Local actors find selves in spotlight of Chicago hot play

A pair of Northwest suburban natives find themselves appearing on stage in one of the hottest productions in Chicago, in "The Sparrow."

Lauren McCarthy of Arlington Heights and Ryan Bolletino of Mount Prospect appear in the ensemble of the show, which is the first original production to be included in the Broadway in Chicago series. It is playing at the Apollo Theatre.

McCarthy, a 2000 Rolling Meadows High School graduate, honed her theater skills at Indiana University and later at the Second City conservatory in Chicago, before joining the original cast, that was produced and developed by The House Theatre in Chicago.

Bolletino, a 1993 Wheeling High School graduate, pursued sports in high school and says he didn't discover theater until his days at the University of Iowa. In 2000 he became a member of The Hypocrites theater company in Chicago, and he has appeared regularly in their award-winning season productions.

"As one who's done Off Loop theater for nine years, I'm overwhelmed by all of the attention this show is drawing," Bolletino says. "I'm having a blast."

McCarthy has been with the show since it opened in January, and stayed with the cast when it was picked up by Steppenwolf Theater, before seeing its unprecedented success with Broadway in Chicago.

Just last week, cast members, including McCarthy, sang the national anthem at the Chicago Bulls game.

"I've never had so much fun on stage before," McCarthy says. "I'd go anywhere with this show."

"The Sparrow" tells the story of Emily Book, who is the sole survivor of an accident that took the lives of her classmates 10 years earlier. When she returns to her small town high school, she -- and the townspeople -- struggle to emerge from their feelings of grief and guilt.

Interspersed in between its scenes is haunting video of the character, returning to her rural roots.

"I think the story is accessible to a lot of people," says Jake Minton, who created the original production with Matthews and Nathan Allen, all of The House Theatre of Chicago.

"It's set in this small town high school, which is undeniably familiar to anyone who attended high school in America," Minton adds, "and it taps into such broad themes as loss and redemption. And then it's just a great, exciting story."

What else can explain its phenomenal success? After selling out its first six-week run at the Viaduct Theater, it played to sold out houses at the Steppenwolf's Garage Theater, both in Chicago.

Now, the show is finding a larger audience as a result of its Broadway in Chicago exposure. In fact, it is the first time the Broadway series has included an original work, rather than the national touring productions of well known plays.

"We're really excited," Minton says. "We loved the show, and now we love the fact that people are getting a chance to see it. We're hoping there's a big future for it."