Porchlight Presents 'Candide,' 'Pacific Overtures' and 'Once on this Island'

This season, Porchlight will take audiences around the world on a musical journey.  Artistic Director L. Walter Stearns announces a season of musicals with exotic settings and diverse themes: Candide, Pacific Overtures, and Once on This Island.

Porchlight Music Theatre has established a national reputation for presenting grand stories in intimate settings, showcasing the brightest, up-and-coming talent and developing new music theatre work.  The 2008–2009 season of musical journeys performs at Theatre Building Chicag 1225 West Belmont.

The season opens in "the best of all possible worlds," Candide.  Based on the classic of French literature, Candide centers on a wildly optimistic character that travels the world and becomes disillusioned by what he experiences.  The show is part sophisticated operetta and part wacky screwball comedy with hints of irreverent, Monty Pythonesque humor.  It features a book by Hugh Wheeler (Sweeney Todd), and one of the most sensational musical scores of the 20th century by Leonard Bernstein.  The lyrics were composed by a veritable who's who in poetic literature: John Latouche, Richard Wilbur and Stephen Sondheim.

Candide: Previews September 13; Press Opening September 15 with performances through November 2, 2008

Porchlight audiences next travel to Japan with Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Pacific Overtures.  An epic musical that spans 120 turbulent years of Japanese history, Pacific Overtures is the sweeping depiction of the nation's first contact with America through the modern age. Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, Pacific Overtures is considered to be the artistic pinnacle of the legendary collaborations between Sondheim and director Hal Prince. The groundbreaking, passionate Asian-inspired score contains material Sondheim considers his best.

Pacific Overtures: Previews March 14; Press Opening March 16 with performances through May 3, 2009

The season will culminate in the Caribbean with the calypso inspired musical Once on This Island.  The Tony Award winning composers of Ragtime transport the story of "The Little Mermaid" to the Caribbean islands.  This romantic musical tells the story of a poor peasant girl who falls in love with an upper-class gentleman.  The island gods of Love, Earth, Water, and Death try to manipulate the young lovers on a fateful journey that tests the strength of their love.  Once on This Island received eight Tony Award Nominations in 1991, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.

Once on This Island: Previews May 9; Press Opening May 11 with performances through June 28, 2009

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:45pm and Sundays at 2:30pm.  Single tickets are $35 with discounts available for students and seniors.   For Single Tickets call Theatre Building Chicago's Box Office 773-327-5252 or www.TicketMaster.com.

Travel the World Subscription Passports are available through the Porchlight Music Theatre Business Office 773-325-9884. Group Sales Discounts are available through Group Theater Tix at (312) 423-6612 or (866) 809-3075.

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