Photos: First Look at BAKED! THE MUSICAL at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

This contemporary all-new, all-Asian musical, centers habitual overachiever Jane Huang as she and her best friends build the greatest drug empire ever run by high schoolers to help pay for her college tuition. Baked! first made an impact on Chicago audiences in a completely sold out run at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival in 2020, and more recently has been developed at FaultLine Theatre in San Francisco, and at the 34th Annual Festival of New Musicals in New York.

Get a first look at photos below!

“I feel so proud and lucky to be seeing Baked! produced by Theo this year (and honestly to writing theatre at all!),” said co-writer Jord Liu. “This is the first time we've ever had designers in the room thinking about things like sets, costumes, and lights, and I'm excited to see all the beautiful things I know they're planning.”

Leading the production is Grace Dolezal-Ng (she/her; Director), Shanna Vanderwerker (she/her; Choreographer), Tyler Miles (they/them; Music Director), with Noel Streacker (he/him; Percussionist). The design team includes Mara Ishihara Zinky (she/her; Scenic Designer), Josiah Croegart (he/him; Lighting Designer), Steph Taylor (she/her; Costume Designer), Isa Noe (they/them; Properties Designer), and Matthew R. Chase (he/him; Sound Designer). The production staff also includes Lexie Wiley (they/she; Stage Manager), Isaac Mandel (he/him; Audio Engineer), Max Donovan Mclean (he/him; Technical Director), and Jackson Mikkelsen (he/him; Production Electrician).

The cast features Sunnie Eraso (she/her; Jane), Devon Hayakawa (any; Kasey), Mariel Saavedra (she/her; Yunzhou), Nick Joe (he/him; Mingli), Reilly Oh (he/him; Z), Joselle Reyes (she/her; Ensemble/understudy Jane & Kasey), Maiko Terazawa (she/her; Ensemble/understudy Yunzhou), Peter Ruger (he/him; Ensemble/understudy Mingli), RJ Silva (he/him; Ensemble/understudy Z), and Bryce Ancil (he/him; Ensemble/Swing).

"I am over the moon(cake) to bring Baked! back to Chicago, the city where our little show first grew up,” said co-writer Deepak Kumar. “The opportunity to develop this show with Theo and be a small part of this exceptional season is a true joy and delight! I can't wait to share all our hard work with the Chicago community!"

Tickets can be purchased online at theo-u.com/Baked or via phone at 773-939-4101. All tickets for Baked! The Musical are $40. Box office hours are Wednesday-Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Theo continues to offer its one stop dinner and a show experience, offering a pre-fixed dinner menu before most performances courtesy of Evanston’s Koi for an additional $33.

In addition to single tickets, Baked! The Musical is also available as an add-on for a full season subscription offering including a trio of Sondheim shows, Assassins, Sondheim Tribute Review, and A Little Night Music. To learn more about Subscription offerings visit theo-u.com/season-23-24. All performances take place at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre located at 721 Howard Street in Evanston.

Baked! The Musical is a hilarious and touching all-Asian show about family, friendship, and failure. When she doesn’t receive the scholarship for her dream school, habitual overachiever Jane Huang, with the help of her best friend, builds the greatest drug empire ever run by high schoolers. Kept in the dark are Jane’s parents, whose inability to cope with their daughter leaving for college while maintaining a profit at their struggling Chinese bakery, drives them to pry and potentially unravel Jane’s web of lies.

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