William Underwood News

Join us for a fun and folksy holiday dinner-show at Theatre at the Center. Experience 'Christmas From the Farm' with live music, storytelling, and audience participation. Don't miss this nostalgic and heartwarming production. Get your tickets now!

The Jeff Awards has announced the nominees for the 52nd annual awards for theater excellence that include 142 theater artists across 30 artistic and technical categories. The awards will be presented in an online program on Monday, November 9, 2020 at 7:00PM.

The Chicagoland premiere of Almost Heaven: John Denver's America opened Sunday night February 16 to an enthusiastic crowd. Theatre at the Center Artistic Director Linda Fortunato cast Shannon McEldowney, Steven Romero Schaeffer, Andrew Mueller, Sara Geist and Tommy Malouf in the musical revue Almost Heaven: John Denver's America to kick off its 30th Anniversary Season. The cast was joined on stage by musicians William Underwood, Malcolm Ruhl and Alison Tatum. Fortunato is the director and William Underwood is the music director. The now Jeff Recommended production continues through March 22.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas opened Sunday night November 17 to a packed house at Theatre at the Center in Munster.  The cast gave a thrilling performance for an audience that was teeming with the holiday spirit.  Theatre at the Center Artistic Director Linda Fortunato directed and choreographed the show. 

Theatre at the Center's production of The Pajama Game had its opening night performance on Sunday, September 15 at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster.  Artistic Director Linda Fortunato cast Curtis Bannister as Sid, Elizabeth Telford as Babe, Cynthia Carter as Mabel, Kelly Felthous as Gladys, Jason Grimm as Hines, Dan Klarer as Prez, Rick Rapp as Pop and Steve Silver as Mr. Hasler in the musical comedy romance The Pajama Game.

Dames at Sea opened at Theatre at the Center in Munster on Sunday night, May 5. Director and Artistic Director Linda Fortunato cast Kelly Felthous as Ruby, Todd Aulwurm as Dick, Colette Todd as Mona Kent, Sierra Schnack as Joan, Sam Shankman as Lucky, and Steven Strafford as Hennesey and The Captain in the spring musical production.  Dames at Sea and continues through June 2.

Million Dollar Quartet opened Sunday, February 17 at Theatre at the Center in Munster. The show stars Zach Sorrow as Elvis Presley, Michael Kurowski as Jerry Lee Lewis, Tommy Malouf as Johnny Cash, Zachary Stevenson as Carl Perkins, Sean Fortunato as record producer Sam Phillips and Aeriel Williams as singer Dyanne.  Directed by Daryl Brooks, Million Dollar Quartet's cast also includes musicians Michael Sinclair as Jay and Nick Anderson as Fluke.  The show continues its extended run through March 31.  This production is sponsored by Pat Binkley.

Director Linda Fortunato has cast Neil Friedman as Kris Kringle, Stella Rose Hoyt as Susan, Courtney Jones as Doris and Christopher Kale Jones as Fred for Theatre at the Center's Miracle On 34th Street: The Musical. Previews began November 15 with Opening Night on November 18 and a continued run through December 23. This production is sponsored in part by American Community Bank.

Ghost The Musical opened to a full house on Sunday, September 16 for its Opening Night performance. Linda Fortunato directed and choreographed the production which stars Garrett Lutz in the role of ghostly hero Sam, Donica Lynn as psychic Oda Mae and Courtney Mack in the role of Molly Jensen. This is Chicagoland's first regional production of the newly imagined Ghost The Musical. Performances continue through October 14.

Theatre at the Center (TATC) and Director and Choreographer Linda Fortunato have cast Garrett Lutz in the role of ghostly hero Sam, Donica Lynn as psychic Oda Mae and Courtney Mack in the role of Molly Jensen for Chicagoland's first regional production of the newly imagined Ghost The Musical.  Previews begin September 13 with an Opening Night on September 16 and performances continuing through October 14.

Theatre fans and critics were all in attendance for the Opening Night  of Forever Plaid on Sunday, May 6 at Theatre at the Center in Munster.  Matt Edmonds, in the role of Sparky, Adam LaSalle as Francis, Yando Lopez as Jinx and Christopher Ratliff as Smudge star in Theatre at the Center's spring musical. Performances continue through June 3.

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn opened to a packed house at Theatre at the Center on Sunday night. Audience members leapt to their feet at the end of the performance of the now Jeff-Recommended production. Actors James Romney in the role of Huck and Jonathan Butler-Duplessis in the role of Jim lead the cast in the musical that continues through October 15.

Cabaret, one of the great Broadway musicals of all time, opened to a packed house at Theatre at the Center (TATC) in Munster on opening night on May 7. The show continues through June 4. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening festivities below!

Five Chicago actor-musicians made their Theatre at the Center debut in this production. Christine Mild as Rhetta Cupp, Shaun Whitley as Jim, Matt Holzfeind as Jackson, Matt Edmonds as L.M. and Cody Siragusa as Eddie are joined by Veronica Garza, who returns to the TATC stage to play Rhetta's sister Prudie Cupp. Directed by Brian Russell with musical direction by William Underwood, Pump Boys and Dinettes will continue through October 16.  Check out some songs from the show below!

It was a full house on Sunday, September 18, for the opening night of Pump Boys and Dinettes at Theatre at the Center in Munster. The audience was treated to a little slice of Americana with this upbeat roadside musical. Scroll down for photos from the opening night festivities!

Five Chicago actor-musicians make their Theatre at the Center debut in the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes.  Christine Mild as Rhetta Cupp, Shaun Whitley as Jim, Matt Holzfeind as Jackson, Matt Edmonds as L.M. and Cody Siragusa as Eddie are joined by Veronica Garza, who returns to the TATC stage to play Rhetta's sister Prudie Cupp.   The director is Brian Russell and William Underwood is Music Director. 

Five Chicago actor-musicians make their Theatre at the Center debut in the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes.  Christine Mild as Rhetta Cupp, Shaun Whitley as Jim, Matt Holzfeind as Jackson, Matt Edmonds as L.M. and Cody Siragusa as Eddie are joined by Veronica Garza, who returns to the TATC stage to play Rhetta's sister Prudie Cupp.   The director is Brian Russell and William Underwood is Music Director. 

Theatre at the Center is announcing its first season under the leadership of new Artistic Director Linda Fortunato.   Theatre at the Center's 2017 season is comprised of a variety of works ranging from Broadway musicals to a Chicagoland premiere play and a holiday classic.  The season opens with My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, followed by Kander and Ebb's Tony Award winning Cabaret.  Next will be the Chicagoland premiere of The Tin Woman by Sean Grennan, then Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and closing the season is A Wonderful Life: The Musical.  Jeff award-winner Fortunato will direct three of the five productions.   William Underwood will serve as music director for the season.

As yet another sign of the Chicago area's dominance in the world of the American musical theater, I need only point to the fact that it is undoubtedly the only market that has hosted three different productions of the Andrew Lippa musical "Big Fish," at three different tiers of the industry and three different geographical locations.

The deeply moving, enchanting new Broadway musical for all ages BIG FISH continues Theatre at the Center's exceptional 25th anniversary 2015 season. With a book by John August and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, BIG FISH is based on the Columbia Pictures film screenplay of the same name by John August and Daniel Wallace's 1998 novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythical Proportions. Artistic Director and multiple Jeff Award-winner William Pullinsi lends his expertise in the first professional locally-produced staging of the beloved musical running now through June 7th at 1040 Ridge Road in Munster. The show opened yesterday, May 10, and BroadwayWorld has photos from the festivities below!