"My cup runneth over with love"
A musical about marriage
Music by Harvey Schmidt Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones (Based on "The Fourposter" by Jan de Hartog) Originally Produced on Broadway by David Merrick Originally Directed by Gower Champion
October 3 – November 14, 2010
In this charming and nostalgic musical we meet Michael and Agnes on their wedding day and follow their lives for 50 eventful years.
We watch them go through wedding night jitters, raise a family, negotiate mid-life crises, quarrel, separate, reconcile and grow old together, all to the strains of a tuneful, charming score by the creators of The Fantasticks and 110 in the Shade.
Ages 12 and older |
||||||
|
||||||
They do! They do!
by Michael Kotze
When Light Opera Works presents Jones and Schmidt’s classic musical I Do! I Do! this fall, you can count on stage chemistry of the highest order as two of the Chicago area’s favorite musical theater performers bring to life all the ups and downs of five decades of married life.
No, Catherine Lord and Larry Adams aren’t married in real life, but the last time Light Opera Works audiences saw them, they were about to take the plunge as Desirée and Fredrik in A Little Night Music. Audiences with longer memories may well recall their pairing off as Marian Paroo and Harold Hill in The Music Man at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, where they recently shared the stage in Ragtime (no wedding bells that time—cast as red-hot revolutionary Emma Goldman and straitlaced Father, Cathy and Larry never actually met onstage).
When asked about their great onstage chemistry in A Little Night Music, Cathy says, “We’re friends. We’ve known each other for years—we care about each other as people. That really helped us in Night Music, where Desirée and Fredrik have a relationship that’s really based in friendship.” Larry agrees. Asked about working with Cathy he says, “She’s so grounded. She has a life outside the theater—we’re both parents. We just understand each other.”
“Which is perfect for I Do! I Do!” Cathy continues. “Good relationships begin with good friendships.” Again, Larry agrees, as any good onstage husband should: “We’re so comfortable with each other…we know how to give and take.”
Both are excited about getting working on I Do! I Do! Cathy first did the show years ago, but says “I’m anxious to do it again, now that I’ve lived this life: gotten married and had children. There were things I just didn’t get the first time. Now I’ve been married 20 years, and it all makes sense.”
Larry looks forward to working on another Jones and Schmidt show, after starring in Light Opera Works 2006 production of their 110 in the Shade. “I love Jones and Schmidt, their musical and theatrical sensibility. There’s a bittersweet feeling in all their pieces, as well a sensuality, which you might not expect in I Do! I Do!—a show about a turn-of-the-last-century couple. But it’s there, and it makes the show so wonderful. I can’t wait.”
Press Release
Contact: Christopher Riley (847) 869-7930 ext. 10 (press only) Christopher@light-opera-works.org
Light Opera Works presents Jones and Schmidt’s I Do! I Do! October 3-November 14, 2010
Who Light Opera Works
What I DO! I DO! Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones Based on THE FOURPOSTER by Jan de Hartog Originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick Originally directed by Gower Champion
Where Light Opera Works Second Stage 1420 Maple Avenue Evanston, IL
Run Opens Friday, October 8, 2010, 8 pm
Previews Sunday, October 3, 2010, 3 pm Wednesday, October 6, 8 pm Thursday, October 7, 8 pm
Regular Performances Fridays through Sundays until November 14, 2010 Friday, 8 pm Saturday, 8 pm Sunday, 3 pm
Tickets $27, $34, $42 (all preview seats $21) Ages 21 and younger half price (847) 869-6300 www.LightOperaWorks.com
Evanston, IL: From Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, the creators of the American musical theater phenomenon THE FANTASTICKS, I DO! I DO! follows newlyweds Michael and Agnes from the day of their wedding through their life together, from 1900 to 1950, as the couple experiences wedding night jitters, raises a family, negotiates mid-life crises, quarrels, separates, reconciles and grows old together. The score includes the classic ballad, “My Cup Runneth Over.”
I DO! I DO! is directed and choreographed by Light Opera Works’ artistic director Rudy Hogenmiller, with music direction by Roger L. Bingaman and Linda Slein.
Cast in I DO! I DO! are Catherine Lord (Agnes) and Larry Adams (Michael), reunited after their pairing in Light Opera Works’ 2009 A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.
The production team for I DO ! I DO! includes Adam L. Veness (Scenic Design), Darcy Hofer (Costume Design), Charles Jolls (Lighting Design), Miles Polaski (Sound Design), Sienna Macedon (Hair and Make-Up Design), Mealah Heidenreich and Deborah Lindell (Properties Design), Rachel Levine (Stage Manager), and Paige Keedy (Production Manager).
The Opening Night reception for I Do! I DO! is sponsored by Prairie Moon, Evanston.
I DO! I DO! is Light Opera Works’ third show of 2010. The season ends with Jerry Herman’s HELLO, DOLLY! (December 26 – January 2). Discounted ticket packages are still available.
Ticket prices for I DO! I DO! are $27, $34 and $42. Ages 21 and younger are half price. All preview seats are $21. To order tickets, or for more information, call the Light Opera Works box office at (847) 869-6300 or order 24 hours a day online at www.lightoperaworks.com
Director/Music Director Biographies
Rudy Hogenmiller (Director/Choreographer) is artistic director of Light Opera Works. He has directed and choreographed many productions for the company including MY FAIR LADY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, KISS ME, KATE, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE MIKADO and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. He has been recognized with six Joseph Jefferson Awards and 17 nominations for best direction and choreography in Chicago. Hogenmiller has been a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers for more than 25 years.
Roger L. Bingaman (Co-Music Director) made his first appearance on the Light Opera Works podium in 1997, conducting THE MERRY WIDOW. In December, 2005 he was named the company’s music director. He has conducted many Light Opera Works productions, including CAROUSEL, THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, MY FAIR LADY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, IOLANTHE and GIGI. Bingaman has been director of the apprentice program and chorus master for the Sarasota Opera since 1998.
Linda Slein (Co-Music Director) has been a musical director in the Chicago area for more than 20 years. Recent credits include FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: SVU at the Royal George Theater and MID-LIFE: THE CRISIS MUSICAL at Pheasant Run for Noble Fool Theatricals and Little Theatre on the Square. Other credits include GRAND HOTEL at Drury Lane Water Tower Place, A CHORUS LINE at Theater at the Center, and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM at Noble Fool Theatricals. For the past three years, Linda has been the musical director for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards.
Cast Biographies
Catherine Lord (Agnes) made her Light Opera Works debut last season as Désirée in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. Ms. Lord has performed extensively in the Chicago area for nearly 25 years. Some of her favorite roles and shows include MY FAIR LADY, HAIRSPRAY, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, THE BOWERY BOYS, LES MISERABLES, THE PRODUCERS, INTO THE WOODS, OLIVER!, STATE FAIR, SUNSET BOULEVARD, Miss Flannery in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, and Betty Blake in THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES, all at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire; Rafaella Ottiano in GRAND HOTEL at Drury Lane Water Tower; Emma Goldman in RAGTIME, Marian Paroo in THE MUSIC MAN, Lilli/Kate in KISS ME, KATE, and Grace Farrell in ANNIE at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace; Carlotta in PHANTOM (After Dark Award) at Drury Lane Evergreen Park.
Larry Adams (Michael) has appeared in Light Opera Works productions of SOUTH PACIFIC, 110 IN THE SHADE, THE MERRY WIDOW, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, KISS ME, KATE, THE MUSIC MAN and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. Larry has performed with various companies in the Chicago area including; Theatre at the Center, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook. He has toured nationally with Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and was a part of the Broadway and San Francisco companies. Mr. Adams has performed a wide range of musical styles from opera to minimalism to cabaret, appearing at such venues as Lincoln Center and La Mama in New York City to opera companies and theatres around the country. In the August 2010 Chicago Magazine’s BEST OF CHICAGO feature, he was singled out as Chicago theater’s Best Singer.
# # #
Light Opera Works is a resident professional not-for-profit theater in Evanston, founded in 1980. The company's mission is to produce and present musical theater from a variety of world traditions. All productions are presented in English, with foreign works done in carefully edited modern translations. Maximum scholarship is employed to preserve the original vocal and orchestral material as well as the spirit of the original text whenever possible. Audiences have come to know that at Light Opera Works they will experience repertoire often unavailable on the stages of commercial theaters and opera houses, in modern productions with professional artists and full orchestra.
# # # Light Opera Works’ mission is to produce musical theater from a variety of world traditions, to engage the community through educational and outreach programs, and to train artists in musical theater.
# # #
Coming Soon |
||||||
