The producers of CHILDREN OF EDEN IN CONCERT are thrilled to announce that Grammy Award Winning Artist, MICHELLE WILLIAMS, will lead Chicago’s limited premiere engagement of this staged concert presentation! Joining her are previously announced Children of Eden co-stars, Grammy winner DAVID PHELPS, internet singing sensation SAM TSUI, multi-award-winner KORYN HAWTHORNE, and Broadway veteran RANDAL KEITH. Ticket information is below.
MICHELLE WILLIAMS is a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, author, actress, mental health advocate, entrepreneur, designer, television host, and member of one of the most successful recording groups of all time, Destiny’s Child. In 2018, Williams reunited with Beyonce Knowles-Carter and Kelly Rowland for a long-awaited Destiny’s Child reunion performance during both weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She has also recorded four critically-acclaimed albums as a solo artist, including Journey to Freedom, whose song “Say Yes” was certified Gold. In 2019, after making it to the semi-final round, Michelle was revealed as “Butterfly” on the #1 rated FOX television show, The Masked Singer!
In 2021, Michelle launched her first podcast, “Checking In”, in partnership with iHeartRadio. On the weekly podcast, Michelle and her friends reveal their intimate experiences with depression, anxiety, and their mental health journeys. She also released her first book, “Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life---and Can Save Yours”, which discusses her opening up about her life in the public eye and her ongoing battle and victory over depression. The same year, she starred in Hallmark's holiday-themed TV movie, Christmas in Harmony, and sang the National Anthem at the NFL Kickoff game!
This year, she released a journal called “The Daily Check-In: A 60-Day Journey to Finding Your Strength, Faith, and Wholeness!” In her sixty-day guided journal, Williams leads readers through the process of identifying the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that leave them feeling overwhelmed, unfulfilled, and alone. Through her unique blend of tender, sometimes humorous, and often thought-provoking wisdom, Williams shows readers how to overcome difficult circumstances and relationships with life-giving honesty and connection. She was also revealed as “Rockhopper” on the semi-final round of the UK version of The Masked Singer. This makes her the first contestant ever on the Masked Singer to be a semi-finalist on both the US and UK versions. She also went to Australia to compete on their version of the Masked Singer as a wildcard contestant and was revealed as “Microphone”. Microphone is the highest placing wildcard contestant on the Australian version of the show! Michelle also starred in a Lifetime original film, “Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story”. Michelle is a highly well-rounded individual who continues to pave the way for all!
RANDAL KEITH is best known as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. He appeared in Les Mis for nearly 3,000 performances on Broadway and the National Tour, as well as in Canada, China, and South Korea. Randal was awarded an Ovation award for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in Les Miserables. He is also one of the few to have played four separate principal roles with The Phantom of the Opera, playing the Phantom in the First National Tour, as well as Raoul, Monsieur Andre, and Piagni during his six years on tour and three years in Vegas. He relocated to Las Vegas to open the Vegas production of Spamalot as Sir Bedevere and eventually took over the role of King Arthur. Randal starred in Steve Wynn's Showstoppers at the Wynn Casino for two years and could be seen as part of BAZ, Star-Crossed Love at the Palazzo, Marilyn the New Musical at the Paris Theater, and Cocktail Cabaret at Caesar's Palace. Randal has performed across the country, singing in concert with symphony orchestras and his solo shows. Most recently, Randal has appeared in Frank Wildhorn's The Count of Monte Christo and a new version of Frank Wildhorn's Wonderland, both at the Tuacahn Center of the Arts. While at Tuacahn, Randal has also appeared as Daddy Warbucks in Annie and George Banks in Mary Poppins. Randal's first CD, Life Has Been Good to Me, is available through iTunes and CD Baby.
KORYN MATTANAH HAWTHORNE is an American gospel singer and actress. Hawthorne was a finalist in season 8 of NBC’s singing competition, The Voice, at the age of 17. After the show, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings. Her debut studio album, Unstoppable, was released and earned multiple awards nominations. Hawthorne then went on to start an acting career, previously appearing on OWN’s “Greenleaf” and BET’s “Kingdom business”. Hawthorne is set to star in the upcoming 2023 Universal Pictures’ “Praise This”.
DAVID PHELPS (Adam/Noah) is credited among today’s most spectacular voices. His seemingly endless vocal range, which extends more than three octaves, coupled with his gift for communicating a song, has brought the house down in the world’s most prestigious venues. For nearly 20 years, David served as a member of the popular and prestigious Gaither Vocal Band, and during that time received numerous Dove Awards, Grammy Awards, and multiple platinum-selling recording projects.—As a solo artist, he received 2009 Dove Award nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year and Long Form Video for the Christmas DVD, O Holy Night to add to his many awards and honors. Since 2012, David has topped the Billboard charts time and time again with releases like the 2012 live DVD Classic (#1), the 2015 live DVD Freedom (#1), the 2017 live DVD The Best Of David Phelps (#1 topping such popular video releases as The Beatles’ Eight Days A Week) and most recently the 2018 live DVD It Must Be Christmas (#2). The various recordings have been featured on numerous television networks, including the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), and have received acclaim in both secular and gospel music genres. In 2017, David released Hymnal: A Journey Of Faith Through Hymns. Throughout the recording, David lends his artistry to some of the most treasured hymns of the church. The recording showcases masterful vocals and lush arrangements as each song takes the listener on a journey of inspiration and worship in music. A companion live DVD followed the CD in 2019. This television release breathes new life into these long-beloved songs and includes 3 exclusive songs not previously released by Phelps.
SAM TSUI (Cain/Japheth) is an independent artist, singer, songwriter, and content creator. Sam has been hailed as an internet singing sensation and was among the first musicians to establish a popular music channel on YouTube. Tsui has created and grown a combined social following of over 5 million loyal fans, who call themselves the #Samily. To date, his videos, including covers, medleys, mashups, and originals, have amassed hundreds of millions of views on YouTube alone, with nearly 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. At the end of 2019, he completed a 10-city tour of Southeast Asia and China and spent 2020 producing and releasing a full studio album month by month called “Yearbook”. Sam has starred in and created music for campaigns with brands including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Mars, IKEA, and more. Passionate about increasing the visibility of underrepresented groups in media (especially pop music), Sam is proud to be an artist who can represent both the Asian-American and LGBTQ communities and frequently collaborates with his husband, Casey Breves.
ENSEMBLE includes Abbey Loria (Aphra/Aysha Understudy), Adia Bell, Ariana Burks, Caitlin Dobbins, Dana Norris, Darian Goulding (Seth/Shem, Abel/Ham Understudy), DeAndre Simmons (Father Understudy), Dominic Rescigno, Donica Lynn (Aphra, Eve/Mama Understudy), Emily Holland, Haley Gustafson, Ivory Leonard, Kevin Kuska (Seth/Shem Understudy), Luke Cloherty, Luke Halpern, Luke Nowakowski, Marina Magnelli, Natalie Stahl, Natalie Welch, Nick Schrier, Rachel Thomas, Rhealee Fernandez (Aysha, Yonah Understudy), Shea Hopkins (Cain/Japheth Understudy), and Wesly Anthony Clergé (Adam/Noah Understudy).
CHILDREN OF EDEN is a musical freely based on the book of Genesis, with book and score respectively by JOHN CAIRD and STEPHEN SCHWARTZ. The concert presentation will take place ahead of a full-scaled Broadway-aimed production due to mount fall next year. The staged concert presentation will be led by Kyle Hass (Artistic Producer), Derek Van Barham (Director), and Nicholas Ranauro (Choreographer). The event will be produced through a special arrangement between the Chicagoland Theatre Fund and Onesti Entertainment.
For more information about Children of Eden at www.childrenofedenthemusical.com
Follow Children of Eden: Facebook @childrenofeden-musical ● Instagram @childrenofedenmusical
TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets are now on sale with prices ranging from $45-$95, with a select number of premium seats available for all performances. Current Broadway In Chicago subscribers can add the show to their packages by calling 312-977-1717. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more details, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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