Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre Announces 2022-2023 Season Featuring PASSING STRANGE & More

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's Artistic Director Fred Anzevino and Managing & Casting Director Christopher Pazdernik announced the 25th Anniversary season today with four musicals including a Midwest Premiere and Anzevino's return to directing for the company.

The 2022-2023 season will kick-off in October with the Midwest Premiere of Refuge, co-created by Satya Jnani Chávez & Andrew Rosendorf. This vibrantly relevant new play with music, combines multiple artistic disciplines to tackle the immigration crisis and an exploration of empathy. The holidays will bring audiences a "Hard Candy Christmas" with Theo's fresh take on the 1970's classic The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the award-winning musical later adapted into the cult film starring Dolly Parton. Recognizing the company's beloved past with composer Kurt Weil, Anzevino will be at the helm of a musically acoustic, innovative The Threepenny Opera. Closing the season, Theo breathes new life into the Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning electrifying musical Passing Strange.

"As we commemorate our 25th anniversary we are filled with gratitude to our patrons, donors and creative artists," says Anzevino. "Silver symbolizes brilliance, radiance and the ability to sustain a long-lasting presence. We move forward into the next 25 years that are inclusive, collaborative and inspiring."

The company is also planning a 25th Anniversary Gala celebration, set for Saturday, September 17 at their Howard Street Theatre home. Table sponsorships are currently available by contacting managingdirector@theo-u.org.

Subscriptions are available beginning at noon on June 10 and packages range from $120-$280 per person. Subscriptions can be purchased online at theo-u.com or via phone at 773-939-4101. Box office hours are Wednesday-Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Theo Ubique will continue its dinner offerings with custom menus for each show in partnership with a local Evanston restaurant. Single tickets will be announced at a later date.

2022-2023 Theo Ubique 25th Anniversary Season

Refuge

Midwest Premiere

Co-Created by Satya Jnani Chávez & Andrew Rosendorf
Transcreation by Mari Meza-Burgos

Previews: Oct. 7-15 (Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Run: Oct. 17-Nov 13 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Midwest Premiere! Refuge weaves passionate and driving original music with the charm of artistic puppetry to share a bilingual tale of determination, grit, and hope. Magical realism allows this multidisciplinary play to tackle the immigration crisis through a beautiful, unique lens. Chronicling the harrowing journey of one young Honduran girl as she crosses the US border into the inhospitable, barren land of Texas, Refuge is an exploration of empathy and of America - who we are and who we say we are.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson

Music and Lyrics by Carol Hall

Based on a story by Larry L. King

Previews: Dec. 2-10 (Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Run: Dec., 12-Jan. 29 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Please note: No performances Dec. 22-25 and Jan. 1

Nominated for 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this bawdy-but-wholesome crowd-pleaser skewers pretension, celebrates life and touches the heartstrings. Miss Mona, the madam of a beloved Texas whorehouse, finds her business suddenly under attack from a television evangelist and local politicians. A raucous, red-blooded, hilarious musical comedy about a "Lil Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place," Whorehouse took Broadway by storm and continues to enthrall audiences worldwide.

The Threepenny Opera

Music by Kurt Weill

Lyrics by Bertolt Brecht

Book by Bertolt Brecht

Based on The Beggar's Opera by John Gay, translated by Elisabeth Hauptmann

Previews: March 10-18 (Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Run: March 20-April 30 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

The Threepenny Opera is a biting satire of the post-war rise of capitalism, wrapped up in Kurt Weill's jazzy score, and the tale of Macheath, a debonair crime lord on the verge of turning his illegal empire into a legitimate business. Songs from Threepenny have become classic standards, including "Pirate Jenny" and most notably, "Mack the Knife," which has been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble. Theo's Artistic Director Fred Anzevino will direct this production for our 25th Anniversary Season, in honor of the many Kurt Weill revues that were part of the founding years of the company.

Passing Strange

Book, Music, Lyrics by Stew

Music by Heidi Rodewald

Created in Collaboration with Annie Dorsen

Previews June 9-16 (Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

Run: June 18-July 30 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm)

From singer-songwriter and performance artist Stew comes Passing Strange, a daring musical that takes you on a journey across boundaries of place, identity and theatrical convention. Stew brings us the story of a young bohemian who charts a course for "the real" through sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Loaded with soulful lyrics and overflowing with passion, the show takes us from Black middle-class America to Amsterdam, Berlin and beyond on a journey towards personal and artistic authenticity.

ABOUT THEO UBIQUE

Theo Ubique was founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Fred Anzevino. Productions were first staged at the Heartland Studio Theatre, and from 2004 to May 2018, at No Exit Café, where the company began focusing on musicals and revues, reigniting the cabaret theatre trend in Chicago. The company moved to the Howard Street Theatre, a venue owned and developed for Theo Ubique by the City of Evanston, in fall of 2018. Theo Ubique has produced more than 60 shows and won 64 Jeff Awards, having received 154 nominations. The company also earned three After Dark Awards. www.theo-u.com

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