Jonathan Lee, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Joffrey Ballet and More Coming Up at Auditorium Theatre

By: BWW News Desk Aug. 02, 2017

The Auditorium Theatre has announced its upcoming shows through January 14, 2018. Scroll down for details!

JUST ANNOUNCED:

JONATHAN LEE | September 19, 2017

Jonathan Lee (Chung Sheng) is a Taiwanese record producer, singer, and songwriter. Throughout the mid-1980s through the 1990s, he produced countless classic hits and bestselling albums for various artists on Asia's major independent record label Rock Records. Lee is hailed as one of the godfathers of Taiwanese Mandopop (popular music sung in Mandarin Chinese), producing many of the genre's most successful albums and writing multiple No. 1 hits. He also produces his own albums on occasion and has recorded duets with many Rock Records artists. Given his iconic status in the Chinese music world, Lee's songs and meaningful lyrics have influenced singers across Asia.

Lee will bring his commanding stage presence to the Auditorium Theatre on September 19, where he'll serenade the audience with over 30 popular hits in a show that is not to be missed!

Performance Information
Tuesday, September 19 | 8PM

Individual tickets start at $88 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

DANCE FOR LIFE | August 19, 2017

Now in its 26th year, Dance for Life Chicago returns to the Auditorium Theatre with a program including Chicago's premier dance companies - Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and The Joffrey Ballet. The program also includes a three-part collaborative piece with Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, and Trinity Irish Dance Company; Jessica Miller Tomlinson Choreography; and Visceral Dance Chicago. The evening will conclude with a celebratory finale choreographed by Randy Duncan.

Proceeds from Dance for Life Chicago 2017's benefit performance will be contributed to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Chicago Dancers United's Dancers' Fund, which provides financial support to dance professionals experiencing critical health and life issues.

The performance will be preceded by a Gala Celebration at Hilton Chicago, 720 S Michigan Ave. Gala tickets are available for purchase on the Chicago Dancers United website.

Performance Information
Saturday, August 19 | 7:30PM

Individual tickets start at $15 and are on available by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available now.

THE VIETNAM WAR - AN EVENING WITH Ken Burns AND LYNN NOVICK
September 7, 2017

The Auditorium Theatre and WTTW/Chicago PBS invite you to spend an evening with Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning PBS filmmaker Ken Burns, and his directing and producing partner Lynn Novick, as they preview their new ten-part documentary series The Vietnam War(premiering on WTTW in September). Burns and Novick discuss the project and highlight excerpts from the 18-hour masterpiece, which includes testimony from nearly 100 witnesses to the war; rare, digitally-restored archival footage and photographs; and a score from Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and musician/producer Atticus Ross (The Social Network). Burns' previous long-form documentary works include Baseball, The Roosevelts, and The Civil War, which The New York Times said cemented his place as "the most accomplished documentary filmmaker of his generation."

Event Information
Thursday, September 7 | 6:30PM

Individual tickets start at $25 and are available by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Tickets for the general public are $25, with discounts available for WTTW members and Auditorium Theatre subscribers. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available now.

A CONVERSATION WITH JUSTICE Ruth Bader Ginsburg | September 11, 2017

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks in conversation with Judge Ann Claire Williams of the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Justice Ginsburg, who has served on the nation's highest court since 1993, discuss her life and career. Justice Ginsburg was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2015 and is the best-selling author of My Own Words (2016).

Event Information
Monday, September 11 | 7PM

This event is sold out.

FATHER JOHN MISTY | September 20, 2017

After selling out one Chicago concert, Father John Misty has announced additional headlining tour dates including a reserved-seats show at the historic Auditorium Theatre on September 20, 2017. The tour is in support of his newest record, Pure Comedy, out now on Sub Pop and Bella Union. MOJO Magazine says, "Pure Comedy is quite some trip and one that lifts Father John Misty to another level altogether." [5/5 stars]

Support Act: Weyes Blood

Event Information
Wednesday, September 20 | 7:30PM

Individual tickets start at $29.50 and are on sale by phone at 800.982.2787 or online here.

SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS | September 23-24, 2017

Celebrated for its "gorgeous visual imagery" (The London Times) and "mesmerizing flow of invention" (The Boston Globe), Shen Wei Dance Arts makes its Chicago debut with two masterpieces by MacArthur "Genius" Award-winning choreographer and visual artist Shen Wei, known for his awe-inspiring choreography for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Foldingconjures up a dreamlike world at once ancient and timeless that draws "gasps of wonder and contemplation" from the audience (San Francisco Chronicle). The groundbreaking Rite of Spring, set to Stravinsky's famed score, brings the fresh eye of the outsider to this well-known music. Shen jettisons all narrative, responding instead with a highly charged abstraction. "The visual and emotional impact is overwhelming," says The New York Times.

NIB FOUNDATION - International Dance Series Sponsor

Event Information
Saturday, September 23 | 7:30PM
Sunday, September 24 | 2PM

Individual tickets start at $29 and are available by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Shen Wei Dance Arts is part of the International Dance Series subscription package, which can be purchased now at AuditoriumTheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available now.

Kathleen Battle - UNDERGROUND RAILROAD: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
September 30, 2017

Legendary soprano Kathleen Battle makes her AuditoriumTheatre debut with a powerful program of songs inspired by the Underground Railroad, the secret network that helped bring 19th-century slaves to freedom. The five-time Grammy winner and opera star brings "remarkable freshness and beauty" (The New York Times) to this performance of classic spirituals and traditional pieces, including "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Wade in the Water," and "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Battle's voice has been hailed as one of the "most beautiful in the world" by The Washington Post and "an agile, glimmering lyric soprano" by NPR.

Performance Information
Saturday, September 30 | 7:30PM

Individual tickets start at $36 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Kathleen Battle is part of the American Music Series subscription package, which can be purchased now at AuditoriumTheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available now.

ENSEMBLE ESPAÑOL SPANISH DANCE THEATER | October 6, 2017

"An ensemble of extraordinarily beautiful, passionate, superbly skilled dancers" (Chicago Sun-Times). Following their triumphant performances in Spain in 2016, and their fiery 40th anniversary finale at the Auditorium Theatre last fall, Ensemble Español returns to the Auditoriumto open the 2017-18 "Made in Chicago" Dance Series. The company's new program brilliantly blends flamenco, classical, contemporary, and traditional forms of dance, and features the piece Defalla, Fuera de la Caja (Defalla, Out of the Box), Angel Rojas' contemporary take on part of the classic ballet The Three-Cornered Hat (first performed at the Auditorium Theatre in the 1930s by Serghei Diaghilev's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo), set to the music of La Vida Breve (The Brief Life). The program also includes audience favorites Iroko, choreographed by Rojas and Carlos Rodriguez (of the Nuevo Ballet Madrid), and Founder Dame Libby Komaiko's 1983 piece Ecos de España, as well as the Komaiko's celebrated signature work Bolero. See the company the Chicago Tribune calls "exciting, sensual, and breathtaking."

NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY - Performance Sponsor
THE PRIVATEBANK - Student Matinee Sponsor
THE Robert Thomas BOBINS FOUNDATION - Student Matinee Sponsor

Performance Information
Friday, October 6 | 11AM - One hour student matinee performance
Friday, October 6 | 7:30PM

Individual tickets start at $29 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Student matinee tickets (for K-12 groups of 10+) are $10 and are available now at 312.341.2357. Ensemble Español is part of the "Made in Chicago" Dance Series subscription package, which can be purchased now at AuditoriumTheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available now.

THE JOFFREY BALLET - GISELLE | October 18-29, 2017

Staged by: Lola de Ávila
Music: Adolphe Adam

A sweeping tale of passion beyond the grave, de Ávila's visionary Giselle elevates one of the greatest Romantic ballets to new heights. When a young peasant girl discovers her lover is betrothed to another, she dies of grief, only to be enlisted by the vengeful Wilis, a ghostly army of maidens who haunt the forests, dancing to death any male mortal who crosses their path. When her beloved wanders into their grasp, Giselle carries out the ultimate act of love to free him from his fate. An ethereal descent into madness, desire, and sublime beauty that will leave you breathless.

Joffrey Premiere

Individual tickets start at $39 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here.

David Sedaris | November 1, 2017

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America's preeminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. Sedaris is the author of the collections of personal essays Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modern Bestiary, and Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, all of which have become bestsellers. Sedaris's pieces appear regularly in The New Yorker and have twice been included in The Best American Essays. Since 2011, he can be heard annually on a series of live recordings on BBC 4 Radio entitled Meet David Sedaris. David Sedaris' new book is a collection of his diaries, entitledTheft By Finding Diaries (1977-2002).

Performance Information
Wednesday, November 1 | 8PM

Individual tickets start at $53.50 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here.

A GOLDEN CELEBRATION OF DANCE | November 12, 2017

Featuring dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Dutch National Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, MOMIX, New York City Ballet, Parsons Dance, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and The Washington Ballet - and more!

The Auditorium Theatre commemorates the golden anniversary of its grand re-opening with a one-night-only celebration of dance, honoring the Auditorium Theatre's legendary dance history with a mixed repertory program featuring the greatest dancers from the world's premier dance companies. This event memorializes the evening that the gloriously restored theatre re-opened in 1967 following a 26-year closure, when opening night patrons were treated to an unforgettable performance by New York City Ballet, starring Edward Villella and Suzanne Farrell. Celebrate the past, present, and future of the Auditorium Theatre with this once-in-a-lifetime evening!

THE NIB FOUNDATION - International Dance Series Sponsor
PASQUINELLI FAMILY FOUNDATION - Gala Sponsor

Performance Information
Sunday, November 12 | 7:30PM

Individual tickets start at $41 and are on sale by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. A Golden Celebration of Dance is part of the International Dance Series subscription package, which can be purchased now at AuditoriumTheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available now.

2017 ANNUAL GALA HONORING SONIA FLORIAN

Edward Villella and Suzanne Farrell, Honorary Co-Chairs

Join us for the Auditorium Theatre's Annual Gala, which includes a ticket to the Golden Celebration of Dance performance, preceded by the Gala Reception and Dinner at the Standard Club. This year, the Auditorium Theatre honors Sonia Florian of the NIB Foundation with the second annual Adler and Sullivan Award, recognizing her dedication to the arts and the Auditorium Theatre. When purchasing your subscription, please add the Gala Reception and Dinner.

For more information on Gala sponsorships, tables, and tickets, please contact Kelly Saroff at 312.341.2364 or ksaroff@auditoriumtheatre.org.

ELLA AND LENA: THE LADIES AND THEIR MUSIC | November 17, 2017

Popular Chicago vocalist Joan Curto, called "a seasoned interpreter who makes every note count" by the Chicago Tribune, celebrates the legacies and centennial birthdays of two vocal icons: Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. From the same team that brought the popular Cole Porter concert to the Auditorium last fall, the evening features Chicago favorites E. Faye Butler and Tammy McCann with Paul Marinaro, Sophie Grimm, Beckie Menzie, and Tom Michael. The show will include many of the songs that each woman truly made her own: "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," "Oh, Lady Be Good," "Lullaby of Birdland," "The Man I Love," "Stormy Weather," and many more. This big-band celebration will be conducted by Rich Daniels and the City Lights Orchestra.

THE WALSH GROUP - Presenting Sponsor

Performance Information
Friday, November 17 | 7:30PM

Individual tickets start at $29 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Ella & Lena: The Ladies and Their Music is part of the American Music Series subscription package, which can be purchased now at AuditoriumTheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available now.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: SYMPHONY OF THE GODDESSES | November 18, 2017

Celebrating 30 years of stirring virtual adventure and memorable soundtracks with live orchestral renditions directly approved by franchise producer Eiji Aonuma, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses brings the Zelda franchise to life with a 66-piece orchestra, 24-person choir, and a reimagined score that includes new movements from more recently released Zelda games such as Skyward Sword and the highly anticipated Breath of the Wild, while still paying homage to classic installments like Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past.

The five-movement, multimedia symphony concert regales fans with Nintendo composer Koji Kondo's original music, and recalls moments of Link conquering dungeons, running through forests, and struggling to decide what color tunic to wear. Throughout the evening, a video collage syncs up with the adventurous tunes to spotlight exciting moments from the venerable franchise.

Performance Information
Saturday, November 18 | 8PM

Individual tickets start at $38 and are available by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here.

THE JOFFREY BALLET - THE NUTCRACKER | December 1-30, 2017

Journey inside Chicago's 1893 World's Fair with Wheeldon's critically-acclaimed holiday masterpiece. When young Marie and her mother, a sculptress who is creating the fair's iconic Statue of the Republic, host a holiday party, a surprise visit from the charming Great Impresario sets off a Christmas Eve dream of whirlwind romance and adventure. A must-see tradition boldly reimagined for a new generation.

Individual tickets start at $35 and are on sale now by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here.

TOO HOT TO HANDEL: THE JAZZ-GOSPEL MESSIAH | January 13-14, 2018

Celebrate the transformative power of music at the Auditorium Theatre with Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah, taking place for the 13th consecutive year over DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend. Inspired by Dr. King's message of "Beloved Community," Too Hot brings Chicagoans together to witness "a contagiously joyous jazz, gospel, and blues treatment of George Frideric Handel's famous 18th-century oratorio" (Chicago Reader). Clap along with acclaimed soloists Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, and Karen Marie Richardson, joined by a choir of over 100 members, an ensemble orchestra, and a world-class jazz combo in what the Chicago Tribune calls "an ebullient holiday tradition."

EXELON - Presenting Sponsor | Allstate - Educational Outreach Sponsor | The PrivateBank - Student Matinee Sponsor | The Robert Thomas Bobins Foundation - Student Matinee Sponsor | WILLIAM AND SHELLEY FARLEY - Video Enhancement Sponsors | Additional support provided by FRIENDS OF TOO HOT

Event Information
Friday, January 12 | 11AM - One hour student matinee performance
Saturday, January 13 | 7:30PM
Sunday, January 14 | 3PM

Individual tickets start at $29 and are available by phone at 312.341.2300 or online here. Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah is part of the American Music Series subscription package, which can be purchased now at AuditoriumTheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available now.

The Auditorium Theatre, located at 50 E Congress Pkwy in Chicago, is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as "The Theatre for the People." The organization is also committed to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark.

The Auditorium Theatre 2017-18 Season is made possible in part with support from the MacArthur Foundation and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer, and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call 312.341.2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org. For a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please click here.

Pictured: Auditorium Theatre, photo by Oliver Sandoval.

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