2022 – 23 SEASON

RENT

NOW CLOSED!

Music, Lyrics & Book by Jonathan Larson+

Based loosely on Giacomo Puccini’s+ 1896 opera La Bohème

Directed by Adrian Abel Azevedo+

Music Directed by Dr. Michael McBride+

Choreographed by Laura Savage*

Over the last 25 years, this Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical has become a cultural phenomenon with millions of fans around the world. Porchlight’s production celebrates this legacy and adds a new page to the story of a year in the life of a diverse group of artists struggling to survive and create in Lower Manhattan’s East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. In the thriving days of bohemian Alphabet City at the end of the millennium, these friends are determined to follow their dreams without selling out.

Cabaret

January 14 – March 19, 2023

Music by John Kander+

Lyrics by Fred Ebb+

Book by Joe Masteroff+

Based on the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten+ adapted from the 1939 novella Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood+

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber+

Music Directed by Linda Madonia*

Associate Directed & Choreographed by Brenda Didier*

Bold and provocative, this landmark musical  shines a spotlight on Berlin in the late 1920s and the colorful, gritty and hedonistic lives found there. Filled with iconic songs and electrifying dance the story of American writer “Clifford Bradshaw’s” relationship with English cabaret performer “Sally Bowles” as the Nazi party is rising to power is one you’ll never forget. Overseen by an ominous “Emcee” at the fabled Kit Kat Club, Cabaret is a cautionary tale that has renewed resonance in today’s political climate. “Your table’s waiting” for this winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

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CHICAGO PREMIERE!

Ernest Shackleton Loves Me

In association with Skylight Music Theatre

May 6 – June 1, 2023

Music by Brendan Milburn+

Lyrics by Val Vigoda*

Orchestrations and Additional Music by Ryan O’Connell+

Book by Joe DiPietro+

Directed by Michael Unger+

Music Directed by Eric Svejcar+

Ernest Shackleton Loves Me is the critically acclaimed new musical comedy with a tongue-in-cheek script by Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro+ (Diana, Memphis, All Shook Up). In this wildly inventive and romantic adventure, a sleep-deprived single mom who makes her living as a video game music composer is contacted across space and time, via a crossed connection on her cell phone, by the famous early 20th century polar explorer Ernest Shackleton+ while he is stranded on an iceberg in the Antarctic in the early 1900s. Inspired by her music, he shares his epic journey with her and, together, they overcome the odds in a timeless, and very funny, musical romance for the ages. In 2017, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me was named the Best New Musical by the Off Broadway Alliance.

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Pronoun Key: + (he/him/his); * (she/her/hers); ^ (they, them, theirs);  = (any with respect)

Now in its ninth season, Porchlight Revisits shares Broadway and off-Broadway hits and misses, as well as cult classics, performed live in a limited run with the pre-show “Behind the Show Backstory” historical multimedia presentation by Artistic Director Michael Weber+, introducing the evening’s production including the show’s creative history, juicy backstage stories and much more. Chicago’s finest music theatre talents dust off these treasures and escort audiences to the world of Broadway’s past.

Porchlight Revisits The Apple Tree

NOW CLOSED!

Music by Jerry Bock+

Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick+

Book by Bock & Harnick with contributions from
Jerome Coopersmith+

Directed by Frankie Leo Bennett+

Directed & Choreographed by Jamal Howard+ & Laura Savage*

Music Directed by David Fiorello*

The songwriting team behind Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me created this witty, tuneful and charming piece that was Tony nominated for Best Musical. Made up of three musical miniatures, each directed by a different person, Porchlight Revisits The Apple Tree includes “The Diary of Adam and Eve,” a quirky, touching spin on the tale of the world’s first couple, adapted from Mark Twain’s short stories; “The Lady or the Tiger?,” a 1960s rock and roll fable set in a mythical kingdom, which explores the fickleness of love and “Passionella,” based on Jules Feiffer’s offbeat Cinderella-story about a chimney sweep who dreams of being a “glamorous movie star.”

Porchlight Revisits I Am A Camera

NOW CLOSED!

Written by John Van Druten+

Directed by Nate Cohen+

Premiering in 1951 starring Julie Harris as “Sally Bowles,” this special event staged reading is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable play that became the inspiration for the musical Cabaret. Never revived on Broadway and not seen in Chicago in decades, the title is a quotation taken from Christopher Isherwood’s “Goodbye to Berlin’s” first page: “I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.” Before Kander and Ebb. Before Bob Fosse. Before Liza Minnelli. Come see the play that started it all!

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The New Faces Sing Broadway revue series continues! Each edition is hosted by a Chicago celebrity with a cast of up-and-coming talent performing songs from one specific year on Broadway. In addition to the songs, the nights include a sing-along, trivia and more! Check back for more updates.

New Faces Sing Broadway 1951

NOW CLOSED!

Monday, Jan. 23 & Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023

The season kicks off with music and fun from the golden age of Broadway including songs from Guys and Dolls, The King & I, Paint Your Wagon, Where’s Charley and others.

New Faces Sing Broadway 1984

Winter 2023

A celebration of one of the seminal seasons on Broadway highlighting songs from La Cage Aux Folles, Sunday in the Park with George, Baby, The Rink and others.

New Faces Sing Broadway NOW (2023)

Spring 2023

The season concludes with a show dedicated to the hottest shows in Broadway’s current season.

Performance venues for New Faces Sing Broadway will be announced at a later date.