Curtis Bannister

QUAMINO'S MAP Premieres At Chicago Opera Theater, April 23

Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago's foremost producer of contemporary and re-imagined opera, proudly presents the World Premiere of Quamino's Map, shedding light on the post-Revolutionary War years when London was the unlikely refuge for thousands of Black Americans who fought for their liberty on the side of the British. 

BWW Interview: Heartbeat Opera's Ethan Heard Brings FIDELIO To Current Times

Heartbeat Opera’s tour of FIDELIO lands at The Broad Stage February 26th and 27th. Heartbeat’s artistic director Ethan Heard directs Beethoven’s 1814 masterpiece re-imagined and re-orchestrated for the era of Black Lives Matter. I had the chance to throw a few queries out to Ethan on his timely and unique project that he also adapted and co-wrote.

BWW Review: FIDELIO at the Met �" Not THE MET �" Proves Beethoven's Only Opera Is No Museum Piece

It’s no secret that many of the standard repertoire’s most famous operas had troubled premieres but Beethoven’s FIDELIO had more than its share. Thanks to the efforts of Heartbeat Opera, which performed its revised version at New York’s Met Museum this past weekend (before a short tour), we can see the forest for the trees, with many of the work’s problems dealt with in a surprisingly effective way and the story brought up to date without destroying its integrity.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art to Host Heartbeat Opera's FIDELIO

Performances of the Heartbeat Opera's adaptation of Beethoven's Fidelio are to be held at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium on Thursday, February 10, 7 pm, Saturday, February 12, 7 pm, and Sunday, February 13, 2 pm. 

Heartbeat Opera Announces Four-City Tour of FIDELIO

Heartbeat Opera will mount a four-city tour of its powerful 2018 adaptation of Beethoven's masterpiece, FIDELIO, which Heartbeat artistic director Ethan Heard conceived for the era of Black Lives Matter. The tour begins at home in NY's Metropolitan Museum on February 10, 12, and 13, 2022. 

Music Theater Works to Present RAGTIME at the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts

Music Theater Works will present Ragtime at the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts In Skokie (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076) from October 29, 2021 through November 7, 2021 being the third production of the 2021 Season.

Heartbeat Opera Announces 2021-2022 Season

HEARTBEAT OPERA will return to the in-person stage for its eighth season this year.  Heartbeat's 2021-22 season kicks off in September with a free outdoor screening of BREATHING FREE, their visual album that connects Beethoven's Fidelio with the work of Black composers and lyricists such as Harry T. Burleigh, Langston Hughes, and Anthony Davis.

Chicago Opera Theater Announces 2021-22 Season

The season includes Bizet’s beloved CARMEN in concert, featuring duo debuts by Jamie Barton and Stephanie Blythe; the family-friendly holiday delight BECOMING SANTA CLAUS by Mark Adamo; and a world premiere commission by Errollyn Wallen and Deborah Brevoort, QUAMINO’S MAP.

Virtual Theatre This Weekend: May 22-23- with Lilli Cooper, Chuck Cooper, and More!

Broadway might be dark, but that doesn't mean that theatre isn't happening everywhere! Below, check out where you can get your daily fix of Broadway this weekend, May 22-23, 2021.

LEGENDS OF THE 50s AND 60s: GREATEST HITS to be Presented by Music Theater Works In Illinois

Music Theater Works will present 'Legends Of The 50s And 60s: Greatest Hits' at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076) from June 18, 2021 through June 27, 2021 as the first production of the 2021 season.

VIDEO: RAGTIME Brings the Turn of the Century to the Marriott Theatre

From the volatile melting pot of New York City at the dawn of a new century, comes the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, RAGTIME, kicking off Marriott Theatre's 2018 Season, January 24 through March 18, 2018 with a press opening on Wednesday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Featuring a powerful score by the Tony Award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and book by four-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, RAGTIME is a sweeping musical portrait of America. Seven-time Jeff Award winner Nick Bowling (The Bridges of Madison County, Man of La Mancha, The King and I) returns to Marriott Theatre to direct, with Musical Direction by Jeff Award winner Ryan T. Nelson and Choreography by Kenneth L. Roberson.

VIDEO: Watch Highlights from MARIE CHRISTINE at BoHo Theatre

BoHo Theatre closes out its successful 2017 season with the passionate musical MARIE CHRISTINE by Michael John LaChiusa at the Theater Wit, directed by Lili-Anne Brown. Taking inspiration from the life of Marie Laveau, the famed Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, MARIE CHRISTINE is a visceral reimagining of the Greek myth of Medea. LaChiusa is the acclaimed writer and composer of THE WILD PARTY and HELLO AGAIN. MARIE CHRISTINE is playing at Theater Wit through December 10, 2017. Click below to watch excerpts from the show!

The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, proudly produces the world premiere of the new North American production of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.  Performances run from July 22 through through August 12. Based on Nik Cohn's 1975 article 'Tribal Rites of the new Saturday Night' and Norman Wexler's 1977 screenplay it inspired, this iconic time capsule centers around Tony Manero, a Brooklyn youth whose weekend is spent at the local dance hangout. There, he escapes into the admiration of the crowd, a growing relationship and the pulse of the beat that enables him to forget the realities of his life, his dead-end job and his gang of deadbeat friends. This new production delivers all the favorite tunes and dance sequences while bringing out the dimension and layers of the story and the landscape of such an iconic snapshot in American history.  Adapted for the stage by Robert Stigwood in collaboration with Bill Oakes, this new North American version features songs by The Bee Gees, is adapted for the stage by Sean Cercone and features additional music and lyrics by David Abbinanti.  Check out a first look at highlights below!