Michelle Lauto News

In its 52nd annual celebration of theater excellence, the Jeff Awards has recognized 39 recipients for the 2020 awards, selected from among 142 theater artist nominees across 30 artistic and technical categories.

Award-winning actress and singer Michelle Lauto is host of this year's Jeff Awards celebrating Equity theater in a virtual program scheduled to stream Monday, November 9, 2020. With theater stages dark and the pandemic preventing live gatherings, the Jeff Awards follows its move online for the annual recognition program that began with the Non-Equity awards last June.

Porchlight's streaming program BROADWAY BY THE DECADE provides some much needed musical theater cheer in this unprecedented and challenging year for Chicago theater.

Today (September 25) in live streaming: Meet the Next On Stage: Dance Edition Top 5, Spelling Bee reunites on Stars in the House, and so much more!

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced its schedule for fall 2020, offering a variety of free and pay-to-view options for virtual experiences.

Porchlight Music Theatre held PorchlightPalooza, a three-day virtual festival Friday, Aug. 21 - Sunday, Aug. 23,  in lieu of its cancelled March 23 ICONS GALA.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced a new three-day celebration and fundraiser in honor of its 25th Anniversary, PorchlightPalooza, Friday, Aug. 21 - Sunday, Aug. 23, which will include performances from Chicago's best talents, an exclusive interview hosted by legendary newsman Bill Kurtis with the 2020 ICON Award recipient Joel Grey and more.

Academy and Grammy Award Winning composer, Stephen Schwartz (Music and Lyrics), John Caird (Book), and an A-list Chicago artistic team are in collaboration to mount a revamped production of Children of Eden, a musical freely based on the Book of Genesis, in the Chicago area, scheduled to open Summer 2021.

Join WGN-TV's a?oeAround Towna?? correspondent Ana Belaval and a star-studded line-up of more than 20 top Chicago stage performers for Chicago Offstage! Live at Home, a virtual streaming event debuting live on Season of Concern's new YouTube channel (https://tinyurl.com/soctube) on Sunday, April 19, at 6 p.m. CST.

On the heels of its opening in London, the Broadway musical Be More Chill has announced an all-Chicago cast for its the first North American post-Broadway production at the Apollo Theater.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the star of Porchlight's spring production, the Chicago premiere of Disney's Freaky Friday, A New Musical Cory Goodrich as the host of New Faces Sing Broadway NOW, directed by Johanna McKenzie Miller and music directed by Tom Vendafreddo; at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario Street, Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Single tickets to each New Faces are $37 at SPACE and $60 at The Arts Club. The Arts Club performances include a pre-performance cocktail hour starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Marriott Theatre opened the smash hit GREASE on Wednesday, January 22nd! The production will close Sunday, March 15th. The Tony Award-nominated musical is directed by four-time Jeff Award winner, Scott Weinstein (Something Rotten!, Murder for Two, Shrek), with musical direction by Jeff Award winner Ryan T. Nelson and choreography by Jeff Award winner William Carlos Angulo.

The Marriott Theatre opens its 45th season with director Scott Weinstein's staging of GREASE, the 1971 musical that was born in Chicago and became a Broadway hit, a famous film and a perennial favorite of theaters across the country. With book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the show follows sheltered Sandy Dumbrowski (Leryn Turlington) as she navigates social life at Rydell High School, where she's the new girl in the class of 1959. Befriended by a world-wise clique called the Pink Ladies, Sandy soon discovers that her boyfriend of the previous summer, Danny Zuko (Jimmy Nicholas) also attends Rydell and is the leader of a leather-clad gang of a?oegreasers.a?? Can innocent Sandy and tough-guy Danny rekindle their summer romance in the complicated social scene of Rydell High?

Marriott Theatre presents GREASE, previewing Wednesday, January 15th, at 7:30 p.m., opening on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:30 p.m. and closing Sunday, March 15th.

Marriott Theatre's GREASE, currently in previews, will open on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:30 p.m. and close Sunday, March 15th.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced the star of Porchlight's spring production, the Chicago premiere of Disney's Freaky Friday, A New Musical Cory Goodrich as the host of New Faces Sing Broadway NOW, directed by Johanna McKenzie Miller and music directed by Tom Vendafreddo; at Evanston at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Monday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario Street, Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Single tickets to each New Faces are $37 at SPACE and $60 at The Arts Club. The Arts Club performances include a pre-performance cocktail hour starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Marriott Theatre is proud to present the electrifying smash hit GREASE, previewing Wednesday, January 15th, at 7:30 p.m., opening on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:30 p.m. and closing Sunday, March 15th.

Sunset Boulevard stars Hollis Resnik and is directed by Michael Weber, choreographed by Shanna VanDerwerker and music directed by Aaron Benham.  The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with additional performances Wednesday, Nov. 6; Nov. 13 and Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 24, Nov. 14 at 1:30 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 29 at 3:30 p.m. and an added performance Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $39 - $66 and are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884. 

Porchlight Music Theatre presents Sunset Boulevard at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics and books by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, Sunset Boulevard stars Hollis Resnik and is directed by Michael Weber, choreographed by Shanna VanDerwerker and music directed by Aaron Benham.

With direction by Michael Weber, Porchlight Music Theatre's production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's SUNSET BOULEVARD provides one wild ride of a musical evening. The musical's storyline itself vacillates between the predictable and the shockingly dark and twisted. It chronicles the story of former silent movie star Norma Desmond as she descends further and further into madness. Based upon the film of the same name, Don Black and Christopher Hampton's book paints a portrait of Norma as she continues to lose her grasp on reality (which was not all that firm to begin with) and as she plots an unrealistic comeback into the Hollywood spotlight. Hollis Resnik conveys all of Norma's mania and desperation in a star-worthy performance. Though Norma has long faded from the limelight by the time audiences meet her in SUNSET BOULEVARD, Resnik commands the stage with ease.