Music Theater Works Announces Cast And Creative Team For AVENUE Q

Music Theater Works has announced the cast and creative team for the first production in its 43rd season, Avenue Q in the North Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts In Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, March 9 - April 2. The Tony Award-winning musical comedy with book by Jeff Whitty, music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, based on an original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and is directed and choreographed by Christopher Pazdernik, assistant directed by Ashley Keys and music directed by Eugene Dizon.

Join the irreverent denizens of Avenue Q - part flesh, part plushy, people, puppets and all fun. Hilarious, charming and a little profane, Avenue Q will turn your expectation of acceptable discourse on its head. Follow our hero Princeton, fresh out of college, to his shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q which, it soon becomes clear, is not your ordinary neighborhood. Laugh out loud, funny, toe-tappingly singable and full of warmth and humor, Avenue Q won the Tony for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.

The cast of Avenue Q includes Jimmy Hogan (Princeton); Brandy Miller (Kate Monster); Adam Ross Brody (Rod); Andres J. DeLeon (Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bad Idea Bear); Melissa Crabtree (Lucy/Mrs. Thistletwat/ Bad Idea Bear); Thomas E. Squires (Brian) and Mai Hartwich (Christmas Eve) and Whitney Dottery (Gary Coleman).

The Avenue Q understudies include Zoe Maroko (Kate Monster U/S); David Blakeman (Nicky/Trekkie/Bad Idea Bear U/S); Rachel Livingston (Lucy/Mrs. Thistletwat/Bad Idea Bear U/S); Mark Bartishell (Brian U/S) and Ashley Saul (Gary Coleman U/S).

The Avenue Q creative team currently includes Christopher Pazdernik (director/choreographer); Ashley Keys (assistant director); Eugene Dizon (music director); Ben Lipinski (scenic designer); Justin LeBlanc (costume designer); Andrew Meyers (lighting designer); Rick Sims (sound designer); Bob Stilton (props designer); Nick Zabel (technical director); Kristi Martens (puppeteer); Peter Jacob Ruiz (dramaturg); Cameron Koniarski (master electrician); Will Hughes (scenic shop technical director); David Sajewich (media designer); Tony Churchill (associate media engineer); Alexis Lotspeich (assistant costume designer); Chelsea Lynn (lighting programmer); Elena Patterson (stage manager); MaK Cole (assistant stage manager); Jennifer King Russell (company manager); Chris Chase (production manager) and Kyle A. Dougan (producing artistic director).

Christopher Pazdernik makes his Music Theater Works debut with Avenue Q. Pazdernik is best-known for his work as artistic director of Refuge Theatre Project (Jeff Awards, Best Director and Best Production of a Musical, High Fidelity); a long association with Porchlight Music Theatre, including directing eight Porchlight Revisits productions and his current role as producing director at Theo, where he directed Godspell earlier this year. Also an openly HIV+ artist, Pazdernik is the creator and producer of the annual benefit concert "Belting for Life" and co-captain of Team Option Up! for AIDS Run/Walk Chicago.

Eugene Dizon is currently the executive director at Mercury Theater Chicago with his husband L. Walter Stearns. He has been musical directing for over two decades garnering six Jeff Awards while at Porchlight Music Theatre (Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Amadeus, Company, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along), as well as Jeff nominations for A Grand Night for Singing (Mercury); Candide, Nine the Musical, Closer Than Ever, A Little Night Music, Passion, Colette Collage, and Falsettos; four After Dark Awards (Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, A New Brain, Merrily We Roll Along (Porchlight), a BroadwayWorld Award for Mercury's Avenue Q and BroadwayWorld nominations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Little Shop of Horrors, Hair, Mary Poppins and The Color Purple, all at the Mercury. Additionally at the Mercury, he has musical directed Spamalot, Pippin, Company, The Producers and Barnum. He has been inducted into the Chicago Filipino Hall of Fame (class of 2004) and has co-produced six "Season of Carols" CDs for which Season of Concern awarded him the 2013 Larry Sloan Advocate Award and the Season of Concern 2018 Larry Sloan Legacy Award for "consistently and passionately being a trailblazer on behalf of Season of Concern." Dizon most recent projects include TO BE (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) and Mr. Burns - a post-electric play (Theater Wit). Upcoming projects include The Producers at Music Theater Works and Young Frankenstein at Mercury.

Music Theater Works is a resident professional not-for-profit music theater founded in 1980. During its 42-year history it has presented more than 150 productions and intimate presentations. Music Theater Works is a professional theater company whose mission is to present works for the musical stage including historic repertoire, revitalizing the Golden Age of Broadway and earlier works, celebrating the Great American Songbook and introducing modern classics.

Music Theater Works is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the first production in its 43rd season, Avenue Q in the NorthCenter Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts In Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, March 9 - April 2, 2023. The Tony Award-winning musical comedy with Avenue Q is the first production in Music Theater Works 2023 Season with book by Jeff Whitty, music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and is directed and choreographed by Christopher Pazdernik,assistant directed by Ashley Keys and music directed by Eugene Dizon.

The performance schedule includes a preview performance Thursday, March 9 at 1 p.m. with press opening Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m. The running time, including the intermission, is currently 2 hours and 30 minutes. The performance schedule is Wednesdays at 1 and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with two Thursday shows on March 23 and 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale from $39 - $106 at MusicTheaterWorks.com or by calling the Music Theater Works box office at the North Shore Center, 847.673.6300. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by contacting 847.920.5360.