Paramount Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors Now Playing Through October 15th, 2023

ChiIL Mama's Chi, IL Picks List

 Paramount Theatre opened its 12th Broadway Series with 

Little Shop of Horrors

the beloved, doo-wop R&B musical sensation 

by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken

 directed by Landree Fleming

Jack Ball plays Seymour, with his carnivorous plant Audrey II, voiced by Je’Shaun Jackson, puppeteered by Adam Fane, in Little Shop of Horrors, Paramount Theatre’s 12th Broadway Series opener. Credit: Liz Lauren Performances run through October 15 at  Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666

All Production Photos by Liz Lauren Aurora’s Paramount Theatre, the nation’s largest subscription house, announces cast and creatives for Little Shop of Horrors, August 30-October 15  Paramount Theatre's 12th Broadway series opener is Little Shop of Horrors, directed by (top right) Landree Fleming, and features (center, from left) Jack Ball (Seymour), Teressa LaGamba (Audrey), Gene Weygandt (Mr. Mushnik), Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette), (bottom) Lydia Burke (Crystal), Marta Bady(Chiffon), Russell Mernagh (Orin) and JeShaun Jackson (Audrey II).  Aurora’s Paramount Theatre - the nation’s largest musical theater subscription house - has announced the cast and creative team for its 12th Broadway Series opener, the beloved, doo-wop R&B sensation Little Shop of Horrors, August 30-October 15.

Teressa LaGamba is Audrey, next to Audrey II, voiced by Je’Shaun Jackson, puppeteered by Adam Fane 

(from left) Jack Ball plays Seymour, Gene Weygandt is Mushnik and Teressa LaGamba plays Audrey  Stepping up to the plate in her Paramount directorial debut is Landree Fleming, a rising talent in Chicago’s musical theater scene, and a Paramount favorite for her on-stage appearances as Lucinda in Into the Woods and Penny in Hairspray. But Fleming has also been building her behind-the-scenes resume at Paramount, most recently as co-director of Paramount’s BOLD production of Fun Home with Jim Corti (“4 stars”- Chicago Tribune) and as associate director of Beauty and the Beast. Fleming’s cast for Little Shop of Horrors features Jack Ball (Seymour), Teressa LaGamba (Audrey), Gene Weygandt (Mr. Mushnik), Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette), Lydia Burke (Crystal), Marta Bady (Chiffon), Russell Mernagh (Orin) and Je’Shaun Jackson (Audrey II). Ensemble members are Brandon Acosta, Lexie Bailey, Ann Delaney, Adam Fane (primary puppeteer), Sean Patrick Fawcett, August Forman, Darian Goulding, Jared David Michael Grant, Jeff Pierpoint and Shelbi Voss. Little Shop of Horrors is written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the duo behind Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. It’s loosely based on the 1960 low-budget film The Little Shop of Horrors starring Jack Nicholson. The musical premiered off-off-Broadway in 1982, moved off-Broadway where it had a five-year run, and has been produced around the world ever since. It also was made into the 1986 cult film directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Green, Vincent Gardenia and Steve Martin. Remember, don’t feed the plants!

(from left) Teressa LaGamba plays Audrey, Gene Weygandt is Mushnik  and Jack Ball plays Seymour The story is set in Skid Row, where meek and mild Seymour Krelborn is eeking out a living at the failing Mushnik’s Flower Shop. Until one day, Seymour discovers a strange and unusual plant – one that feeds on human blood. He names her Audrey II and becomes caught up in a wild scheme of trying to acquire fresh blood for his ravenous, carnivorous plant – all while attempting to save the love of his life from her evil dentist boyfriend.

Meet the Urchins: (from left) Marta Bady plays Chiffon, Lydia Burke is Crystal and Tickwanya Jones plays Ronnette

Down on Skid Row: Jack Ball (center) plays Seymour Bringing Little Shop of Horrors and the legendary plant Audrey II to spectacular life is another A-list Paramount production team: Michael George and Mariah Morris, co-choreographers; Kory Danielson, music director, conductor and music supervisor; Jeffrey D. Kmiec, scenic designer; Yvonne Miranda, costume designer; José Santiago, lighting designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup designer; Jesse Gaffney, properties designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Max Fabian, fight and intimacy director; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; Patrick Michael Tierney, associate director; Isaiah Silvia-Chandley, assistant choreographer; Cameron Tragesser, associate music director and associate conductor; Jinni Pike, stage manager; and Maegan Burnell and Lanita VanderSchaaf, assistant stage managers. 

(from left) Audrey (Teressa LaGamba), Audrey II (voiced by Je’Shaun Jackson, puppeteered by Adam Fane) and Seymour (Jack Ball) inside Mushnik’s Flower Shop 

Teressa LaGamba (left) is Audrey and Jack Ball plays Seymour Don’t miss Paramount’s new production of Little Shop of Horrors, a guaranteed wild ride performed on an eye-popping set, filled with some of the catchiest songs in musical theater like “Suddenly Seymour” and “Suppertime.”   But remember, don’t feed the plants!

Seymour (Jack Ball) tries to appease Audrey II (voiced by Je’Shaun Jackson, puppeteered by Adam Fane)

Seymour (Jack Ball) tries to appease Audrey II  Previews start August 30. Opening Night is Friday, September 8 at 8 p.m. Performances run through October 15: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (exception: No 1:30 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, August 30). Run time is 2 hours 30 minutes with intermission.

Jack Ball (left) plays Seymour and Russell Mernagh plays sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello, DDS, in Paramount Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors. Four-play 2023-24 Broadway Series subscriptions including Little Shop of Horrors and three more amazing musicals - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Billy Elliot: The Musical and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - for new subscribers are on sale now, starting at just $56. Single tickets, $28-$79, go on sale Monday, July 24.  

Teressa LaGamba (front) plays Audrey, with the Urchins (back, from left) Marta Bady (Chiffon), Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette) and Lydia Burke (Crystal) in Paramount Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors.  Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days. For group discounts, contact Melissa Striedl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461. Note: Little Shop of Horrors includes some mature language and violence.

Down on Skid Row: Gene Weygandt (center) plays Mushnik, backed by the Urchins (from left): Lydia Burke (Crystal), Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette) and Marta Bady (Chiffon) in Paramount Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors.  

(from left) Tickwanya Jones plays Ronnette, Lydia Burke plays Crystal, Marta Bady is Chiffon, with Jack Ball as Seymour in Paramount's Little Shop of Horrors.  For the latest updates, visit paramountaurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @paramountarts on Tik Tok, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.   Pay What You Can Performances Paramount will offer two Pay What You Can performances of Little Shop of Horrors: Thursday, August 31 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, September 2 at 3 p.m. Both days, starting at 10 a.m., visit the Paramount box office in-person to request tickets. Limit four per person. Subject to availability. See paramountaurora.com/pay-what-you-can for details.

Teressa LaGamba (left) plays Audrey and Jack Ball is Seymour in Paramount's Little Shop of Horrors.  Looking ahead:  Paramount’s 2023-24 Broadway and BOLD Series Light the marquee, roll out the red carpet and open the doors to the largest subscription theater in the nation, because downtown Aurora’s Paramount Theatre has four blockbuster musicals on tap for its 2023-24 Broadway Series: Little Shop of Horrors (August 30-October 15, 2023), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (November 8, 2023-January 14, 2024), Billy Elliot: The Musical (February 7-March 24, 2024), and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (April 24-June 16, 2024). Just as it has since it launched its first Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount still offers the same “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” offer, with Broadway subscriptions starting as low as $56. In fact, subscribers pay no more than $39.50 per show, and that’s the most expensive ticket. Fees not included.                             In addition, Paramount will present three more fresh, fervent and emotionally intoxicating plays set in its second BOLD Series in 2023-2024 in Paramount’s sleek new Copley Theatre: the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal (July 26-September 3, 2023), the recent Off-Broadway sensation What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Shreck (October 4-November 12, 2023), and Tennessee Williams’s classic drama A Streetcar Named Desire (March 13-April 21, 2024). Three-show BOLD Series subscriptions start at $75.                                                                      To subscribe to either series, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.  Sponsors Little Shop of Horrors is sponsored by Green State Credit Union and Hollywood Casino Aurora. Paramount Theatre Broadway Season sponsors include the Dunham Foundation, the City of Aurora, BMO Harris Bank, ComEd and the Illinois Arts Council.  

Russell Mernagh plays Orin Scrivello, DDS, in Paramount Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors. Access Services Paramount offers assistive listening devices free of charge at all performances. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a listening device. Paramount will offer American Sign Language interpretation and open captioning on Friday, October 13 at 8 p.m. If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com in advance. 

Gene Weygandt (kneeling, with camera) plays Mushnik, Jack Ball plays Seymour backed by the Urchins (from left): Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette) Marta Bady (Chiffon) and Lydia Burke (Crystal) in Little Shop of Horrors.  Little Shop of Horrors runs through October 15 at  Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666

Meet the Urchins (from left): Tickwanya Jones plays Ronnette, Marta Bady is Chiffon and Lydia Burke plays Crystal in Paramount's Little Shop of Horrors.

About Paramount Theatre Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931. After launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre has rapidly grown to be the largest subscription house in the U.S. In 2022-23, more than 36,000 subscribers enjoyed Paramount’s critically acclaimed, Broadway-caliber productions, along with an array of internationally known comedians, musicians, dance troupes and family shows. For over 50 years, the Joseph Jefferson Awards has recognized excellence in Chicago area  theater. Last season, Paramount took home six Jeff Awards for Kinky Boots, including Best Musical-Large, Paramount’s fourth win in that category following Sweeney Todd (2017), West Side Story (2016) and Les Misérables (2015). Over the last 11 years, Paramount has been honored to earn 97 Jeff nominations and 27 wins.  Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA). Paramount’s new “sister stage” is the newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s BOLD Series, across the street at North Island Center. ACCA also oversees RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in 2024, and the Paramount School of the Arts. Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals. For the latest updates, visit paramountaurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @paramountarts on Tik Tok, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.

Young People's Theatre Of Chicago 2023-2024 Season Launches With Junie B. Jones, the Musical Oct 7–Nov 5, 2023

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List: 

Family Friendly Shows On Our Radar

3-PLAY SOPHOMORE SEASON 

AT THE GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER

YPT’s joyful inaugural season saw enthusiastic reviews, sold-out performances, and thousands of local students at special school matinees!

And now Chicago’s newest Theatre for Young Audience (TYA) company is back with an exhilarating 3-play sophomore season to delight all ages. The 2023-24 season launches with the fabulously fun Junie B. Jones, the Musical (Oct 7–Nov 5). Then the New Year sees the Chicago premiere of Wendy Kesselman’s new one-act, TYA version of The Diary of Anne Frank (Feb 17–Mar 24). The season concludes with the dazzling hip-hop/soul adaptation of Matt de la Peña’s Newberry Award-winning Last Stop on Market Street (May 11- June 2).

All performances take place at the historic Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N. Lincoln Ave). Tickets for all shows on sale now. For tickets and more information, visit yptchi.org or call the box office at 773 404 7336.

NEW THIS SEASON - TWEENS & TEENS

YPT inaugurates its Theatre for Tweens and Teens Series with the Chicago premiere of Wendy Kesselman’s vital new one-act TYA version of The Diary of Anne Frank. Updating the original 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning text, Kesselman draws on more recently available diary entries to create a more complicated, authentic, and fascinating central character. Kesselman’s adaptation also centers the Jewishness of those in hiding. With Antisemitic incidents in the United States at an all-time high, YPT is proud to bring this consequential new family-focused production to our community. The company’s goal is to spark in children a lasting interest in theatre and this riveting and uncompromising new 75-minute Anne Frank will galvanize a less-served young-adult demographic.

Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank Best enjoyed by everybody 9+. 

YPT’s production will be accompanied by an exhibit from the Anne Frank Center designed to help visitors understand Anne’s story in the context of the Holocaust. The exhibit then jumps forward to consider how young people face discrimination and exclusion today. Audience members can experience Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank free of charge before and/or after each performance.

FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES

Bookending the affecting new Anne Frank are two extraordinarily engaging musical theatre productions for the younger set.

Junie B. Jones Best enjoyed by everybody 3+.

Adapted from Barbara Parks’ perennially popular early-reader book series, this TYA classic follows the uproarious escapades of a plucky first-grader who discovers that what makes you happy and what makes you blue is part of the same indelible story that is your life.

Featuring a lively score and hilarious book, Junie B. Jones makes a joyous start to the new YPT season!

Last Stop on Market Street Best enjoyed by everybody 4+.

Visiting his grandmother’s unfamiliar neighborhood, 6-year-old CJ discovers friendship, empathy, and joy in unexpected places.

Adapted by Cheryl L. West from Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s Newberry Award-winning picture book, Last Stop on Market Street’s glorious score is by Paris Ray Dozier and his father, Lamont Dozier, writer of Motown hits like How Sweet It Is and Stop! In the Name of Love.

Originally developed by the Chicago Children’s Theatre and the Children’s Theatre Company, YPT is thrilled to bring the second-ever production of Market Street to Chicago.

"Our first year was such a joy," notes artistic director Randy White. “This season we’re focused on expanding programming to all ages. We're proud to introduce Wendy Kesselman’s brilliant new one-act Anne Frank to local tweens, teens, and families. At the same time, Junie is a personal favorite and a fabulously fun way to kick off the new season. And bringing Matt de La Peña's celebrated Last Stop on Market Street back to Chicago is an honor. Our ambitious 2023-24 season promises something for all our kids!”

JUNIE B. JONES, THE MUSICAL OCT 7 – NOV 5, 2023

Fabulously fun adventures with Junie B. and friends!

Press Performance: Saturday, Oct 7 @ 1:30pm

Preview Performance: Saturday, Oct 7 @ 10am

Performance Schedule: Saturdays at 11am & 1:30pm / Sundays at 1:30pm

Book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler

Lyrics by Zina Goodrich

Adapted from the Junie B. Jones Series of books by Barbara Park Directed by Randy White

Tickets: $25 / $19 (under 12)

Best enjoyed by everyone 3+

Young People’s Theatre of Chicago

The Greenhouse Theater Center · 2257 N Lincoln Ave 60614 randy@yptchi.org · 773.404.7336 · 812.272.4511 (m) · www.yptchi.org

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (One Act) FEB 16 - MAR, 2024

The Chicago premiere of an essential new One-Act Theatre for Young Audiences version.

Preview Performances: Performance Schedule:

Saturday, Feb 17 @ 7:00pm

Friday, Feb 16 @ 7:00pm and Saturday, Feb 17 @ 1:30pm Fridays @ 7:00pm

Saturdays @ 1:30pm & 4:00pm

Sundays @ 1:30pm

By Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett Newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman Based on The Diary of Anne Frank

Tickets: $35 / $24 (under 12)

Best enjoyed by everyone 9+

LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET MAY 11 - JUNE 2, 2024

A hip-hoppin’, toe-tappin’, musical joy-ride about finding beauty in everyday city life.

Preview Performances: Performance Schedule:

Saturday, May 11 @ 1:30pm

Saturday, May 11 @ 10am Saturdays @ 11am & 1:30pm Sundays @ 1:30pm

by Matt de la Peña, Illustrated by Christian Robinson Adapted for the stage by Cheryl L. West

Music and lyrics by Lamont Dozier & Paris Ray Dozier

Tickets: $25 / $19 (under 12) Best enjoyed by everyone 4+

@ The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago

773 404 7336 / www.yptchi.org

Young People’s Theatre of Chicago

The Greenhouse Theater Center · 2257 N Lincoln Ave 60614 randy@yptchi.org · 773.404.7336 · 812.272.4511 (m) · www.yptchi.org