Chicago – A Miracle is coming to Chicago. Inspired by Chicago’s beloved 2016 World Series Champions the Chicago Cubs, MIRACLE, makes its thrilling World Premiere at the Royal George Theatre (1641 N Halsted St) with previews May 8. With a book by Jason Brett (co-founder of the Apollo Theater and co-producer of About Last Night), and music and lyrics by Jeff Award-winner Michael Mahler (Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Jeff award nominated Road Show; Drury Lane Theatre: Hot Mikado; American Blues Theater: Jeff Award Recipient Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story), this heartwarming musical is directed by Damon Kiely (World Premiere: Thieves Like Us; American Blues Theatre: Jeff Award nominated Hank Williams: Lost Highway; American Theater Company: Jeff Award nominated Oklahoma!) and produced by William Marovitz and Arny Granat (Co-founder of Jam Productions and Jam Theatricals, and CEO of Grand Slam Productions.)
Set against the backdrop of the Chicago Cubs 2016 Championship season, MIRACLE tells the story of a typical blue collar Chicago family and what it means to have faith and lose it and try to regain it again. The story chronicles the Delaney family, a tough North Side clan whose lives have been intrinsically linked to the Cubbies for generations. Each member of the family has their own story built around the dynamics of their lives and their love of the Cubs. Whether it’s Pops Delaney, who struggles to resolve his conflicts with his son, Charlie, or Charlie’s struggle to keep the family business afloat while trying to be a good husband and attentive Dad, or his 11-year-old daughter Dani, who is totally enamored with the boys in blue and every one of their statistics. Mom, as is frequently the case, is the glue that holds the whole family together.
“The Chicago Cubs have had a memorable impact on millions of not only Chicagoans, but people around the world,” says creator and producer William Marovitz. “This story is more than just baseball, it is about the intrinsic value of believing and how having a little faith can take you somewhere where you never imagined. For the Cubs, it was finally winning the series after 108 years, but for the fans, it was so much more. With this musical, we celebrate the highs and lows of life directly paralleled with the Cubs winning the World Series, and how believing in a miracle can get you further than you ever imagined.”
Performance schedule for MIRACLE is Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays at 2pm and 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the box office at 312.988.9000.
WILLIAM MAROVITZ (LEAD Producer, Concept Originator) was a State Senator in the Illinois Legislator. He spent 18 years in the Illinois General Assembly, receiving many Best Legislator Awards and sponsoring many landmark pieces of legislation. In 1987/88, as the State Senator representing the Wrigleyville community, Marovitz worked with Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs and the surrounding neighbors to forge a compromise that allowed for the installation of lights at Wrigley Field (8/8/88). Following his tenure in the Senate, he developed many buildings in Chicago’s River North area, some of which included 60 story residential high-rises. He is currently co-developing a new high-rise project in the hot Fulton Market Corridor. The project is called the City Tech Center. Marovitz is involved with many restaurants both in and out of Chicago, including his ownership of Carnivale Restaurant in the Fulton Market Corridor. He has been an investor in several Broadway shows, including Tony Award winners Spambot, Glengarry Glen Ross, and All the Way.
ARNY GRANAT (Co-Producer) is a full-time producer/promoter from Chicago focusing on traveling exhibits, concerts and events. Over the last 45 years he has been a partner of Jam Productions, Ltd, Jam Theatricals, Outback Concerts, Grand Slam Productions and a producer of many other events and tours. Among Granat’s many achievements in the music industry is being named Pollstar’s Talent Buyer of the Year and Performance Magazine Readers Poll Promoter of the Year. Granat has also won 10 Tony Awards as a producer on Broadway with Jam Theatricals.”
DAMON KIELY (Director) is the Chair of Performance at DePaul’s Theatre School and the author of How to Read a Play: Text Analysis for Directors (Routledge 2016). His production of HANK WILLIAMS: LOST HIGHWAY won the Jeff Award for Best Musical Production Midsized. He recently directed Robert O’Hara’s Barbecue at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Space and Boyfor TimeLine Theatre. From 2002 through 2007 he served as Artistic Director for American Theatre Company and has directed for American Blues, Strawdog, Route 66, A Red Orchid, Next and many others. His original plays Thieves Like us and The Revelwere produced by The House Theatre of Chicago.
MICHAEL MAHLER (Composer & Lyricist) (ASCAP) is the Jeff award-winning composer/lyricist of October Sky, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Something in the Game, Hero, The Man who Murdered Sherlock Holmes, Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure, How Can You Run with a Shell on your Back, and others. He contributed additional lyrics to Cameron Mackintosh’s Tony-nominated Broadway revival of Miss Saigon and served as original English lyricist for Boublil & Schönberg’s La Revolution Française. Projects in development include The Secret of My Success for Universal Theatricals, Jonestown, and Gravedigger’s Hamlet. Visit www.michaelmahler.com
JASON BRETT (Writer) is the co-founder of Chicago’s famed Apollo Theater, where he produced dozens of plays and musicals featuring John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Laurie Metcalfe, William Peterson, Megan Mullally, James Belushi and Lily Tomlin. In film, Mr. Brett produced the romantic comedy hit, “About Last Night…”. He has written films for Universal, Sony, Tri-Star, and 20th Century Fox. In television, Mr. Brett has created and written more than thirty TV shows. As an entertainment industry executive, he headed the scripted TV division of Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, was president of Second City Entertainment and oversaw the comedy unit of AOL.
JULIAN FRAZIN (Originally Conceived by) was principal writer, lyricist and producer of the Chicago Bar Association’s famed “Christmas Spirits” gridiron shows for more than 50 years. His musical “Lords of the Levee” written with Alan Barcus and Rick Kogan, was named one the year’s top five entertainment events by the South Bend Tribune. Julian collaborated with jazz greats Larry Novak, Ed Tossing and Bobby Schiff on songs recorded by Dennis DeYoung, Ron Hawking, Alma Balier and Lucy Reed. A retired Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, he has been theater critic for Chicago’s Law Bulletin Publishing for the past 30 years.
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