Assassins January 28, 2007

Porchlight Music Theatre, Chicagos inventive musical theatre company, continues its 20062007 season themed around The American ExperienceSet to Music, with Stephen Sondheim and John Weidmans disturbing and alarmingly funny musical, Assassins. The production previews January 20 and runs through March 11 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont. The press opening is January 28 at 2:30pm.

Assassins explores the history and fascination of presidential assassination in America. From John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald to Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and John Hinckley, Jr., this strikingly provocative work looks at the lives, loves and lunacy of nine American assassins. The winner of five 2004 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Assassins gives new meaning to the phrase killer musical.

Through a disjointed series of songs and vignettes, Assassins explores the individual motivations of the nine American assassins, and how the actions of these "historical footnotes" fit into the bigger picture of American identity. Assassins is a thrilling musical featuring a brilliant, melodic score which follows American music throughout the ages, from folk to ragtime to 1970s soft rock.

Assassins features Sara Sevigny as Sara Jane Moore, Brandon Dahlquist as Leon Czolgosz, Daniel Allar as Samuel Byck, Jeremy Rill as John Wilkes Booth, Maggie Portman as Lynette Squeaky Fromme, Kevin Bensley as John Hinckley, Michael Mahler as Balladeer, Bradford Lund as Lee Harvey Oswald, Ben Kickie as Proprietor, Jeremy Trager as Giuseppe Zangara, Steve Best as Charles Guiteau, Andy Robinson as President Gerald Ford, Jarrod Zimmerman as President James Garfield and David Herold, Sam Schumacher as Billy and Elizabeth Tanner as Emma Goldman.

Assassins will be directed by Michael Weber. Rounding out the creative team are Doug Peck (music director), Tammy Mader (choreographer), Kevin Depinet (scenic design) Jessie Klug (lighting design) and Carol J. Blanchard (costume design).

Ticket Information

Porchlight Music Theatre will present Assassins at the Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont (at Racine), from January 20 through March 11. The performance schedule is: Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. and Sunday 2:30 p.m. Tickets, which range in price from $25 to $32, are currently on sale, and can be purchased in person at The Theatre Building Chicago box office (773-327-5252) or any Ticketmaster Ticket Center (312-902-1500), and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Discounted tickets are available for students, seniors and groups. For group tickets, call 312-423-6612.

About Porchlight Music Theatre

Porchlight Music Theatre, originally founded in 1995 as Porchlight Theatre, has made a name for itself by producing engaging musicals with a focus on new works and inventive adaptations. A professional, not-for-profit organization, the company has staged 28 shows including four World Premieres and seven Chicago Premieres. The rapidly growing mid-sized theatre company has received 5 Jeff Awards as well as 13 Jeff Award nominations, 29 Joseph Jefferson Citation nominations, 11 Jeff Citations, and 20 After Dark Awards.

The Porchlight Music Theatre continues with world-premiere vaudeville, The Teapot Scandals opening Feb. 4. The American ExperienceSet to Music Season concludes with a jewel box production of the epic musical Ragtime, opening April 9.

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from: Alaron, William Blair & Company Foundation, City Arts Program 2 Grant/Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Holland & Company CPA, the Illinois Arts Council a state agency, the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and Peoples Energy.


Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of ajaniszewski.