Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s Artistic Director Fred Anzevino (He/Him) today announced dates and a full lineup of titles for the company’s 2021-22 season. Anzevino will direct the opening production, Jason Robert Brown’s SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD - a song cycle which takes us into the minds and hearts of people facing a variety of crises and potentially life-altering choices. Anzevino says, “It's an ideal piece to be presenting as we move forward into a world of reconciliation and healing.” With a rousing score that blends elements of pop, gospel, and jazz, SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD transports its audience from the deck of a Spanish sailing ship bound for a new land, to the ledge of a New York penthouse. Audiences will hear from a young man in the Bronx who dreams of becoming a famous basketball player, to a forlorn and neglected Mrs. Claus lamenting as Christmas approaches, and many others. SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD will open to the press on Monday, September 27 at 7:30 pm, following previews from September 24-26. It will play through October 24, 2021. All performances for the season will be at the company’s home, the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston.
Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
The SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD cast of four was also announced. It includes Averis I. Anderson (He/Him, Jeff Award-nominated for Theo Ubique’s AN ANTHONY NEWLEY AND LESLIE BRICUSSE SONGBOOK), Emily Goldberg (She/Her, four-time Jeff nominee, most recently for Porchlight Music Theatre’s A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER), Matthew Hunter (He/Him, Porchlight’s DREAMGIRLS and Black Ensemble Theatre’s MEN OF SOUL), and Nora Navarro (She/Her, Theo Ubique’s HELLO AGAIN and TIME AFTER TIME). Cathy Reyes McNamara (She/Her) will understudy the women’s roles and will perform in the roles played by Emily Goldberg on October 7 and 8. Eustace J. Williams will understudy the men’s roles. Resident Music Director Jeremy Ramey (He/Him) will be music director and Jamal Howard (He/Him, Director/Choreographer of Emerald City’s THE MAGIC TREEHOUSE: SHOWTIME WITH SHAKESPEARE) will be Choreographer and Associate Director. The production team also includes James Kolditz (He/Him, Production Designer), Steph Taylor (She/Her, Costume Designer), Piper Kirchhofer (she/her, Asst. Lighting Designer), Nicholas Reinhart (He/Him, Production Manager), Abby Truett (She/Her, Stage Manager), and Christopher Pazdernik (Any, Managing Director and Casting Director).
Upper Row L-R: Averis I. Anderson, Emily Goldberg, Matthew Hunter.
Lower Row L-R: Nora Navarro, Cathy Reyes McNamara, Eustace J. Williams.
Howard will direct and choreograph the company’s show for the holiday season, 8-TRACK – a revue of hit songs from the 1970s, including the music of The Emotions, The Carpenters, Labelle, Barry Manilow, Marvin Gaye, The Doobie Brothers, The Bee Gees, Helen Reddy, KC and the Sunshine Band, and more! 8-TRACK was devised by Rick Seeber, creator of the 1960’s revue BEEHIVE. 8-TRACK premiered at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 2001 and has enjoyed long runs at Detroit’s Century Theater and St. Paul’s Ordway Center and has been a hit in regional theaters across the country. Jeremy Ramey will be music director. With a score that ranges from soft pop/rock to R&B and soul, 8-TRACK reflects the social consciousness of the 1970s in songs like Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” as well as its the party spirit in K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight.” 8-TRACK will open to the press on Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 7 pm and Monday, December 13, 2021 at 7:30 pm, following previews from December 3, and will run through January 23, 2022.
The third production will be the Chicago premiere of the Off-Broadway hit, WHO'S YOUR BAGHDADDY, OR HOW I STARTED THE IRAQ WAR. This satirical musical, based on true events, follows C.I.A. agents, an asylum-seeking Iraqi informant with the code name “Curveball,” and a weapons inspector, as they bungle their way into a deadly war. A NEW YORK TIMES “Critic’s Pick,” that newspaper called it “An important, cunning, rock-solid musical comedy with a terrible title.” As unsettling as it is funny, it presents questions about US foreign policy that continue today. It will open to the press on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 7 pm and Monday, March 21, 2022, at 7:30 pm, following previews from March 11, 2022; and will play through Sunday, May 1, 2022.
The season will conclude in the summer of 2022 with a 50th Anniversary production of Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak’s musical GODSPELL, directed by the company’s newly appointed Managing and Casting Director Christopher Pazdernik and choreographed by Jeff award-winner Jenna Schoppe (She/Her). Ramey will be Music Director. Rueben Echoles (He/Him) will be Associate Director and Costume Designer. The timeless tale of friendship, loyalty and love based on the Gospel of St. Matthew, originally slotted for production in summer 2020 prior to the COVID shutdown, features the hit songs “Day by Day,” and “All Good Gifts.” GODSPELL will open to the press on Sunday, June 19, 2022, at 7 pm and Monday, June 20, 2022, at 7:30 pm, following previews from June 10, 2022. It will play through July 31, 2022.
Season packages for all four shows are $99 for previews, $149 for Thursdays and Sundays, and $169 for Fridays and Saturdays. Optional three course prix fixe dinners, served before the performances, are available for an additional $100.00 per subscription; or for $29.00 on a per-show basis. Season packages will be on sale soon at www.theo-u.com.
Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
An additional production, not included in season subscriptions, will be the first full workshop production of the musical SAINT HILDEGARD: THE RUPERTSBERG TOUR, to be presented May 5-8, 2022. Winner of the 2018 Chicago Fringe audience choice award winner, the musical introduces the audience to Hildegard von Bingen, an unlikely messenger from God, who rose through the ranks of the 12th century church, battling corruption and indifference at every turn. She lived a life full of love, pain, and redemption—and now she’s taking her show on the road.
LISTING INFORMATION
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Fred Anzevino
Musical Direction by Jeremy Ramey
Choreography and Associate Direction by Jamal Howard
Originally Produced by the WPA Theatre, New York City, 1995
(Kyle Renick, Artistic Director)
Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman & Jason Robert Brown
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
September 24 - October 24, 2021
Press Opening Monday September 27, 2021, at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices previews (Friday – Sunday September 24 – 26): All seats $35.00
Ticket prices regular run (Thursdays – Sundays September 30 – October 24): Thurs. & Sun. $42 bar seats, $45 riser seats, $50 table seats; Fri & Sat: $46 bar seats, $49 riser seats, $54 table seats. Senior discount (65+) $5.00 off ticket prices
Dinner is $29 additional, with advance reservations required.
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 7:00 pm.
Preview Subscription: $99
Thurs/Sun Subscription Price: $149
Fri/Sat Subscription Price: $169
All subscription dinner packages: additional $100
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-347-1109 weekdays.
(Starting one hour before curtain, all unsold seats will be released for $20 for those with a valid student ID or proof of industry status.) Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice... or take a stand... or turn around and go back. The first musical from Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown (PARADE, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY), this moving collection of powerful songs examines life, love, and the choices that we make.
8-TRACK
The Sound of the 70's
In Concert
Conceived by Rick Seeber
Directed & Choreographed by Jamal Howard
Musical Direction by Jeremy Ramey
Musical Arrangements by Michael Gribben
8-TRACK is produced in association with Segue, Inc.
Presented by special arrangement with Stage Rights (www.stagerights.com).
December 3, 2021 - January 23, 2022
Press Opening Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 7 pm and Monday, December 13, 2021, at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices previews (Fridays – Sundays, December 3 – 11): All seats $35.00
Ticket prices regular run (Thursdays – Sundays, December 9 – January 23): Thurs. & Sun. $42 bar seats, $45 riser seats, $50 table seats; Fri & Sat: $46 bar seats, $49 riser seats, $54 table seats.
Senior discount (65+) $5.00 off ticket prices.
Dinner is $29 additional, with advance reservations required.
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 7:00 pm.
No performances Christmas week Thursday, December 23 through Sunday, December 26.
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-347-1109 weekdays.
(Starting one hour before curtain, all unsold seats will be released for $20 for those with a valid student ID or proof of industry status.) Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
Put on your leisure suits, halter tops, and platform shoes and get ready to boogie down through 10-years of ground-breaking music! With its propulsive rhythms and dazzling harmonies, 8-TRACK is a fast-paced musical romp through one of the most impassioned decades of the 20th Century. This Baby Boomers’ dream come true features the music of The Emotions, The Carpenters, Labelle, Barry Manilow, Marvin Gaye, The Doobie Brothers, The Bee Gees, Helen Reddy, KC and the Sunshine Band, and more! Rediscover the heart and soul of the forgotten decade with this joyously rousing, moving, and often downright hilarious musical in concert. “An electric, energetic, and powerful good time!” – LOS ANGELES TIMES
WHO'S YOUR BAGHDADDY, OR HOW I STARTED THE IRAQ WAR
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Music and book by Marshall Pailet, lyrics and book by A.D. Penedo
Creative team to be announced
March 11 - May 1, 2022
Press Openings Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 7 pm and Monday, March 21, 2022, at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices previews (Fridays – Sundays, March 11-19): All seats $35.00.
Ticket prices regular run (Thursdays – Sundays March 24 – May 1): Thurs. & Sun. $42 bar seats, $45 riser seats, $50 table seats; Fri & Sat: $46 bar seats, $49 riser seats, $54 table seats. Senior discount (65+) $5.00 off ticket prices
Dinner is $29 additional, with advance reservations required.
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 7:00 pm.
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-347-1109 weekdays.
Student/Industry Rush All Season Long!
(Starting one hour before curtain, all unsold seats will be released for $20 for those with a valid student ID or proof of industry status.) Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
In this NEW YORK TIMES “Critic’s Pick,” based on true events, C.I.A. agents and a weapons inspector bungle their way into war after a mysterious Iraqi defector who claims he built secret Iraqi bio-weapons labs arrives in Germany and confesses to a nervous junior detective. When the intel is passed on to the C.I.A., the Bush Administration runs with it and declares war in Iraq. The Times called it ” an important, cunning, rock-solid musical comedy with a terrible title… a story of bureaucracy gone wrong and the dumb things C.I.A. spooks do when they’re angling for praise or dodging blame.”
GODSPELL
50th ANNIVERSARY
Conceived and Originally Directed by JOHN-MICHAEL TEBELAK
Music and New Lyrics by STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
Directed by Christopher Pazdernik
Musical Direction by Jeremy Ramey
Choreographed by Jenna Schoppe
Associate Direction & Costume Design by Rueben Echoles
Originally Produced on the New York stage by
Edgar Lansbury / Stuart Duncan / Joseph Beruh
June 10 - July 31, 2022
Press Openings Sunday, June 19, 2022, at 7 pm and Monday, June 20, 2022, at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices previews (Fridays – Sundays, June 10-19): All seats $35.00.
Ticket prices regular run (Thursdays – Sundays June 23 – July 31): Thurs. & Sun. $42 bar seats, $45 riser seats, $50 table seats; Fri & Sat: $46 bar seats, $49 riser seats, $54 table seats. Senior discount (65+) $5.00 off ticket prices
Dinner is $29 additional, with advance reservations required.
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 7:00 pm.
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-347-1109 weekdays.
Student/Industry Rush All Season Long!
(Starting one hour before curtain, all unsold seats will be released for $20 for those with a valid student ID or proof of industry status.) Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
The fiftieth anniversary of this timeless tale of friendship, loyalty and love, based on the Gospel of St. Matthew. The songs by Grammy and Academy award winner, Stephen Schwartz include such favorites as “Day by Day” and “All Good Gifts.”
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION NOT INCLUDED IN SEASON SUBSCRIPTION
SAINT HILDEGARD: THE RUPERTSBERG TOUR
Music and Lyrics by Heidi Joosten and Davyd Reddyk
Story and Additional Lyrics by Ethan Krupp and Elizabeth Swanson
Directed by Elizabeth Swanson
Music Directed by Heidi Joosten
Featuring A. Nikki Greenlee as Hildegard
May 5 - 8, 2022
Ticket info and curtain times to be announced. Subscribers will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets when they go on sale to this special engagement at a later date.
Hildegard von Bingen, an unlikely messenger from God, rose through the ranks of the 12th century church, battling corruption and indifference at every turn. She lived a life full of love, pain, and redemption—and now she’s taking her show on the road. This 2018 Chicago Fringe audience choice award winner is filled with love, pain, and redemption and now it's coming to Theo Ubique for its first full workshop production.
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-347-1109 weekdays. Theo Ubique will be requiring all audience members to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 this season. Photo ID and proof of vaccination (photos or photocopies are acceptable) will be required at the door.
DIRECTOR BIOS
Fred Anzevino (He/Him, Artistic Director, Director, SONGS FOR NEW WORLD) has dedicated most of his life to the theatre. A native Rhode Islander, Fred attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYC), RI College and the George Washington University MFA program. As an actor he toured in a National Tour of Roger Miller's Tony Award Winning Musical BIG RIVER. In the late 80's Fred moved to the Windy City with a collaborative production from the DC Cabaret Company called A Dance Against Darkness: Living with AIDS (nominated for several DC Helen Hayes awards (1989). Since then, he co-founded Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, serving as Artistic Director and producing over sixty productions - most notably at the No Exit Cafe in Rogers Park. With his 2019 award for THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, Fred is now a five-time Jeff Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical. Fred is proud to have mentored several of Chicago's best and brightest young musical theatre talent.
Jeremy Ramey (He/Him, Resident Music Director) is a concert pianist, conductor and music director based in Chicago. In 2019, Jeremy received his tenth Jeff nomination and sixth Jeff Award for his work on THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. He had previously received Jeff awards for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE, RENT, and THE MOST HAPPY FELLA all with Theo Ubique. In 2016, he won his second Broadway World Award for Music Direction for his work on BETTE, LIVE AT THE CONTINENTAL BATHS with the production company Hell in a Handbag. He received his training in piano performance and music at Rhodes College, Northwestern University and The Juilliard School of Music.
Jamal Howard (He/Him, Director/Choreographer 8-TRACK, Choreographer/Associate Director SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD). Jamal makes his Theo debut with Songs. He is the co-Artistic Director of New American Folk Theatre (NAFT) and served as Associate Artistic Director at Emerald City Theatre (ECT). Chicago: THE WIZ (Director/Choreographer, ECT), CORDUROY (Director, ECT), MAGIC TREE HOUSE: SHOWTIME WITH SHAKESPEARE (Director/Choreographer, ECT), SCRAPS (Director, NAFT), DIRTY GIRL (Director/Choreographer, NAFT), DARK OF THE MOON (Director, NAFT), FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Choreographer, ECT). Other companies Jamal has worked with include T.U.T.A., The Den Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, Filament Theatre, Mudlark Theater, Facets, The Beverly Arts Center, Children's Musical Theatre San Jose, and Quest Theatre Ensemble.
Christopher Pazdernik (Any, Director – GODSPELL, Managing Director, Casting Director,) is a Chicago-based artist with a “a near encyclopedic knowledge of musicals" (NEWCITY STAGE). He has previously served as Producing Associate & Casting/Company Manager for Porchlight Music Theatre, Artistic Director of Refuge Theatre Project, Advancement Associate at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, as well as a freelance Casting Director and Associate Producer. Directing credits include his Jeff Award-winning production of HIGH FIDELITY (Production of a Musical and Director of a Musical); directing eight productions for PORCHLIGHT REVISITS, Porchlight Music Theatre's lost musicals series; curating multiple cabaret revues on the history of musical theatre; and many more productions throughout Chicago and the Midwest. A staunch advocate for new works, Christopher has also workshopped many new musicals in development, was invited to judge for the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival 2019 and served as reader for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in 2021. An openly HIV+ artist, he is also very involved with HIV/AIDS advocacy work, having previously served on the Ambassador Committee for AIDS Run/Walk Chicago and Chairperson of Howard Brown Health's Community Advisory Board, as well producing BELT FEST, an annual benefit concert for Howard Brown.
ABOUT THEO UBIQUE
Theo Ubique was founded in 1997 by artistic director Fred Anzevino. Productions were first staged at the Heartland Studio Theatre, and from 2004 to May 2018, at No Exit Café, where the company began focusing on musicals and revues, reigniting the cabaret theatre trend in Chicago. The company moved to the Howard Street Theatre, a venue owned and developed for Theo Ubique by the City of Evanston, in fall of 2018. Theo Ubique has produced more than sixty shows and won 64 Jeff Awards, having received 154 nominations. The company also earned three After Dark Awards.