Chicago actress Rondi Reed won a Tony Award this year for her role in August: Osage County. It was one of five Tonys for the Steppenwolf Theatre production that traveled from Chicago to Broadway. Rondi left the cast of Wicked here in Chicago to take the role of August's Mattie Fae Maikin in New York. Now, with her Tony in hand, she returned to the Land of Oz.
Rondi's other Broadway credits include: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and The Grapes of Wrath. Off-Broadway, she's appeared in: Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Regional credits include: Arena Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse. On Film and TV, she's appeared on: "Seinfeld," "The Practice," "Home Improvement," "Roseanne," "Nothing Sacred," "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CBS), "Wild Palms" (NBC), "Normal" (HBO), Jungle 2 Jungle, Fearless, The Astronaut's Wife. Chicago audiences have seen her at Steppenwolf in The Fall To Earth for which she won a Joseph Jefferson Award as Best Actress; Man From Nebraska, Cherry Orchard, Sideman, Beauty Queen of Leenane; at Marriott Lincolnshire in Funny Girl and Cabaret; at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Romeo & Juliet; and at the Apollo Theater in The Vagina Monologues.
Wicked winner of 15 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, is the untold story of the Witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
And as Rondi and the rest of the company will confirm: There is no place like home, especially if it's Chicago. Wicked has made the city its home for three and half years. Called "Broadway's biggest blockbuster" by The New York Times and "a cultural phenomenon" by Variety, Wicked continues to cast a spell on all of Chicago and its many visitors. More than 1,300,000 people have seen Wicked in Chicago so far, with audience members representing all 50 U.S. states and countries as far away as Japan and Australia.
The Chicago company of Wicked took the stage on Friday, June 24, 2005 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts-Oriental Theatre. It continues to play to sold-out audiences night after night, breaking multiple house records. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento, Wicked is currently presented in Chicago, on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre, on a national tour, and in London at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
The Chicago company of Wicked will take their final bows on January 25, 2009. For tickets and more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago or call 312. 902.1400.
CELEBRATE THE ELECTION OF OUR 44TH PRESIDENT WITH $44 TICKETS ON NOVEMBER 4
Broadway In Chicago encourages all Chicagoans to vote and then celebrate the election of the 44th President by paying $44 for tickets on Election Day, November 4. The discounted tickets are available for DIRTY DANCING, JERSEY BOYS and WICKED. Election returns will be announced during intermission and at the close of the show.
By using the promo code VOTE, patrons may purchase any seat in the three theaters on Tuesday, November 4 for only $44. Seats regularly priced below $44 will remain at their regular price. Offer details can be found at www.BroadwayInChicago.com/specialoffers.
Tickets are available at Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (18 W. Monroe St., 24 W. Randolph St. and 151 W. Randolph St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including all Hot Tix, select Carson Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores) or online at Ticketmaster.com. Groups of 20 or more should call (312) 977-1710.
Performances for all shows on Tuesday, November 4 begin at 7:30 p.m.
DIRTY DANCING – The Classic Story On Stage is playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) through January 17. A coming of age love story, this show tells the story of a talented and headstrong dancer, Johnny Castle, and Frances "Baby" Houseman, a doctor's daughter with dreams of joining the Peace Corps. The production is an extraordinary experience that explodes with heart-pounding music, spectacular emotion and sensationally sexy dancing.
The Chicago Company of JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, recently celebrated their first anniversary playing at the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.). This group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time, writing their own songs, inventing their own sounds and selling 175 million records worldwide – all before they were thirty.
Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years. The Chicago Company of WICKED will take its final bow on January 25 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) after more than three record-breaking years in Chicago.
For more information, visit http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/
DINNER WITH THE WICKED CAST
Wicked fans looking to make their night on the town very Ozmopolitan are invited to dine with cast members on Wednesday, November 5. For $30, in addition to the price of a ticket, fans and cast members will dine prior to the show at 5:30 p.m. at Hotel Monaco (225 N. Wabash Ave.),followed by a 7:30 performance of Wicked at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.). In addition to dinner and the opportunity to mingle with a monkey, gab like Glinda or munch next to a munchkin, fans will also receive a special Wicked gift. Available menu options can be found online at http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/monaco_wicked_menu.php.
You can order the dinner packages using the code "DINNER" when ordering tickets through Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902- 1400, or online at www.broadwayinchicago.com. Groups of 20 or more can make reservations by calling (312) 977-1710.
For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago
BEHIND THE EMERALD CURTAIN
The record-breaking Chicago company of Wicked is now presenting an opportunity to take a rare glimpse "into the wings" of the blockbuster Broadway musical. "Behind the Emerald Curtain," an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Wicked, hosted by cast members in Chicago, is now being offered to the public on Tuesday evenings at 5:00 p.m. at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre.
Participants will visit the exclusive "Behind the Emerald Curtain" Museum, which includes the set model by Tony Award-winner Eugene Lee and an up-close look at some of Tony Award-winner Susan Hilferty's costumes (with beautiful details not always visible from the audience), as well as a few of the actual props and wigs from the show, plus film footage about the making of the global hit production.
The tour, which lasts about an hour, concludes with a question-and-answer portion with current cast members, and an opportunity to find out what's in store for the musical phenomenon in Chicago as well as around the world. Participants are also able to purchase exclusive merchandise available only on the tour as a memento of the experience.
"Behind the Emerald Curtain" is offered on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St, Chicago).
Tickets for "Behind the Emerald Curtain" are $25 and available for purchase at Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, or online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets for "Behind the Emerald Curtain" do not include admission to Wicked, the Musical. Corporate clients and groups of 20 or more may call (312) 977-1710. For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago
