Monday, November 17
Reception at 6:00 pm
Program at 7:00 pm
The Arts Club of Chicago | 201 E Ontario Street, Chicago
You are invited to an intimate evening honoring Beth Leavel, most recently seen on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. She was nominated for a 2019 Tony®, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle award for her performance in the critically acclaimed Broadway show The Prom. She received Tony®, Drama Desk, NY Outer Critics Circle and L.A. Drama Critics Awards for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. Beth also received Tony®, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her role as Florence Greenberg in Baby It’s You! Other Broadway roles include The Baroness in Lempicka, Mrs. June Adams in Bandstand, Emily in Elf, Donna in Mamma Mia!, Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein, Dorothy Brock in the revival of 42nd Street, Tess in the original company of Crazy For You, Mrs. Bixby in The Civil War, Ellie in Hal Prince’s Showboat and Anytime Annie (her Broadway debut) in 42nd Street. She has numerous Off-Broadway, regional theatre, commercials and TV credits, including the final episode of ER and The Walking Dead. Selections from these shows will performed by some of Chicago’s most talented theatre stars. There will also be the induction of our 2025 Scholarship Recipients.
It’s a celebration of life, hope and the healing power of love! The musical stage adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novel is a heart-rending, yet ultimately joyous, story of a young woman’s perilous journey of personal awakening in the American South. Come ready to shout in church, stomp at the juke joint, laugh and cry with unforgettable “come-to-glory gospel hymns, down-and-dirty bump-and-grinds, jazz that stutters, dips and dives, and gorgeous alto arias” (Chicago Sun-Times).
We will begin with cocktails and light refreshments in the Goodman Lounge at 1:00 pm, followed by the 2:00 pm matinee. You will also have access to the Lounge during intermission.
Please join us as we celebrate 2024 Sarah Siddons Society Scholarship recipient, Kate McQuillan, as the lead in regional premiere of the Broadway musical, Diana at Theo in Evanston.
6:15 pm Cash Bar Reception at Theo, 721 Howard, Evanston (Kate McQuillan will join us at the Reception)
7:30 pm Diana at Theo
It’s 1981 and the world is hungry for a royal wedding — but is the 20-year-old bride prepared for what comes after? Following her fairytale union, Princess Diana faces a distant husband, an unmovable monarchy and overwhelming media scrutiny. But her modern perspective and remarkable compassion galvanizes a nation, even as it threatens the royal family’s hold on England. Diana is an electrifying musical about a woman who chose to be fearless, and as a result became timeless.
Join us for the North American Premiere of the new musical 42 Balloons at Chicago Shakespeare. Charles McCullagh (Bonnie & Clyde) and Evelyn Hoskins (Waitress) star as Larry Walters and Carol Van Deusen, reprising their roles from the UK run at the Lowry last year.
Join us for an evening with a little bit of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, honky-tonk country, swing and Broadway. The 1950’s, besides being the decade when the Sarah Siddons Society was founded, had so many great musical genres. We will celebrate them with some of Chicago’s top cabaret artists. They will be performing along with talented theatre arts students from the four Chicago area universities where we fund scholarships.
This is our fifth trip, and they usually sell out very quickly! We will see four of the most in demand shows of the season (and the option to add a fifth show), enjoy one dinner and two luncheons, where we will have exclusive Broadway guests. This unforgettable weekend includes two nights at the beautiful InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel.
Fresh off her critically acclaimed and Tony-nominated run in Days of Wine and Roses, Tony Award Winner and Emmy Nominee Kelli O’Hara comes to Steppenwolf with a program of beloved American Songbook classics and modern Broadway favorites. Hailed by the New York Times as the "Broadway musical's undisputed queen," O'Hara will perform highlights from her incredible body of work which spans twelve Broadway productions. In addition to riveting musical performances, O'Hara will share stories and personal memories drawn from her landmark stage career in an intimate setting.
From working-class London lads to rock ‘n’ roll icons, The Kinks exploded onto the ‘60s music scene with a raw, energetic new sound that rocked a nation and changed the industry forever. The story of the band’s atmospheric rise to fame is told through their own prolific catalog of hit songs, including “You Really Got Me,” “Lola,” and “All Day and All of the Night”—all performed live onstage by the actors. You’ll be rocking out in your seat with a live concert experience of the irresistible music that inspired generations. With an original story, music, and lyrics by The Kinks’ legendary Ray Davies and a script by Joe Penhall, this award-winning new musical makes its North American Premiere directed by Artistic Director Edward Hall, whose UK debut production took the West End by storm.
Broadway In Chicago presents the Porchlight Music Theatre production of TITANIQUE
All aboard NYC’s must-sea musical comedy! When the music of Céline Dion makes sweet Canadian love with the eleven-time Oscar®-winning blockbuster film “Titanic,” you get Titanique, off-Broadway’s most award-winning splash hit, which turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical musical fantasia. Want to find out what really happened to Jack and Rose on that fateful night? Just leave it to Céline Dion to enchant the audience with her totally wild take, recharting the course of Titanic’s beloved moments and characters with her iconic song catalog. Sailing on fierce powerhouse voices in show-stopping performances of such hits as “My Heart Will Go On,” “All By Myself” and “To Love You More” – backed by the unparalleled energy of a full live band – Titanique is a one-of-a-kind theatrical voyage bursting with nostalgia, heart and campy chaos.
Soprano Alfreda Burke, tenor Rodrick Dixon and Karen-Marie Richardson, along with pianist Alvin Waddle, who all helped make “Too Hot to Handel” successful, are back. They will join a huge choir and orchestra on the Auditorium’s historic stage for what many describe as a show-stopping, foot-stomping, feel good, rousing performance that has gained a diverse group of loyal fans, many of whom have seen the show multiple times. Sarah Siddons Board Member, Joan Curto is the Director.
Please join us at Hyde Park’s Court Theatre on Sunday, December 8th for the 2pm matinee of Falsettos.
Tony Award-winning Falsettos is a tribute to family and its many forms; a playful interrogation of faith and identity; and a celebration of the beauty, complexity, and necessity of love.
The Sarah Siddons Society is extremely grateful to Theo and Cathy and Jeff LeCaptain for selecting us as the beneficiary of this performance of The Secret Garden. They felt the university theatre arts scholarships we fund are a very meaningful way to honor their daughter, actress Molly LeCaptain who passed away from Cancer in January of this year.
Please join us on Sunday, October 6 for the Chicago premiere of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Writer’s Theatre in Glencoe.
12 noon- Buffet Brunch at Lucille Restaurant at Drury Lane
2:00 pm- Orchestra seat for Ain’t Misbehavin’
Stride along with the toe-tapping, finger-snapping revue that journeys through the Harlem Renaissance with the music of legend Fats Waller. Brimming with the energetic charm of jazz classics such as “Honeysuckle Rose” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” the crooners of Ain’t Misbehavin’ bring soulful melodies to life, capturing the essence of an era where the joint was always jumpin’.
Acclaimed author John Berendt’s iconic New York Timesbest seller becomes a seductive new musical.
Southern charm is bountiful in Savannah, Georgia. But behind polite smiles, the eccentric residents are filled with secrets and motives. When wealthy antiques dealer Jim Williams is accused of murder, the sensational trial uncovers hidden truths and exposes the fine line between good and evil – which sparks Lady Chablis and other Savannahians to change the city forever. MacArthur “Genius” grantee Taylor Mac, Tony Award winners Jason Robert Brown and Rob Ashford, and choreographer Tanya Birl-Torres bring the true-crime blockbuster book and its beloved characters to life in a new musical adaptation.
Madeline Ashton is the most beautiful actress (just ask her) ever to grace the stage and screen. Helen Sharp is the long-suffering author (just ask her) who lives in her shadow. They have always been the best of frenemies…until Madeline steals Helen’s fiancé away. As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that’s to die for.
After one sip of Viola’s magical potion, Madeline and Helen begin a new era of life (and death) with their youth and beauty restored…and a grudge to last eternity.
Starring Tony Award® nominees Megan Hilty (Wicked, “Smash”), Jennifer Simard (Company, Disaster!), and Christopher Sieber(Spamalot, Company), with Grammy® Award winner Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child, Chicago), Death Becomes Her, based on the classic 1992 film, is a drop-dead hilarious new musical comedy about friendship, love, and burying the hatchet…again, and again, and again.
Please join us on Sunday, May 19 as we board The Twentieth Century
Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Cy Coleman
Based on a play by Ben Hecht and Charles MaCarther and also a play by Bruce Milholland
On the Twentieth Century is a lively musical comedy set in the 1930s, featuring a glamorous journey aboard a luxury train where egos clash, romance blossoms, and theatrical shenanigans unfold, delivering a delightful blend of humor and heart.
Lunch preceding at the charming Uvae in Edgewater
This is our fourth trip, and they usually sell out very quickly! We will see four of the most in demand musicals of the Season (and the option to add a fifth show), enjoy one dinner and two luncheons, where we will have exclusive Broadway guests. This unforgettable weekend includes two nights at the beautiful InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel.
*Very limited capacity*
Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Chicago! Rob McClure will reprise his Tony-nominated Broadway performance on tour alongside co-star (and real wife!) Maggie Lakis in this internationally acclaimed hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks, MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune – one that proves we’re better together.
This year’s Sarah Siddons Society Swell Soirée highlights many of Chicago’s famed clubs from the 1940’s through the 1970’s, like Chez Paree, Mr. Kelly’s, London House and Robert’s Show Lounge. This evening of cabaret will feature some of Chicago’s most talented and experienced performers paired with musical theatre students from universities supported with Sarah Siddons scholarships.
Following the performance, join us for an intimate fundraiser dinner with the cast at one of Chicago’s best Chinese Restaurants, MingHin Cuisine - 1234 South Michigan Avenue
Join us as we set sail for the 90th anniversary production of Cole Porter’s smash-hit musical comedy. His iconic score includes a shipload of tunes that built the Great American Songbook including “Anything Goes,” “Friendship,” “You’re the Top” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
Noon - Lunch at Italian Village
2:00 pm - Boop! at CIBC Theater
For almost a century, Betty Boop has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice, and style. Now, in BOOP!, Betty’s dream of an ordinary day off from the super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an extraordinary adventure of color, music, and love in New York City—one that reminds her and the world, “You are capable of amazing things.” Boop-oop-a-doop!
Come join us for the Chicago premiere of a new one woman play written & performed by: ALMANYA NARULA, a 2016 Sarah Siddons Scholarship recipient. The Chicago premiere is being produced by The Sarah Siddons Society.
'Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy' premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival to much acclaim and sold out performances. It is based on the untold true story of Noor Inayat Khan, an Indian princess turned British WW2 spy who became the first woman to be sent out as a radio operator and was vital to the success in D-Day. She evaded the gestapo for months in France, while creating a network that would sabotage their plans until eventually she was caught, tortured, and executed in Dachau.
The Arts Club of Chicago
201 E Ontario Street, Chicago
*All Proceeds Benefit the Sarah Siddons Society Scholarship Program.
You are invited to an intimate evening with the Tony Award winner, Stephanie J Block. There will be wonderful musical selections from her memorable shows (Into The Woods, THE CHER SHOW, Falsettos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Anything Goes, 9 to 5: The Musical, Wicked, The Pirate Queen, and The Boy From Oz) performed by some of Chicago’s most talented theatre stars. There will also be the induction of our 2023 Scholarship Recipients.
A Wonderful World is the singular story of jazz legend, Grammy Award winner, and American icon Louis Armstrong, as told by the women in his life. Armstrong's innovative musicianship and incredible charisma as trumpet player and vocalist would lead him from the early days of jazz in his native New Orleans to five decades of international stardom.
The Great American Songbook Is Alive and Well and Living in CHICAGO!
Beckie Menzie, Music Director
Carla Gordon, Director
This year’s Sarah Siddons Society Swell Soirée celebrates the Great American Songbook. This evening of cabaret will feature some of Chicago’s most talented and experienced performers paired with musical theatre students from universities supported with Sarah Siddons scholarships.
2:30 pm
Mercury Theatre | 3745 N. Southport Avenue | Chicago
Mark Twain’s timeless classic sweeps audiences down the mighty Mississippi as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim escape from slavery to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures along the way are hilarious, suspenseful, and heartwarming, bringing to life everyone’s favorite characters from the novel.
This is our third trip and they usually sell out very quickly! We will see four of the most in demand musicals of the Season (and the option to add a fifth show), enjoy one dinner and two luncheon, where we will have exclusive Broadway guests. This unforgettable weekend includes two nights at the beautiful InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel.
Reasons takes us on a journey of how Earth, Wind & Fire was formed from their humble beginnings, to become the musical revolutionaries that changed the course of music. They took a vision that no one said would work, and turned it into a musical powerhouse that still lives on today.
Join us Sunday, March 19th for the Paramount Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods. Preceding the show enjoy a special St Patrick’s Day weekend breakfast with a special guest.
A fantastical musical adventure inspired by a father’s incredible stories. Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, a charming traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest, and then some. Overflowing with heart and humor, Big Fish is the extraordinary story that reminds us why we love going to the theatre.
