Chicago, IL – Court Theatre proudly announces its 63rd season under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert. The company’s 2017/18 season will feature the lively musical tribute to the hit songs of saxophonist and songwriter Louis Jordan, Five Guys Named Moe, written by Clarke Peters and directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson and Associate Director Felicia P. Fields; an exploration of the complex life of Emily Dickinson with The Belle of Amherst, written by William Luce, directed by Sean Graney and featuring Kate Fry; an electrifying story of love and family with Arthur Miller’s American masterpiece All My Sons, directed by Charles Newell and featuring Timothy Edward Kane and John Judd; the classic family drama Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, by Todd Kreidler, based on the screenplay by William Rose, directed by Marti Lyons and featuring Jacqueline Williams; and the Chicago Premiere of the story of remarkable Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia with The Originalist, written by John Strand.
In addition to the mainstage season, Court’s 2014 production of Iphigenia in Aulis will be remounted in California at the invitation of the prestigious Getty Villa. This is the highest achievement for theatres producing Greek or Roman work. Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, returns to direct the script translated by Court’s Founding Artistic Director Nicholas Rudall, featuring members of the original cast.
“From a celebratory musical to a leading American poet, from Arthur Miller’s tragedy of the common man to a stage adaptation of an iconic film and a portrait of a notorious figure in American jurisprudence, Court Theatre welcomes an eclectic and powerful season,” says Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director. “We are thrilled to invite a range of celebrated artists from Chicago and beyond to bring these stories to life for our audiences. It is also a distinct honor to bring our production of Iphigenia in Aulis to the leading American presenter of Classical Greek Theatre as the Getty Villa offers an incomparable setting for the study and enjoyment of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Roma, and Etruria.”
Five Guys Named Moe
September 7 – October 8, 2017
A Musical by Clarke Peters
Directed by Ron OJ Parson and Associate Director Felicia P. Fields
Music Direction by Abdul Hamid Royal
Featuring Louis Jordan’s Greatest Hits
A lively musical tribute to the hit songs of saxophonist and songwriter Louis Jordan, Five Guys Named Moe introduces Nomax: a broke, newly single guy singing the blues late into the night. Suddenly, five unexpected friends–Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe–emerge from his radio to help ease his broken heart. Pioneering musician Louis Jordan’s new approach to jazz paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s.
Subscription Information
Five, four, and three play subscriptions to Court’s 2017/18 season range from $96 to $300 and are on sale now. To purchase a subscription or to receive more information, call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court’s website at www.CourtTheatre.org. Individual tickets for all shows will be available on August 1st.
Court Theatre is guided by its mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Court revives lost masterpieces, illuminates familiar texts, and distinguishes fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.
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