Walter Stearns News

Porchlight Music Theatre, Chicago's musical theatre leader, celebrates the company's 15th Anniversary with an updated version of one of the most popular hits in the company's history, Macabaret.

Porchlight Music Theatre, Chicago's musical theatre leader, celebrates the company's 15th Anniversary with an updated version of one of the most popular hits in the company's history, Macabaret. The production, with music and lyrics by Robert Hartmann and Scott Keys, runs for two weekends only -Thursday, October 22 through November 1, 2009, at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.

Porchlight Music Theatre, Chicago's musical theatre leader, celebrates the company's 15th Anniversary with an updated version of one of the most popular hits in the company's history, Macabaret.

Porchlight Music Theatre, Chicago's musical theatre leader, celebrates the company's 15th Anniversary with an updated version of one of the most popular hits in the company's history, Macabaret. The production, with music and lyrics by Robert Hartmann and Scott Keys, runs for two weekends only -Thursday, October 22 through November 1, 2009, at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.

Porchlight Music Theatre will open its 15th Anniversary 2009-2010 season with the romantic comedy classic The Fantasticks at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont.

Porchlight Music Theatre will open its 15th Anniversary 2009-2010 season with the romantic comedy classic The Fantasticks at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. The production begins previews September 11, opens September 13 at 2:30 p.m. and runs through November 15, 2009. Sean Kelly directs the musical, which has been a worldwide phenomenon for almost 50 years.

Porchlight Music Theatre will open its 15th Anniversary 2009-2010 season with the romantic comedy classic The Fantasticks at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. The production begins previews September 11, opens September 13 at 2:30 p.m. and runs through November 15, 2009. Sean Kelly directs the musical, which has been a worldwide phenomenon for almost 50 years.

Porchlight Music Theatre will end its 2008-2009 season, Musical Journeys-A Season of Musical Destinations, with the exhilarating Broadway musical Once On This Island at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. The production begins previews May 9 with a Press Opening on May 11 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through June 28, 2009.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009. A ground-breaking musical, Pacific Overtures examines the transformation of Japan beginning when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry brought four black ships into 'a land of changeless order.' Many of the events and characters portrayed in the show- Japan's self-imposed isolation from the world, the fisherman Manjiro, the Tokugawa shogunate, the Meiji revolution and its consequences - are as familiar to an Japanese schoolchild as George Washington and the Revolutionary war are to Americans. This rarely produced show mixes elements of traditional Japanese theatre with the Broadway musical. The original 1976 production was nominated for a whopping ten Tony Awards including best musical, book and score.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through May 2, 2009. A ground-breaking musical, Pacific Overtures examines the transformation of Japan beginning when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry brought four black ships into 'a land of changeless order.' Many of the events and characters portrayed in the show- Japan's self-imposed isolation from the world, the fisherman Manjiro, the Tokugawa shogunate, the Meiji revolution and its consequences - are as familiar to an Japanese schoolchild as George Washington and the Revolutionary war are to Americans. This rarely produced show mixes elements of traditional Japanese theatre with the Broadway musical. The original 1976 production was nominated for a whopping ten Tony Awards including best musical, book and score.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the exotic musical Pacific Overtures at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. This touching and witty musical tells the story of the painful westernization of Japan through the eyes of two friends. Pacific Overtures begins previews on March 15 with a Press Opening on March 18 at 7:30pm and runs through May 2, 2009. A ground-breaking musical, Pacific Overtures examines the transformation of Japan beginning when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry brought four black ships into 'a land of changeless order.' Many of the events and characters portrayed in the show- Japan's self-imposed isolation from the world, the fisherman Manjiro, the Tokugawa shogunate, the Meiji revolution and its consequences - are as familiar to an Japanese schoolchild as George Washington and the Revolutionary war are to Americans. This rarely produced show mixes elements of traditional Japanese theatre with the Broadway musical. The original 1976 production was nominated for a whopping ten Tony Awards including best musical, book and score. With a book by John Weidman (Assassins), Pacific Overtures features music and lyrics by Broadway legend, Stephen Sondheim. Many of the songs in the show rank among the most admired compositions in Broadway history. Sondheim himself recognizes 'Someone in a Tree' and 'A Bowler Hat' as personal favorites.

Porchlight Music Theatre, Chicago's most awarded musical theatre invites guests to enjoy their first annual Holiday Sing Along Monday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, Chicago. Porchlight Music Theatre's award winning actors will sing popular holiday songs and invite guests to join in the fun.

Theatergoers will receive $10 off tickets to the Halloween performance of Porchlight Music Theatre's hit musical comedy Candide at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, October 31. The witty operetta, based on the 1759 French masterpiece by Voltaire, is running through November 2 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont. For reservations call 773.325.9884.

Featuring a legendary score by Leonard Bernstein, Candide has become a beloved musical with a huge cult-like following of admirers. Part sophisticated operetta, part wacky screwball comedy with shades of Monty Python, this funny, irreverent satire is the perfect musical expression of Voltaire's tongue-in-cheek send-up of optimistic philosophies.

For the zippiest and most whimsical performance on the boards in Chicago this fall, look no further that the under-two-hours, no intermission production of the legendary 'Candide,' produced by Porchlight Music Theatre at Lakeview's Theatre Building Chicago.