Tuesday, February 15, 2011

It’s Just a Noisy Hall, Where There’s a Nightly Brawl…


CELEBRATES ITS’ THIRTEENTH RAZZLE-DAZZLE NATIONAL TOUR!

WINNER OF SIX 1997 TONY AWARDS

INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL

Starring John O’Hurley

CHICAGO is BACK IN TOWN and its PURE ENTERTAINMENT!

CHICAGO which opened to rave reviews on November 14th, 1996, now has the distinction of being the longest-running musical revival playing on Broadway, the second longest-running musical production currently playing on Broadway, and the fifth longest-running production in Broadway history, and... shows no sign of ever slowing down! CHICAGO will play 2 shows only at DeVos Performance Hall May 10 & 11, 2011 at 7:30pm. Tickets are now available at ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

John O’Hurley (Billy Flynn) is one of People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive,” and has become one of television’s busiest and most versatile actors, show hosts, advertising heroes, and feature film stars. The award-winning actor is best known as "J. Peterman" on "Seinfeld," which is now the #1 syndicated series in the world in 85 countries. He danced his way into the hearts of America as the ultimate champion of the highly rated ABC show “Dancing with the Stars,” starred on Broadway in Chicago, as the male lead “Billy Flynn” and starred in a two-year stint as the head of the Round Table, King Arthur, in Eric Idle’s hilarious musical comedy “Monty Python’s Spamalot” in Las Vegas. On the small screen he can be seen weekly on the popular syndicated show “Family Feud.” As a follow-up to his Billboard chart topping CD Peace of Our Minds (which was the first independently produced CD to ever reach #13 on the Billboard Music charts), O’Hurley recently released Secrets from the Lake, a collaboration of his piano compositions with cellist Marston Smith. O’Hurley has written 2 books including his New York Times Bestseller called It’s OK to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons Learned from Dogs, and Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have To Do It. When not performing, John maintains his single digit gold handicap by playing on the Celebrity Players Tour. Additionally, he lends his name and golf game to help charities close to his heart, especially Golfers Against Cancer and Child Development Institute. O'Hurley enjoys spending his free time with his wife Lisa and their young son William Dylan. Together they love to play golf, travel, play with their dogs, cheer for the Boston Red Sox, and entertain friends at their Beverly Hills home.

Murder. Greed. Corruption. Violence. Exploitation. Adultery. Treachery. Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who maliciously murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.

The national tour is directed by Scott Faris and choreographed by Gary Chryst. Walter Bobbie is the director of the original New York Production and Ann Reinking was the original choreographer in the style of Bob Fosse. CHICAGO features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Scott Lehrer. The production also features orchestrations by Ralph Burns, supervising music direction by Rob Fisher.

Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, CHICAGO has become a worldwide phenomenon with productions in 24 countries and 11 languages since 1996.

The record-breaking London production of CHICAGO continues to hold the record as the longest-running American musical in West End history. CHICAGO is also on tour throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as international tours in Australia and the United Kingdom.

CHICAGO is a production not to be missed. And all the reviewers agree. Time Magazine calls it “A Triumph,” Newsweek raves “Smashing” and Entertainment Weekly sums it up by calling CHICAGO “Broadway’s Most Electrifying Show.”

CHICAGO is affordably priced from $33 and will perform 2 shows at DeVos Performance Hall May 10 & 11, 2011 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available at the DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena box offices, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or via phone at 1-800-745-3000. Group discounts are available for Groups of 15 or more by calling 616-742-6185 or by e-mailing groupsales@smggr.com. Group offer expires May 3, 2011.

*PLEASE NOTE: Performance dates have been changed (originally April 5-7) due to changing tour schedules. Previously purchased tickets may be refunded in full or moved to a new performance date. Please contact the original point of purchase to receive a refund or you may contact Broadway Grand Rapids at 616-235-6285 to exchange your ticket to one of the new performance dates.

For more information on the Fifth Third Bank Broadway Grand Rapids Series visit www.BroadwayGrandRapids.com.

Visit www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.