I LOVE LUCY, SISTER ACT, et al. Set for Broadway in Chicago's 2012-13 Season

Broadway In Chicago has just announced the complete 2012-2013 subscription series. The upcoming season will include I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE, KINKY BOOTS, SISTER ACT, Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL, War Horse and PETER PAN. Off-season specials include STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, ROCK OF AGES, RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES and LES MISÉRABLES. The 2012-2013 Season Series emphasizes Broadway In Chicago's long-standing commitment of bringing the best of Broadway to Chicago. The complete season line-up, including performances dates and venues, is as follows:

I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE
Sep. 12 – Nov. 11, 2012
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 East Chestnut)
I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE, the brand new hit musical stage show adapted from the longest-running and most beloved television program in history, starring Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel: America's favorite foursome, is making its Midwest premiere in Chicago! It's 1952 and you are a member of the studio audience awaiting the filming of two hilarious and oh so familiar "I Love Lucy" episodes. A charming host entertains and enlightens you to the behind-the-scenes filming process, the 1950s hi-fidelity technology, and this brand new thing called 'television.' The episodes begin and you witness, firsthand, the side-splitting antics of that crazy redhead in the Ricardos' New York apartment and thrill to the Cuban sounds of "The Ricky Ricardo Orchestra" at the famed Tropicana Nightclub. In between scenes? The Crystaltone Singers perform live advertising jingles of the show's newest sponsors in perfect '50s style harmony. Can you say 'Brylcreem'?! I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE is produced under license from CBS Consumer Products.

KINKY BOOTS
PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE!
Begins October 2012
Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe)
Inspired by a true story and based on the film, KINKY BOOTS features a warm and witty book by Harvey Fierstein (La Cage, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies) and a richly diverse musical score from music icon Cyndi Lauper in her stunning theatrical debut. Director Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, La Cage, Broadway Bares) has crafted a production bound to move, inspire and set audience's feet dancing. In KINKY BOOTS, Charlie Price is forced to step in and save his family's shoe factory in Northern England, following the sudden death of his father. Help comes from the unlikeliest angel, a fabulous drag performer named Lola. Together, this improbable duo not only revitalizes the nearly bankrupt business, but helps one another grow into the men their fathers always dreamed their sons would become and transforms an entire community through the power of acceptance.

SISTER ACT
Nov. 13 – Dec. 2, 2012
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (50 East Congress Parkway)
SISTER ACT is Broadway's feel-amazing musical comedy smash! The New York Post calls it "RIDICULOUSLY FUN" and audiences are jumping to their feet in total agreement! Featuring original music by eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LITTLE MERMAID, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), SISTER ACT tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look-a convent! Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, SISTER ACT is reason to REJOICE!

Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL
Dec. 5 – 16, 2012
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)
The Chicago premiere of the critically acclaimed, Broadway record breaking production Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL features the hit songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas" (written by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss) from the original animated series. Max the Dog narrates this classic holiday tale that will entertain the whole family as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, an endlessly cheerful bunch bursting with holiday spirit. Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL broke box office records for two consecutive years on Broadway during its holiday engagements at the St. James (2007) and Hilton (2006) theatres in New York. Since then, thousands of families across America have been delighted by this heart-warming holiday musical, which The New York Times praised as "100 times better than any bedside story" and the Gannett papers hailed as "A genius of a show! A total delight for both kids and adults."

War Horse
Dec. 18, 2012 – Jan. 5, 2013
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)
The National Theatre of Great Britain's epic War Horse, winner of five 2011 Tony® Awards including Best Play, is based on Michael Morpurgo's novel, War Horse, and the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's Oscar nominated feature film. Hailed by The New York Times as "theatrical magic," War Horse is the powerful story of young Albert's beloved horse, Joey, who has been enlisted to fight for the English in World War I. In a tale the New York Daily News calls "spellbinding, by turns epic and intimate," Joey is caught in enemy crossfire and ends up serving both sides of the war before landing in no man's land. Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. What follows is a remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, filled with stirring music and songs and told with the some of the most innovative stagecraft of our time. The tour of War Horse will be directed by Bijan Sheibani based on the original Tony® Award-winning direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. At the heart of the show are life-sized puppets which bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.

PETER PAN
Jan. 30 – Feb. 10, 2012
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)
Tony® Award nominee Cathy Rigby takes flight in an all new production of PETER PAN! Discover the magic all over again of this two time Emmy Award winning and two-time Tony® Award nominated production. PETER PAN is a unique, family friendly attraction of spectacle and fantasy. The thrill of flying, timeless magical moments and a captivating hook will mesmerize young and old alike. The legend you thought you know, is now the adventure you never dreamed possible…Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN! PETER PAN is produced by McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Nederlander Presentations, Albert Nocciolino in association with Larry Earl Payton, Michael Filerman, Heni Koenigsberg and La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts. Direction by Glenn Casale who directed the 1999 Tony® Award nominated and Emmy winning PETER PAN starring Cathy Rigby. Mr. Casale has been a resident at the California Musical Theatre for almost 23 seasons where he has directed over 550 shows. The flying sequence choreographer is Paul Rubin, "The Fly Guy", has choreographed some of the most memorable flying sequences from the Tony® Award winning Broadway production of Wicked to Cathy Rigby's Emmy Award winning DVD of PETER PAN. The creative team includes Patti Columbo (Choreographer), Keith Levenson (Musical Director), Michael Gilliam (Lighting Design), Julie Ferrin (Sound Design), Sean Boyd (Fight Director) and Julia Flores (Casting Director).

OFF-SEASON SHOWS
ROCK OF AGES
June 5 - Aug. 5, 2012
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 East Chestnut)
Five-time Tony Award® nominated musical ROCK OF AGES is a worldwide phenomenon with smash hit productions in Australia, London, South Korea and still rockin' on Broadway, featuring 28 classic rock tunes including "Don't Stop Believin'", "We Built This City", "The Final Countdown", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Here I Go Again", "Harden My Heart", "Can't Fight this Feeling", "Renegade" and "I Want To Know What Love Is." And now it will sit down at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago for nine weeks this summer. In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small-town girl met a big-city dreamer – and in L.A.'s most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the '80's. It's ROCK OF AGES, a hilarious, feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more. This five-time Tony nominated musical, with a star studded motion picture in the works, is rockin' its way across the USA. Don't miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG
June 12 - 17, 2012
Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.)
STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. Produced by Westbeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG was created by award-winning director, producer, and writer Brian Henson and actor and improvisational guru Patrick Bristow and features the Miskreant puppets and The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is a wild romp in which the skilled art of puppetry and spontaneous comedy collide. Unpredictable and irreverent, it's never the same show twice. Expert puppeteers create twisted scenes and songs on the fly, as suggestions from the audience prompt the improvised storylines unfolding on stage. This production delivers "two shows in one" as the hilarious puppet action is projected live on large screens flanking the stage, while the puppeteers race around below - displaying their skills in full view of the audience. With live musical accompaniment and Bristow as host, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG boasts a cast of six world-class puppeteers in an uninhibited live puppet performance. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG evolved from Henson's production "Puppet Up! -Uncensored," which made its debut at the 2006 HBO Comedy Festival (Aspen, CO) and later toured to the 2006 Edinburgh Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), The 2007 Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV), and Australia's Sydney Big Laugh Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (both 2007). The 2010 Off Broadway engagement of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG marked the debut of this completely revamped production featuring all new technical wizardry with original music and staging. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG appeared alongside Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow at the 2011 Grammy Awards and was featured on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice in 2012.

RAIN – A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
June 26 – July 1, 2012
Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph)
DIRECT FROM BROADWAY! "As "the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!" (Associated Press), RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance in this multi-media concert, that's as infectious as it is transporting. From the early hits to later classics (I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hard Day's Night, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Let It Be, Come Together, Hey Jude and more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

LES MISÉRABLES
Nov. 14 – Dec. 2, 2012
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)
In February 2012, over 66,000 people experienced a brand new 25th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg's legendary musical, LES MISÉRABLES. Now, due to overwhelming demand, LES MISÉRABLES returns to Chicago for three-weeks only.

Cameron Mackintosh presents LES MISÉRABLES, with glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This new production has been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences and is breaking box office records wherever it goes.

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, LES MISÉRABLES is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more.

New subscriptions will be available on Friday, April 27 for the 2012 Fall Season. Current subscribers may renew now by calling (312) 977-1717. Tickets are available now for groups by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.