Hustle, and Old Glory (Writers' Theatre); Of Mice and Men and First Look Repertory of New Work (Steppenwolf Theatre); Around the World in 80 Days (Indiana Repertory Theatre); Eclipsed, and She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight Theatre). 16 productions for TimeLine Theatre (Associate Artist), and six seasons for Peninsula Players in Door County. Charles has received seven Jeff nominations for outstanding lighting design. He Lives in Oak Park with his wife Angela, and children Ethan and Gavin. Member: United Scenic Artists. Cooperportfolio.com.
Frank Galgano and Matt Castle (Vocal Arrangements and Orchestrations) Off-Broadway: Into the Woods (Roundabout/Old Globe/McCarter) Once Upon A Mattress (Transport Group) and Found (Atlantic Theater). Regional: A Little Princess (Sacramento Theatre Company), Litter (ACT), A Dog Story (Waterfront Playhouse) and several children's musicals for Kennedy Center, Theatreworks/USA, George Street Playhouse & Pioneer Drama Service. Concerts and Specialty Numbers: Kristin Chenoweth, Deborah Voigt, Randy Newman, Carole King, William Finn, Adam Gwon, Debra Monk, Chris Mann, Ektor Rivera, Aloe Blacc. UPCOMING: A Dog Story (Off-Broadway) and Donner Party (Sacramento Theatre Company).
Tilted Windmill Theatricals (Producer) is a producing partnership between David Carpenter and John Arthur Pinckard. The company specializes in the development of new work for the American theater and is currently focused on producing artistically and commercially successful entertainment for under-served markets across North America. David Carpenter's Broadway career has taken him from industry powerhouse Dodgers Theatricals (Jersey Boys, Matilda), to DreamWorks Theatricals, and most recently to Dede Harris Productions, where he supervised creative development, finances, and day-to-day operations for a 6 Time Tony-Award winning producer. John Arthur Pinckard's producing career began over a decade ago with the cult festival hit Silence! the Musical. Soon he won the prestigious T. Edward Hambleton Fellowship for Creative Producers from Hal Prince, the 21-time Tony Award winning producer and director whose 60 years of hits range from Fiddler on the Roof to Phantom of the Opera. John's work as an independent producer has garnered him four Tony Award nominations and two wins, for Clybourne Park and A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.
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