CHRISTMAS WITH ELVIS By Terry Spencer Hesser To Run At November 24- January 7

Terry Spencer Hesser's hilarious and insightful play “Christmas With Elvis” returns to Chicago after 32 years in a production directed by Dexter Bullard at Chopin Theatre Nov. 24 - Jan. 7. Preview performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24. Press opening is 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 27.

Please note: This play contains adult themes and language. The dramedy tells the story of a lonely, anxious and slightly angry woman who discovers, on Christmas Eve, that her ex-husband is getting remarried. Before she can indulge in her misery, the very dead and not too debauched ghost of Elvis Presley appears in her apartment.

“I was originally inspired to write this play when years ago, a friend of mine who was going through a divorce during the holidays expressed her disdain for the music of Elvis Presley,” said Hesser.” That is, until she got divorced. Then, she said she connected with Elvis's music on a level she never expected. Her comment inspired the character of Trudy played this time by the magnificent Brenda Barrie. The story is very funny, but also touches on the less jolly emotions the holidays stir up that don't get talked about enough.”

When “Christmas With Elvis” originally played at the Beat Kitchen and Halsted Theatre Centre in 1991, it received acclaim from several Chicago theater critics including the Chicago Sun-Times which called it “a hilarious comedy that touches the soul.” General management for this production is provided by Mott/Fischer Productions. 

The two-person cast features Brenda Barrie* (Trudy), a Jeff Award-nominated actress whose television credits include “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire;” and Victor Holstein* (Elvis), a multi-talented stage and film actor/producer whose recent acting credits include “Arsenic & Old Lace” (Court Theatre) and “The King & I” (Drury Lane Theatre).

The design team includes Dexter Bullard (Director), Eleanor Kahn (Sets), Lori Hall-Araujo (Costumes), Brandon Wardell (Lighting), Jeffrey Levin (Sound), Steve Labedz (Projections) and Amanda Herrmann (Properties).

“For a show with only two characters, we needed exceptional actors and we found them in Victor and Brenda. Both need to be funny and poignant, plus sing and the actor playing Elvis will have to be able to rock piano and guitar,” said Bullard. “They are incredible examples of the talent and dedication Chicago actors are known for and audiences are just going to love them.”

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity

Tickets  “Christmas With Elvis” by Terry Spencer Hesser, directed by Dexter Bullard plays at the Chopin Theatre located at 1543 West Division Street, Nov. 24-Jan. 7. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 3 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets begin at $60 and are only available by advance purchase at BrownPaperTickets (https://tinyurl.com/TrudyandElvis).

Hesser is a published novelist (“Kissing Doorknobs,” Random House) and biographer, (“I Am A Teamster,” Lake Clairmont Press), a produced screenwriter (“Smooch,” Hallmark), multiple award-winning documentarian and multiple-Emmy award-winning scriptwriter and producer. She has worked with people as diverse as Audrey Hepburn, Oprah Winfrey and many others. Her screenplay “Till Death Do Us Part” won first place in the Christopher Columbus writing competition and was developed by New Line Cinema. Her first novel, “Kissing Doorknobs,” was an American Library Association top ten pick and has been translated into four languages. Her work on “Protect Yourself,” a national one-hour special teaching inner city fifth graders about AIDS, won the PBS Gold-Award and her play “Christmas With Elvis,” was called, “the funniest show in town” (FOX-TV) in its first production. Her film, “Love Is A Verb” documents the work of the Turkish diaspora of the Gulen movement and included shooting in locations such as Iraq and Somalia. Hesser is currently producing an award-winning cultural travel series on “Islands Without Cars,” which features places out of time and people who choose to (or get to) live that way. She is currently working on “Bungalow Soldiers,” a memoir about her family and the town of Cicero, Ill. In 2013 she received the prestigious Alumni Merit Award from Northwestern University for her wide body of work and interests. Samples of her work can be found at islandswithoutcars.com.

Bullard has directed throughout Chicago since 1990 at theaters such as Steppenwolf, Goodman, Northlight, Victory Gardens, HOUSE, A Red Orchid, American Blues, Next, Famous Door, and American Blues. In the past decade, he has directed Tracy Letts' Linda Vista at Steppenwolf, Center Theater Group LA, Mies Julie and Sucker Punch at Victory Gardens, and The Flick also at Steppenwolf. On Broadway, he directed Linda Vista with Second Stage and Grace; Bug, Lady, and Mistakes Were Made Off-Broadway. Bullard is alumni director for the Second City developing original revues for Detroit and ETC as well as projects for Second City Theatricals. From 1995–2012, he founded and led Plasticene "a pioneer physical theater company" (Chicago Reader) and, with the ensemble, developed over 14 critically-acclaimed experimental works appearing at venues including The Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theater NYC, Viaduct, Links Hall, the MCA and the Storefront. The Chicago Tribune called Bullard a “Chicago's small theater genius" for his work with Plasticene, Red Orchid, and at Barrow Street in NYC. Bullard has received a Jeff Citation, a Lucille Lortel Award, Jeff Nominations, a Drama Desk Nomination, and was named "Best of Chicago" by Chicago Magazine in 2011. He studied acting at Northwestern and received his MFA in Performance from the School of the Art Institute. He is a Co-Head of Graduate Acting at The Theatre School at DePaul and has served as a lead teacher for the acting program since 2001.He has taught hundreds of workshops and classes for all levels with Plasticene, at UIC, Columbia College, Roosevelt, The Actors Studio, The Actors Center, and Second City Training Center.

Chopin Theatre Productions is a 501(c)3 art presenter and producer at the historic Chopin Theatre building, 1543 W. Division St., in Chicago. Its 500+annual theater, literary, music, film and social events are often avante garde or international. Our mission is to promote enlightened civic discourse through a diverse range of artistic offerings. Chopin Theatre has received support from the MacArthur Foundation (PAV Fund), the MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and over 700 individual donors. Many thanks to Board of Directors for their continual support: Prof Alton Miller, Marla Kanemitsu and Maciek Falendysz, CPA. For more information about Chopin Theatre, please visit chopintheatre.com

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