THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK Comes to Northlight Theatre Next Month

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, will open its 2024–2025 season with The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk by Daniel Jamieson, music by Ian Ross, stage and movement direction by Elizabeth Margolius, with music direction by Michael Mahler. The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk runs September 5-October 6, 2024, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 7:30pm. 

Marc Chagall and his poet wife Bella were partners in life and in art. Their romance is immortalized in a feast of music, dance, and paintings brought-to-life, capturing the essence of a marriage that soared above the upheaval through which it endured. From their first meeting in Vitebsk, and through the Russian revolution, pogroms, and two world wars, their joy manifests in moments as vibrant and whimsical as the treasured artist’s best-known works. With a klezmer-inspired score, wistful songs, and inventive staging, Flying Lovers celebrates the inspiring life and love of an extraordinary couple.

“One of the joyous reasons to attend live theatre is the celebration of movement, music, and text. And The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is certainly an example of that,” comments Artistic Director BJ Jones. “Marc Chagall and his wife Bella guide us through their lives revealing the love and longing of a life in art. Unwelcome in their home in Russia, navigating pogroms and antisemitism, Marc and Bella struggled to achieve their artistic dreams, raise a child, and survive the destruction of their beloved Vitebsk, all while creating bold and whimsical art. Here in Chicago, we are blessed with Marc’s work at the Art Institute of Chicago with the America Windows, and his Four Seasons mosaic resides at Chase Tower Plaza downtown. This charming whimsical production is a fitting theatrical companion piece to Marc Chagall’s work.”

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk features Jack Cahill-Lemme (Marc Chagall) and Emma Rosenthal (Bella), with ensemble/musicians Elisa Carlson and Michael Mahler.

The creative team includes Elizabeth Margolius (stage and movement director), Michael Mahler (music director), Daren Leonard (associate director), Scott Penner (set design), Rachel Lambert (costume design), Charlie Cooper (light design), Willow James (sound design), Leo Bassow (props design), Jessica Deahr NeVille (lift consultant), Jyreika Guest (resident violence and intimacy coordinator), and Katie Klemme (stage manager).

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