Porchlight Music Theatre's New Hit Musical Revue Series Returns with NEW FACES SING BROADWAY 1972 Hosted by Heidi Kettenring

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the second installment in the new musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway. Conceived and Directed by Michael Weber and Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik with Music Direction by Nick Sula, host Heidi Kettenring and a cast of Chicago’s hottest emerging artists will take a journey through the best of Broadway’s 1972 musical season via rare multi-media visuals, songs, trivia games, sing alongs and more in New Faces Sing Broadway 1972, Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 8 p.m. at Uptown Underground, 4707 N Broadway. The final installment in this new series, which will be New Faces Sing Broadway 1949, is Tuesday, June 7. Tickets are $22, with no drink minimum and are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling 773.777.9884.

From 1934 – 1968, New Faces, a series of musical revues on Broadway, was instrumental in introducing the public to emerging talent with names like June Carroll, Robert Clary, Imogene Coca, Jane Connell, “Professor” Irwin Corey, Henry Fonda, Alice Ghostley, Ronny Graham, Tiger Haynes, Van Johnson, Madeline Kahn, Eartha Kitt, Robert Klein, Carol Lawrence, Paul Lynde, Virginia Martin, John Reardon, Maggie Smith, Inga Swenson and many, many more.

In tribute to the original New Faces, Porchlight Music Theatre created this Chicago musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway, as a showcase for the best emerging musical talent now performing in Chicago. This newest edition is a journey from the start to the finish of the 1972 musical season on Broadway, peppered with photos and films of the era in an exciting multimedia presentation with a favorite Chicago theatre veteran hosting and introducing the next generation of music theatre artists to audiences. Songs featured from the hits and misses of the 1972 Broadway season include numbers from Follies, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death, Grease, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Jesus Christ Superstar, Inner City, 70, Girls, 70, The Grass Harp, The Selling of the President, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and more.

In addition to the performances on stage, the host engages the audience to sing along as the “Broadway chorus” of some of the best-known production numbers from that classic Broadway season and challenges them to “Name that Show Tune,” a fun and fast-moving music theatre trivia game where participants win prizes.

The company of New Faces Sing Broadway 1972 includes Elya Faye Bottiger (who made her Chicago debut in Porchlight Revisits Babes in Arms and now returns in Porchlight Revisits Applause); Kryie Courter (seen in Porchlight Revisits Babes in Arms, now in Porchlight Revisits Applause and next in Porchlight’s Dreamgirls); Anthony Norman (currently appearing in Bye Bye Birdie at Drury Lane after making his Chicago debut in Porchlight Revisits Mack & Mabel and Porchlight Revisits Babes in Arms); Yando Lopez (who was seen in Sondheim on Sondheim after appearing in In the Heights at The Paramount Theatre); Lauren Roesner (currently making her Chicago debut in Porchlight Revisits Applause as “Eve Harrington”); Mari Uchida (who made her Chicago debut in Porchlight’s Side Show); Liz Chidester (who recently appeared in the hit High Fidelity with Refuge Theatre Project); James Nedrud (recently seen in Angry Fags at Steppenwolf Garage and Les Miserables at Drury Lane and currently in Porchlight Revisits Applause); Henry McGinniss (recently seen in Hairspray at the Paramount after appearing in Camelot at Drury Lane) and Travis Austin Wright (recently seen in Dogfight at Boho Theatre).

ABOUT HEIDI KETTENRING, Host

Heidi Kettenring, one of Chicago’s most popular leading ladies, is currently making her Porchlight Music Theatre debut starring as “Margo Channing” in Porchlight Revisits Applause having recently received the Jeff Award for her performance in The King and I at Marriott Theatre. Recent credits include Elf (Emily Hobbs) at The Fulton Theatre, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Milly) at Maine State Music Theatre, The Merry Wives Of Windsor (Mistress Ford) at Chicago Shakespeare, To Master The Art (Jane) at The Broadway Playhouse and Oliver (Nancy--Jeff Nomination) at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Heidi originated the role of Nessa Rose in Chicago's sit down production of Wicked and has also appeared at Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, Writers' Theatre, Theatre at the Center, American Theatre Company, Peninsula Players, Goodspeed Opera, Ravinia, and has toured with Disney's Beauty And The Beast. She is the recipient of The Sarah Siddons' Leading Lady Award, an After Dark Award and 6 Jeff Nominations. Heidi can be heard singing on a Disney Princess book, can be seen in the film Man of Steel and is a proud member of AEA. She is married to Porchlight Artistic Associate David Girolmo.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 21st season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 13 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s new center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation. The company’s many accolades include 11 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and two awards, as well as a total of 115 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 31 Jeff Awards including three consecutive Best Production awards for Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013) as well as Sondheim on Sondheim being named one of the Chicago Tribune’s “Best Theatre of 2015.”

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the second installment in the new musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway. Conceived and Directed by Michael Weber and Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik with Music Direction by Nick Sula, host Heidi Kettenring and a cast of Chicago’s hottest emerging artists will take a journey through the best of Broadway’s 1972 musical season via rare multi-media visuals, songs, trivia games, sing alongs and more in New Faces Sing Broadway 1972, Tuesday, March 22 at 8 p.m. at Uptown Underground, 4707 N Broadway. The final installment in this new series, which will be New Faces Sing Broadway 1949, is Tuesday, June 7. Tickets are $22, with no drink minimum and are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling 773.777.9884.

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Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, the National Association of Realtors, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Cooper’s: A Neighborhood Eatery and The Saints. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.