Photo Flash: First Look at Underscore Theatre Company's THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE

Underscore Theatre Company concludes its 2018-19 season with the musical comedy THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE, playing June 8 - July 14, 2019 at Underscore's newly-remodeled, permanent home, The Understudy, 4609 N. Clark St. in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. Named "Best of the Fest" at the 2018 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, LEFTY & CRABBE features book and lyrics by Brian Huther, Ben Auxier and Seth Macchi, music by Ben Auxier and Brian Huther, additional music and arrangements by Ryan McCall, direction by Rusty Sneary, music direction by Ryan McCall and choreography by Jenna Schoppe. Tickets are currently available at underscoretheatre.org. The press opening is Tuesday, June 11 at 7:30 pm.

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE will feature Ben Auxier, Stephanie Boyd, Katy Campbell, Elisabeth Del Toro, Brian Huther,Mike Ott, Reagan Pender, Shea Pender, Natalie Rae and Kyle Ryan. Swings: Sophia Foldvari and Nate Hall.

Set at the death of vaudeville and the rise of Hollywood, THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE tracks two ultra-talented but down-on-their-luck performers and friends as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of the entertainment world. Lightning-fast and "fall down funny," Lefty & Crabbe was born as part of the Kansas City Fringe Festival in 2015, received its first full production at The Living Room Theatre in 2017 and won "Best of the Fest" for its 2018 production at The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival.

Comments Underscore Artistic Director Whitney Rhodes, "When I was living in Minneapolis, I worked for historic theaters that started as Vaudeville houses and spent years hearing truly magical stories about that history. The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe sent me on a nostalgic journey that is pure joy; it is a smart and thoughtful piece of work. It's a nod to where the craft began and we can't wait to share it with audiences."

The production team includes Nicholas Schwartz (scenic design), Christina Leinicke (costume design), Benjamin Carne (lighting design), Robert Hornbostel (sound design), Lacey Pacheco (stage manager) and Christine Lauer (assistant stage manager).

Photo Credit: Joe Underbakke

Reagan Pender and Kyle Ryan with (back, l to r) Natalie Rae and Elisabeth Del Toro

Kyle Ryan and Reagan Pender

Reagan Pender, Elisabeth Del Toro, Annabelle Revak and Kyle Ryan