A very warm and friendly good morning! Hope you are managing to keep your spirits up and are coping well with the blizzard’s aftermath and the deep freeze. Those who showed up at Paramount’s Sunday Matinee of TOMMY were not turned away. Although the 5:30 evening show was cancelled, the audience that arrived for the 1:00 performance was not disappointed. The hearty crowd of a couple hundred people were seemingly more energized by the weather, as was the cast, and it was on with the show! Which brought the house down and turned into a very special event for everyone on both sides of the footlights!
With these final two weeks to go, it will be hard to see TOMMY close on Feb. 15th. The audience response has been off the charts, and I’m experiencing a bit of sensory overload. Praise and congratulations abound for everyone’s work on this show of which I could not be more proud. The entire Broadway Series has become a hit with our local theatre lovers and those of the Chicago Theatre community as well. Everyone’s enthusiasm is so appreciated anticipating seeing TOMMY if they haven’t yet (or returning to see it again) and looking forward to the promise of LES MISERABLES and beyond to next season.
Yesterday, speaking at a luncheon for the Batavia Women’s Club, I am simply blown away by the fact that practically every member there is a subscriber! Many have been attending and following the progress of our productions from the very beginning with MY FAIR LADY. Smart, adventurous, many of them teachers and business women, their enthusiasm and how they have made Paramount their own made for a very lively afternoon! Thank you for your generosity, ladies! (And here’s an update: subscriptions have risen to 26,000!)
A long day ahead of meetings and planning for LES MISERABLES for costumes designed by Theresa Ham and violence design by Rick Gilbert. And of course, somehow at the same time, I am lining up our roster of directors, choreographers and design and production teams for next season…Season #5!
How do I do it? A most excellent and dedicated staff is the answer! Among them, with Assistant to the Artistic Director and Assistant Director for LES MISERABLES Trent Stork, I have an army of skilled and talented production teams reliably keeping me on point. Production Manager Beth Ellen Spencer, Broadway Series Technical Director Jason Pikscher, Company Manager Kaylee Oost, Stage Manager Rose Marie Packer, our PR & Marketing guru Jim Jarvis and of course our hero, Tim Rater, President and CEO, are joined on a united front to bring you the very best. Tim has been leading the charge from the start four years ago, devoted to producing the highest quality of Broadway Musical Theatre ever seen in the Fox River Valley and beyond! None of what is presented in the Broadway Series is possible without Tim. Yes, we all are lucky he had the idea for Paramount Theatre to develop and produce its very own regional Broadway musical theatre, made in Aurora!
Love & thanks,
Jim