Feb. 05--Two musicals by composer Henry Krieger, "Side Show" and "Dreamgirls," will bookend Porchlight Music Theatre's new season. A spokesman announced the company's full 2015-16 lineup on Thursday.
First is "Side Show" (Sept. 11 -- Oct. 18). Feauting a score by Krieger and book and lyrics by Bill Russell, the 1997 musical tells the story of Violet and Daisy Hilton, the real-life conjoined twins who went from performing in circus freak shows to acting in Hollywood films during the 1920s.
"Side Show" is on many theatergoers' minds of late. The first Broadway revival of the cult favorite closed last month after a mere 91 regular performances.
Next, Porchlight will remount its 2014 production of "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Nov. 14 -- Dec. 20), a revue by Fats Waller with a book by Murray Horwitz and Richard Matlby Jr. The show evokes the Harlem Renaissance and takes place in a '20s jazz club.
It has not been confirmed if the original cast will be featured in this production, but Brenda Didier and Austin Cook will return as director and music director, respectively.
Then comes "Far From Heaven" (Feb. 5 -- March 13, 2016), a musical based on the 2002 film, with a score by Scott Frankel ("Grey Gardens"), lyrics by Michael Korie and a book by Richard Greenberg. The dark-underbelly-of-suburbia show played New York's Playwrights Horizons in 2013.
"Dreamgirls" (April 8 -- May 15, 2016) ends the season. Krieger's other musical (book and lyrics by Tom Eyen) about show business tells the story of a fictional Motown-esque group of singers in the '60s, and how their relationships are frayed by growing fame.
All performances take place at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.
