The Music Theatre Company Announces Cast of "The Pajama Game"

Tony-Award Winning Musical, Directed by Jess McLeod and Choreographed by TMTC Artistic Director Jessica Redish, to be presented in Fully-Realized Production at Highland Park’s Equity Theatre April 18 – May 12

HIGHLAND PARK –The Music Theatre Company (TMTC), Highland Park’s Equity theatre, 1850 Green Bay Road, is proud to announce the company’s 2013 mainstage production, The Pajama Game. Directed by Jess McLeod and choreographed by Founding Artistic Director Jessica Redish, April 18 – May 12, with press opening Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. Preview performances are April 18 – 21. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Preview ticket prices are $27 for students with ID and seniors (60+) and $35 for the general public. Regular ticket prices are $32 for students and seniors and $40 for the general public. To purchase tickets or for more information call The Music Theatre Company at 847.579.4900 or visit www.themusictheatrecompany.org. 

Based on the novel 7 ½ Cents by Richard Bissell, the multi-award winning The Pajama Game, book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, tells the story of Babe and Sid, struggling to fall in love as workers and management clash over seven and a half cents. The legendary score featuring "Hey There," Hernando's Hideaway," "Steam Heat," among others, is one of the most popular scores in the American Theatre canon. Stripped down to its essence to reveal the heart of its story, TMTC’s production is a clever, truthful and poignant musical for our times.

The cast for The Pajama Game includes:

Nancy Kolton (Mabel), Kelley Abell (Ensemble), Dana Tretta (Gladys), Jason Richards (Hines), Creg Sclavi (Ensemble), Kelly Davis Wilson (Mae), Sarah Bockel (Babe), Carly Robinson (Swing), Frankie DiCiacci (Swing), David Sajewich (Sid), Patrick Byrnes (Ensemble), Christopher Logan (Ensemble), Tyler Ravelson (Prez), Donald Brearley (Hasler and Pop) and Allyson Graves (Ensemble)

The creative team for The Pajama Game includes:

Jess McLeod (director), Jessica Redish (choreographer), Matt Deitchman (music director and orchestrations), Charles Cooper (lighting design), Sarah Watkins (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design) and Sally Weiss (properties design)

Jess McLeod, Director

McLeod returns to The Music Theatre Company where her credits include: Fugitive Songs in Concert, the Young Artist Program productions of Zanna, Don't! and YAPbook '11. Chicago: Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play (Strange Tree Group), L-Vis Live! (Victory Gardens), Kin (Griffin Theatre), and Venus at Steppenwolf, co-produced by Northwestern's graduate directing program, through which McLeod also directed In Trousers and Mourning Becomes Electra and co-created "Master Clash," the MFA Writer/Director short play festival. From 2005-08, Jess served as Director of Programming for The New York Musical Theatre Festival, where she oversaw all curating and directed pop/musical theatre fusion concerts including The Unauthorized Musicology of Ben Folds. She has also directed workshops for TMTC, The American Music Theatre Project and The House Theatre of Chicago, and heads Timber Lake Playhouse's Summer Playwrights Lab.

Jessica Redish, Choreographer and Founding Artistic Director

Since The Company’s founding Redish has directed and choreographed Merrily We Roll Along, The 9/11 Report by Michael Mahler (also conceiver) Erika's Wall and PIPPIN, for which she received a Jeff Nomination for Choreography. Redish also choreographed Sweet Charity and She Loves Me at Writers' Theatre, RENT at American Theater Company/About Face Theatre directed by David Cromer, as well as Pinkalicious and Seussical at First Stage in Milwaukee. Redish served as movement director for the off-Broadway production of Adding Machine directed by Mr. Cromer, and directed and choreographed various productions for the New York Musical Theatre Festival and the NYFringe. She has served as a guest artist at Perry Mansfield, Roosevelt University, Hollins University and Northwestern University, her alma mater. Redish is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

ABOUT THE MUSIC THEATRE COMPANY

The Music Theatre Company explores the musical in the interest of expanding the canon of musical theatre through fully-staged productions, commissions of new works and musical experiments.

The Music Theatre Company production history includes: The Jeff-Nominated production of Merrily We Roll Along, PIPPIN, The 9/11 Report by Michael Mahler & Jessica Redish, Erika's Wall by Sophie Jaff & Kathy Tagg, B.R.A.T.T. Camp by Bobby Cronin, The Last Five Years, Fugitive Songs, Lucky Stiff and The Baker’s Wife in Concert, and a variety of readings of new musicals including new titles by Josh Schmidt, David Simpatico, Alan Schmuckler, Margie Duffield and Janice Lowe. The Company also presents a variety of individual Artists in Concert as well as its annual 48 Hour Musical project - four new fifteen-minute musicals written and rehearsed in 48 Hours.

The Music Theatre Company, Highland Park’s Equity theatre, 1850 Green Bay Road, presents The Pajama Game, April 18 – May 12, with press opening Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. Preview performances are April 18 – 21. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Preview ticket prices are $27 for students with ID and seniors (60+) and $35 for the general public. Regular ticket prices are $32 for students and seniors and $40 for the general public. To purchase tickets or for more information call The Music Theatre Company at 847.579.4900 or visit www.themusictheatrecompany.org. 

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The 2012-2013 TMTC Season is supported by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, YEA! Highland Park, The Highland Park Cultural Arts Commission and BMO Harris Bank.