Cole Porter Festival
Porchlight shares the current schedule for Chicago’s Cole Porter Festival – A Celebration of the Man and his Music, October 2023 – March 2024, a multi-participant festival featuring a 90th anniversary production of Porter’s crown jewel musical comedy classic, Anything Goes, January 13 – March 10, 2024 at the Ruth Page Center.
WPMT presents Anything Goes
Monday, Oct. 16 at 12 p.m. CDT
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Porchlight’s popular digital series WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood shares an encore performance of Anything Goes, which was originally presented on “The Railroad Hour” October 11, 1948, with songs by Cole Porter and book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, starring (from the original Broadway company) Victor Moore as “Moonface” with Margaret Whiting as “Reno Sweeney” and Gordon MacRae as “Billy Crocker.”
WPMT presents Around the World (in 80 Days)
Monday, Oct. 23 at 12 p.m. CDT
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Porchlight’s popular digital series WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood shares an encore performance of Around the World (in 80 Days,) which was originally presented on “The Mercury Summer Theatre of the Air” June 7, 1946, with songs by Cole Porter and book by Orson Welles, starring the original Broadway company. Our special guest is Ray Kelly, administrator of Wellesnet, widely regarded as the leading online source of information about the life, career and work of Orson Welles.
Hollywood 360’s Cole Porter Remembered
Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m. on WIND AM 560
Hollywood 360 is a five-hour, nationally syndicated radio show that airs live from Chicago on WIND AM 560, Saturday evenings beginning at 8 p.m. The Saturday, Nov. 11 broadcast of Hollywood 360 commemorates the 60th anniversary of Cole Porter’s passing. Hosts Lisa Wolf and Carl Amari will pay tribute to Porter with special segments at the top of each hour including “Movie Jeopardy,” “Beat the Host,” “Name That Tune” and “Real or Ridiculous, Cole Porter Edition.”
WPMT presents Kiss Me Kate
Monday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Porchlight’s popular digital series WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood shares a new edition of Kiss Me Kate from a 1949 broadcast with Cole Porter songs including “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “So in Love” and “Wunderbar!” and features a conversation with special guest Johanna McKenzie Miller, Jeff Award-nominated actor, and director of the Kiss Me, Kate at The Marriott Theatre.
Anything Goes Behind the Show Backstory and Performance Preview
Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. CST
Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street
Available now on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Artistic Director Michael Weber’s Behind the Show Backstories have become legendary among Porchlight audiences. For this edition, Weber gives an entertaining and informative multimedia presentation on Anything Goes introducing the show’s creative history, juicy backstage stories and included in this presentation is a sneak peek of Porchlight’s winter production of Anything Goes.
Porchlight Young Professional’s Broadway Open Mic
Friday, Nov. 17 at 8 – 11 p.m.
The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N. Clark St.
The Porchlight Young Professionals host a night of karaoke with Producing Artistic Associate Frankie Leo Bennett and accompanist Alex Newkirk at Andersonville’s The Understudy. Guests may perform their favorite Cole Porter song or tunes from other Broadway luminaries at this fundraising event with complimentary drinks and snacks.
Cole Porter in Hollywood hosted by Michael Weber presents Born to Dance
Monday, Nov. 27 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A six-part series of short, informative videos hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber highlighting movies that were penned by Porter or were about the famous composer continues with a second video highlighting “Born to Dance” (1936) starring Eleanor Powell, James Stewart and Virginia Bruce with an original score composed by Porter.
Charles Troy: Porter vs. Sondheim
Monday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. CST
Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street
Pay What You Can – Suggested Ticket Price is $15 – Reservations Required
Cole Porter was the greatest composer/lyricist to devote himself to Broadway in the first half of the 20th century and Stephen Sondheim was the greatest of the last half. In this compare-and-contrast multimedia production, Charles Troy examines similar-themed songs of both geniuses in this one-hour presentation.
Cole Porter in Hollywood hosted by Michael Weber presents The Pirate
Monday, Dec. 18 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A six-part series of short, informative videos hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber highlighting movies that were penned by Porter or were about the famous composer continues with “The Pirate” (1948) starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly with an original score composed by Porter, based on the 1942 Broadway play by S. N. Behrman, which starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Cole Porter Roundtable: Cole Porter as a Gay Icon
Monday, January 8 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A virtual roundtable discussion with notable Cole Porter fans, colleagues and experts discussing Porter as a gay artist working in the 1920s-50s, hosted by Producing Artistic Associate Frankie Leo Bennett.
Anything Goes
January 13 – March 10
Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Ave.
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton
and Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
New Book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman
Directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber
Choreographed by Tammy Mader
Music Directed by Nick Sula
Starring Meghan Murphy as “Reno Sweeney”
Previews: January 13, January 14, January 17 and January 18
Performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:30PM, Thursdays at 7:30PM, Fridays at 7:30PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 7:30PM, Sundays at 2PM
Chicago will get a kick out of this 90th anniversary production of Cole Porter’s smash-hit musical comedy, Anything Goes starring the Chicago-based international sensation Meghan Murphy as “Reno Sweeney.” Launching Porchlight’s 29th season, this legendary toe-tapping voyage across the Atlantic is filled with laughs, romance, intrigue and, of course, lots of tap dancing in this farcical and merry musical classic. Porter’s iconic score includes a shipload of tunes that built the Great American Songbook including “Anything Goes,” “Friendship,” “You’re the Top” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
Complementing the Anything Goes run, Porchlight is scheduled to host additional post show discussions as well as other appearances of the cast, to be announced.
Kokandy Productions’ January Book Club
January 31, 2024
The Understudy Coffee & Books, 5531 N Clark St.
$15 or Pay-What-You-Can
KokandyProductions.com
Kokandy Productions starts the new year with their January Book Club meeting in Andersonville focusing on Cole Porter. This ongoing series takes a known play, person or theme and explores it through musical performance. More information may be found here.
Cole Porter in Hollywood hosted by Michael Weber presents High Society
Monday, Jan. 22 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A six-part series of short, informative videos hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber highlighting movies that were penned by Porter or were about the famous composer continues with “High Society” (1956) starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong based on the 1939 Broadway play “The Philadelphia Story” by Philip Barry with a (mostly) original score composed by Porter.
WPMT Presents High Society/The Philadelphia Story
Monday, Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
“The Philadelphia Story” stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Lt. James Stewart, Ruth Hussey and Virginia Weidler in the 1942 Lux Radio Theatre production and we’ll be peppering in some music from the original Broadway company of its musical version, “High Society!”
Cole Porter in Hollywood hosted by Michael Weber presents Les Girls
Monday, Feb. 5 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A six-part series of short, informative videos hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber highlighting movies that were penned by Porter or were about the famous composer continues with “Les Girls” (1957) starring Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall and Taina Elg – the last movie Porter worked on.
Cole Porter in Hollywood hosted by Michael Weber presents Silk Stockings
Monday, Feb. 19 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A six-part series of short, informative videos hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber highlightings movies that were penned by Porter or were about the famous composer continues with “Silk Stockings” (1957) starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse based on the 1955 stage musical of the same name, which had been adapted from the 1939 film “Ninotchka.”
WPMT Presents Silk Stockings
Monday, Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Privyet! and Bon Jour! Today’s encore WPMT presentation is a celebration of Cole Porter’s hit musical Silk Stockings, which was inspired by the movie classic Ninotchka. Our program stars Rosallind Russel and Spencer Tracy in the roles created on film by Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas as heard in the 1940 Screen Guild Theatre broadcast.
Cole Porter in Hollywood hosted by Michael Weber presents Can-Can
Monday, March 4 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
A six-part series of short, informative videos hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber highlighting movies that were penned by Porter or were about the famous composer continues with “Can-Can” (1960) starring Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan and Juliet Prowse in a film adaptation of Porter’s 1953 Broadway musical.
WDCB Night at The Jazz Showcase
Christy Bennett Quartet Celebrates Cole Porter!
WDCB Night at The Jazz ShowcaseWednesday, March 6 from 8 – 11 p.m.
The Jazz Showcase, 806 S Plymouth Ct.
Free
The March WDCB Night stars the Christy Bennett Quartet with Mike Allemana, guitar; Ethan Philion, bass and Neil Hemphill, drums, celebrating the music of Cole Porter. The ensemble will perform Cole Porter’s music, chronologically, through his career to tell his life story.
WPMT Presents Jubilee
Monday, March 11 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Prepare yourself for a royal, romantic romp from Cole Porter and Moss Hart with today’s encoure WPMT presentation of Jubilee! Based on the Broadway hit, Dorothy Kirsten, Janet Waldo and Gordon MacRae star in this broadcast from the 1951 Railroad Hour broadcast.
WPMT Presents Let’s Face It!
Monday, March 18 at 12 p.m. CST
Virtual/Free on Porchlight’s YouTube channel
Tune in for the encore presentation of WPMT’s Let’s Face It! with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, as it premiered on the Screen Guild Theatre, December 27, 1943. Perhaps you will recognize “Ace in the Hole,” one of the musical’s hit songs and one of Porter’s most popular compositions.
Chicago Cabaret Professionals presents Let’s Misbehave – The Wit and Genius of Cole Porter
Monday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. CST
Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave.
Chicago Cabaret Professionals’ new “Musical Monday” season kicks off with Let’s Misbehave – The Wit and Genius of Cole Porter. directed by Joan Cuatro and music directed by Beckie Menzie.
