Park Ridge teen to make Broadway debut as Jimmy Awards finalist

PARK RIDGE, Ill. (WLS) -- George Spiegel is a Park Ridge teenager who arrived in New York Friday to start rehearsals for his Broadway debut.

The Maine South Student is representing Illinois and Broadway In Chicago as a finalist for the Jimmy Awards.

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Spiegel said he's been singing out for this dream come true all his life.

"My life is definitely centered around music. There's nothing else I do," Spiegel said. "There's nothing else I think about, when people ask me my hobbies, I say, 'picking up a new instrument.'"

Spiegel taught himself the piano and guitar and turned himself into a "child star."

"I started singing at church... my mom tells me the story of we woke up late," Spiegel said. "My mom told me it was ok we can skip Sunday school for that day, and I was sobbing, I was so upset, because I just wanted to sing."

School of Rock community and school productions stage is home for Spiegel.

"I just want to make music and art. It's really magic," Spiegel said. "I love the theater world so so much."

"You wonder sometimes, does everyone think it's as great as you think it is, because I watch him and I can't stop smiling and it feels so good every time I see him perform," George's mom, Cindy Spiegel, said. "I'm really proud, but also excited to see that happiness in him."

"I think for him, his hard work, dedication and his mind around this as more of a team, than just me performing onstage, and I see everybody around him raising their bar a little bit and that makes me proud," George's dad, Tim Spiegel, said. "If you can go through life making people around you better, you got something special."

"As a teacher, this is one of the coolest things to happen to one of your students and just to watch George's unbridled joy on stage," Maine South High School Director of Theatre Joey Fitzpatrick said. "When you have students succeed on this level and you see them living out their dream, I live through that. I love seeing it, it gives me a lot of joy."

Spiegel explained how his life is like his big song from "Pippen."

"It really is daunting to do a song like that, it means so much to so many people," Spiegel said. "The players and actors and creators around me are where I find my community and that's what I think my corner of the sky is."