Chicago's Hit Jerry Springer – The Opera Extends to Aug. 19 | Playbill

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News Chicago's Hit Jerry Springer – The Opera Extends to Aug. 19 Bailiwick Repertory Theatre's American premiere production of Jerry Springer – The Opera, which opened to enthusiastic reviews in Chicago, has been extended to Aug. 19 in Bailiwick's 150-seat Mainstage Theater.

David Zak directs Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee's Award-winning musical spin on the outrageous characters who populate the tabloid talk show hosted by Springer.

According to Bailiwick, "In turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Jerry Springer – The Opera presents a series of unusual characters who each are desperate for 'their Jerry Springer moment.'"

Jerry Springer has music by Richard Thomas, and book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas. In Act One, "Jerry's guests include a man with a fiancée, a lover, and another lover with a secret." In Act Two, "we find Jerry hosting in a very different place as he is forced to experience the worst day of his life, and his guests take the level of debate to operatic heights."

The creative team includes musical director Gary Powell, choreographer Brenda Didier and designs by Jared B. Moore (lights), Mike Tutaj (projections), Jeff Jones (costumes) and Ryan Trupp (set).

The large-cast show was born in London, where it won the Best Musical awards in the Olivier Awards, Critic's Choice Awards and Evening Standard Awards. This is an independent non-Equity American staging — the U.S. premiere. All of the principal players will remain through the extension, including Brian D. Simmons as Jerry Springer and Jeremy Rill as his counterpart, the Devil. Other featured soloists include Kate Garassino and John B. Leen as the wanna-be stripper Shawntel and her hillbilly husband Chucky; Joe Tokarz as God; Marcy Stonikas as the Virgin Mary; Shannon Strodel as the Gloomy Nurse; Jenna Cramer as the Valkyrie; Jennifer Grubb as Baby Jane; Ryan Lanning as Tremont; Kathleen Gibson as the dim-witted Peaches; and Harmony France as the skanky Zandra.

The ensemble of Jerry Springer features Anne Fitch, Don Denton, D. Eric Woolweber, Eric Martin, Joe Ford, Jessica Fisher, Adrian Fontinilla, Christina Romano, Sean Effinger-Dean, Michael Harnichar and Nancy Kolton.

Performances will continue on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 PM, and 3:30 PM on Sunday through Aug. 19.

Tickets are $25 Thursday, $35 on Friday and Sunday, and $40 on Saturdays. Tickets are available by calling (773) 883-1090, or visiting www.bailiwick.org, or through Ticketmaster (312) 559-1212 or ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.bailiwick.org.

 
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