Photo credit: Mark Frohna
It’s the return to live theater we’ve all been waiting for. And it’s the Skylight Music Theater’s new 2021-2022 season filled with premieres and one revival to keep us coming back and filling those seats. In the theater that is.
“Less” (clothing) will be so much “more” (comedy) as the Skylight kicks off its return to live performance with The Full Monty (Sept 24-Oct. 17, 2021) The Tony Award nominated musical and hit film features a group of out of work friends that take to stripping to pay the bills. Director Jason Daniely starred in the original Broadway cast. So, expect some serious bump and grind from someone who’s been there.
Another Skylight premiere, Raisin, (Feb. 11-27, 2022), is a musical adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's acclaimed drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Dealing with the struggles of the first African American family to buy a house in Chicago’s all-white Clybourne Park neighborhood in the early 1950s, the drama combines jazz, gospel and ‘70s pop as the family strives for the American Dream.
And for those who got a chance to see it on the first go around, its BAAACK! The Little Shop of Horrors (Nov. 19, 2021-Jan.2, 2022). This revival features our favorite people-eating plant in all its carnivorous gore-y, er “glory,” under the direction of Skylight Artistic Director Michael Unger. So, for those looking for “lotsa red” at Christmastime with some seriocomic bite, this one’s for you.
Another highlight of the upcoming season is the Milwaukee premiere of The Hunchback of Norte Dame (May 20-June 12, 2022) by Dennis DeYoung, he of the pop-rock band Styx. Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo (Les Miserable), this production features Tony Award Best Actor nominee Robert Cuccioli who’s well versed in playing monsters; he got his nomination for Jekyll and Hyde.
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And for those looking for something more contemporary and off-beat, consider Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, (Jan. 14-30, 2022), the off-Broadway hit about a single mom struggling to balance family and work as a video game music composer. So, who is this Ernest guy? He’s an explorer heading toward Antarctica. The two discover— and encourage—each other as they face the challenges of their individual journeys, eventually meeting across time and space, all in a single night.
All different. All unique. Yet, what do they all have in common? They’re all in person. And that’s reason enough to head back to the theater. Sit back. Relax. And enjoy.
For more on the Skylight 2021-2022 season, call 414-291-7800 or visit skylightmusictheatre.org.
