The Paramount Theatre in Aurora opens its Broadway series, and its new season, with “Million Dollar Quartet.” The show runs Sept. 13-Oct 29.
Included in the Broadway series are the family holiday musical, “Elf,” “Cabaret” and “Once.”
“We’re excited,” said Jim Jarvis, vice president of programming and sales at the Paramount. “I always tell people, ‘You might have seen “Million Dollar Quartet” when it was running down at the Apollo all that time. I saw it and it was amazing. But no one sees shows the way we do shows and I think it stands for every single show we’ve ever done, whether it was “West Side Story” or “Fiddler on the Roof” or “My Fair Lady.”‘”
His office is next to the Broadway series’ rehearsal space, so he’s had a free concert for a month, he said.
“It’s a great story, it’s the story of when Elvis (Presley) and Johnny (Cash) and Jerry Lee (Lewis) and Carl (Perkins) all got together for that one magical night at Sun Studios,” he said. “The music is great; it’s an array of music that they play. The actors we have are super strong. It’s a really cool way to kick off the season.”
The story goes that the four musicians all showed up by happenstance at Sun Studios on Dec. 4, 1956. A quick-thinking sound engineer flipped the “record” switch and managed to get them jamming together for one night only.
When Elvis and Co. take a final curtain call, the Paramount moves right into “Elf,” which runs Nov. 22-Jan. 7. Unsurprisingly, it’s leading in ticket sales right now, he said.
“We always look for a show that’s going to be a great family friendly show for the holidays, whether it’s a Christmas-related show directly or just a family friendly show,” he said. “Last year we did ‘The Little Mermaid’ and it was phenomenal. We do it to make sure it’s not just for little kids but for adults and we bring that magic to life. ‘Elf’ is this magical story about this elf who comes to New York City and kind of stumbles through and has this major impact on all the people around him. It has this great music, it’s kind of a throwback to the great Broadway sounds of the old days. Not a lot of people have seen ‘Elf’ the musical. It stays true to the story, but brings all these big, giant, fun dance numbers to life. We’re all excited about it. It’s going to be a great holiday season.”
The award-winning “Cabaret,” set in 1931 Berlin, comes to the Paramount Feb. 7-March 18.
“It’s one of those wonderful standards in American theater,” he said. “It’s (set in) the time before it all broke loose in Germany. It’s going to be powerful, it’s going to be touching and it’s going to leave you with an impact. And I think that’s one of the bread-and-butter things we do at the Paramount — take you through those array of emotions.”
The season closes with “Once” April 25-June 3, which is a coup for the theater, Jarvis said.
“‘Once’ cleaned up at the Tonys a few years ago,” he said. “It’s a story of a guy who’s a musician and he’s losing his love of music. And he meets this woman by chance and the two of them take this journey together about their love for music and their love for each other. The music is great and the story is heartwarming. We’re excited to have ‘Once’ on our stage and we’re going to close the season with something new and for us, it’s really exciting because it’s never been done in this market before. We’re the ones who got the rights to it. I think our audiences … are going to fall in love with ‘Once’ when they come to see it.”
Here is a roundup of what is coming up on stages this season.
BrightSide Theatre
Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. 630-447-8497, Brightsidetheatre.com. Tickets: $25-$30.
“The Bridges of Madison County”: Nov. 3-19
“The 39 Steps”: March 9-25, 2018
“Hairspray”: June 8-24, 2018
Children’s Theatre of Elgin
Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. 847-214-7550; Cteelgin.com. Tickets: $10-$12.
“Elf”: Nov. 17-19
“Rapunzel”: April 6-8, 2018
Fox Valley Theatre Company
The Blizzard Theatre, Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Building H, Elgin. 847-622-0300; tickets.elgin.edu. Tickets: $10-$12.
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”: Sept. 15-17
Elgin Theatre Company
Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., 8th Floor, Elgin. 847-741-0532, Elgin-theatre.org. Tickets, $15-$18.
“Screwing Around with Shakespeare”: Sept. 14-17 (Part of Elgin’s Fringe Fest; tickets $10)
“An Elgin Old Tyme Holiday Radio Show”: Nov. 10-19
“A Piece of My Heart”: Feb. 2-18, 2018
“Dead Man’s Cell Phone”: June 1-17, 2018
Janus Theatre Company
Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. 847-841-1713; Janusplays.com.
Schedule TBA
North Central College
Madden Theatre, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville.
“Machinal”: Oct. 5-7; $8-$10
“Iphigenia Among the Taurians”: Feb. 1-4, 2018; $8-10
“The Flick”: April 19-22, 2018; $8-10
The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville.
“Wonder of the World”: Oct. 18-22; $3-$5
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”: Feb. 28-March 4, 2018; $10-$15
“Almost Living”: May 3-6, 2018; $3-$5
“Vinegar Tom”: May 24-27, 2018; $8-10
Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. 630-637-7469; Northcentralcollege.edu/show.
“Sweet Charity”: Nov. 9-12; $10-$15
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble
Playhouse Theatre at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630-942-4000; Atthemac.org. Tickets: $35-$37.
“The 39 Steps”: Sept. 7-Oct. 8
“Time Stands Still”: Feb. 1-March 4, 2018
“Outside Mullingar”: May 3-June 3, 2018
College of DuPage
Playhouse Theatre at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630-942-4000; Atthemac.org. Tickets: $14-$16.
“These Shining Lives”: Oct. 5-22
“Captain Blood”: Nov. 9-19
“Much Ado About Nothing”” March 1-18, 2018
“The Diary of Anne Frank”: April 5-15, 2018
Magical Starlight Theatre
Naperville Park District at Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville. 630-848-5000; Magicalstarlighttheatre.org. Tickets, $12-$15.
“The Little Mermaid”: Jan. 12-21, 2018
Organic Theater Company
Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. 630-637-7469; Organictheater.info. Tickets, $20-$30.
“Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol”: Dec. 7-10
Paramount Theatre
23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. 630-896-6666; Paramountaurora.com. Tickets, $36-$64.
“Million Dollar Quartet”: Sept. 13-Oct. 29
“Elf”: Nov. 22-Jan. 7, 2018
“Cabaret”: Feb. 7-March 18, 2018
“Once”: April 25-June 3, 2018
The Riverfront Playhouse
11-13 S. Water St., Aurora. 630-897-9496; Riverfrontplayhouse.com. Tickets, $15-$17.
“American Buffalo”: Through Sept. 23
“The Drowning Girls”: Oct. 13-Nov. 18
