Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) is a resident professional not-for-profit musical theatre company in Illinois founded in 1980 by Philip Kraus, Bridget McDonough, and Ellen Dubinsky.
The company presented over 75 productions of operetta and musical theatre at Northwestern University's 1,000-seat Cahn Auditorium. Since 1998, in addition to three annual productions, Music Theater Works also produces a fourth, more intimate show, in Northwestern's 450-seat Nichols Concert Hall or the McGall YMCA Children's Center, Second Stage. From 1981 until 2019, Music Theater Works presented 138 productions at these venues.
In 2021, Music Theater Works moved to a residency at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois, performing in both the 315-seat thrust North Theatre and the 867-seat Center Theatre. By 2023, it had presented more than 150 productions.
History Music Theater Works was founded as Light Opera Works in Evanston, Illinois, by Philip Kraus, Bridget McDonough, and Ellen Dubinsky. Kraus was the first Artistic Director of the company, serving from 1981 through 1999. The first production of the company occurred in 1981 with a staging of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore.Scher, Valerie. "Pinafore: A Spirited, Romantic Delight", Chicago Sun-Times, September 11, 1981, p. 63; and Gerst, Virginia. "Kraus makes light work of opera", Pioneer Press, August 19, 1982, p. D2 Under Kraus' leadership, the company's main emphasis in programming centered on American, French and Viennese operetta in English, and Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas.Miller, Bryan. "Music Notes: the opera company that gets no respect", The Reader, May 26, 1989, Section 1, p. 6Süllwold, Carla-Maria Verdino. "Second City Opera: Contending for First Place", Opera Monthly, February 1992, Vol. 4, No. 10, pp. 21–30 The company produced over 75 productions at Northwestern University's 1,000-seat Cahn Auditorium. From 1998, in addition to its three annual productions, the company has produced a fourth show, in Northwestern's smaller Nichols Concert Hall or the McGall YMCA Children's Center, Second Stage.Greene, Morgan. "Light Opera Works changes name", Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2016
Lara Teeter succeeded Kraus and served as Artistic Director until 2004. He continued to program operettas but added more musical theatre pieces from later in the 20th century. Rudy Hogenmiller took over in 2005 and continued that trend. In 2017, the company changed its name from Light Opera Works to Music Theater Works. In 2019, Hogenmiller and founding General Manager Bridget McDonough retired, to be replaced by Kyle Dougan as Producing Artistic Director."Music Theater Works Announces 2020 Season Under Incoming Producing Artistic Director Kyle A. Dougan", BroadwayWorld.com, October 4, 2019, accessed May 15, 2020
In 2021, Music Theater Works moved to a residency at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois, performing in both the 315-seat thrust North Theatre and the 867-seat Center Theatre. In 2023, to celebrate the company's 150th production, The Producers, the Mayor of Skokie issued a proclamation.
Repertory In its early years, the company staged all twelve of the full-length extant Gilbert and Sullivan operas, including an Elizabethan concept Mikado (1986)Delacoma, Wynne. "Opera Works offers British Mikado", Chicago Sun-Times, June 20, 1986, p. 20 and an Edward Gorey/Tim Burton-inspired Ruddigore (1996),Bommer, Lawrence . Ruddigore review in Windy City Times, August 22, 1996, p. 32 as well as the less frequently produced Utopia Limited (1984)Grossman, Ron. "Gilbert & Sullivan fans find Utopia", Chicago Tribune, December 28, 1984, Section 7, p. 3 and The Grand Duke (1992).
Its repertory also included Emmerich Kálmán's The Duchess of Chicago (1998),Mauro, Lucia. The Duchess of Chicago review in the Chicago Sun-Times, August 1998 Jerome Moross' The Golden Apple (1995),Williams, Albert. "Homer on the Range", The Reader, August 25, 1995, Section 1, p. 36 Karl Millöcker's The Beggar Student,Süllwold, Carla-Maria Verdino. "Second City Opera: Contending for First Place", in Opera Monthly February 1992, Vol. 4 No. 10, p. 26 Oscar Straus' The Chocolate Soldier (1987)Reich, Howard. "The Chocolate Soldier makes sweet bit of history", Chicago Tribune, August 30, 1987, Section 5, p. 6 and A Waltz Dream (1992)Tobin, Kathleen. A Waltz Dream, The Beverly Review, July 15, 1992 (both with translations by Kraus and lyricist Gregory Opelka), Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland (1994)"Toyland: A Special Place for Young and Old", Chicago Sun Times, December 27, 1993, p. 23 and The Red Mill (1992),Sinozich, Patrick. The Red Mill review in Gay Chicago Magazine, January 23–February 2, 1992, p. 36 and Leonard Bernstein's Wonderful Town (1996).Lynch, Liz. Wonderful Town review in Chicago Sun-Times, December 30, 1996, p. 27 The company embarked on a Kurt Weill cycle in 1989 beginning with Lady in the Dark (1990),Weiss, Suzanne. "Light Opera Works Lights Ten Candles", Pioneer Press, June 14, 1990, p. D2 and including One Touch of Venus (1997)Patner, Andrew. One Touch of Venus review in Chicago Sun-Times, August 19, 1997, p. 32 and Knickerbocker Holiday (1993).Knickerbocker Holiday reviewed in Gay Chicago Magazine, January 14–24, 1993, pp. 35-36
In 1998, the company added a fourth, more intimate, show each year in the 250-seat Second Stage or at Nichols Concert Hall. These have included operettas like The Isle of Tulipitan (2003),new works such as Soup du Jour (2002) and No Way to Treat a Lady (2004), revues like Side by Side by Sondheim (2008), and revivals such as Darling of the Day (2005). At the Nichols Concert Hall at Northwestern University, the company presented The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2019) In 2022, Music Theater Works transitioned from a three show and 1 concert season to one of with all fully staged productions at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois, where they produced Zorro.
List of Productions 1981: H.M.S. Pinafore; Orpheus in the Underworld 1982: The Beautiful Galatea (Die schöne Galathee); Gianni Schicchi; Candide 1983: The Pirates of Penzance; A Little Night Music; Naughty Marietta 1984: La Vie parisienne; The Merry Widow; Utopia, Limited 1985: The Gondoliers; The Gypsy Baron; The Student Prince 1986: The Mikado; The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein; Die Fledermaus 1987: The Sorcerer; The Chocolate Soldier; Rose-Marie 1988: The Land of Smiles; La Périchole; The Desert Song 1989: Vienna Life (Wiener Blut); Patience; Lady in the Dark 1990: The Gypsy Princess; Princess Ida; The New Moon 1991: Bitter Sweet; The Beggar Student; The Red Mill 1992: A Waltz Dream; The Grand Duke; Knickerbocker Holiday 1993: The Count of Luxembourg; Iolanthe; Babes in Toyland 1994: A Night in Venice; The Student Prince; The Most Happy Fella 1995: The Pirates of Penzance; The Golden Apple; Die Fledermaus 1996: The Chocolate Soldier; Ruddigore; Wonderful Town 1997: H.M.S. Pinafore; One Touch of Venus; The Merry Widow 1998: The Yeomen of the Guard; The Duchess of Chicago; The Fantasticks (Second Stage); The Desert Song 1999: Beautiful Helen of Troy (La Belle Hélène); Rose-Marie; She Loves Me (Second Stage); The Mikado 2000: The Gondoliers; Man of La Mancha; Tintypes (Second Stage); The Great Waltz 2001: Countess Maritza; Kismet; You Never Know (Second Stage); The Student Prince 2002: Gypsy Love; Camelot; Soup du Jour – Opelka, Mueller and Boland (Second Stage); The Pirates of Penzance 2003: Ragtime; Fiddler on the Roof; My Night at Jacques – Jacques Offenbach (Second Stage); Die Fledermaus 2004: Sweethearts; Candide; No Way to Treat a Lady - Douglas J. Cohen (Second Stage); H.M.S. Pinafore 2005: Carnival!; The Merry Widow; Darling of the Day (Second Stage); The Sound of Music 2006: South Pacific; 110 in the Shade; Ben Bagley's The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter (Second Stage); The Mikado 2007: Kiss Me, Kate; Bitter Sweet; Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill (Second Stage); Oklahoma! 2008: Gigi; Iolanthe; Side by Side by Sondheim (Second Stage); The Music Man 2009: A Little Night Music My Fair Lady; C'est la vie (Second Stage); The Pirates of Penzance 2010: The Yeoman of the Guard; Carousel; I Do! I Do!; Hello Dolly 2011: Brigadoon; The Student Prince; Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration; The Secret Garden 2012: Camelot; Man of La Mancha; Operetta's Greatest Hits; Oliver! 2013: H.M.S. Pinafore; Cabaret; Gershwin's Greatest Hits; Annie Get Your Gun 2014: Damn Yankees; Fiddler on the Roof; Cole Porter's Greatest Hits; The Merry Widow 2015: The Fantasticks; South Pacific; Hollywood's Greatest Hits; Guys and Dolls 2016: My Fair Lady; Mame; Let Me Entertain You: Jule Styne's Greatest Hits; Fledermaus 2017: Candide; Gypsy; Duke Ellington's Greatest Hits; Peter Pan 2018: The Pirates of Penzance; Anything Goes; Judy Garland Come Rain or Shine starring Angela Ingersoll; Into the Woods 2019: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Lerner & Loewe's Greatest Hits; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2020: No productions due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021: Legends of the 50s and 60s; Mamma Mia!; Ragtime; Billy Elliot the Musical 2022: La Cage Aux Folles; The Little Mermaid; Zorro; Camelot; White Christmas 2023: Avenue Q; Pippin; The Producers; Brigadoon; Shrek the Musical; 2024: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Carousel; Little Shop of Horrors; Legally Blonde 2025: Guys and Dolls; Fiddler on the Roof; Godspell; Annie
Other activities Music Theater Works is a member of the League of Chicago TheatresList of League of Chicago Theatres members and a founding member of Chicago Performances.List of members of Chicago Performances
The company's youth program is called YouthREACH. REACH stands for Revitalizing Education and Access for Community Health. Its YouthREACH Kids and Teen Companies provide educational performance opportunities; workshops consist of summer or winter camps where kids rehearse and learn from professionals, ending with a final performance.
Notable people Alexandra Billings, Richard White, Sophie Thatcher Ginger Minj Philip Kraus Bridget McDonough
Notes
References Von Rhein, John. "Lighten up, critics" Chicago Tribune 1990, 10th Anniversary article Whitmore, Julie. "Light opera company brings Europe to Evanston" in Crain's Chicago Business, June 20, 1988, p. 27
External links Official website Official History of Music Theater Works