Chicago theater to stage musical about Roger and Chaz Ebert

CHICAGO - A theater group in Chicago plans to stage a musical this fall based on the love story of Roger and Chaz Ebert.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports the Black Ensemble Theater's artistic director, Jackie Taylor, is writing and directing the show about the late Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and his wife.

Taylor tells the News-Gazette she's drawn to the Eberts' story because it's an "example of strength, tenacity, endurance and love." She describes the Eberts as "an inter-racial high-profile couple who really made a big difference to the world."

The show's title is "The Black White Play (Honoring the Memory of Roger Ebert through Music)." It's supported in part by a bequest from the trust of Roger Ebert.

Ebert is a native of Urbana. He died in 2013.