Northwestern University News

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents a brand-new production of Gioachino Rossini's crowning comedic glory, The Barber of Seville, conceived by the Tony Award-winning director Rob Ashford in both his Lyric and operatic debut. There will be 10 total performances: February 1, 3, 15, 18, 21, and 25 at 7:30pm and February 6, 9, 12, and 28 at 2:00pm.

Eddie George reached heights few have ever achieved on the football fields of the Big Ten and the NFL before he hit the low many NFL players find themselves in post-career. He then remade himself in the business world and on television. But in keeping with the former running back's never-give-up attitude, he's now looking to make a big gain in another career that is as far from the gridiron as one could imagine – to play Shakespeare, something even an Oscar-winning actor will tell you is the craft's acid test. Correspondent Armen Keteyian reports on George's remarkable reinvention into a Renaissance man on the next edition of 60 MINUTES SPORTS premiering Wed. Feb. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT only on SHOWTIME.

Those heavenly voices are back! And they're better than ever! Cabrillo Music Theatre celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season by blending one of the original Plaids with four of musical theatre's top talents to create the definitive FOREVER PLAID especially for the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza! The fresh and funny FOREVER PLAID opens today, January 31st, 2014, playing until Sunday, February 9th, at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

The Playground Theater and home-grown comedic talents Lisa Linke (Second City, iO) and Jenni Lamb (Northwestern University MFA: Writing for the Screen and Stage) are pleased to announce PERIOD PIECE, a dark musical-comedy that explores the historical shame of menstruation. PERIOD PIECE will run at The Playground Theater (3209 N Halsted St, Chicago) for six consecutive Fridays starting Feb 21 at 8pm. General admission is $10. Tickets may be purchased at the door or, to purchase tickets in advance, visit The Playground Theater's Brown Paper Tickets page at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/557954. The Playground Theater is BYOB and open to all ages.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Into The Woods,' the Chicago Musical Theater Festival, new music for Tom Stoppard, Rob Ashford to direct Lyric's 'Carousel,' Ellington's 'Queenie Pie,' 'Love Story,' NU's 'Shrek,' my Grammy and Oscar views, and more!

The Huntington Theatre Company announces that the 2014 Breaking Ground festival of new plays will be held today, January 30 - February 2 at the Huntington's home for new work, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

La MaMa will present Teatro delle Albe of Ravenna, Italy in the American premiere of 'Noise in the Waters' (Rumore di acque) today, January 30 to February 16.

Mercury Theater Chicago and The Hypocrites will feature Stephen Sondheim: The Man and The Music, a post-show talk back discussion on the renowned composer with Dr. Mark E. Lococo, Professor and Director of Theatre at Loyola University Chicago; Dr. Sarah Gabel, Chairperson for the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University Chicago; and Director Geoff Button, following the 8:00 p.m. performance of INTO THE WOODS on Friday, February 7 at the Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and the book by James Lapine, The Hypocrites bring their heightened and playful sense of theatricality to the musical INTO THE WOODS through March 30.

The Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) and The Poetry Foundation partner to present James Franco and Frank Bidart, Off the Shelf, an evening of poetry, film, and discussion on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014 at 8 p.m. at Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law (375 E Chicago Ave). The program will revolve around James Franco's film Herbert White, based on legendary poet Frank Bidart's 1973 poem of the same name, as well as Franco's forthcoming poetry collection, Directing Herbert White. The conversation will be moderated by Poetry Foundation president Robert Polito. Tickets are on sale now to CHF Members, and go on sale to the public at noon on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014. Call the CHF Box Office at 312.494.9509 or visit chicagohumanities.org.

'Dada Gert,' a multimedia dance theater work inspired by the life and performance career of a Weimer-era Expressionist cabaret artist and dancer will transport audiences to early 1920s Germany when it is performed at Northwestern University.

Hot off of four BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards, Williams Street Repertory (WSR) has begun gearing up for their next musical, She Loves Me. Directed by Roger Zawacki, the delightfully endearing production opens February 7 at 8:00 pm, and runs for select dates and times through February 16 at Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

'Aimee and Jaguar,' a new play based on a true but tragic love story that took place in World War II Germany, will be presented as part of the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University's 2013-14 Mainstage Season.

For 25 years, music lovers at Vicky's of Santa Fe and around the world have agreed with the Chicago Sun Times, 'There is only one Doug Montgomery.' His unforgettable live performances and his numerous versatile recordings reveal the vast talent of this world-class musician and his repeat engagements at some of the country's premier private and corporate events proves the appeal is surely the music but also the man himself.

The Dolphin Show at Northwestern University, America's largest student-produced musical, is proud to announce SHREK THE MUSICAL as the 72nd Annual Dolphin Show. This year's production is to be produced by School of Communication seniors Brandon Johnston and Rachel Marchant and directed by Communication senior Marlee Rose Rich. SHREK will hold five performances from today, January 24 through February 1st, 2014, with auditions being held October 4-6, 2013.

"SHREK THE MUSICAL" -- the story of the swamp-living, bug-eating ogre and his quest to save a princess from an isolated tower -- will be performed on Northwestern University's Evanston campus Jan. 24 through Feb. 1.

A total of 46 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus in East Haddam, CT this month to participate in the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing nearly 30 new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins will receive its regional premiere with Stages Rep, running tonight, January 22 - February 16, 2014.

Hot off of four BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards, Williams Street Repertory (WSR) has begun gearing up for their next musical, She Loves Me. Directed by Roger Zawacki, the delightfully endearing production opens February 7 at 8:00 pm, and runs for select dates and times through February 16 at Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, under the artistic leadership of Glenn Edgerton, will present its first-ever mixed repertory program devoted to the work of a single choreographer during the Spring Series, March 13-16, 2014. This engagement's four works by Sarabande (1990), for an all-male ensemble and set to Bach's second partita for solo violin with electronically manipulated live vocals; and Falling Angels (1989), for a cast of eight women and set to part one of Steve Reich's phased-percussion composition, Drumming, to be performed live by Third Coast Percussion, Ensemble- in-Residence at the University of Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

The question of who determines a child's fate amidst drug addiction, religion and child custody laws takes center stage in Rebecca Gilman's newest work, Luna Gale, directed by Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls.