Porchlight Music Theatre has established a national reputation for presenting grand stories in intimate settings, showcasing the brightest, up-and-coming talent and developing new music theatre work.
The 2010 - 2011 season performs at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 West Belmont.
Sunday in the Park with George
September 10, 2010 - October 31, 2010 - Theatre Building Chicago
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Sunday in the Park with George is the moving study of the enigmatic painter Georges Seurat. This will be the eleventh Sondheim production presented by Porchlight Music Theatre, and will feature projections by Liviu Pasare. The musical will run from September 10 to October 31, 2010. The inarticulate Seurat fights a losing battle to maintain a relationship with his mistress Dot as he creates his painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” amid the scorn of the artistic community. Almost 100 years later, his American descendant, also an artist, is burned out and uncertain of the path he must take. Nominated for ten Tony Awards, the musical won two design awards but won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, numerous Drama Desk Awards, the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Musical and the 2007 Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. Sunday in the Park with George has enjoyed several major revivals, including the 2005-06 UK production and its subsequent 2008 Broadway transfer.
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
November 19, 2010 - January 2, 2011 - Theatre Building Chicago
For the holidays, Porchlight Music Theatre will revisit the traditional festive favorite, Miracle on 34th Street from November 19, 2010 to January 2, 2011. This production combines the classic story from the film with traditional holiday music. When a white-bearded gentleman claims to be the real Santa Claus he brings about a genuine ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ spreading a wave of love throughout New York City. Families are encouraged to bring the kids to see Miracle on 34th Street as their first theatrical experience. Following each performance, the audience is invited to visit with Santa Claus and share a Christmas wish.
Adapted from the novel by Valentine Davies
By Patricia DiBenedetto Snyder, Will Severin and John Vreeke
There will be no shows on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Added performances on December 22 and December 23 at 7:30 PM
Discounted price for groups of 15 or more: $33.50
Meet John Doe
March 4, 2011 - April 17, 2011 - Theatre Building Chicago
Porchlight Music Theatre is pleased to present the Midwest premiere of Meet John Doe March 4 to April 17, 2011, a production that made its World Premiere at the Ford Theater in 2007. The musical received seven Helen Hayes Award nominations. The musical was work-shopped by Goodspeed Musicals and was selected to be featured at the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshops. Based on the classic movie by Frank Capra, Meet John Doe follows a plucky journalist who fabricates a letter written by "John Doe," threatening suicide over unemployment and slimy politics. Reaction to the letter prompts the paper to hire a public face for the crusade, an out-of-work baseball player who quickly becomes an icon for the oppressed. The Washington Post raved, “A promising American musical isn’t born every minute….filled with clever lyrics and supple melodies.” Theatermania.com called Meet John Doe “A smart and feisty show wrapped in a big Broadway sound.” The New York Post enthused, “Irresistibly catchy…sparkles with wit and irony….success is written all over it!”
Music by Andrew Gerle
Lyrics by Eddie Sugarman
Book by Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman
Based on the film by Frank Capra
Additional story by Matt August
April 22, 2011 - June 5, 2011 - Theatre Building Chicago
Porchlight Music Theatre will present its first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I, from April 22 to June 5, 2011. This ambitious project will feature grand storytelling in an intimate setting. Set in Siam in the 1860s, The King and I is the moving story of Anna, an adventurous Englishwoman, who becomes governess to Eastern King Mongkut's many children. Anna tries to help King Mongkut come to terms with the modern world, but he is unable to resist the forces of ancient customs. Featuring a lush score including “Shall We Dance?,” “Hello Young Lovers” and “Getting to Know You,” the original 1951 production ran for 1,246 performances, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. It spawned numerous revivals and a popular 1956 film version
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the novel Anna and the King by Margaret Landon
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Sunday in the Park with George is the moving study of the enigmatic painter Georges Seurat. This will be the eleventh Sondheim production presented by Porchlight Music Theatre, and will feature projections by Liviu Pasare. The musical will run from September 10 to October 31, 2010. The inarticulate Seurat fights a losing battle to maintain a relationship with his mistress Dot as he creates his painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” amid the scorn of the artistic community. Almost 100 years later, his American descendant, also an artist, is burned out and uncertain of the path he must take. Nominated for ten Tony Awards, the musical won two design awards but won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, numerous Drama Desk Awards, the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Musical and the 2007 Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. Sunday in the Park with George has enjoyed several major revivals, including the 2005-06 UK production and its subsequent 2008 Broadway transfer.
For the holidays, Porchlight Music Theatre will revisit the traditional festive favorite, Miracle on 34th Street from November 19, 2010 to January 2, 2011. This production combines the classic story from the film with traditional holiday music. When a white-bearded gentleman claims to be the real Santa Claus he brings about a genuine ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ spreading a wave of love throughout New York City. Families are encouraged to bring the kids to see Miracle on 34th Street as their first theatrical experience. Following each performance, the audience is invited to visit with Santa Claus and share a Christmas wish. 
Porchlight Music Theatre is pleased to present the Midwest premiere of Meet John Doe March 4 to April 17, 2011, a production that made its World Premiere at the Ford Theater in 2007. The musical received seven Helen Hayes Award nominations. The musical was work-shopped by Goodspeed Musicals and was selected to be featured at the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshops. Based on the classic movie by Frank Capra, Meet John Doe follows a plucky journalist who fabricates a letter written by "John Doe," threatening suicide over unemployment and slimy politics. Reaction to the letter prompts the paper to hire a public face for the crusade, an out-of-work baseball player who quickly becomes an icon for the oppressed. The Washington Post raved, “A promising American musical isn’t born every minute….filled with clever lyrics and supple melodies.” Theatermania.com called Meet John Doe “A smart and feisty show wrapped in a big Broadway sound.” The New York Post enthused, “Irresistibly catchy…sparkles with wit and irony….success is written all over it!”
