Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Avenue, Racine, WI 53404
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Racine Theatre Guild adds performances of “Chicago”
A fourth weekend of performances has been added to the run of the Broadway musical “Chicago,” now playing at the Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Avenue (Highway 38) in Racine. The added performances are on Friday, June 1, 7:30 p.m. ($19 adult); Saturday, June 2, 2:00 p.m. ($17 adult); and Saturday, June 2, 7:30 p.m. ($19 adult). There are some seats still available for May performances. Discounts apply for seniors (62+), subscribers, groups of 20 or more, and students (21 and under). Due to adult language and content, the show is not recommended for young children.
Musical Sensation “Chicago” at
Racine Theatre Guild
The Racine Theatre Guild brings its 74th season to a rousing conclusion with “Chicago,” the Broadway sensation and international smash-hit musical with one show-stopping song after another. See it from May 11-27 at the RTG, 2519 Northwestern Avenue (Highway 38) in Racine.
Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, this is a satire revolving around star-struck Roxie Hart (Amber Smith), who shoots her lover, Fred (Zak Keil), and tries to get her gullible husband, Amos (Bob Benson), to take the blame. When Amos puts two and two together and the truth comes out, Roxie lands in a cell block presided over by corrupt matron “Mama” Morton (Nancy Davies), who runs a clandestine “mutual aid” program. While incarcerated, Roxie meets Velma Kelly (Vanessa Schroeder), a showgirl who killed her husband and her sister when she found them in bed together, and other murderesses (Amanda Soos, Elissa Richardson, Kimberly Geisler, Skylar Schultz and Jamie Johnson). Roxie and Velma share a slick lawyer, Billy Flynn (Dan Martino), who sways public opinion by making celebrities of his clients, with the help of sympathetic tabloid columnist Mary Sunshine (Sarah Gorke). The women compete with each other and with the media’s top murder of the week for the limelight and the headlines. Ultimately, Roxie and Velma are acquitted and quickly take advantage of their combined new-found fame to form a song-and-dance act.
The music of “Chicago” is by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb (and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse, based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins). Some of the outstanding tunes in the sparkling score are “All That Jazz,” “Funny Honey,” “Cell Block Tango,” “When You’re Good to Mama,” “All I Care About,” “We Both Reached for the Gun,” “Mr. Cellophane” and “Razzle Dazzle.”
The original Broadway production opened in 1975 and ran for 936 performances, while the 1996 revival, winner of six Tony Awards, holds the record for longest-running musical revival on Broadway. The Broadway production currently stars Christie Brinkley.
The RTG cast is completed by Norgie Metzinger, Frank Russ, Anne Mollerskov, Stefanie Stamper, Bryant Albritton, Michael Luccas, Patrick Schneider, Brandon Marchand, Eric Welch and John Christensen. Doug Johnson directs the 11-piece, on-stage orchestra.
The director of the local production is RTG Managing/Artistic Director Doug Instenes. Greg Berg serves as vocal music director and Kara Ernst as choreographer. Kathy Berg and Kate Potter-Barrow head the volunteer crew as production stage managers. Sarah Hunt-Frank is the set designer.
Sponsored by Rasmussen Diamonds and the Racine United Arts Fund, performances of “Chicago” are scheduled from May 11-27. Each weekend there are shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings and at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon (May 20 matinee is sold out). There are also performances at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 19; at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, and Thursday, May 24; and at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 26.
The adult ticket price is $19 for 7:30 p.m. shows, $15 on Thursday night, and $17 at all other times. Discounts are available for seniors (62+), subscribers, groups of 20 or more, and students (21 and under). The show is not recommended for young children.
Box office hours are 12 to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 90 minutes prior to curtain through intermission at performances. Advance reservations are recommended. For tickets, call 262-633-4218 or order online at www.racinetheatre.org (note: discounts and coupons cannot be applied to online orders).
(on floor) Jamie Johnson; (on chairs) Skylar Schultz, Elissa Richardson, Kim Geisler; (standing) Stefanie Stamper, Anne Mollerskov, Amanda Soos
RTG Auditions May 14 & 15 for
“Elvis Has Left The Building”
The Racine Theatre Guild announces auditions at 7 p.m. on May 14 and 15 for “Elvis Has Left The Building,” by V. Cate and Duke Ernsberger, a comedy inspired by a real event that took place in 1970. This play introduces the RTG’s 75th season, with performances on two weekends, July 13-22.
To pay off a gambling debt, Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Parker, has promised that Elvis will perform at a mobster’s party in just 24 hours. But Elvis has disappeared and no one knows where he is. The desperate Colonel decides to go with an impersonator and, to make the act more convincing, he uses an old trick from his carny days—hypnosis. The situation spins out of control when two would-be Elvises fall under the spell.
There are roles for five adults. Two of the roles are men, the impersonators, who don’t need to sing and can range in age from mid-20’s to 40. The actor playing Col. Parker should be age 50 to early 60’s. The women’s roles are the Colonel’s German secretary, age 50 to early 60’s, and a newpaper reporter, late 20’s to late 40’s. All roles are open. Auditions consist of cold readings from the script. Scripts are available in advance and may be checked out of the box office with payment of a refundable deposit. Production crew volunteers are also needed.
To audition, simply report at 7 p.m. on either Monday, May 14, or Tuesday, May 15, to the lobby of Racine Theatre Guild, a nonprofit community (amateur) theatre located at 2519 Northwestern Avenue (Highway 38) in Racine. Appointments are not being taken.
For further information, call the box office at 262-633-4218, go to the website (www.racinetheatre.org), or stop at the box office any weekday between noon and 6 p.m.
The Celebration Begins: Racine Theatre Guild Announces 75th Season
The Racine Theatre Guild will be celebrating its diamond jubilee, the 75th consecutive season, starting in July, first and foremost with a stellar slate of plays and musicals on the main-stage. RTG has grown tremendously over the years and is now home to the Racine Children’s Theatre (heading into its 80th season), Comedy Tonight, Jean’s Jazz Series, classes, theatre trips and more, but it all began in 1938 with the plays, and they continue to be the main focus. Season ticket packages are on sale now; individual show tickets go on sale in late May.
Season tickets and flex passes offer the lowest prices of the season. Basic subscriptions, priced from $50-$70, include reserved seats for five productions, There are three plays and two musicals in the regular season, running September through May: “Noises Off,” “A Nice Family Gathering,” “A Night at the Nutcracker,” “Be My Baby” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” This year, for the first time, subscribers may trade up to three of the regular-season plays for limited–run productions: “Elvis Has Left The Building,” “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka” and “The Three Musketeers.” For those with unpredictable schedules, flex pass packs ($70-$112) provide five to eight discounted admissions that can be used throughout the season for any of the eight RTG plays and musicals.
Subscriber benefits have been further increased for the 75th season. There are early bird discounts and discounts on individual ticket purchases, plus a spectacular added incentive: everyone who orders season tickets by May 27, 2012, will be entered in a drawing for a diamond pendant from Rasmussen Diamonds, sponsor of the upcoming musical “Chicago,” grand finale of season 74, running May 11-27.
Individual tickets for performances in the 2012-2013 season will be sold beginning in late May. They range in price, for adults, from $13-17 per play and $15-19 per musical, depending on performance time. Seniors, students, groups and subscribers pay even less.
Here then is the RTG’s 2012-2013 (75th) season:
· “Elvis Has Left The Building” By V. Cate & Duke Ernsberger
It’s 1970, Elvis Presley is missing, and his manager, Colonel Parker, has promised he’ll perform at a mobster’s party. The desperate Colonel finds an impersonator and, to make the act more convincing, uses a trick from his carny days— hypnosis. The situation spins out of control when two “Elvises” fall under the spell. July 13-22, 2012
· “Noises Off” By Michael Frayn
Selected by audience vote, “Noises Off” follows at lightning speed the on- and off-stage antics of mediocre actors touring in a dreadful play called “Nothing On.” See them stumble from dress rehearsal to a messy opening to a final disastrous performance, when the on-stage farce can no longer be kept separate from the one backstage. September 14-30, 2012
· “A Nice Family Gathering” By Phil Olson
The Lundeen family is gathering for their first Thanksgiving without Dad—sort of. He died with unfinished business and is back to tell his wife he loved her, something he failed to do during their 35 years of marriage. There are a couple of obstacles, however: only his middle son can see or hear him, and Mom has invited a man to dinner. October 26-November 11, 2012
· “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka” Music & Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley,
Adapted by Leslie Bricusse & Tim McDonald, Based on the Book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl
To find a worthy heir, world-famous candy man Willy Wonka has invited five lucky children to tour his magical, mysterious chocolate factory. From the classic family film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” come the songs--“Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man,” “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket”--in this touching tale where virtue is rewarded. December 7-16, 2012
· “A Night At The Nutcracker” Book & Lyrics by Billy Van Zandt & Jane Milmore,
Music by Ed Alton, Selections from “The Nutcracker” by Peter Tchaikovsky
Resembling the classic screwball farces of the Marx Brothers, this romping musical teams detective Felix T. Filibuster with Pinchie, the silent butler, and his Italian friend, Pepponi. Slapstick comedy, physical gags, chases, jokes and musical numbers lead to a zany climax that incorporates elements of “The Nutcracker Ballet.” January 18-February 3, 2013
· “Be My Baby” By Ken Ludwig
A grouchy Scotsman and an uptight English woman despise each other, yet they’re thrust together on a trans-Atlantic journey to retrieve the baby adopted by his ward and her niece who are newly married. Initially they spend all of their time bickering, but when the return trip is delayed, they come to depend on each other more and more. March 1-17, 2013
· “The Three Musketeers” By Ken Ludwig, From the novel by Alexandre Dumas
The swashbuckling tale of heroism, romance and honor gets a modern twist, notably with the addition of a plucky sister for D’Artagnan. The siblings join forces with the famous musketeers—Athos, Porthos and Aramis—to defend the Queen of France and oppose the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu and his evil cohorts. April 12-21, 2013
· “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” Book by Burt Shevelove &
Larry Gelbart, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
The wily slave Pseudolus has but one wish: to obtain his freedom. When he learns that his master has fallen for the girl next door, he strikes a deal: he’ll be freed if he can procure the girl, who’s already betrothed to a Roman captain. Selected by audience vote, this musical has puns, satire, slamming doors, mistaken identities and a Sondheim score. May 10-26, 2013
For more information, call the Racine Theatre Guild at (262) 633-4218, visit the box office between 12 and 6 p.m. weekdays, or go to www.racinetheatre.org. (Please note that discounts and coupons cannot be applied to online orders, nor can season tickets be purchased online.) The Guild is located at 2519 Northwestern Avenue (Highway 38) in Racine.
Mission Statement:
A volunteer-based community theatre under professional management, the Racine Theatre Guild's mission is to provide a variety of quality theatrical productions and activities that offer educational, cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities to enrich the lives of young and old
