'The Bowery Boys' makes its World Premiere Dec. 10th
By: Steve Leary Nov. 14, 2008
Terry James, Executive Producer
Aaron Thielen, Lead Artistic Director
Andy Hite, Artistic Director
Present
The World Premiere of the New Musical
THE BOWERY BOYS
December 10, 2008 – February 15, 2009
THE BOWERY BOYS, a new musical, will make its highly anticipated world premiere at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive; previewing December 10th, opening December 17th, and running through February 15th. Inspired by the works of Horatio Alger Jr. and George M. Cohan, THE BOWERY BOYS’ book and lyrics are by David H. Bell, with music by Jeremy Cohen.
Set in 1876, New York City, in the world of Diamond Jim Brady, Tammany Hall and the notorious Five Points, THE BOWERY BOYS follows the journeys of Dick, a street wise kid, and Mary, a young British heiress whom Dick befriends after she is cruelly abandoned on the mean streets of New York.
Author and Director David H. Bell’s inspiration for THE BOWERY BOYS leapt from books of Horatio Alger Jr., often called the American Charles Dickens: “I have always been fascinated by the American ‘rags to riches’ mythology - it is the essential ingredient of the ‘American Dream’ - that at any moment we all can re-invent ourselves, escape our circumstances - and through hard work and perseverance - attain success.”
In his Director’s Notes, Bell continues, “I specifically focused on five books written about Alger's most popular character - Dick Hunter, though I found the stories a little thin to build a show around - but then I ran across the pictures and writing of Jacob Riis (The Other Half) - who created enduring images of the lives of Immigrant America and the distance between the optimistic and continually upbeat street boys of Horatio Alger and the horrible
deprivation of the actual conditions of the period seemed to be an exciting place to start building a musical. My initial intention was to interpolate lesser known George M. Cohan songs, who was writing at the same time as Alger, into a Horatio Alger story. But as the story started to emerge, and my music collaborator and composer Jeremy Cohen started to evolve the score, the Cohan songs became a point of departure musically, and the score of THE BOWERY BOYS started to have a voice of its own, very different from the music that inspired it.”
THE BOWERY BOYS stars Brian Sears as Dick and Morgan Weed as Mary. Also featured are Lesley Bevan as Nanny Mae, Wilson Bridges as Johnny, Jeff Dumas as Kid Twist, Sean Fortunato as Dean Fiske, Andrew Keltz as Mickey McGuire, Susan Moniz as Mother, Roger Mueller as Lord Halberstam, and Bernie Yvon as John.
Aaron Thielen, Lead Artistic Director, heads the artistic team for THE BOWERY BOYS, with Direction by Chicagoland favorite David H. Bell (Shenandoah, Oliver!, Footloose), Choreography by Matt Raftery, with Musical Direction and Vocal Arrangements by Michael Mahler. Sound Design is by Cecil Averett, Properties Design by Greg Isaac, Costume Design by Nancy Missimi, Set Design by Tom Ryan, and Lighting Design by Diane Ferry Williams. Patti Garwood conducts the Marriott Theatre orchestra, with orchestrations by David Sigel.
The performance schedule for THE BOWERY BOYS is Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. With the purchase of a $55 ticket on Wednesdays and Thursdays, dinner in either Kings Wharf or Fairfield Inn restaurants is included. This special offer is based on dining availability. All other performance ticket prices are $45.00, excluding tax and handling fees. A $5.00 discount for students and seniors is valid on Wednesday and Sunday matinee performances. Dinner packages for Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances are available for an additional $40.00 per person at King’s Wharf and $30.00 at Fairfield Inn. Free parking is available at all performances. To reserve tickets with a major credit card, call The Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or visit www.marriotttheatre.com.
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