The Marriott Theatre Announces its 2012 Season January 1, 2012

Contact Information: Kate Hughes/Lianne Wiker/Brenna O’Leary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
773.969.5200

Terry James, Executive Producer
Andy Hite, Artistic Director
Aaron Thielen, Artistic Director
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Announcing the Marriott Theatre’s 2012 Season
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The Musical Comedy Hit Legally Blonde

The Comedic Opera The Pirates of Penzance

The World Premiere Musical Hero

The Tony Award-Winning Dreamgirls

And...The Tap Spectacular My One and Only

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Lincolnshire, IL — The Marriott Theatre, Chicago’s longest running musical theatre announces its 2012 season. Kicking off the season will be what TIME MAGAZINE raves as “One ELLE of a good show”, LEGALLY BLONDE, previewing January 18th, opening January 25th, running through April 1st; the swashbuckling comedic opera THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, previewing April 4th, opening April 11th, running through June 10th; the World Premiere of HERO, a quirky new musical by Aaron Thielen and Michael Mahler, previews June 20th, opens June 27th, runs through August 19th; the show stopping, Six time Tony Award-winning DREAMGIRLS previewing August 22nd, opening August 29th, and running through November 4th, and closing out the year with the Tap Spectacular, MY ONE AND ONLY, previewing November 7th, opening November 14th, and running through January 13, 2013.

The hit musical LEGALLY BLONDE, written by Heather Hach with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, jumpstarts the Marriott Theatre’s 2012 Season. The hilarious MGM film is now a smash hit musical! When college sweetheart and sorority queen, Elle Woods, gets dumped by her boyfriend she is determined to get him back. So she grabs her Chihuahua, puts down her credit cards, hits the books and sets out to go where no other Delta Nu has gone before – to join him at Harvard Law School. The verdict is that this much fun should not be legal! From sunny California to the Harvard Halls of Justice this all-singing, all-dancing feel good musical will be the highlight of your year. In addition to the seven Tony Award nominations LEGALLY BLONDE received during its first year on Broadway, the show also was honored with ten 2007 Drama Desk Award Nominations and a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award. LEGALLY BLONDE will be Directed and Choreographed by Marc Robin. Come witness the power of pink.

Stash the gold! Guard the women! Hide the rum! The “Pirates” have arrived! THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE is the fifth collaboration of the renowned Gilbert and Sullivan. The comedic opera officially premiered in New York City December 31, 1879. Over one hundred and thirty years later, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE is still a beloved tale of love, laughter, and loyalty. The story concerns Frederic, who, having completed his apprenticeship to a band of pirates on his 21st birthday, is released from his servitude. Soon after, he meets the fair maiden Mabel, daughter of Major-General Stanley. The two fall instantly in love; but, as always, obstacles threaten to cause trouble for young Frederic. It turns out Frederic was born during the leap year which means even though he is 21 he has only had 5 birthdays, and is in fact indebted to the pirates for 63 more years! Bound by his own sense of duty, Frederic's only solace is that Mabel agrees to wait for him faithfully. THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE is a marauding, swash-buckling tale that will have you crying from laughter.

The Marriott Theatre continues its tradition of producing exciting world premiere musicals with HERO, conceived and written by Aaron Thielen (FOR THE BOYS), with music and lyrics by Chicagoland rising star Michael Mahler. Aspiring comic book artist Hero Batowski lives anything but a superhero’s life – he’s 28 years old, works in his family’s comic book shop, and still lives at home with his dad. A long-ago tragedy left Hero unable to move on with his life. When a series of unexpected events occur, Hero must decide whether he is ready to finally face his fears and get his life on track. This quirky new musical explores those extraordinary moments in an ordinary life as a young man discovers the hero within.

Divas and dreams come to the Marriott Theatre stage with the smash hit musical about the up-and-coming 1960s singing girl group, DREAMGIRLS. With music by Academy Award nominee Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tony and Grammy-winning Tom Eyen, DREAMGIRLS features the unforgettable hits "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going” and "One Night Only". Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, DREAMGIRLS tells of the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. A young, female singing trio from Chicago gets their big break at an amateur competition and begin singing backup vocals for James "Thunder" Early. Things begin to spin out of control when their agent, Curtis Taylor, Jr., makes Deena, and not Effie, the star of what will become known as "The Dreams." Effie must then find the strength within to rise again, just as Deena will later need to master all her fortitude to leave the controlling Curtis and pursue her dreams of acting. The heartbreaks of showbiz, love, and music all collide in this acclaimed musical that will sing and dance its way into your heart. DREAMGIRLS opened on Broadway in 1981 and was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, winning six.

MY ONE AND ONLY is a captivating musical about fame in 1927 America and the unbreakable bonds of true love. Featuring an incomparable score by George and Ira Gershwin and Book by Peter Stone and Timothy S. Mayer, MY ONE AND ONLY is the Jazz Age story of Captain Billy Buck Chandler, a barnstorming aviator, and Edith Herbert, an ex-English Channel swimmer and the star of Prince Nicolai’s International Aquacade. Billy’s plan to be the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean is sidetracked when he falls in love with Edith. Their romantic pursuit is thrown off course by a series of unfortunate mishaps and calculated sabotage attempts, but together they are able to navigate their way to a happy ending. This tap spectacular with legendary songs “’S Wonderful,” “Funny Face,” and “Kickin’ The Clouds Away”, will have audiences floating on air.

For information on becoming a Marriott Theatre Subscriber call the box office at 847-634-0200 and ask to be put on the waiting list to become a new subscriber in 2012. After the theater’s 2011 subscribers renew, the waiting list will be given priority.

The performance schedule for all shows is Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Subscriptions are available for as little as $116 and single ticket prices range from $40.00 to $48.00, excluding tax and handling fees. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings get a three-course meal and a ticket to the show for only $55.00. For Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening dinner reservations in The King's Wharf or Fairfield Inn, please call 847-634-0100. Free parking is available at all performances. To reserve tickets with a major credit card, call the Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or go to Ticketmaster.com. For more information please visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.