Wonderful Town | Goodman Theatre

Wonderful Town

Sept 10 - Oct 23, 2016 In the Albert
Approximate running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes including one intermission

  • “A really good time”— Chicago Tribune

Mary Zimmerman directs a lavish revival of Leonard Bernstein’s classic musical, featuring a company of more than 40 actors and musicians!

Two sisters. One incredible city. Unlimited possibilities. Join Ruth and Eileen Sherwood as they leave behind their mundane Ohio lives in pursuit of making it big in New York City. Chock-full of swinging show tunes, breathtaking choreography and effervescent charm, Wonderful Town captures the thrill of chasing one’s dreams like no other musical.

Photos

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    (Pictured Center) Bri Sudia (Ruth) and Lauren Molina (Eileen). (Pictured Left to Right) ensemble members Kristin Villanueva, Jordan Brown, George Andrew Wolff, Jody Reynard, Jeff Parker, Ian Saunders, Lainie Sakakura, Wade Elkins and Mark David Kaplan in Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    Jordan Brown (Wreck), Kristin Villanueva (Helen), Bri Sudia (Ruth) and Lauren Molina (Eileen) in Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    Karl Sean Hamilton (Robert Baker) sings “What A Waste” along with ensemble members James Earl Jones II, Jeff Parker, George Andrew Wolff, Karl Sean Hamilton, Kent M. Lewis and Russell Mernagh in Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    Ensemble members Erica Stephan, Steven Strafford, Sharriese Hamilton, Aaron Holland, Nathaniel Braga and Todd Rhoades perform “Christopher Street” in Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    Lainie Sakakura (Ensemble), Lauren Molina (Eileen) and ensemble members Erica Stephan, Ian Saunders and Kent M. Lewis in Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    Bri Sudia (Ruth) sings “Swing” along with ensemble members in Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Production Photos
    Erica Stephan (Ensemble), James Earl Jones II (Speedy Valenti) and Tiffany Krause (Ensemble) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Bri Sudia (Ruth), Karl Sean Hamilton (Robert Baker), Lauren Molina (Eileen), Steven Stafford (Chick Clark) and Wade Elkins (Frank Lippencott) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Erica Stephan (Ensemble), Steven Strafford (Chick Clark), Karl Sean Hamilton (Robert Baker), Sherriese Hamilton (Ensemble) and Lainie Sakakura (Ensemble) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Bri Sudia (Ruth) and Lauren Molina (Eileen) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Ensemble members Tiffany Krause, Ariana Cappuccitti, Lainie Sakakura, Lauren Molina (Eileen,) ensemble members Erica Stephan, Ian Saunders and Kent M. Lewis in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Karl Sean Hamilton (Robert Baker) and Bri Sudia (Ruth) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Ariana Cappuccitti (Ensemble), Tiffany Krause (Ensemble), Lauren Molina (Eileen), Erica Stephan (Ensemble) and Lainie Sakakura (Ensemble) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Director Mary Zimmerman in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Lauren Molina (Eileen) and Bri Sudia (Ruth) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Karl Sean Hamilton (Robert Baker), Erica Stephan (Ensemble), Aaron Holland (Ensemble), Steven Stafford (Chick Clark), and Sherriese Hamilton (Ensemble) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Ensemble members Russell Mernagh and Aaron Holland in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    James Earl Jones II (Speedy Valenti), Todd Rhoades (Ensemble), George Andrew Wolff (Lonigan), Russell Mernagh (Ensemble), Ian Saunders (Ensemble) and Ariana Cappuccitti (Ensemble) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    The creative team including Assistant Director Jeffrey Mosser, Director Mary Zimmerman, and Production Stage Manager Briana J. Fahey in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Steven Strafford (Chick Clark) and Erica Stephan (Ensemble) in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Music Director Doug Peck and Associate Music Director Ben Johnson in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

  • Wonderful Town Rehearsal Photos
    Todd Rhoades (Ensemble) and Choreographer Alex Sanchez in rehearsal for Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

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Artists
OnStage+

The Mayor of Wonderful Town: A Conversation with Director Mary Zimmerman

During her 20-plus years as a member of the Goodman's Artistic Collective, Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman has presented a truly eclectic body of work - helming everything from Shakespeare's dramas to exhilarating spectacles adapted from beloved legends like The Odyssey and The White Snake.

Building Wonderful Town: A History of the Classic Musical

When Wonderful Town opened on Broadway in February 1953, the musical represented the fourth iteration of author Ruth McKenney's autobiographical tales of the misadventures that befell her and her younger sister Eileen when they left their Ohio home to find fame and fortune in New York City.

Music Director Doug Peck on the Legacy of Leonard Bernstein

For Wonderful Town, music director Doug Peck reunites with director Mary Zimmerman. Having also previously collaborated on The Jungle Book and Guys and Dolls, this marks their second partnership on a Leonard Bernstein musical after the Goodman's acclaimed 2010 production of Candide.

New York City in Leonard Bernstein's Musicals

Just as Bernstein's classic musicals On the Town (1944), Wonderful Town (1953) and West Side Story (1957) are known for their complex, vibrant scores and glorious dance numbers, all three also share another central component: their New York City setting.

Press & Reviews

Wonderful gags in the Goodman's loose and lively 'Wonderful Town'

"Wonderful Town," the highly enjoyable new Goodman revival of the challenging 1953 Broadway musical with a book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and an atypically whimsical score by the incomparable Leonard Bernstein, is far and away the funniest show Mary Zimmerman ever has directed among her huge body of work in Chicago.

Dancing to success in Goodman Theatre's 'Wonderful Town'

"Wonderful Town," the zany musical comedy "cartoon" version of New York that features fabulously eclectic, endlessly danceable music by Leonard Bernstein, and shrewdly proto-feminist lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened Sunday night at the Goodman Theatre at the very moment the latest terror attack in Manhattan was still unfolding.

Mary Zimmerman on Bringing Bernstein's "Wonderful Town" to the Second City | On WFMT

Goodman Theatre opens its 2016/17 season with Wonderful Town, a lesser-performed musical in the Leonard Bernstein canon. With lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the show tells the story of two Ohio sisters' dreams of becoming an actress and journalist, respectively, in New York City's Greenwich Village.

Wonderful Town

When Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Leonard Bernstein's Wonderful Town made its Broadway debut in 1953, it was set in 1930s Greenwich Village. The Goodman's new production, helmed by director Mary Zimmerman, resets the action to the early 1950s, when it was written (original book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov).

A Conversation with Lauren Molina & Bri Sudia | Stage & Candor

"What year is this?" Bri Sudia, in-character as Eileen, asks in a promotional video for Wonderful Town. In the video, Lauren Molina and Bri Sudia run all around Chicago, trying to figure out if it's quite as wonderful of a town as New York City.

Bri Sudia - Crafting Her Own Path in Chicago Theater | PerformInk

"I wasn't really going to be an actor," Bri Sudia insists. When I got a chance to interview her over the phone, she was fresh from rehearsal, stretching out after a long day at the Goodman, where she stars as Ruth Sherwood in the Mary Zimmerman-directed WONDERFUL TOWN.

Wonderful Town

Worry not for the Sherwood sisters of Columbus, Ohio. Newly arrived in New York City, their early misadventures form the basis of this sweet (and occasionally sardonic) 1953 musical love letter to a town that was probably never so wonderful as it's depicted here.

We Ask, They Answer: Q&A with Karl Hamilton, star of "Wonderful Town" playing at the Goodman Theatre

By Trent Modglin Photos by Liz Lauren Karl Hamilton plays the character of Robert Baker in the revival of Leonard Bernstein's classic musical Wonderful Town, playing at the Goodman Theatre through Oct. 16, 2016. Visit www.GoodmanTheatre.org for ticket information. Q: Tell us a bit about your current musical, Wonderful Town and what it's like to revive a classic.

Goodman tapping into the youthful optimism of 'Wonderful Town'

Mary Zimmerman, the Tony Award-winning director and MacArthur Fellow whose work has been seen on the stages of the Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, New York's Metropolitan Opera House (where her production of Dvorak's "Rusalka" will open in February 2017) and beyond, still vividly recalls the moment, about 10 years ago, when she finally acquired an apartment in New York.

SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT Husbands hired for Goodman's 'Wonderful Town' - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive - Windy City Times

Auditioning actors know that getting cast in a show can be a cutthroat business. But imagine the dilemma for a performer if his or her spouse was competing to play the exact same role. This uncomfortable situation actually happened to married Chicago actors Wade Elkins ( Blue Man Group ) and Steven Stafford ( End Days, Methtacular!

Arts preview: 'Wonderful Town' - SPLASH

Sisters dream of success in a resilient old-school musical at Goodman Theatre Many of us love to reminisce (not always too accurately) about our younger days, when we were stupid and fearless and tomorrow seemed a long way off. And when we're not strolling our own memory lanes, countless novels, plays and movies offer ample ...

Watch now: Chicago Tonight | September 13, 2016 - Full Show | WTTW11 Video

Are Political Power Brokers Influencing Chief Judge Election? Countdown to Election Day 2016 Tougher Gun Laws Won't Stop Violence, Says Cook County Public Defender Rwandan Genocide Survivor, Advocate on Holocaust, Modern-Day Genocide Mary Zimmerman Revives Adventurous 'Wonderful Town' at Goodman Theatre Watch online: September 13, 2016 - Full Show from Chicago Tonight.

Accessibility
low vision and blind services  PATRONS WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION

Large print programs: available to download in Microsoft Word format for all shows prior to a performance. Download large print program.

Braille programs: available day of the performance from the Guest Services desk

Audio Described performance: Saturday, October 8 at 2pm
Tickets are $30. For access to reserved, discounted seating enter the promo code AUDIO when purchasing online or call the box office at 312.443.3800 (voice) or 312.443.3829 (TTY/TDD).

Download a description of the Wonderful Town set.

Touch Tour: October 8 at 12:30pm
The tour will feature a 45-60 minute presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements for the performance. When reserving tickets please indicate how many people will be in your party for both the Touch Tour and the performance.

 

hearing impaired services

PATRONS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING

Assistive Listening Devices: Both the Albert and the Owen are equipped with FM frequency assistive listening devices. You may use your own headphones, or they will be provided for you. In addition, neck loops are available that are compatible with t-coil hearing aids. Devices are available at the Guest Services desk in the Goodman lobby. Assistive listening devices are offered free of charge, but a driver's license or valid ID is required as security.

Open Captioned Performance:  Saturday, October 15 at 2pm

Tickets are $30. An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.  For access to reserved, discounted seating enter the promo code OPEN when purchasing online or call the box office at 312.443.3800 (voice) or 312.443.3829 (TTY/TDD).

American Sign Language Interpretation: Wednesday, October 12 at 7:30pm

Tickets are $30. To access reserved, discounted seating in the front five rows for a signed performance, enter the promo code SIGN when purchasing online or call the box office at 312.443.3800 (voice) or 312.443.3829 (TTY/TDD).

Watch a signed plot summary of Wonderful Town.


 

mobility services 

ACCESSIBLE SEATING FOR PERFORMANCES

Goodman Theatre has accessible wheelchair/scooter locations in both the Albert and Owen* theaters.

Depending on your preferences, you can use the promo codes below to access special reserved seat locations when purchasing tickets online:

  • Enter promo code TRANSFER if you wish to transfer to a theater seat from your walker, wheelchair or scooter.
  • Enter promo code REMOVAL if you require a location where a seat can be removed for you to stay in your wheelchair/scooter while you watch the performance.
    •

Please call ticket services at 312.443.3800 if you have questions or would like to purchase over the phone. All of our ticket representatives can assist you in finding a seat location to fit your needs.

Goodman Theatre has a wheelchair on site, which may be used to transport patrons to and from assigned seats. For use of the on-site wheelchair, contact house management at 312.443.3818.

*Although the Owen Theatre is a general admission house, accessible seats will be reserved for you on the seating level you purchase.

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wonderful

Sept 10 - Oct 23, 2016 | Albert Theatre
Approximate running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes including one intermission

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  • “The funniest show Mary Zimmerman ever has directed among her huge body of work in Chicago”— Chicago Tribune
  • “Highly Recommended!”— Chicago Sun-Times
  • “A fizzy, festive champagne cocktail of a musical ”— Wall Street Journal
  • “Flawlessly cast, wittily staged and delightfully designed”— Wall Street Journal
  • "This is one you’ll hate yourself for missing." - Wall Street Journal
  • “A musical love letter to a town that was probably never so wonderful as it's depicted here”— Time Out Chicago
  • “A gorgeous revival”— Daily Herald