Sean Michael News

Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2020a?"21 season, featuring a repertoire of beloved classics, company premieres, and a much-anticipated world premiere. The 66th season opens with audience favorite Carmen. American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard makes her HGO and role debut as Carmen in the revival of Rob Ashford's acclaimed 2014 production of Bizet's classic. She is joined by tenor Andrea Caré as Don José, bass-baritone Christian Pursell as Escamillo, and Anita Hartig as Micaela, all making their HGO debuts. The production will be conducted by HGO Principal Guest Conductor Eun Sun Kim.

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.

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th Anniversary Mainstage season continues with Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, January 24 - March 6, 2020 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St. Featuring music by Duke Ellington, concept by Donald McKayle, direction and choreography by Brenda Didier and Florence Walker Harris, and music direction by Jermaine Hill.

Celebrity impressions, comedy and political satire abound at Snow Business, Christine Pedi's Christmas show at Feinstein's/54 Below. Pedi had the crowd in stitches with her impersonations of Broadway stars from Patti Lupone to Liza Minelli.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the Chicago premiere of Disney's Freaky Friday, A New Musical, April 10 - May 24, 2020 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. The musical comedy about a mother and her daughter who switch identities stars Cory Goodrich as 'Katherine,' the mother, and Maya Lou Hlava as Katherine's daughter 'Ellie.'

Porchlight Music Theatre continue its 25th Anniversary Season with its 'lost' musicals in staged concert series Porchlight Revisits. Porchlight Revisits Call Me Madam, with book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin stars Donica Lynn as the titular socialite presented for three performances Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street.

On the heels of the release of their debut EP, VOL. 1, Billboard.com today (November 14) premiered the live performance video for Los Angeles-based pop/rock duo EVARIDE's new single, 'Limbo.' The video was shot at the Harman/JBL experience center in Los Angeles and EVARIDE--vocalist Sean Michael Murray and guitarist Hayden Maringer--teamed up with OneMachine Media and directors Garrett Brockschmitt and Charles Schaefer for the clip. The song is also receiving airplay on Sirius XM's AltNation.

Porchlight Music Theatre continue its 25th Anniversary Season with its a?oelosta?? musicals in staged concert series Porchlight Revisits. Porchlight Revisits Call Me Madam, with book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin stars Donica Lynn as the titular socialite presented for three performances Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the next production in its 25th Anniversary season: the New Faces Sing Broadway series. New Faces Sing Broadway 1956, hosted by Angela Ingersoll, directed by Brianna Borger and music directed by Chuck Larkin, returns to Evanston at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and to The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario Street, Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

The Summer Place Theatre Of Naperville is ready to get their Dancing Queen on with their summer production of Mamma Mia. Mamma Mia, with upbeat choreography and direction by Chicagoland's own Samantha Sieghart, is the third and final show of the theatre's island themed season. This production features music direction by Kayla Lollar with assistance by Rex Meyer, sound design by Jeff Sand, lighting design by Samuel Stephen, technical direction by Charles Martin, and costume design by Jane Grebeck.

Fringe Deaths, the new 'noir' play with music chronicling the tragic deaths of four American celebrities written and directed by playwright/journalist Rider McDowell, will begin an open-ended Off-Broadway engagement starting Friday June 28th at St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues in the heart of the Broadway Theatre District). Opening Night is set for Friday July 26th. The performance will run 90 minutes.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce that its final production in the 2018 - 2019 "lost" musicals in staged concert series Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys will now include a special event with Minnie's Boys composer Larry Grossman, "A Conversation with Larry Grossman," Thursday, May 23 at 4:45 p.m. and feature a new song added to this Chicago premiere.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce that its final production in the 2018 - 2019 'lost' musicals in staged concert series Porchlight Revisits MINNIE'S BOYS will now include a special event with MINNIE'S BOYS composer Larry Grossman, 'A Conversation with Larry Grossman,' Thursday, May 23 at 4:45 p.m. and feature a new song added to this Chicago premiere. Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys, book by Groucho Marx's son Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, music by Grossman and lyrics by Hal Hackady with direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik and musical direction by Christie Chiles Twille, is presented for three performances Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Each Porchlight Revisits production begins with the 'Behind the Show Backstory' multimedia presentation, created and hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber, discussing that evening's production including the show's creative history, juicy backstage gossip and much more. Single tickets are $37 for the performance and 'A Conversation with Larry Grossman' is free to the public. Both are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office at 773.777.9884.

Porchlight Music Theatre's final production in its 2018 - 2019 'lost' musicals in staged concert series is Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys,  with book by Groucho Marx's son Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by Hal Hackady with direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik and musical direction by Christie Chiles Twille.  Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys is presented for three performances Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m. and  7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street.

Power of Sail is a cogent and urgent message for our time.

The Q Collective announces the playwrights for its first annual TRANSLUMINATE FESTIVAL. We are pleased to be featuring five works by three St. Louis-based playwrights: Elon Ptah, Charlie Meyers, and John Waller in this year's festival. The Q Collective is also excited to announce that the festival will feature visual arts on display from February 4 through the end of the month with a gallery opening party on February 10 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.

Delaware Theatre Company proudly presents a new adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan by Chelsea Marcantel. This fiercely feminist retelling of a timeless classic runs February 6 24, 2019. Tickets are on sale now starting at $25 and can be purchased online at DelawareTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (302) 594-1100.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," opened its 28th season of adult, alternative musical theatre in October with the critically acclaimed world premiere of THE ZOMBIES OF PENZANCE, Gilbert & Sullivan's comic-horror 'operatic abomination,' in its world premiere, with new text by Scott Miller and music adaptation and orchestration by John Gerdes. And now, the show's script, full piano-vocal score, and a live cast recording are all available on Amazon.com.