Whoopi Goldberg and her fellow producers for the provocative new rock musicAl White Noise, announce that Tony-nominated actor Douglas Sills has joined the cast of White Noise and will play the role of the top-selling record producer, Max. White Noise will celebrate its World Premiere at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. Directed and choreographed by Broadway's Sergio Trujillo, White Noise will play for an eight-week limited run, with previews beginning on April 1, 2011 and the official opening on Saturday, April 9, 2011.
White Noise pulls back the curtain at a major record label where a top-selling producer stirs up an explosive cocktail of shock and spin with a splash of controversy to package talented artists into blockbuster stars. Steadily baited by the lure of mainstream fame and power, two diametrically opposed groups-"White Noise," an irresistible pop band that churns out catchy tunes of coded rhetoric and "Bloodbrothas," the hip-hop-turned-gangsta rap duo-meet at the top of the charts and collide with consequence.
Inspired by real life, White Noise is a timely and cautionary tale that challenges conventional notions of free speech, media and the power of pop culture.
Theatre audiences will remember Mr. Sills from his acclaimed performances in Broadway's The Scarlet Pimpernel and Little Shop of Horrors. The previously announced cast includes
Mackenzie Mauzy (
next to normal, Guiding Light, The Bold and the Beautiful) as Eva,
Emily Padgett (Rock of Ages, Grease, Legally Blonde) as Eden,
Patrick Murney (The Abingdon Theater, Edinburgh Fringe Festival) as Duke and
Eric Morris (Mama Mia!, Coram Boy, As The World Turns) as Jake lead the "White Noise" band. The "Bloodbrothas" rap duo is played by
Wallace Smith (American Idiot, Hair, Lion King) as Dion and
Rodney Hicks (The Scottsboro Boys, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar) as Tyler. Also featured are
Luba Mason (How to Succeed..., Chicago) as Laurel and
Michael Buchanan (Cry Baby, Urinetown at
The Mercury Theatre) as Teal Waters. The cast of 21 also includes
Joseph Anthony Byrd, Kelli Eileen LaValle,
Tess Soltau,
Ashley Adamek, Erin McGrath,
John Arthur Greene, and
Constantine Rousouli. The musicians featured in White Noise include
Jesse Vargas (Musical Director, keyboard),
Matt Hinkley (keyboard), Hannah Ford (drums), Ben Mason (bass) and Mike O'Meara (guitarist).
White Noise is directed and choreographed by
Sergio Trujillo, whose recent Broadway credits include Jersey Boys (2006 Tony Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical),
next to normal (Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Memphis (2010 Tony Award for Best Musical), The Addams Family, Guys and Dolls and All Shook Up.
Jesse Vargas is the Music Director. White Noise features a book by Matte O'Brien and music and lyrics by
Robert Morris,
Steven Morris and
Joe Shane. White Noise was originally conceived by
Ryan J. Davis with a story and characters by
Joe Drymala.
The set is designed by
Robert Brill, costumes by
Paul Tazewell, lights by
Jason Lyons, sound by Garth Helm, and multi-media design by
Raj Kapoor.
Producer
Whoopi Goldberg comments, "White Noise smacks you in a challenging, emotional and entertaining way. The producing team looks forward to bring this unflinchingly honest new production to Chicago where audiences are sophisticated, aware and open to a musical that will certainly remind them of today's headlines and might awaken a new awareness of current social issues."
Tickets are currently on sale for the 8-week limited engagement, April 1-June 5, 2011, at the Royal George box office, 1641 N. Halsted Street, by phone (312) 988-9000, through TicketMaster or www.whitenoisetickets.com.
Tickets for preview performances, April 1-8, 2011, are $49.50-$59.50. Student tickets are available through the Royal George box office for $25.
The preview performance schedule follows:
Friday, April 1 8:00pm
Saturday, April 2 8:00pm
Sunday, April 3 2:00pm
Tuesday, April 5 7:30pm
Wednesday, April 6 7:30pm
Thursday, April 7 7:30pm
Friday, April 8 8:00pm
Tickets for the regular run, on sale through June 5, 2011, are $54.50-$64.50. Student tickets are available through the Royal George box office for $25.
The performance schedule for the regular run is:
Tuesdays 7:30pm
Wednesdays 7:30pm
Thursdays 7:30pm
Fridays 8:00pm
Saturdays 5:00pm and 8:00pm
Sundays 2:00pm and 5:00pm,
Note: There will be added matinee performances on Wednesday, April 22 and May 18 at 2:00pm. There will be no evening performance on Tuesday April 21 or May 17 and no matinee performance on Sunday, April 10.
White Noise is produced by Holly Way, Jay Strommen, Jimmy Mack,
Deborah Taylor, Chris Bensinger,
Tom Leonardis and
Whoopi Goldberg.
For more information, visit
www.whitenoisebroadway.com. Follow White Noise on Twitter,
http://twitter.com/wnbroadway and
http://www.facebook.com/wnbroadway.
Douglas Sills
Douglas Sills, Eric Morris, Emily Padgett, Mackenzie Mauzy & Patrick Murney
