Paramount Theatre announces expanded 2016-2017 season
The Paramount Theatre on Monday announced an expanded Broadway series for 2016-2017. This marks the sixth season for the Aurora theater, which made history in 2015 by winning five equity Joseph Jefferson Awards during its first year of eligibility.
The upcoming season, which includes longer runs and more performances, begins Sept. 7 with a reunion of the creative team responsible for Paramount's current hit show, “West Side Story.”
Artistic director Jim Corti, music director Tom Vendafreddo, choreographer William Carlos Angulo and set designer Kevin Depinet team up for “Mamma Mia!” The show, inspired by the music of ABBA, centers on 20-year-old Susie, who is about to get married and wants to know which of her mother's three former lovers is her father.
Amber Mak, Paramount's recently named director of new works development, will direct and choreograph “Disney's The Little Mermaid” (Nov. 23-Jan. 8, 2017). Based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale and Disney's 1989 movie, this family-friendly show tells the story of Ariel, a young mermaid who falls in love with a prince and enlists help from a sea witch, making a deal that comes with a high price.
Corti and Vendafreddo reunite for Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's “Sweeney Todd — The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (Feb. 8-March 19, 2017). Set in 19th-century London, this musical dramedy centers on Benjamin Barker, a barber wrongly convicted of a crime, who vows revenge on the corrupt officials who framed him. Assisting him is Mrs. Lovett, a pie shop owner with a struggling business and a flexible moral code.
The season concludes with “Jesus Christ Superstar” (April 19-May 28, 2017), the 1970 rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber chronicling the last days of Jesus Christ. The production marks director/choreographer Ron Kellum's Paramount debut.
Subscription packages start at $88 and include four shows for the price of two. Prepaid subscription renewals go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday and are available online through May 8 at paramountaurora.com.
New subscriber reservations begin after April 4 online, over the phone or in person at the Paramount Theatre box office at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. New subscriptions are available through May 8. For details, see paramountaurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.