THE SNOW QUEEN ON TAP!
By: Steve Leary Nov. 23, 2008
CRAFT BEER TASTINGS, GROUP MUSIC LESSONS, BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS, CHILD CARE AND PUB NIGHT ALL ON TAP FOR VICTORY GARDENS' THE SNOW QUEEN
6 pm reception; 7:30 pm show Audiences under 40, this night is for you. Steve Mosqueda and Phil Ridarelli, the comedic duo of Neo-Futurists who star in Victory Gardens' alternative, late-night holiday show, Drinking & Writing Vol IV: The 12 Steps of Christmas, will host a special pre-show tasting of a new Rock Bottom Brewery craft beer specially paired with The Snow Queen. Single tickets are $30.LINCOLN PARK NEIGHBORS NIGHT - Wednesday, December 3
6 pm reception; 7:30 pm show
6 pm pre-show event; 7:30 pm show Go behind-the-scenes of The Snow Queen - literally. Victory Gardens' artistic staff will lead small groups in pre-show backstage tours. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the pre-show preparations backstage, that make magic happen onstage. Single tickets are $39.SNOW QUEEN FAMILY SATURDAY - Saturday, December 6
3 pm matinee Victory Gardens' The Snow Queen is the rare family musical that sings to children, and speaks to adults. Sure, The Snow Queen is for kids 8 and up, but what about younger kids? No worries... bring the whole family to Victory Gardens' Family Saturday performance of The Snow Queen. Parents and older kids can watch the show, while Victory Gardens' education staff will keeps kids 4 and up busy with theater games, crafts and storytelling, plus free Swirlz Cupcakes. Single tickets are $48, plus $5 sitting fee per child.
Plus, it's not too late to include The Snow Queen in a 5-Play 2008/09 Victory Gardens Family Saturday subscription, now being offered at a special introductory rate of $155 per adult.
6:30pm reception; 7:30 pm show Meet friends, and make new ones, when you mix, mingle, enjoy appetizers and a free drink before The Snow Queen, right next door at Clarke's Bar and Grille. Single tickets are $39. The Snow Queen begins previews November 28. Press opening is Monday, December 1 at 7:30 pm. Performances run through December 28, 2008. The Snow Queen is recommended for children eight and up. For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens box office, (773) 871-3000, or visit http://www.victorygardens.org Ask the box office about the "20 @ $20" discount promotion, subject to availability. Five-play subscriptions including The Snow Queen and four more upcoming productions start at only $80, and make wonderful holiday gifts. Call (773) 549-5788 ext. 2131 for group rates. BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE SNOW QUEEN Originally conceived by Chicago folk music legend Michael Smith, Tony Award-winning director Frank Galati, and master puppeteer Blair Thomas, The Snow Queen is based on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved winter tale about a boy who is lost in the cold, and the girl who won't give up until she finds him. Eye-popping puppetry, warm storytelling, and a chillingly beautiful score combine for "a terrific holiday show in a great theater" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "the nicest present we've gotten for the holidays" (Time Out Chicago). Meet Kai and Gerda - the best of childhood friends. But tragedy strikes when Kai's eye and heart are pierced with frozen shards from the Devil's mirror, and the loving boy Gerda knew vanishes. The evil Snow Queen has put Kai under her trance and spirited him away to her palace of snow and ice. Wooden soldiers, talking reindeer, a sly enchantress, robber girls and lost children swirl in her mysterious spell. But it is up to Gerda to brave the Snow Queen's icy ire and bring Kai home to the love that awaits him. Victory Gardens' live musical version of The Snow Queen debuted in 2006, and quickly became one of the biggest hits in the company's 33-year history. In its second outing last holiday season, the original production returned with a magical new scenic design by Jeff Bauer, inventive new choreography by Jim Corti, and the same haunting, hilarious folk music score that charmed young and old alike. The Chicago Tribune called the show's eclectic score a "complex folk opera," praising Smith's wickedly humorous lyrics and romantic, moving songs of the heart including "Red Shoes," "Love Letter on a Fish," and "Up in the Clouds." The Chicago Sun-Times called year two of The Snow Queen "Even better the second time around...by far the strangest, funniest and most musically and verbally sophisticated of all the holiday offerings." Reprising their roles for year three are award-winning actress Cheryl Lynn Bruce as The Storyteller, and Blair Robertson as Gerda. Patrick Andrews, who played Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this summer, and appeared in House Theatre's The Sparrow, is new to the cast as Kai. Backing Smith live on stage are The Snow Queen band, a who's who of Chicago's top folk musicians, who also play various fairy tale characters in the show: Barbara Barrow, Sue Demel, Bob Goins, Cathy Norden, and Anthony Shepherdstone. Also returning are Tony-winning director Frank Galati, choreographer Jim Corti, master puppeteer Blair Thomas, Meredith Miller (co-puppet designer), Jeff Bauer (sets), Tatjana Radisic (costumes), Jenna McDanold (lights) and Joe Cerqua (sound). Puppeteer/dancers are Jackson Evans, Nicole Pellegrino and Lindsay Noel Whiting. Tina M. Jach is production stage manager. GETTING TO THE VICTORY GARDENS BIOGRAPH THEATER The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, is conveniently located in the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, 1/2-block north of the intersection of Fullerton and Halsted, on Lincoln Avenue. It is easily accessed from the Fullerton exits off Lake Shore Drive and the Kennedy Expressway. $11 valet parking is available for all performances. $6 parking is available one block south at Children's Memorial Hospital for all shows except weekday matinees (no overnights). Metered and street parking available, but mind the neighborhood parking restrictions. By CTA train, take the Red, Purple and Brown lines to the Fullerton stop. Walk east on Fullerton to Lincoln, then north 1/2 block to the theater. The #8 Halsted, #11 Lincoln, #37 Sedgwick/Ogden, and #74 Fullerton CTA buses all stop at the corner of Fullerton and Halsted, 1/2 block south of the theater. See http://www.transitchicago.com for times and routes. For more information, including a list of Victory Gardens¹ dining partners, go to http://www.victorygardens.org The Snow Queen is supported in part by Motorola Foundation.
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