ADULT NIGHT OUT: Chicago Premiere of MotherFreakingHood! at Chicago's Venus Cabaret Theater May 4 – June 11, 2023

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

The uproarious new musical comedy

MotherFreakingHood!

makes its Chicago premiere at the Venus Cabaret Theater

at Mercury Theater Chicago

The critically acclaimed musical features

original book and music by Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts

with direction by Heidi Van

and music direction by Linda Madonia

 

Featuring Leah Morrow, Jacquelyne Jones, Tafadzwa Diener and Maya Rowe 

May 4 – June 11, 2023

Grab your friends, hire a sitter, and get ready to laugh your abs off! MotherFreakingHood!, the uproarious musical comedy celebrating the world’s second-oldest profession, is coming to Chicago’s Venus Cabaret Theater. This new, original musical by Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts is directed by Heidi Van, with music direction by Linda Madonia. MotherFreakingHood! runs May 4-June 11, 2023 in the intimate Venus Cabaret Theater at Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue. I'll be out for the press opening May 13th, so check back soon for my full review.

MotherFreakingHood! is an irreverent, yet sentimental, original musical comedy that follows first-time mom Rachel, second-time mom Angie, and fourth-time mom Marcia, as they sing and dance their way from pregnancy tests to empty nests...one bottle at a time! The uncensored trio takes on the world with unmotherly charm, discovering that this inconceivably hilarious adventure is best shared with friends. MotherFreakingHood! takes a blunt look at the parenting journey, told through all original music and unbridled humor.

After debuting in Kansas City at the Goppert Theatre in 2015, MotherFreakingHood!enjoyed a limited off-Broadway run at the 2017 New York Musical Festival in New York City, receiving rave reviews and continuing its development in Chicago and Kansas City. The musical then had a limited, sold-out run at The Black Box in Kansas City in September 2022 where it was named Broadway World's Best New Play or Musical for 2022 in the region.

“I am thrilled to be bringing this show to my hometown, sweet home Chicgo,” says co-playwright Sara Stotts. “Between Heidi [Van], Linda [Madonia)], Keely [Vasquez, casting director], and our all-female cast, we have a great team of extraordinary women bringing this critically acclaimed musical to the beautiful Venus Cabaret Theater.”

“MotherFreakingHood! is a full experience that gives mothers a place to laugh at the absurdities of child-rearing and reminds them they are not alone,” adds co-playwright Julie Dunlap.

The cast includes Leah Morrow (Marcia Burger), Jacquelyne Jones (Angie Miller),Tafadzwa Diener (Rachel Nixon) and Maya Rowe (Everywoman).

Tickets for MotherFreakingHood!, priced $65 for single tickets and $260 for premium reserved tables of four, are on sale now at the box office, 3745 N. Southport Avenue in Chicago, www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com. Discounted tickets available for groups of 8 or more.

About the Artists

Playwrights Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts know the power of friendship well. The former roommates met at

the University of Kansas and quickly bonded while co-writing a short musical for the campus variety show, Rock Chalk Revue. While their careers led them to different cities, they maintained their friendship and shared love of music and writing, teaming up to writeMotherFreakingHood! while coping with raising their own kids, a move they claim was cheaper than therapy. With the primary goal of celebrating unsung heroes with unsung songs, the musical comedy became a labor of love.

Julie Dunlap (Playwright / Producer), a Kansas City native and mother of five, entered motherhood with a degree in Human Biology she used to make her own humans. To cope, she started a mom blog that was soon picked up by the Lawrence Journal-World as a weekly humor column. Within three years, though, she no longer felt 500 words each week sufficiently expressed the stories that made up her days as a mom and partnered with her former college roomie to write an entire musical about the experience. Julie lives in Lawrence, KS where she is a freelance writer and pianist.

Sara Stotts (Playwright / Producer), a mother of two, grew up in Ponca City, Oklahoma. After graduating from the University of Kansas, Sara earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Northwestern University. While in Chicago, she studied improvisation at both the Annoyance Theater and The Second City. There, she seasoned her funny bone and honed her music writing skills as the former front woman of the funk-blues band Chubby Nothin’ and the Bone. Sara lives in Wilmette, IL and practices Physical Therapy by day and by night she practices being a mom to her two delightful and loving and not at all angsty teenagers.  

Heidi Van (Director / Producer) is an actor, creator, and producer of contemporary experimental live theatre. She is the founder of Fishtank Theatre, Inc, a stalwart in the Kansas City arts community, which has been nurturing local artists and entrepreneurship in the arts since 2009. In 2019, Heidi opened The Black Box, an ever-evolving stage in Kansas City's West Bottoms. She leads with experience, wit and creativity both within the theater and in her favorite role: as a mother of three.

Dates: May 4 – June 11, 2023

Previews: May 4 – 7, 2023

Regular Run: May 11 – June 11, 2023

Press Performances: Friday, May 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 13 at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday, May 14 at 3 pm

 

Schedule:                             

Thursdays: 8pm

Fridays: 8pm

Saturdays: 3pm and 8pm

Sundays: 3pm

 

Location: Venus Cabaret Theater at Mercury Theater Chicago; 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago

 

Single Tickets: $65

Premium Reserved Tables for 4 people: $260

Box Office: 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago; www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com

 

COVID PROTOCOL: Mercury Theater Chicago follows the CDC and State of Illinois recommendations about maintaining a COVID safe environment. Any interaction with the public poses an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19. By visiting Mercury Theater Chicago, it is understood that everyone voluntarily assumes all risks related to exposure.

 

About Mercury Theater Chicago

The beautifully renovated Mercury Theater Chicago is in the heart of the Southport Corridor at 3745 North Southport Avenue, within a sophisticated neighborhood of restaurants and boutiques just steps from Wrigley Field. A delightful destination, Mercury Theater Chicago is a live-theater seating 280 people, adjoining Venus Cabaret Theater (seating 80). 

The building that houses the Mercury opened in 1912 as a silent film nickelodeon, named The Blaine Theatre after actor and former Senator and Secretary of State James G. Blaine. The Blaine became obsolete when talking pictures became popular nationwide in 1928. The building served a variety of uses until 1994, when it was purchased by theater producer Michael Cullen and transformed into a live theatre, named the Mercury Theatre.

In 2010 the building was sold again and reopened as Mercury Theater Chicago under the direction of Walter Stearns, a veteran theater director and producer. Mercury Theater Chicago's second performance space, Venus Cabaret Theater, offers a unique intimate theatrical experience complemented by specialty cocktails. Mercury Theater Chicago is thrilled to be part of the city's vibrant theatre community, boasting record-setting long runs, employing hundreds of artists and recognized with dozens of award nominations. Mercury Theater Chicago's team includes L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon (Executive Producers), Christopher Chase Carter (Artistic Director), and Kristi J. Martens (Managing Director). Visit www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com.

 

OPENING: PIPPIN Via Mercury Theater at Venus Cabaret from October 11 to November 18, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Mercury Theater Chicago Announces Cast of PIPPIN


PIPPIN to run in the Mercury Theater’s Venus Cabaret from October 11 to November 18, 2018



**Note: This play contains mature content, including sex, drug use, and theatrical gun fire and gun violence. It is recommended for mature audiences ages 15 and older.
**

I'll be out with my teenage son for the press opening, October 13th, so check back soon for our full review. Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows we've long been fans of Mercury Theater Chicago's excellent productions, and we're elated that they've added the intimate Venus Cabaret to their sphere of influence. We're expecting Pippin to be stellar!

Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue, is pleased to announce that PIPPIN will run from October 11th through December 16th in Venus Cabaret Theater. In this ‘Magic to Do’ musical Prince Pippin is on a quest for his ‘Corner of the Sky’ and eventually meets a special ‘Kind of Woman’. 

Audiences will experience PIPPIN like never before in this intimate and immersive production featuring Donterrio Johnson as the Leading Player. PIPPIN will reunite the creative talents behind our hit production of HAIR THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE ROCK MUSICAL featuring L. Walter Stearns (director), Eugene Dizon (musical direction), and Brenda Didier (choreography). 

Heir to the Frankish throne, the young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father, King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, though, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day. PIPPIN’s message is universal and connects with audiences across the age spectrum.

With an infectiously unforgettable score from four-time Grammy winner, three-time Oscar winner and musical theatre giant Stephen Schwartz, PIPPIN continues to captivate and appeal to the young at heart throughout the world. Winner of four 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, PIPPIN first opened in 1972 and ran on Broadway for 1,944 performances with choreography by Bob Fosse and a book written by Roger O. Hirson. 

The cast includes Nicole Armold, Kayla Boye, Adam Fane, Don Forston, Donterrio Johnson, Iris Lieberman, Michael Rawls, Gabriel Robert, Sawyer Smith and Koray Tarhan. In addition to Stearns, Dizon and Didier, the creative team includes Rachel Boylan (costume design), Dustin L. Derry (lighting design), Carl Wahlstrom (sound design), Shanna Vanderwerker (associate choreographer) and Max Maxin IV (video design). Stage management is by Scott Flores-Deter.

Mercury Theater Chicago is an entertainment complex consisting of 2 stages – Mainstage Mercury, an intimate jewel-box of a theatre, seating 290 people in a continental style and the Venus Cabaret, an immersive theatrical experience to delight all senses in a cabaret setting. The Mercury Theater is located in the heart of a sophisticated neighborhood of restaurants and shopping close to Wrigley Field. A delightful theater destination, 

Mercury Theater Chicago takes care of its guests from the moment they arrive with valet service and dining at its adjoining restaurant, Grassroots. The hilarious Broadway musical AVENUE Q will be playing on the Mainstage alongside PIPPIN through November 4th, 2018.

PIPPIN runs from October 11th through December 16th. The press openings are Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th at 7:30pm.  The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:30pm. Wednesday evening performances at 7:30pm will be offered beginning on October 31st. 

Individual tickets range from $60-$65, which include appetizers and dessert, and are available online at www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com, over the phone at 773.325.1700, or in person at the Mercury Theater box office at 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago. 

About the cast of PIPPIN:

NICOLE ARMOLD (Catherine) is delighted to return to Venus Cabaret Theater where she was last seen as Susan in the inaugural production of Company. Her Mercury Theater Chicago credits include: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins) and Martha (The Christmas Schooner). Other recent Chicago credits include: Ride the Cyclone and Sense and Sensibility (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Into the Woods (Metropolis), Northanger Abbey (Lifeline), Mill Girls (ATC/ETOPiA) and The Merry Widow (Light Opera Works). 

KAYLA BOYE (Ensemble, u/s Fastrada, Catherine) is thrilled to return to Mercury Theater Chicago where she was last seen in Mary Poppins. Selected credits include South Pacific (Drury Lane Theatre); Billy Elliot, New Faces Sing 1969 and Little Me (Porchlight Music Theatre) and A Christmas Story (Citadel Theatre). 

ADAM FANE (Ensemble, Lewis, u/s Pippin) is thrilled to return to the Mercury Theater/Venus Cabaret after playing Rod in the 2014 production of Avenue Q. Selected credits include: Rock of Ages (National Tour); Billy Elliot: the Musical (Porchlight Music Theatre); Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Hairspray & Mary Poppins (Paramount Theatre); Gypsy, Shrek the Musical, & Ride the Cyclone (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Avenue Q (Jeff Award Nominated, NightBlue) Selected on-camera credits include “Canal Street” and “Chicago P.D.” 

DON FORSTON* (King Charlemagne) is excited to return to the Mercury Theater after two Christmas seasons in the Mercury Theater Chicago’s production of The Christmas Schooner. His numerous Chicago theatre credits include My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls and Pirates of Penzance (Jeff Award Nominated) (Marriot 
Theatre); and White Christmas (Drury Lane). Select on-camera credits include “Chicago P.D.” and “Rookie of the Year.”

DONTERRIO JOHNSON* (Leading Player) returns to Mercury Theater Chicago where he was last seen in the 2014 cast of Avenue Q and The Color Purple. National Tours: Waitress Regional: Spamilton (Daveed Diggs); Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas, 2015 Jeff Award); Ain't Misbehavin (Andre, 2014 Jeff nomination); Next To Normal (Dan) and Urinetown (Mr. Cladwell). Selected on-camera credits include USA's “Sirens.” 

IRIS LIEBERMAN* (Berthe) is making her Venus Cabaret Theater debut. A Jeff Award-winning actress, she has performed leading and featured roles in over 170 productions. Selected credits include Cabaret (Theatre at the Center, Jeff nomination); Beauty and the Beast (Fireside Theatre), Elegy (Richard Christiansen Theatre), and Fiddler on the Roof (Paramount Theatre). Select on-camera credits include: “Hoodlum,” “Groundhog Day” and “Missing Person.”

MICHAEL RAWLS (Ensemble, u/s Leading Player) is excited to be a part of their first production with Venus Cabaret Theater. Their previous credits include Man of La Mancha (MadKap Productions); Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer (Hell in a Handbag) and Madagascar (Chicago Shakespeare). 

GABRIEL ROBERT (Theo) is thrilled for his Venus Cabaret Theater debut. Selected credits include Gypsy at Jedlicka Performing Arts Center and The Magic Flute at The Lyric Opera. Recent on-camera credits include a recurring role on Showtime’s “The Chi.”

SAWYER SMITH* (Fastrada) is excited to make their Venus debut! Mercury Theater Chicago credits include: The Bardy Bunch, The Producers, The Addams Family. Selected credits include: The Fly Honey Show 9 (The Inconvenience); Rock of Ages (Drury Lane Theater); First Date (Royal George); Cats, Rent and A Chorus Line (Paramount Theater); and Pippin (BoHo). Choreography credits include: Heathers: The Musical (Kokandy, Jeff Award); Altar Boyz, The Full Monty, Titanic, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Griffin Theatre) and Sweet Charity (Timber Lake Playhouse). 

KORAY TARHAN (Pippin) is thrilled to be making his Venus Cabaret Theater debut. Originally from Los Angeles, Koray graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2013 and began traveling the country working regionally from San Diego to Cincinnati. Previous credits include The Boy Who Danced on Air (Diversionary Theatre, San Diego), Cabaret (Lewis Family Playhouse), Memphis (Porchlight Music Theater) and Seussical (Drury Lane)

About the Creative Team of PIPPIN: 

L. WALTER STEARNS (Director) As Executive Director of Mercury Theater Chicago, Walter is a champion for Chicago artists and productions and has overseen the physical and cultural revival of a beautiful theatre. He has directed over 40 musicals including his Jeff Award-winning productions of The Addams Family and Ragtime as well as the Jeff Award nominated productions of Mary Poppins, The Producers, The Addams Family, Avenue Q, The Color Purple, Barnum -The Circus Musical, The Christmas Schooner, Nine the Musical, Ragtime, Gypsy, The Secret Garden, Sweeney Todd, Company, A New Brain, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along and Falsettos. He was pleased to produce The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes, which was awarded the Jeff Award for New Work. Most recently, he opened the new Venus Cabaret Theater with Stephen Sondheim’s Company. Walter has received the Jeff Award (Ragtime), BroadwayWorld Award (Avenue Q), After Dark Awards, the Larry Sloan Advocate Award (for his support of Season of Concern), the first Guy Adkins award for his contributions to the art of musical theatre and the Franny Award as a distinguished alumnus of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

EUGENE DIZON (Musical Director) is ecstatic to be collaborating with this talented cast and crew of Pippin at Venus Cabaret Theater. His work is Collage, Falsettos; 4 After Dark Awards (Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, A New Brain, Merrily We Roll Along), and BroadwayWorld nominations for Hair, Mary Poppins and The Color Purple. 

Additionally, he has been the musical director for Company, The Producers and Barnum, all at the Mercury, and Company at Venus. He is honored to have been inducted into the Chicago Filipino Hall of Fame. Eugene has co-produced 6 “Season of Carols” CD’s (with Cory Goodrich) which features some of the brightest talent in Chicago theater today, for which Season of Concern awarded him the 2013 Larry Sloan Advocate Award and the Season of Concern 2018 Larry Sloan Legacy Award for consistently and passionately being a trailblazer on behalf of Season of Concern. Eugene has been musical directing for over two decades garnering 6 Jeff Awards (Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Amadeus, Company, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along), Jeff nominations for A Grand Night for Singing, Candide, Nine the Musical, Closer Than Ever, A Little Night Music, Passion and Colette.

BRENDA DIDIER (Choreographer) is thrilled to make her Venus Cabaret debut! Dider’s Mercury Theater choreography credits include Barnum, The Color Purple, The Addams Family, The Christmas Schooner, Mary Poppins and directing last season's Hair. Didier is a freelance director/choreographer and recipient of multiple Jeff Awards in direction and choreography, After Dark Awards, the National Youth Theatre Award and was honored last spring with the 2018 Guy Adkins Award for the advancement of music theatre in Chicago. 

RACHEL BOYLAN (Costume Design) is excited to be a part of Venus Cabaret’s inaugural season after having spent many years working at Mercury Theater Chicago. Her Mercury Theater Chicago design credits include: Avenue Q (2014 and 2018), Mary Poppins and I Left My Heart. Additional selected Chicago credits include: Leavings (Polarity Theater Ensemble); Hello & Goodbye (Bluebird Arts); All Girl Dracula (The Mammals); Who Too, The Dancing Plague (The Right Brain Project); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (St. James Community Theater). 

DUSTIN L. DERRY (Lighting Design) is excited to return for his fourth project with Mercury Theater Chicago after recently working on Avenue Q, Company and The Christmas Schooner. Selected theatrical work includes Bullets Over Broadway (Nightblue). Select dance credits include Ensemble Español, Inaside Chicago Dance, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre and the Moscow Ballet. 

G. "MAX" MAXIN IV (Video Design) is excited to be working with Mercury Theatre again after last working on Avenue Q. Selected Chicago credits include: Avenue Q (Mercury Theater); Cyrano (Jeff Award Nominated); A Little Night Music, Urinetown (Jeff Award Nominated); Oklahoma (Marriott); Pippin, Chorus Line, Little Women, Cabaret, Bare (Another Door); The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre); Homos or Everyone in America, Perfect Arrangement and Angry Fags (Pride Films & Plays). 

CARL WAHLSTROM (Sound Design) is ecstatic to be working on Pippin, his 16th show at Mercury Theater Chicago. Carl’s recent design credits include the Venus Theater Cabaret inaugural production of Company and the currently running Mercury Theater Chicago production of Avenue Q. Wahlstrom is the resident sound engineer at Mercury Theater Chicago. 

SHANNA VANDERWERKER (Associate Choreographer) is delighted to make her Mercury Theater Chicago debut. Selected choreography credits include 42nd Street, Newsies, South Pacific, Beauty and the Beast, Singin’ In The Rain (Fireside Theatre); Lysistrata Jones (Refuge Theater Project, Jeff Award Nominated). Selected performance credits include Dance Captain of the 1st National Tour of Wicked as well as a swing in the Broadway company, company member of dre.dance in NYC, and “Kids of the Kingdom” at Walt Disney World. 

SCOTT FLORES-DETER* (Stage Manager) is excited to be working with Venus Cabaret Theater. Selected credits include: Pinkalicious: The Musical (Emerald City), The Nutcracker (Peoria Ballet), Late Nite Catechism 

(Nuns4Fun Entertainment), and various productions with The Second City. Flores-Deter is currently working on the Mercury Theater Chicago stage in the long-running hit, Avenue Q, after an incredible run in 2014 (BroadwayWorld Award).