BELLS ARE RINGING presented by Porchlight Music Theatre's PORCHLIGHT REVISITS... series

CHICAGO – Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud

to announce the first production in their series’ second season, Porchlight Revisits...

Bells Are Ringing, featuring book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

(On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain) and music by Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl) with

Co-Direction by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber and Artistic Associate

Dina DiCostanzo and music direction by Artistic Associate Linda Madonia. Bells

Are Ringing is presented for two-nights-only on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Wednesday,

Oct. 29 at 8:00 p.m. and is performed on the set of Porchlight’s Sweeney Todd: The

Demon Barber of Fleet Street (October 3 – November 9) on nights when there are no

performances at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets for Bells Are Ringing are

$25 and include access to the pre-performance Behind the Show Backstory multi-
media presentation beginning at 7:15 p.m., created and hosted by Weber, setting the

stage on the development of the original 1956 production of Bells Are Ringing, reveling

in all the juicy backstage stories and revealing the state of the art on Broadway that

season. Single tickets to Bells Are Ringing are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org

or by calling the Stage 773 box office, 773.327.5252.

Bells Are Ringing, the hit Broadway musical based on real-life Green’s answering

service operator Mary Printz, originally starred Judy Holliday, Sydney Chaplin, Jean

Stapleton, Eddie Lawrence, George S. Irving, Jack Weston, and Peter Gennaro, and

was directed by Jerome Robbins, who also choreographed the production with Bob

Fosse. Holliday, who reprised her role alongside Dean Martin and Eddie Foy Jr. in the

1960 Hollywood film of the same name, played “Ella Peterson,” an operator at telephone

message service, “Susanswerphone,” who falls for one of her clients, aspiring playwright

Jeff Moss, AKA telephone number “Plaza 0 double-four double three.” But Ella, unsure

of herself, assumes other identities in an effort to keep the conversation continuing—

and the comical plot thickens. Created specifically for the legendary Holliday, the score

is one of the lushest and cleverest in Broadway history. Bells Are Ringing opened on

November 29, 1956 at the Shubert Theatre where it ran for slightly more than two years

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Porchlight Revisits... series presents Bells Are Ringing, page 2 of 3

before transferring to the Alvin Theater for a total run of 924 performances. Three of the

show’s tunes, “Long Before I Knew You,” “Just in Time,” and “The Party’s Over,” became

popular standards. Though audiences may be familiar with the Hollywood film version,

Porchlight Revisits... offers the opportunity to rediscover this classic musical comedy

gem the way it was meant to be seen—on stage.

Porchlight Revisits... Bells are Ringing stars Porchlight Artistic Associate Sarah

Hayes as “Ella Peterson.” Most recently seen as “Miss Krumholtz” in Porchlight’s Jeff

Award nominated How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Hayes has

appeared with numerous area companies including Chicago Shakespeare, American

Theater Company, Theo Ubique, City Lit, Bailiwick, Griffin, Strawdog Theatre Company,

The Mercury Theater and at the Ravinia Festival in Sweeney Todd with George Hearn

and Patti LuPone. She received a Jeff nomination and Broadway World nomination for

Actress in a Leading Role - Musical for playing “Aldonza” in Man of La Mancha at Theo

Ubique. Steve McDonough, star of Food Network’s “Party Line with the Hearty Boys”,

plays the role of “J. Sandor Prantz” and whose credits include work Off-Broadway, on

tour and locally at Drury Lane, Marriott and The Royal George Theatre. The cast of Bells

are Ringing also includes John Stemberg as “Jeff Moss” (The Beverly Hillbillies at

Theatre at the Center), Judy Lee Steele as “Sue” (Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at

Bailiwick), Sydney Charles as “Gwynn” (Smokey Joe’s Café at The Royal George),

Blair Robertson as “Hastings” (The Arsonists at Strawdog), Daniel Spagnolo as “Blake

Barton” (In The Heights at The Paramount), Quinton Guyton as “Frank Green”

(Measure for Measure at The Goodman), Steve Silver as “Inspector Barnes” (A

Christmas Memory at Theatre at the Center), Yando Lopez as “Carl” (One Hit Wonder

at Black Ensemble) Christopher Straw as “Francis” (How to Succeed in Business

Without Really Trying at Porchlight), Greg Foster as “Dr. Kitchell” (Assassins at

Kokandy Productions) and recent Roosevelt University grad Allie Wojciechowski as

“Olga.”